help and advise setting remstar pressures!

Question to all!!

cpap pressure was prescribed at 16 cm. they brought a remstar auto machine set at 8cm to 18cm. with the flex at 3. to try, i like it but i am waking up about 4 or 5 times during the night and still feeling a little tired next day. ANY ADVICE ON HAVING THE ABOVE SETTINGS CHANGED AND TO WHERE TO HAVE THE THERAPY IMPROVE IF POSSIBLE?

THANK YOU ALL IN ADVANCE,
RC-97

The first thing you should do is purchase the encore software to see how you are doing with your AHi. Its a $200 investment well worth it. From that info you MAY want to tweak the settings some. Also install Dereks My Encore after. Makes info ez to understand.

loonlvr:

Thank you! i will do what you advise ASAP!

Greatly appreciated,
RC-97

PS: If anyone has any other advice in the meantime it would be appreciated!

RC-97, I agree with Loonlvr that the Encore Pro software and card reader are well worth the money if the REMstar Auto with C-flex is the machine they plan to let you keep, and if you are interested in monitoring your treatment yourself.

Even if they have put you on the autopap for just a few weeks or a month trial to better determine a single pressure, and they plan to switch you to straight cpap after the trial, you can still use the software and card reader in the future with some of the other Respironics machines -- the Respironics REMstar Pro 2 with C-Flex (a straight CPAP machine) or the Respironics BiPAP Pro 2 (a bi-level machine.)

Without having software to see the data from the machine, I'd feel like I was driving in fog on a mountain road. I personally would not want to rely at all on the DME downloading my data later, and either the DME or a doctor telling me what they see or giving me printouts of what they chose to print from the data. I want to see the data for myself, each morning, on my own computer. But I'm just that way...kinda' nosy about details of my own treatment.

If you are just starting xpap treatment ("x" meaning any kind of machine - cpap, autopap, bi-level) it is very common to be waking up quite a bit during the night. Takes awhile to get used to this strange new way of trying to sleep with a machine going and a mask on one's face!

Leaks from the mask or air escaping out the mouth, the feel of headgear and mask, discomfort with a mask, rainout (condensation dripping on your face)...those things, and more, can be disruptive to sleep for quite some time when new to xpap treatment. Can leave you feeling as tired or even more worn out than before! Until you get everything optimized for comfort so that the equipment itself isn't disturbing your sleep, you're lucky to see even small improvements. Finding a mask that suits comfortably is the biggest key of all, imho.

To Rested Gal:


Thanks also to you Rested Gal! It was very kind of you and loonlvr to give me all this information and as quickly as you did. i will use all the info as i go forward. i am also reading many of the other posts by you and others - sooooo helpful!


many thanks and GOD BLESS YOU BOTH!

RC-97

Again RG tells it like it is - my 1st 3 weeks had me waking up repeatedly.

After 3 weeks I had found ways of reducing the mask leaks to what I find quite acceptable. This involved trialling Activa nose mask vs Mirage Ultra f/f.

I am using the f/f now but I still like the Activa. When I resolve the issues around keeping mouth closed with it, I would probably prefer it.

Into my 4th week I am only now getting what I call regular sleep. Today I got up at 5:30am & went for a 40min exercise walk - haven't done that for a few months.

I will be interested in you comments re how much benefit you are getting. I have an AUTO but as part of a trial I have it in CPAP mode & over the past week took pressure from 15 down to 12 & tonight will be back up to 15.

I found that at 13 & 12 I got a nights sleep, had no leaks, but also was sure that the daily tiredness was returning. When I had got back up to 14cms (by last night) I felt I was back to how good I felt when I 1st started on 15/14.

Tonight I will revert to 15.

Last night the leaks weren't as bad as when I 1st started with 15/14 - I think I am learning to manage the masks better.

The other unpleasant effect I had was aerophagia but when I dropped to 13/12 that went, thus far despite being back up to 14, it hasn't returned. Again it may be a case of managing the swallowing better.

You should be spared the worst of the above side effects but I am keen to hear how you feel during the days, compared to how you felt before xPAP.

Cheers

DSM

To dsm:


Thank you also for all the above info! it will help a lot. i will keep you posted as i go forward with the auto machine and how i feel now that i found the key to adjusting the pressures!

best to YOU!

RC-97

dsm:

just a quick update - yes i am still waking up a few times the last few nights but since my machine is set with a much more narrow range i am feeling more rested the next day! one night i set it to my fixed pressure with the flex on 3 and that was pretty good too! as i believe you are doing also for that trial run! i will keep trying different things and pressure settings and let you know how it goes. If i stay with the remstar auto after the trial i will buy the software and card reader as loonlvr and RG has advised!

best to you!

RC-97