rising leak rate, would like help, VA won't help

I've had the same machine for nearly 4 years. My leak rate has stayed the same for the last 3 years. I use an opti life mask, medium pillows and have for the past 3.5 years. AHI ranges between 0.0 and 0.2, the leak rate never went beyond 33.5. Here in the last week it has gone up every day up to 47.7 today. I tried using large pillows one night and woke up the next day with what I call "brain fog". Found another set of medium pillows I'd retired, used ayr gel last night, woke up, checked leak rate--- 23.5. I thought great. When I went to write in my CPAP log (yes I write in one every week and have since I got the machine because I'm obsessive about this) I checked the machine again to verify the number and it said 7 day avg. 47.7. Is it the machine? I've called the VA. Their answer. Don't know. Send us the card and we'll read it for you. They have read the card twice in 4 years. Only once did they give me the results. They said giving the information would not be in my best interest. When I did get the results, they were printed in black ink and meant nothing. I'm at a loss. Do I need a new machine? The VA won't give you one unless yours is broken. Used to be every 3 years. Now that's out the window. I have no sleep doctor. My request to see the Pulmonolgist was denied. I have not changed a thing. My wife says she doesn't hear any leaks. She would wake me up if she did. Any help would be appreciated. Sorry about the length of this post. Thanks in advance.

Where are you getting your leak rate? Off the 7/30 day averages shown on the LED screen? Or do you have the software?

I am assuming that your pressure has not been changed all this time?

I am getting the leak rate from the screen. The 7 day avg. and the 30 day avg. I do not have the software. I have the disk to install it, but I never bought the reader. I don't know if the software will work with Windows 7. They want me to mail them the card (VA). They say they can tell more from the card. When I was bringing in the machine for a 2x yearly check, they never read the card unless I asked. They said it wasn't important. Now they don't check the machine. I asked what happens if it breaks and they said to come to the ER and if any machines are available, they will give me one. The closest VA is 75 miles away. What would the card show that the screen does not and why would the screen change one hour later? I don't understand any of this. Thanks for responding.

The pressure has actually gone down. It is at 9.8. My machine is set at 9 min., max 18. The VA set it at 6 and 20. I changed it from wide open to close to what my avg pressure usually was (@10.5 to 11) so that it would come on at 9 instead of being wide open. If that makes sense. I should note, I have lost 40 pounds because my endo dr. and kidney doctor put me on low salt. I've kept the weight off for over a year and my pressure went down to under 10 and has stayed there. I have also had many days at 0.0 ahi per the screen.

thimarine wrote:What would the card show that the screen does not and why would the screen change one hour later?

I have no explanation why the on screen data changed from 23.5 to the usual average. That doesn't make sense but I don't doubt you. Maybe the machine software hadn't finished computing.

Software lets you see much more than a 7 / 30 day average which leaves a lot to be desired..

Here is an example of what you can see. This is from my M series APAP machine and the software. This report would be the same type and data that you would see with your machine. As you can see, much more detailed. This is one night. Feb22

Without software you will have to use that new "used" pillow for 7 nights before all the averages point to the use of this pillow. Have to give the other nights a chance to fall out of the 7 night totals. Then you would have a fairly accurate average leak for the use of that pillow.

A week from now, that average leak rate may be less.

Whoa! On the PR S1's the only leaks you can see on the screen are "Large leaks"--isn't that the same for the M series??? In that case ANY leak showing up on that screen, even 1% is BAD NEWS!

Can someone clarify if it is the same on the M series screen???

The leak could come from the humidifier connection - take apare, examine the gasket, resettle it and consider buying a new gaseket. Ditto for the hose - maybe there's a tear near one of the cuffs?

Janknitz wrote:Whoa! On the PR S1's the only leaks you can see on the screen are "Large leaks"--isn't that the same for the M series??? In that case ANY leak showing up on that screen, even 1% is BAD NEWS!

Can someone clarify if it is the same on the M series screen???

M series and older machines just give us an old fashioned normal average total leak rate in L/min. It isn't the Large leak percentile that the PR 1 machines give on screen. It is quite common for the older series machines to show the large numbers because it is also Total leak. There is no automatic subtraction as with even the older ResMed machines.

Thanks for the tips. I have a new tank that was sent when they sent a new humidifier. I'm on the 4th humidifier with this machine. I have many old hoses. I will recycle one of them. It just seems odd that this happened all of a sudden. Thanks again everyone. Like, I've always said, if not for this forum, I don't know what I would do. You guys kept me from giving up when I first started. CPAP has been a life changer and, I think I can say without risking being hyperbolic, a life saver.

Thanks again.

Dennis

I just swapped out hoses and tanks. I used the elbow connector that they sent me with the last new hose. I had not used it before. When took it off the machine, there was a crack right at the U. This may have been the problem. It fell into two pieces when I removed it from the machine and the hose.

Sounds like you've found the problem.

When looking for a leak, turn everything on, unhook the hose from the mask, plug the hole with your thumb, and listen. That can eliminate a lot of problems. Plus feeling for leaks with your hand.

thimarine wrote:I am getting the leak rate from the screen. The 7 day avg. and the 30 day avg. I do not have the software. I have the disk to install it, but I never bought the reader. I don't know if the software will work with Windows 7. They want me to mail them the card (VA). They say they can tell more from the card. When I was bringing in the machine for a 2x yearly check, they never read the card unless I asked. They said it wasn't important. Now they don't check the machine. I asked what happens if it breaks and they said to come to the ER and if any machines are available, they will give me one. The closest VA is 75 miles away. What would the card show that the screen does not and why would the screen change one hour later? I don't understand any of this. Thanks for responding.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/Respir ... r-USB.html

This is the card reader you'd need, sold by the host of this forum. If someone is telling you the data isn't important, they're dead wrong, I think it is essential to be your own advocate.

thimarine wrote:I am getting the leak rate from the screen. The 7 day avg. and the 30 day avg. I do not have the software. I have the disk to install it, but I never bought the reader. I don't know if the software will work with Windows 7. They want me to mail them the card (VA). They say they can tell more from the card. When I was bringing in the machine for a 2x yearly check, they never read the card unless I asked. They said it wasn't important. Now they don't check the machine. I asked what happens if it breaks and they said to come to the ER and if any machines are available, they will give me one. The closest VA is 75 miles away. What would the card show that the screen does not and why would the screen change one hour later? I don't understand any of this. Thanks for responding.

You obviously have the WRONG machine (and humidifier) in your profile. The machine in your profile is not capable of displaying the data in the LCD.......only by downloading the data from the smart card into Encore Pro or Viewer.

I would strongly urge you to get some software loaded into your computer and get a card reader.

By the way, which version of Encore "whatever" do you have? (that you've never installed)


Den

Don: The software I have is ENCORE PRO 1.8.49. The machine name I have on my profile is taken directly from the owner's manual and from what is on the machine. I have an LCD screen that I check every morning. The software was kindly sent to me by a very nice person along with a links and owner's manuals. Emblazoned on the machine on the words REMStar AUTO M Series. It has a humidifier that I had to attach. It has been replaced 4 times. The tank, or whatever you call it, is different from the very first one I had in that the tubes are of different lengths. I have 3 tanks from the other humidifiers that broke. The owner's manual says Respironics REMstar AUTO C-Flex.It has ramp and c-flex features. The manuals I was sent tell me how to do all kinds of things on the LCD screen, like change it from wide open, like the VA had it, to something close to where my min and max pressures have been. It shows a 7 day and 30 day avg. for ahi, pressure, leak rate, hours used (total, avg. hours, etc...) It has it all. I listed what was written on the machine in the profile.

I was holding out buying the card reader because the VA told me I would get a new machine every 3 years. Now, you only get one when yours breaks. I am looking to buy a used machine or find one at an estate sale. Either way, I don't know if the software will work with Windows 7. If you have that info, that would be great. Thanks for your input.

Dennis