HELP! problems with my sleep machine

Im really hoping someone can help me! Lately my REMstar auto/a flex machine has been sending "bursts of air" while im trying to sleep. It has been very stressful. Im falling asleep and get almost there the BOOF a blast of air and i wake up. I cant get someone to come look at it until monday. Does anyone know how to help me or what is wrong?

What BiPap do you use? Is it an auto, or is it at a set pressure? If you use a Phillips Respironics BiPap, they will use a short puff of air to sense your breathing... perhaps as you are falling asleep your breathing pauses just long enough to trigger that? Are you using the ramp, and perhaps the pressure rises just as you are falling asleep?

Can you give us the exact name of your machine?

thanks. I have the REWstarAuto/A-flex m series. I am not supposed to have the RAMP on. ITs starts at pressure then and can increase up to 15. Can you accidentaly turn the RAMP on?

So your machine is not a BiPap?

I don't think that you accidently hit the ramp button. When the ramp button is on the pressure won't jump up until the ramp period is over. I'm no expert, but I have used that machine and it sounds to me as though you are having apneas just as you fall asleep and the machine is responding to them. That little burst of air is waking you up.I don't know why you aren't supposed to be using your ramp, but in your case, it might be a good idea to use it. I would start it just below your titrated pressure and set it for however long you think it usually takes you to fall asleep. That would prevent the unit from responding to those apneas that you have just as you are falling asleep. Once you get to sleep, the increase of pressure probably won't bother you any more. Check with your Dr. and see if that would be okay.

Good luck,
Bev

Thanks Bev. I thought i was using a BiPap, maybe Im not. of course i dont know how to set the ramp on my machine. its REMstar not REW. Is there anyway to turn the self adjustment off and just use a set level?

jimmy

Yes, if you have the RemStar Auto M Series, it can be set as a straight CPAP, meaning one pressure all the time. Are you now set on a range of pressures?

it starts at 10 and is supposed to go has high as 15. its just getting frustrating being woken up all the time! it has a card in the back on the machine that regulates things.

Does it also wake you up after you are asleep, or just as you are falling asleep? How long have you been on CPAP? Can you call your sleep professional and explain the situation? If you set your machine on straight CPAP, you will need to know what pressure was indicated on your sleep study. If you don't have a copy of your slep study results, ask them for that while you have them on the phone. you are entitled to have that, as well as a copy of your prescription.

OutaSync wrote:Does it also wake you up after you are asleep, or just as you are falling asleep? How long have you been on CPAP? Can you call your sleep professional and explain the situation? If you set your machine on straight CPAP, you will need to know what pressure was indicated on your sleep study. If you don't have a copy of your slep study results, ask them for that while you have them on the phone. you are entitled to have that, as well as a copy of your prescription.

wakes me up while i am close to sleep *so annoying!* been on cpap for about 2 years. pressure on my sleep study was 10. i have a copy of it and it is 10. they switch me for some reason cuz i lost alot of weight (100 pounds)

deepee31 wrote:Lately my bipap machine has been sending "bursts of air" while im trying to sleep. It has been very stressful. Im falling asleep and get almost there the BOOF a blast of air and i wake up. I cant get someone to come look at it until monday. Does anyone know how to help me or what is wrong?

If your machine has suddenly changed its behavior there's not much we can do to help you with it, you'll have to wait patiently for a technician to check it for malfunction.

deepee31 wrote:Thanks Bev. I thought i was using a BiPap, maybe Im not. of course i dont know how to set the ramp on my machine. its REMstar not REW. Is there anyway to turn the self adjustment off and just use a set level?

jimmy

Until you're sure of what the difference beween APAP CPAP and BIPAP, the best thing you can do for yourself is to study the cpap wiki (yellow light bulb on the top) as if your life depended on it. Read the name of your machine from the machine itself -- don't trust you memory, and don't trust the Rx either. Then download its manual and sutdy it, so you know what is what. Don't even start thinking of making changes to a faulty machine.

Whoever told you the card in the back regulate things mislead you badly. The card in the back changes your settings if software instructs it to change the setting. Apart from that, it simply records your results. You'll get a lot of help from this forum if you focus on educating yourself. A focus on "how do I make changes on the machine that I'm not sure of" is not going to contribute much to your health or wellbeing.

I absolutely agree with Ozij. You need to educate yourself about your machine and how it works. Let me see if I have this right. You have been on CPAP for 2 years, during which time you have lost 100 pounds. First of all, congratulations on the weight loss! That is amazing. So you went back to the Dr. and he decided to re-titrate you with an auto to see if you need a new pressure based on your weight loss? And it is that change that is disturbing your sleep?

OutaSync wrote:I absolutely agree with Ozij. You need to educate yourself about your machine and how it works. Let me see if I have this right. You have been on CPAP for 2 years, during which time you have lost 100 pounds. First of all, congratulations on the weight loss! That is amazing. So you went back to the Dr. and he decided to re-titrate you with an auto to see if you need a new pressure based on your weight loss? And it is that change that is disturbing your sleep?

yes that is correct. except i just called i didnt actually go back in. I was on a machine that set for a pressure of 10. I called and asked about the weight loss. they said they wanted to switch the machine. havent had any trouble then until this past week. looks like im just going to have to go back in but that costs us alot of money. i just want the machine to stop waking me up. LOL>

The machine that you have can be set back to the straight pressure of 10. If you were doing well on that pressure, I don't see any reason to torture yourself with changing to an auto with changing pressure that keep you awake. Until you can go back for a new sleep study, why don't you put the machine back to CPAP at 10 and on Monday when your supplier is open, call them and tell them that you could not tolerate the auto changing pressures.

OutaSync wrote:The machine that you have can be set back to the straight pressure of 10. If you were doing well on that pressure, I don't see any reason to torture yourself with changing to an auto with changing pressure that keep you awake. Until you can go back for a new sleep study, why don't you put the machine back to CPAP at 10 and on Monday when your supplier is open, call them and tell them that you could not tolerate the auto changing pressures.

that is what i want to do. but how do i do it? im afraid of totally pressing the wrong button and messing it all up!