Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 4:56 pm
I don't know what they recommended in my study but I will check with my doctor. Also it is 'H20' no O2 so I know its not oxygen. Thanks for all of your thoughts everyone, I really appreciate it!
The rooster is right..there's no extra "oxygen" in the air from the cpap. It's just a glorified fan blowing room air directly (because of the mask) at you. Nor does it breathe for you. You do the breathing, and the cpap's fan pushes the soft tissues inside your throat more open as you breathe.rooster wrote:Cpap (or apap) does not provide oxygenated air. It is just room air under pressure to force your airway open.
My guess is that the prescription did have H2O written on it and meant 4 - 15 cm H2O, which is how a range of cpap pressures would generally be written on an Rx. If the doctor left out "cm" it wouldn't matter much. The DME knows what a range of numbers like that mean on an APAP prescription.rooster wrote: You did say your prescription says APAP 4-15 with H2O. H20 is water. Is it possible the prescription said O2 (oxygen) meaning you have supplemental oxygen?
I agree that 4 cm is too low to be comfortable for many people...can feel rather stifling breathing through a mask at that low a pressure.
However I disagree strongly that the range should be "narrowed" or "tightened" if by that people are talking about bringing the maximum pressure setting down. I'd leave the top pressure where it is. But I would raise the minimum pressure to at least 5 or 6.
I don't call that narrowing the range, which I take to mean raising the bottom pressure AND lowering the top pressure, all at the same time. All I'd do is raise the minimum pressure some and leave the maximum pressure up there.
Actually, I'd put the minimum pressure at, or just a cm or two under, the single pressure that came out of the sleep study titration night...if there was one (a titration), and if they found one (a single recommended pressure.)
Linda, if you could talk your DME into swapping that resmed autopap for a Respironics REMstar Auto with A-flex M series machine, you might be pleasantly surprised at how natural and smooth breathing is with A-flex turned on. I think you'd have less sensation of pressure blowing at you.