most common pressure setting? CHERY NEEDS HELP

i have a remstar machine 1018547 with a water port on the front.. i baught it off craigslist 3 days ago.. after 20 years of being very tired and gaining 80pounds i was ready to jump off a bridge.. no matter how mutch sleep i got i was never rested.. my snooring was bad sometimes i would snore before i fell asleep and would also start dreaming while still awake.. i just got on ins and will try to get a sleep study but it could take months.. anyway i got this machine from a nice lady whos husband had cancer so he doesnt need it anymore... i got the machine a new nose only mask.. brand new and 2 hoses for 100 bucks so i thaught ide take a stab at it.... i put it on sunday night for about a hour but got spooked and took it off.. presure is set at 6 and seems a bit low.. monday i took a nap and fell asleep for a hour and when i woke up i felt great.. freeked me out... today i walked 2.4 miles and worked out.. i came home and took another hour nap with the machine and actually feel lucid and im stoked.. i orderd a chin strap i dont know if im leaking out my mouth but my jaw is sore because i think it normally wants to slack when i sleep.. so i should have that fri... but my main q is what is the most common setting so i can try that untill i can get to the dr.. i know you should go to the dr first but hey.. beggers cant be choosers.. if i can get rested i can work and pay for whatever i need... i was so tired i had lost interest in everything and totally defeted.. i just stumbled on this sight today and it seems really cool.. thanks chad barnes phx az 42

I am not familiar with that machine at all. Is there any data available at all?

Since everyone is different there really isn't an "average" but if it were me I would probably start a 8 or 9 cm pressure and see how it goes. Give it a good week and make notes of what you used, how you feel, hours of sleep, etc.

There was a poll a while back here at the forum and I think 10 cm was the most commonly used setting.

thanks.. im gonna take a pic and post it of the machine ... it has a ramp up button and the button for the humidifyer.. if the pressure is there a chance that im net getting enoughf air.. or am i being paranoid.. also where can i take it to change the setting or find out how to do it my self.. thanks chad

I don't know what machine you actually have. Could you be more specific? Any other name on it somewhere?
Remstar and model number didn't give me much to go on and I googled it but didn't find anything.

This link below has a lot of the older Resperonics machines clinician manuals.
See if you can find it here. It will have directions for changing pressure.

http://www.apneaboard.com/CPAP%20Adjustment.htm

Is there a word printed on the top of the machine following the word "REMstar?" Perhaps a word like "Plus" or "Pro" or "Auto?"

As Jan said, "10" is probably the pressure prescribed for most people, so 9, 10, or 11 (any of those) would be a reasonable "guess" pressure for you to use until you can get a sleep study.

As for guesstimating a pressure to use, with nothing to go on except how it makes you feel the next day... that's better than doing nothing if a person strongly suspects having Obstructive Sleep Apnea. So I applaud you for giving "CPAP" a try on your own.

Link to a study that concluded, "yes."
"Can Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Titrate Their Own Continuous Positive Airway Pressure?"
http://www.tnlc.com/Lara/laura/osa/CanP ... wnCPAP.pdf

Link to a Powerpoint presentation by board certified pulmonolgist/sleep doctor (Dr. Barbara Phillips) at a meeting of the American Lung Association of the Central Coast - November 2004:
"Not Every Patient Needs to Go to the Sleep Lab"
http://www.tnlc.com/Lara/laura/osa/Barb ... t_0830.pdf

here is a pic from another thread http://www.cpapauction.com/viewImage.php?ImageId=136800

Chad there is really no way to guess at your pressure based on that of others. If you are feeling better at 6, 9 won't necessarily make you feel that much better.
If your machine doesn't provide data, you might consider investing $100 in a recording pulse oximeter. That would give you something to consider along with how you feel. Here is a related thread.
viewtopic/t62653/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=62 ... 10#p583610