ASV users: the everything ASV thread.

[adipasqu]

How are you doing with your own machine? Are you where you want to be yet?

I have my excellent days and I have my bad days. I didn't have a great night last night, however. Most of the bad are due either to allergies/congestion or medication I take for anxiety/nightmares. I think I have the congestion under control, but I am going to start weaning myself off of the anti-nightmare medication beginning tonight, actually. Keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to get some sleep tonight and not wake up from too many vivid dreams...

-A

[ameriken]

How are you doing with your own machine? Are you where you want to be yet?

I have my excellent days and I have my bad days. I didn't have a great night last night, however. Most of the bad are due either to allergies/congestion or medication I take for anxiety/nightmares. I think I have the congestion under control, but I am going to start weaning myself off of the anti-nightmare medication beginning tonight, actually. Keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be able to get some sleep tonight and not wake up from too many vivid dreams...

-A

That's sounds pretty scary. I can only imagine. But then again, I probably have no idea what thats like. Good luck and keep us up to date on your progress.

I've got congestion pretty much under control as well. My wife has allergies and uses a neti pot which seems to work well for her.

[adipasqu]

That's sounds pretty scary. I can only imagine. But then again, I probably have no idea what thats like. Good luck and keep us up to date on your progress.

It sucks, and I wouldn't wish upon anyone. I'm hoping that now that ASV therapy is working for me, the nightmares decrease (or turn into nice dreams). I may have to go back on something like rozerem if I continue to have problems.

I've got congestion pretty much under control as well. My wife has allergies and uses a neti pot which seems to work well for her.

I'm on a twice daily regiment of NeilMed saline rinse, Flonase, and a Zyrtec in the morning, and all of that is after my septoplasty earlier this year. I still need my tonsils taken out. The things you have to do to even begin to have xPAP therapy to work...

-A

[LittleRedTruck]

Some may remember my thread "No wonder I feel so sick". I had a ASV sleep study Wed nite. I wont get the results until Monday afternoon. But, by comments that the Technician made, I suspect Ill be joining the ASV ranks, soon! He said he was able to smooth out my breathing by making some equipment adjustments. My Dr read the graph I presented and said it was clearly a Cheyne Stokes respiration waveform. So i think Ill get a ASV order. I really like the RESMed S9 Vpap Ive been on since 6/20. So I think Ill ask for the S9 adapt. Wondering what your thoughts are about this device ? Either good or bad ! Thanks ! Dan in Minn

[Bright Choice]

Some may remember my thread "No wonder I feel so sick". I had a ASV sleep study Wed nite. I wont get the results until Monday afternoon. But, by comments that the Technician made, I suspect Ill be joining the ASV ranks, soon! He said he was able to smooth out my breathing by making some equipment adjustments. My Dr read the graph I presented and said it was clearly a Cheyne Stokes respiration waveform. So i think Ill get a ASV order. I really like the RESMed S9 Vpap Ive been on since 6/20. So I think Ill ask for the S9 adapt. Wondering what your thoughts are about this device ? Either good or bad ! Thanks ! Dan in Minn

That is such good news LRT - I'll be watching here to see what transpires in terms of your rx. I am loving my adapt - very easy to breathe with. A bit of a challenge to conquer the leaks though. Good luck!

EDIT to add: Since being on adapt, my ahi has flatlined at zero and desats <88% have disappeared.

[ameriken]

Some may remember my thread "No wonder I feel so sick". I had a ASV sleep study Wed nite. I wont get the results until Monday afternoon. But, by comments that the Technician made, I suspect Ill be joining the ASV ranks, soon! He said he was able to smooth out my breathing by making some equipment adjustments. My Dr read the graph I presented and said it was clearly a Cheyne Stokes respiration waveform. So i think Ill get a ASV order. I really like the RESMed S9 Vpap Ive been on since 6/20. So I think Ill ask for the S9 adapt. Wondering what your thoughts are about this device ? Either good or bad ! Thanks ! Dan in Minn

I do remember your thread and am glad you got an ASV study, from what you wrote, you were pretty frustrated and I figured and ASV might be the right answer. Stick around and good luck, I'm sure you'll get some more replies. I've only heard 3rd person views on the S9 vs the Respironics ASV and it seemed like maybe a slight advantage to the Respironics, but the bottom line is both are great machines.

[JohnBFisher]

Some may remember my thread "No wonder I feel so sick". I had a ASV sleep study Wed nite. I wont get the results until Monday afternoon. But, by comments that the Technician made, I suspect Ill be joining the ASV ranks, soon! He said he was able to smooth out my breathing by making some equipment adjustments. My Dr read the graph I presented and said it was clearly a Cheyne Stokes respiration waveform. So i think Ill get a ASV order. I really like the RESMed S9 Vpap Ive been on since 6/20. So I think Ill ask for the S9 adapt. Wondering what your thoughts are about this device ? Either good or bad ! Thanks ! Dan in Minn

Well sorry you have to be on the ASV, but it's great that you now have that option. I really like my Resmed ASV unit (the S7 version that came prior to the S9 version). Several people have the S9 ASV unit and definitely like it. It is small and quiet. It provides a lot more data to analyze. But it maintains the "Easy Breathe" waveform that Resmed pioneered with the S7 ASV version. I find that easier for me to breathe and sleep with than the Respironics ASV unit that I have. And the Resmed unit was specifically designed to address the Cheyne Stokes Respiration (CSR).

So, since you seem to enjoy it now, I would say go for it. I don't think you will be disappointed.

[ameriken]

Adipasqu (or anyone else),

I've been meaning to ask you: you're on the system one ASV and I have it's predecessor with the smart card (which is what I was titrated on). I saw you comment in Paper Nanny's thread regarding your machine. Do you think there is a big difference in therapy between the two machines, or is the older version just as capable as the One?

The older model is the one the VA got me in June, and had I been on this forum prior to getting my machine I may have had some questions for the DME as to why they were giving me the older model (I asked them last week and they were like 'oh there's a new model?').

Anyhow, I see the VA doc next month and if there's a big difference I may ask about the newer model, but if they're both pretty much based on the same capabilities, I won't bother.

[LittleRedTruck]

My son in law went on a cholesterol drug called Lipitor . The very first night he had vivid nightmares ! he tried the drug for a while and suffered from wild dreams. Once he quit the drug, his rest returned to normal! So, you may want to investigate the Statin family of med if your using them. Dan

[adipasqu]

Adipasqu (or anyone else),

I've been meaning to ask you: you're on the system one ASV and I have it's predecessor with the smart card (which is what I was titrated on). I saw you comment in Paper Nanny's thread regarding your machine. Do you think there is a big difference in therapy between the two machines, or is the older version just as capable as the One?

The older model is the one the VA got me in June, and had I been on this forum prior to getting my machine I may have had some questions for the DME as to why they were giving me the older model (I asked them last week and they were like 'oh there's a new model?').

Anyhow, I see the VA doc next month and if there's a big difference I may ask about the newer model, but if they're both pretty much based on the same capabilities, I won't bother.

Ken,

The older unit is every bit as effective as the newer unit, in my experience so far. The biggest difference is the size and the noise. I travel and I need the smaller unit and my wife is a light sleeper, so any reduction in noise is good. Not very many people (including DME's) know the System One version of the ASV is available. My doctor had to make a special request to Crapria, my DME (who originally screwed up and ordered me the old version...I was on it for about a month and had to lug it around Europe on my honeymoon) for the new one, which I've had for 3 weeks now. If you have the card reader for the old one and don't travel much, you are fine with the "tank", as I affectionately call it.

-Antonio

[adipasqu]

My son in law went on a cholesterol drug called Lipitor . The very first night he had vivid nightmares ! he tried the drug for a while and suffered from wild dreams. Once he quit the drug, his rest returned to normal! So, you may want to investigate the Statin family of med if your using them. Dan

I'm not on any meds, other than my anti-nightmare meds. But thanks for the advice and I'll keep that in mind if I ever have to go on statins (which I hope I never have to).

-A

[ameriken]

Ken,

The older unit is every bit as effective as the newer unit, in my experience so far. The biggest difference is the size and the noise. I travel and I need the smaller unit and my wife is a light sleeper, so any reduction in noise is good. Not very many people (including DME's) know the System One version of the ASV is available. My doctor had to make a special request to Crapria, my DME (who originally screwed up and ordered me the old version...I was on it for about a month and had to lug it around Europe on my honeymoon) for the new one, which I've had for 3 weeks now. If you have the card reader for the old one and don't travel much, you are fine with the "tank", as I affectionately call it.

-Antonio

Great, thanks, I won't bother anyone about it. It's quiet enough for me and my wife, she sleeps like a rock (we had a thunderstorm a couple of days ago and really loud one cracked right by the house...she never even knew it). I don't travel much and it just sits on the stand next to where I sleep so I guess I'm good to go. I had no reason to think she (the RT at the DME) was lying, I guess I'm just a bit skeptical after reading some of the stories here.

BTW, I went EPAP=4 and minPS=4 last night, woke with a bit of a headache but that could be how I slept. I didn't load the smart card last night so...no data. Duh. I'll give it another go tonite.

[ameriken]

My son in law went on a cholesterol drug called Lipitor . The very first night he had vivid nightmares ! he tried the drug for a while and suffered from wild dreams. Once he quit the drug, his rest returned to normal! So, you may want to investigate the Statin family of med if your using them. Dan

If he's battling cholesterol and won't do lipitor, have him try niacin, perhaps 1000 to 2000 mg's per day. That is great for cutting through and eliminating cholesterol and raising your HDL. Gotta get slow release though, otherwise it will make you burn and itch and feel hot for about 20 minutes. I use 'Slo-Niacin'. Good stuff, lowered my cholesterol by about 60 points plus it raised my good cholesterol.

[ChrisT]

I just discovered this thread. I should have posted here first although I can see that at least one of you caught my original question posted in desperation last night. I have been on the older version of BIPAP autoSV Advanced only two nights (the one that uses the smart card) and have been unable to sleep due to feeling like I can't get enough air. BP went up as well. I finally took the humdifier and one way valve off and bypassed them completely. Suddenly I had air and the higher pressures I was used to. I didn't feel like I had to work for each breath after that but that was at 5 am . Has anyone else using this model had problems with the valves or the humidifier? I find it hard to believe the humidifier would be the problem as everyone who used it would be complaining so I am suspecting the one way valve which was put in correctly by the way...is the culprit. I was already scheduled to get the system one on Monday so I only have to get through two more nights. The air warmed up when I put the hose under the covers but I lost much sleep and had too high BP before that.

Just wondering if the valve has been an issue for others. ChrisT

[JohnBFisher]

... Just wondering if the valve has been an issue for others. ...

I've not heard of such a valve causing a problem. But then most people don't use such a thing. It sure sounds as if a manometer (pressure gauge for an xPAP device) would have shown a decrease in pressure. You should probably be able to use the humidifier, even if you can not use the valve. The humidifier on those tanks provides little if any air resistance.

Hope that helps.