Changing Pressue? A no-no?

Most sleep doctors will allow an increase in pressure of up to 2 cm without a prescription. All you have to do is call the DME or sleep doctor's receptionist to get this okay. Of course they will update the patient record and notify the doctor later on. Reductions in sleep pressure are okay as well if you are swallowing air or finding it hard to exhale. You sleepyred went about this the right way by increasing your pressure a small amount and waiting to see how you felt. Nothing wrong with doing it this way and it appears it worked wonders for you. I wouldn't worry about the sleep doctor getting upset. If he does you can just fire his ass. He is supposed to work for you.

3rd night - same! Feeling so much better! And this will make no sense, but I'm not swallowing as much air! My hubby mentioned that I'm not burping for the 1st hour like I was....that's strange.

I will let my doc know in May and I don't foresee any problems with him - he just seems to be so happy that I'm sleeping again. We had a terrible battle with the insurance company since I have UARS and not official sleep apnea, that they almost refused. My doc was willing to sell me one of his older machines that he uses for home studies to get me one. He also used my case and presented it at one of the conventions he went to.

Strange how when you can prove that something works, the insurance company gets so technical!

However, I have my machine, as simple as it is, it's doing it's job, and I have a wonderful "hose head" community that I can count on for support and encouragement.

You all are wonderful!

Sleepyred
(who might have to change her name as I become less and less sleepy! - the red will have to stay due to the inherited red mop on the top of my head! Even gave it to my son and it slipped into my sister's family with 2 more!)

Can Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Titrate Their Own Continuous Positive Airway Pressure? Published: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Vol 167. pp. 716-722, (2003)

http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/conte ... /167/5/716

SleepyRed,

Check out this research study that shows that patients can successfully titrate their own pressure.

Moogy

Jerry69 did that using nothing but a REMstar Pro 2 C-Flex CPAP (not even an AUTO), and a LOT of ingenuity and determination:

Doing my own sleep study - surprising results

I think Jerry69's own sleep study should be standard reading for anybody looking at adjusting their pressures. I enjoyed the thread so much I went and got me an APAP .

Darth Vader Look wrote:I think Jerry69's own sleep study should be standard reading for anybody looking at adjusting their pressures. I enjoyed the thread so much I went and got me an APAP .

Darth,

I do, too, but if you noticed Jerry did his with a straight CPAP....AND the software.
I believe using the software to monitor one's results is crucial.
In Jerry's case it was a matter of fine-tuning his pressure by a point or two.


Best wishes,

Den

Wulfman wrote:if you noticed Jerry did his with a straight CPAP....AND the software.

Yep, and even more amazing and encouraging, the people in the study Moogy linked to did their self-titrations with straight CPAP and NO software!

Autopap and software does make it easier (or more complicated but interesting! LOL!! ) I do love my autopap! I'd feel like I were driving in fog through mountains without software.

rested gal wrote:I'd feel like I were driving in fog through mountains without software.

And.....for those of us who live in or near the mountains KNOW how scary that would be (or has been)!!!

Best wishes,

Den

The DME tech showed me how to get into the clinician's menu. The only time I change the pressure is when I take a break from the Aura and go back to the Swift. I find that the Aura seems to need an extra 1cm boost to give me the same effect as the Swift on the prescribed pressure. I remember a thread on the Aura issue a few months back.