Trying to reset cpap back to autopap...may need instructions

archangle wrote:

Seekinganswers wrote: I just never imagined that someone could change so drastically because of sleep apnea. of course he has been dealing with it for several years and never has really never gotten the right treatment going.

That does make sense, but just think of what happens to us when we don't get enough sleep. With apnea, you may be asleep, but you may be getting woken up or partially woken up every few minutes every night even though you don't remember it. Then throw in stress and oxygen deprivation. You are basically being strangled every few minutes through the night.

I've known I had sleep apnea for at least 10 years as my mom has it. But I thought it was just sleep deprivation, and I just needed more sleep. I didn't understand that it was OXYGEN deprivation, and that more sleep actually meant more oxygen deprivation. For years, I would get sick after every weekend event that I went to. I am a severe night owl, and I do photography at cat shows, horse shows, etc, so I have 2-3 nights in a row when I get only 2-4 hours of sleep. Then I get home and sleep 10-12 hours in one night. Almost every time, I would wake up with bad headaches, and then stay in bed all day, drifting in and out, but with a constant headache. It wasn't until I confessed to the sleep apnea, had the sleep study (severe - ahi of 79), and I found this forum that I learned that it was the sleep causing those horrible headaches. Too much oxygen deprivation at one time. The longer I stayed in bed, the worse my headache. I've been using a cpap machine for almost a year, and I have had only 2 of those headaches. Both times, I got home from a trip and fell asleep before setting up my machine. Punishment was a headache the next morning. I learned my lesson. I make sure I get my machine set up right away. Those are the worst possible days for me to skip my machine. I can't risk it.

Also, symptoms and feeling like crap creep up on you over the years. It is easy to assume that it is part of getting older. So, we don't really know how bad it is. When I had my sleep study, I had a split night study, so after 2 1/2 hours, I was put on the machine and went back to sleep. I slept 5 hours with cpap. I hadn't had that good of a night in years. I slept 5 hours straight. Amazing. I felt better the next day. Then, the next night, I slept normally at home without a machine. I felt like crap the next day. I realized I didn't feel any worse than any other day, but I now had an understanding of just had bad my "normal" really was. I was never so happy to go to a doctor when I got my appointment. And I was excited to get my machine.

It will take some time for your husband to feel normal again. But it probably took him years to get that bad. It was just so subtle that it didn't seem like a big deal until it got too bad. It WILL get better.

Have you posted the actual model yet?

Also, symptoms and feeling like crap creep up on you over the years. It is easy to assume that it is part of getting older

That is so true, for 8 months I really thought that being 50 just sucked . If I would have only addressed the issue 10 years ago when I first thought I had apnea.......

Dan6 wrote:

Also, symptoms and feeling like crap creep up on you over the years. It is easy to assume that it is part of getting older

That is so true, for 8 months I really thought that being 50 just sucked . If I would have only addressed the issue 10 years ago when I first thought I had apnea.......

+1

Except for me it was like turning 40 was my peak and it was all down hill after that.

And how true that no libido is equivalent to no desire for life -- for when you no longer have the desire for sex, nature no longer has any need for you.

CPAP therapy was ... is a fountain of youth, and sex is constantly on my mind just like when I was in my 20's ... So at 53, I'm still moving up towards a new peak and I can't see the downhill part anywhere yet.

seekinganswers, do you have any more information about the actual machine that is in use?

zoocrewphoto wrote:

archangle wrote:

Seekinganswers wrote: I just never imagined that someone could change so drastically because of sleep apnea. of course he has been dealing with it for several years and never has really never gotten the right treatment going.

That does make sense, but just think of what happens to us when we don't get enough sleep. With apnea, you may be asleep, but you may be getting woken up or partially woken up every few minutes every night even though you don't remember it. Then throw in stress and oxygen deprivation. You are basically being strangled every few minutes through the night.

I've known I had sleep apnea for at least 10 years as my mom has it. But I thought it was just sleep deprivation, and I just needed more sleep. I didn't understand that it was OXYGEN deprivation, and that more sleep actually meant more oxygen deprivation. For years, I would get sick after every weekend event that I went to. I am a severe night owl, and I do photography at cat shows, horse shows, etc, so I have 2-3 nights in a row when I get only 2-4 hours of sleep. Then I get home and sleep 10-12 hours in one night. Almost every time, I would wake up with bad headaches, and then stay in bed all day, drifting in and out, but with a constant headache. It wasn't until I confessed to the sleep apnea, had the sleep study (severe - ahi of 79), and I found this forum that I learned that it was the sleep causing those horrible headaches. Too much oxygen deprivation at one time. The longer I stayed in bed, the worse my headache. I've been using a cpap machine for almost a year, and I have had only 2 of those headaches. Both times, I got home from a trip and fell asleep before setting up my machine. Punishment was a headache the next morning. I learned my lesson. I make sure I get my machine set up right away. Those are the worst possible days for me to skip my machine. I can't risk it.

Also, symptoms and feeling like crap creep up on you over the years. It is easy to assume that it is part of getting older. So, we don't really know how bad it is. When I had my sleep study, I had a split night study, so after 2 1/2 hours, I was put on the machine and went back to sleep. I slept 5 hours with cpap. I hadn't had that good of a night in years. I slept 5 hours straight. Amazing. I felt better the next day. Then, the next night, I slept normally at home without a machine. I felt like crap the next day. I realized I didn't feel any worse than any other day, but I now had an understanding of just had bad my "normal" really was. I was never so happy to go to a doctor when I got my appointment. And I was excited to get my machine.

It will take some time for your husband to feel normal again. But it probably took him years to get that bad. It was just so subtle that it didn't seem like a big deal until it got too bad. It WILL get better.

Have you posted the actual model yet?

Actually no, I haven't posted it yet as I can't figure out what the heck it is! It is a Resmed S9 I do believe. He says they told him it was a "flex" or xpap..what it does tho, is it is on 4 all the time unless he stops breathing..then it ramps up as high as 12 to get him past that event. Hope that helps explain. It has a serial number on it and when I scan it, it says it is an invalid serial number...so I just don't know for sure.

DreamStalker wrote:

Dan6 wrote:

Also, symptoms and feeling like crap creep up on you over the years. It is easy to assume that it is part of getting older

That is so true, for 8 months I really thought that being 50 just sucked . If I would have only addressed the issue 10 years ago when I first thought I had apnea.......

+1

Except for me it was like turning 40 was my peak and it was all down hill after that.

And how true that no libido is equivalent to no desire for life -- for when you no longer have the desire for sex, nature no longer has any need for you.

CPAP therapy was ... is a fountain of youth, and sex is constantly on my mind just like when I was in my 20's ... So at 53, I'm still moving up towards a new peak and I can't see the downhill part anywhere yet.

If only he could successfully USE his machine. That is the whole problem. He had to get up and sit in a chair for an hour tonight because his nose was so stopped up he couldn't breathe laying down. I'm sure afrin would open it but the docs have all told him to stay away from it because it's addictive...I say so what, if it opens his nose and he has to use it the rest of his life, so be it as long as it works. I believe your exactly right about the no libido is equivalent to no desire for life. Since that left, his personality has changed completely. It's really disheartening to the spouse who has to continue to try to help and find answers and he acts as though he doesn't care and bites my head off if I even mention the possibility that maybe he should go gluten free for a while and see if that helps the stuffy nose.

Drowsy Dancer wrote:seekinganswers, do you have any more information about the actual machine that is in use?

I wish I did...Here is what it looks like if you can open this link. I know it stays at 4 unless he stops breathing, then it ramps up to 12 to push through and get him breathing again, then it goes back to 4. Does that make any sense?
I removed the link,.when i clicked back on it, it didn't even go to the same page where the picture was. Sorry..

The ResMed S9 has the model name up right next to the screen where you see the pressure change on the LCD screen.
What words do you see?

Seekinganswers wrote:
Actually no, I haven't posted it yet as I can't figure out what the heck it is! It is a Resmed S9 I do believe. He says they told him it was a "flex" or xpap..what it does tho, is it is on 4 all the time unless he stops breathing..then it ramps up as high as 12 to get him past that event. Hope that helps explain. It has a serial number on it and when I scan it, it says it is an invalid serial number...so I just don't know for sure.

What does it say next to the power button? Autoset? Elite? Escape?

Flex is a feature that is not on Resmed machines. xpap is a generic term for all types of pap machines - cpap, apap, vpa, etc. So, ALL models would be considered xpap.

If we know which model you have, we can give you the clinician's manual and instructions so that you can get it off 4. I doubt you will see any improvement until you get that setting changed.

I hope this is how I can type a post to all who have posted and asked questions about the machine my husband is trying to use and all see it as I was trying to answer each individual post...there are too many to do that. He has a Resmed S9 auto 360. As far as the settings, all we know is what he was told. It stays on 4 until he has an event, then it goes up to 12 if needed to "gently push through and start him breathing normally again" and that is what he was told by the DME where he got the machine. He has been told it was a bipap, then xpap, then autopap. So IDK because this is our first experience with a cpap machine. I"m sure before it's over, I will be an expert like the rest of your awesome folks on here!
His sleep study went horribly. The tech couldn't find the orders that the doctor faxed and when my husband told him he would just go back home and have them reschedule it, the tech said no he would go ahead and do the study. It was the tech's 3rd one and he was almost completely deaf so it was difficult for my husband to talk to him. Several times in the night, he woke him up to tighten his mask because he said it was leaking. He had it so tight at one point, it was pushing his mouth open. He was miserable all night. We are waiting on the doctor to read it to see if he wants to repeat or if they were able to get the info they need. As far as what one person posted that said they shouldn't have to use his machine to do the study, that is what the doctor said he wanted done, but that wasn't done because the tech said he had never seen that machine before and didn't know how to work it.
I watched a webinar this evening by Dr. Stephen Parks in NY. He interviewed a physician who had sleep apnea since he was a child but didn't realize it until he was a physician and in such bad shape. They told of a new device that is being tried in Europe with great success. The company is ImThera Medical. They have made a neurostimulator that is implanted in your chest and a lead ran up to the never that stimulates the tongue muscle. You turn it on when you go to bed and it stimulates the tongue while you sleep and keeps it from being able to relax and block your airway. I've emailed them to see if we could be involved in the clinical studies that will begin in the U.S. soon. I know it is a long shot, but it never hurts to be proactive right? Well, it's 3:30 a.m. and I have stayed awake to keep hubby from rolling to his back...he is sleeping peacefully on his side now so I'm going to try to get a few zzzz's myself while I can. He was asleep for about 2 hours when he had to get up because his nose was totally closed up and he couldn't breathe. He sat up in the recliner for about an hour.

Seekinganswers wrote: He has a Resmed S9 auto 360.

Does it say "AutoSet" right above the Start/Stop button like in the below photo, or does it say Escape Auto like in the second photo?

I have never heard of a ResMed S9 Auto 360...maybe AutoSet?? The only cpap item that I know with 360 in the name is the Opus 360 nasal pillow.
Let's proceed on that assumption for how. AutoSet and not Escape Auto.
Here's a link for the provider/clinical manual for the S9 Elite/AutoSet. It's a combination manual but the main difference is just addition of APAP mode available in the AutoSet menu choices. APAP is the auto adjusting pressure mode.
If his machine starts out at 4 cm pressure and increases pressure up to 12 to prevent the events...then that would be auto adjusting mode because you say it goes back down to 4 and waits till it needs to go up again.
If it were cpap mode then that 4 cm starting point would go up as a ramp feature within a set amount of time an stay at 12.

http://www.apneuvereniging.nl/forum/pdf ... manual.pdf
Look at the manual and make sure his machine looks like the one shown.
Figure out how to get into the Clinical setup menu area (instructions are in the manual) and go look for Sleep Quality setting. The factory default setting is for "Usage"...check to see if it is set to Usage or if it just says "On"...we want it to say "On". So if it is set to On...leave it alone. If set to Usage change it to "One"...this affects the data that is made available for review.

SleepyHead software will work with this machine. I think you will find it easier to use than ResMed's ResScan.
I have SleepyHead links in my signature. Be sure to read the User guide also.

A hint for installing SleepyHead. If your computer is Windows Vista or later operating system let's make a little change in the normal installation steps so that you can avoid a minor hassle later with the update you will need.

So download and unzip the Sleepyhead setup files from the link in my signature...Look for the latest build and it is marked as Beta build.

Once you have the setup files unzipped then instead of double clicking mouse to start the install I want you to right click the mouse over the setup files and from the little pop up menu choose "run as administrator" from the choices.
Then let SleepyHead do its install thing.

When doing the import or download from the SD card it will prompt you to navigate to where the SD card sits (the drive letter for the SD card slot) make sure you stop at the drive letter and don't go into the SD card itself to try to do the download. It won't work if you go into the SD card. There is a picture of this in the User Guide if you have questions.
The most common error made with SleepyHead download is that people try to go into the folder. That's too far.

I have my suspicions that the 4 cm minimum pressure is probably not able to do a good job if it has to go to 12...that's too far and takes too long. Besides that 4 cm pressure could very likely be part of the not being able to breathe problem. Most people will feel like they are suffocating with that low of a pressure. Even during my titration study night they started off with 5 cm and I could barely be comfortable with 5 cm. I felt like I was trying to breathe through a straw with a cheese cloth over the end of it.

So let's see if we can get some reports to review to see what is going on.
Also SleepyHead will tell use the exact model name if there is still some doubt.
The S9 models are fairly limited and easy to see. Model names are plainly shown on top of the round on/off button.
EPR (if the machine has it available) is shown just below the on/off button on the right.

So model choices for the S9 in the cpap/apap model line are these...that's all that is available. There is no 360 in any of the S9 names.
Escape
Escape Auto
Elite
AutoSet

Now in the bilevel model line we have models beginning with VPAP right above that round knob. I won't go into that unless you tell me you see VPAP somewhere by that round on/off knob.

Once you get the data downloaded/imported to SleepyHead then can you post the most recent night's detail data?
How to post images of reports is explained in this thread along with some examples.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=81072&p=737779#p737779
Don't worry about all the graphs that is offered. Some we don't need to see right now.
The left side of the report has the AHI color coded bars for each category...we need to see that.
On the right side we only need to see the Events graph, the Flow Rate graph, the pressure graph and leak graph.
Go to the upper left in SH where it says File and click on File and then Preferences...in preferences click on graphs...remove the check mark from the AHI graph and the mask pressure graph. Those are unneeded and by turning them off the leak graph will move up into viewing area so that you only have to do one screen shot.

Sleep Quality in the S9 has to be set to On to get these graphs.

Seekinganswers wrote:I hope this is how I can type a post to all who have posted and asked questions about the machine my husband is trying to use and all see it as I was trying to answer each individual post...there are too many to do that. He has a Resmed S9 auto 360. As far as the settings, all we know is what he was told. It stays on 4 until he has an event, then it goes up to 12 if needed to "gently push through and start him breathing normally again" and that is what he was told by the DME where he got the machine. He has been told it was a bipap, then xpap, then autopap. So IDK because this is our first experience with a cpap machine. I"m sure before it's over, I will be an expert like the rest of your awesome folks on here!

How are you getting S9 auto 360? Did they tell you that, or did you find it on the machine somehow? There is a Resmed S9 autoset and a Resmed Auto Escape. Those are the only two S9s with auto features. Never heard of a 360.

It sounds like the machine is set to 4-12 which is what is causing the problem and needs to be fixed. You can't even begin to get good therapy if the pressure is too low and uncomfortable. We can help you fix that once we know what machine you have. It doesn't sound like his doctors know what to do, or they would have increased that minimum pressure already. And they wouldn't be confusing you by mixing model names and features of two different brands.

Somebody posted pics of the two auto models, so hopefully, you can compare them and let us know which one he has.

Seekinganswers wrote:

DreamStalker wrote:

Dan6 wrote:

Also, symptoms and feeling like crap creep up on you over the years. It is easy to assume that it is part of getting older

That is so true, for 8 months I really thought that being 50 just sucked . If I would have only addressed the issue 10 years ago when I first thought I had apnea.......

+1

Except for me it was like turning 40 was my peak and it was all down hill after that.

And how true that no libido is equivalent to no desire for life -- for when you no longer have the desire for sex, nature no longer has any need for you.

CPAP therapy was ... is a fountain of youth, and sex is constantly on my mind just like when I was in my 20's ... So at 53, I'm still moving up towards a new peak and I can't see the downhill part anywhere yet.

If only he could successfully USE his machine. That is the whole problem. He had to get up and sit in a chair for an hour tonight because his nose was so stopped up he couldn't breathe laying down. I'm sure afrin would open it but the docs have all told him to stay away from it because it's addictive...I say so what, if it opens his nose and he has to use it the rest of his life, so be it as long as it works. I believe your exactly right about the no libido is equivalent to no desire for life. Since that left, his personality has changed completely. It's really disheartening to the spouse who has to continue to try to help and find answers and he acts as though he doesn't care and bites my head off if I even mention the possibility that maybe he should go gluten free for a while and see if that helps the stuffy nose.

Unfortunately, you can't make a person want to live. Likewise, sounds like you have an anchor around your neck ... and only you can decide how long you want to wear that anchor.

DreamStalker wrote:

Seekinganswers wrote:

DreamStalker wrote:

Dan6 wrote:

Also, symptoms and feeling like crap creep up on you over the years. It is easy to assume that it is part of getting older

That is so true, for 8 months I really thought that being 50 just sucked . If I would have only addressed the issue 10 years ago when I first thought I had apnea.......

+1

Except for me it was like turning 40 was my peak and it was all down hill after that.

And how true that no libido is equivalent to no desire for life -- for when you no longer have the desire for sex, nature no longer has any need for you.

CPAP therapy was ... is a fountain of youth, and sex is constantly on my mind just like when I was in my 20's ... So at 53, I'm still moving up towards a new peak and I can't see the downhill part anywhere yet.

If only he could successfully USE his machine. That is the whole problem. He had to get up and sit in a chair for an hour tonight because his nose was so stopped up he couldn't breathe laying down. I'm sure afrin would open it but the docs have all told him to stay away from it because it's addictive...I say so what, if it opens his nose and he has to use it the rest of his life, so be it as long as it works. I believe your exactly right about the no libido is equivalent to no desire for life. Since that left, his personality has changed completely. It's really disheartening to the spouse who has to continue to try to help and find answers and he acts as though he doesn't care and bites my head off if I even mention the possibility that maybe he should go gluten free for a while and see if that helps the stuffy nose.

Unfortunately, you can't make a person want to live. Likewise, sounds like you have an anchor around your neck ... and only you can decide how long you want to wear that anchor.

Dreamstalker, if you're having trouble tolerating an pap machine due to what sounds like improper settings that cause severe nasal congestion, it isn't an issue of wanting to live.

As one who feels that unresolved nasal congestion has been a big factor in my intolerance to pap therapy to date, it is hard to function even at a minimal level much less think about trying various options. What is happening is the executive function is greatly impaired which makes it very hard to make decisions on what may work the best. It is actually very overwhelming although I keep trying since I know my health is at stake. Many times, it takes hearing a suggestion several times before it make sense as a possible solution. And don't forget, since our cognitive brain power is very limited, what may not seem like a big deal to you is to someone like seeking answers husband or myself.

If you think it is so easy to make decisions, stop your pap therapy for 6 months and then see how well you do.

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