Mom Needs Help!

Good Afternoon, Mom hasn't been feeling well and her compliance shows it!

I'm going to try and get her compliance up, she's about 87% for this past year, and try a large pillow size and remind her to snug her straps a little to address the occasional large leak.

Any other observations will be greatly appreciated, as she hasn't seen sleep dr. for several years now.

Thanks, Georgio

There's not much to add to your comments, except a doctor's visit might sharpen her resolve. Hope it works out great for your mom and you in 2013

Take her shopping for a new mask; she might find something she likes better than the LT.

I may be understanding this incorrectly, but the compliance rate is based on the dates at the bottom graph? Are you saying she only used it on the dates below?

If I were reading this (and I am NOT good at reading graphs yet), I would read each as a 30 day mark & it looks to me like she is using it from months to month with good numbers. Help me to understand where the bad compliance is showing. I just want to learn to read this data correctly, but from my former background, I would have read this as compliant with good AHI's & some leaks. Obviously I need to learn how to read this data.

As for your Mom, I vote to take her mask shopping. We women like to have options & variety in masks.
Jen

jencat, the gaps in the bottom graph show non-compliance, as in not using the CPAP. The key question for Mom is why not use it. The numbers when she does use it look good. Definitely look for a new mask, and reinforcement from the sleep doc/any other doc, and the R/T that CPAP is needed for life. I have just read an article that clearly links the hypoxia that often occurs with sleep apnea with cancer. The authors believed that getting more exercise is beneficial because it increases the flow of oxygen around the body.

Thank you all for advice. We're going to try a different generic ambien to hopefully knock her out enough the therapy with less bothersome.

We both have used the Swift LT for years. I have and tried the Swift FX but like it less since the silicone straps stick to your face.

Any suggestions on a nasal cushion mask she might like?

Georgio wrote: I have and tried the Swift FX but like it less since the silicone straps stick to your face.

Get some strap covers from http://padacheek.com/PAC_SwiftFX.html and they won't stick to your face.

Georgio wrote:Thank you all for advice. We're going to try a different generic ambien to hopefully knock her out enough the therapy with less bothersome.

We both have used the Swift LT for years. I have and tried the Swift FX but like it less since the silicone straps stick to your face.

Any suggestions on a nasal cushion mask she might like?

I started with the FX but I'm using the respironics Optilife now and I like it better. I can leave it quite loose compared to the FX and still have less leaks and I'm finding the pillows seem to hold up better. The only negative is the strap on the back of the head seems to slide up but then so did the FX but with the FX I needed a separate chin strap that I wore over the mask straps and that held it in place. The Optilife has an integral chin strap so nothing to hold it down.

Hello, I'm out of town and need to read my mom's encore card. I have her encorepro card and a infineer card reader, but that's all and it's been so long I don't have a clue what is needed to read the card! Please help!

Georgio wrote:Hello, I'm out of town and need to read my mom's encore card. I have her encorepro card and a infineer card reader, but that's all and it's been so long I don't have a clue what is needed to read the card! Please help!

Do you have one of the Encore software versions on your computer?
If so...
All you have to do is go to the patient list and click on "add patient".
Put her name in and save it.
Open the therapy page for her account (it may just do that for you) and look at the little orange box that expands and look for
"Download from Device"...click on that.
You will get a prompt that says "media doesn't belong to patient" just ignore it (that's because the card hasn't been assigned yet) and tell it to "card is to be returned to patient" and click on download.
It will download and at the same time assign the card to the patient name.

If you don't have Encore on your computer...you are in trouble...the only version I know where to download is a Pro version that needs to install over an already installed version.
You can go here and request Encore Basic.. You have to register and log in and look for the instructions for requesting Encore via email.
http://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-p ... tup-manual

Thanks, I'll take it home with me and should be able to read on my computer.