RT bringing my first machine to my home tonight

If the ASV is like the other xPAPs in the PRS1 line, then tapping the "Ramp" button should start the mask fit mode. (Assuming of course that the RT didn't turn it off in the clinician menu)

DiverCTHunter wrote:If the ASV is like the other xPAPs in the PRS1 line, then tapping the "Ramp" button should start the mask fit mode. (Assuming of course that the RT didn't turn it off in the clinician menu)

As DiverCTHunter says, the Mask Fit Feature needs to be enabled in the Clinician's Menu, then it's available through the ramp button.

See p. 9 of the 760 user guide: http://www.directhomemedical.com/machin ... ronics.pdf

sawinglogz wrote:

RandyJ wrote:The 60 series PR System One machines have a Mask Fit feature like the S9s.

Really? I didn't see that in the user manual (at least for the ASV). Is that in a separate manual?

It could be that its turned off in the clinical menu (mine's turned off).

Ellen:

"Todzo" is so correct. Go slowly. I had a great second half of the night during the hospital slumber party and expected that it'd be a breeze (no pun) when I got my own machine.

Wrong. I became another one of those "I ripped the damned mask off in the middle of the night" types. Instead, I went to a plan I'll describe right here:

1) For a week or so, wear the mask with the machine on during the day as you sit, read, watch TV, or simply look out the window. (Don't scare the neighbors!) This is how you'll get accustomed to all the sounds the gizmo makes and how your respiratory system responds. You'll find it's quite hard to talk with the machine pushing air into your mouth and nose and it feels as if your body should be fighting what the machine is doing. Well, it is! Your system has been doing things for decades and suddenly you're telling it to change.

2) For a week or so in the afternoons, get everyone out of the house, put on loose clothing, take the phone off the hook, toss the pets out of your room, and simply flop on your bed with the machine running and the mask on you. Nothing may happen at first but soon thereafter you'll have some glorious naps. When you have a slight snooze with some deep dreams you'll know you and the machine are coming along nicely.

3) For another week or so, go to sleep at night the old-fashioned way. When you inevitably wake up totally spaced out in the middle of the night (for me it would usually be between midnight and 2 a.m.), put the mask on IMMEDIATELY, fire up the machine, and quickly lie back down before your mind has a chance to start going crazy. Resist like crazy the impulse to fidget with the mask.

4) Finally, on some predetermined night, let your family know that THIS will be the night you go to bed fully ready to enjoy the benefits you know your machine can give you. You will not be disappointed.

March 3 was my night to go full-sleep with my system and almost every night since has been a winner. In fact, I had a cold come on yesterday and went to bed at 10:15. The next thing I knew it was 8 a.m.! This simply did not happen in the bad old days. Better yet, I CAN'T take naps the way I used to because I'm not 'gassed' at or just after midday. I go from, awakening in the morning to bedtime at full throttle .......and I'm nearly 63 years old.

Take heart but also take your time. God bless!

I think the advice to take it slowly is very good. My body is fighting the machine right now and the exhaustion is wreaking havoc with my mind. Tonight after work I'm going to lie down with the mask on and see if I fall asleep.

Ellen:

Many will tell that once you get accustomed to the machine and the moving air it actually has a soothing effect. There's the gentle hum of the machine, the air coming into you, and the rhythm that eventually develops between your system and the CPAP system.

During and after my first few all-nights, three things astonished me:
1) As I was drifting off, I could feel my heart pumping blood that was so healthfully oxygenated. Neat sensation!
2) I had stark, easily memorable dreams, a great indication of deep sleep, and
3) My chest muscles hurt the next day, the result of deep breathing going on that hadn't occured in decades of my life.

For being nearly 63 years old, I've stayed in very, very good shape and CPAP has enhanced it all. My upper body is stronger than it's ever been, I rode my bike 2300 miles last year (not an easy feat in the Great Lakes area), and my libido is still very forceful. Much of all these I attribute to restful and restorative sleep through my gizmo. Again, be patient and you'll reap rewards.

God bless.

ellen1159 wrote:I think the advice to take it slowly is very good. My body is fighting the machine right now and the exhaustion is wreaking havoc with my mind. Tonight after work I'm going to lie down with the mask on and see if I fall asleep.

Hi ellen1159!

Some time during the day, when things are quiet and you are quiet note the amount of air you are using. While you are laying in bed you should be using no more than that amount.

Your high xPAP pressure will tend you toward breathing too much. The reflexes to breath a normal amount while on the machine will take time to develop. You will know you have it right when it is easy to breath quietly with the machine.

If you, at say - the six week mark, still have major trouble with keeping the breathing volumes down you might want to talk with your doctors about[1,2]. If you get major stressed about the whole thing you might want to talk with them before that. Much of breathing stability is about managing stress, day and night. Less stress, easier to breath quietly, as we should at night in bed during sleep.

Have a great week!

Todzo

[1]: Gilmartin G, McGeehan B, Vigneault K, Daly RW, Manento M, Weiss JW, Thomas RJ.
Treatment of positive airway pressure treatment-associated respiratory instability with enhanced expiratory rebreathing space (EERS).
Source: J Clin Sleep Med. 2010 Dec 15;6(6):529-38. Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21206741

[2]: Dynamic CO2 therapy in periodic breathing: a modeling study to determine optimal timing and dosage regimes
Yoseph Mebrate, Keith Willson, Charlotte H. Manisty, Resham Baruah, Jamil Mayet, Alun D. Hughes, Kim H. Parker and Darrel P. Francis
J Appl Physiol 107:696-706, 2009. First published 23 July 2009; doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.90308.2008
Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19628721

Your high xPAP pressure will tend you toward breathing too much. The reflexes to breath a normal amount while on the machine will take time to develop

I think that's what got in the way of me falling asleep last night: I was trying to match my breathing with the machine pressure on the inhalation and it just wasn't working. Instead of calming down I started panicking,then I would try to breathe slowly the way I learned in natural childbirth class and years ago when I studied Tai Chi and we "sat" (meditated) before exercising. If I could get into a rhythm and not be aware of the air pressure pushing up my nose I think I'd be okay. I'm stuck with the full-face mask, since I tend toward nasal stuffiness, but I found the humidifier to be an enormous help and made it easier to breathe.

How to you retrain yourself to breathe? Do you do it slow, like meditation breathing?

Do you have BiFlex turned on? If so at what setting?
There is a demo available of the different Flex settings. Flex has to be turned on in the clinical menu to get to it though.
Once it is turned on if you go to the Flex box on the LCD screen you can get to where it lets you demo the 3 different settings.
Play with them to see if one helps the respiration rate better.
I felt that 3 was too fast but 2 was just right.
Since the reduction is based on your own flow...3 isn't necessarily the greatest reduction..it is only the possible greatest reduction. You may find one of the other settings more comfortable.

Guest wrote:

Your high xPAP pressure will tend you toward breathing too much. The reflexes to breath a normal amount while on the machine will take time to develop

I think that's what got in the way of me falling asleep last night: I was trying to match my breathing with the machine pressure on the inhalation and it just wasn't working. Instead of calming down I started panicking,then I would try to breathe slowly the way I learned in natural childbirth class and years ago when I studied Tai Chi and we "sat" (meditated) before exercising. If I could get into a rhythm and not be aware of the air pressure pushing up my nose I think I'd be okay. I'm stuck with the full-face mask, since I tend toward nasal stuffiness, but I found the humidifier to be an enormous help and made it easier to breathe.

How to you retrain yourself to breathe? Do you do it slow, like meditation breathing?

I do many things. For CPAP use I think the simple "two slow counts in four slow counts out and pause for a count - and then do it again slower" sequence is good for getting back on track when things have gotten out of hand.

I think that practice during the day has been the most useful to obtain breathing stability during the night. That is my experiance.

Still, if the stress is too high I need EERS to help me though.

Ellen,

One thing to remember is you are not stuck with that mask. If you can't make it work for you, there are hundreds of masks out there you may want to try. Even with really bad sinuses & lots of allergies, I am finding that I love the nasal pillows. I used a nasal mask (the IQ) for years, the mfg changed the headgear & it disagreed with me, so I went on what I called my 'mask hunt' see my signature line for some I tried. I eventually found the one that works best, and some that work for specific situations, such as using the Elan if I have a major cold & congestion that the pillows won't relieve. Its probably worth noting that for me the nasal pillows seem to open up my nostrils & help me breathe better. Now with the high pressure you have been prescribed, they may not work for you, but a nasal mask & chin strap might work if none of the FF masks do. Also remember there are masks like the Hybrid that work well for some people who need a mask that covers the mouth because they mouth breathe & don't like any of the other FF masks.

Just know you have lots of choices and there is no right or wrong in choosing the mask that will be the one you work with the best. I started to say the one you love, but when you are beginning XPAP therapy, love sounds like a kind of strong word. Just so you know, I do love the mask I'm using now. You very well may love that Quattro FX eventually, I just wanted to point out to you that there are lots of options, so you don't get too discouraged if you and that mask don't do well together. Browse the cpap.com website & you might find something there you want to try. If you know the mask name, your DME may be able to provide the mask. Knowing what you want to try helps.

I also think starting with a bit lower pressure and working up would be my choice if I were in your shoes. I had been on straight CPAP at a pressure of 19 for years before I found this forum & ended up with an APAP. I am now at a lower pressure & know the difference. Although your pressure is significantly higher than mine & I wasn't on BIPAP, at your higher pressures, you are lucky they started you on BIPAP, straight CPAP only goes to 20 or so and I understand the BIPAP is a much more comfortable machine (heard that from several folks here).

Anyway, sorry I'm wordy today, but hang in there, you have a whole forum full of new friends pulling for you.

Jen

DEXSUZ wrote:3) My chest muscles hurt the next day, the result of deep breathing going on that hadn't occured in decades of my life.

I find breathing deeply affects my abdominal muscles rather than chest muscles. Is that unusual?

Thanks for the tips!

RandyJ wrote:

DiverCTHunter wrote:If the ASV is like the other xPAPs in the PRS1 line, then tapping the "Ramp" button should start the mask fit mode. (Assuming of course that the RT didn't turn it off in the clinician menu)

As DiverCTHunter says, the Mask Fit Feature needs to be enabled in the Clinician's Menu, then it's available through the ramp button.

See p. 9 of the 760 user guide: http://www.directhomemedical.com/machin ... ronics.pdf

Interesting, it's not in the 950 user guide, so maybe it doesn't apply to ASV.

Or maybe it was added to the 60 Series? (I couldn't find the 960 user guide.)

sawinglogz wrote: Interesting, it's not in the 950 user guide, so maybe it doesn't apply to ASV.

Or maybe it was added to the 60 Series? (I couldn't find the 960 user guide.)

Yes, it's a feature added to 60 series machines, but I can't speak for the 960 specifically.

Had a staffer at the sleep doc's office help me put on my mask correctly and it made a huge difference. I practiced for a half hour or so at home sitting on the couch, watching tv with the mask and machine on. A coughing fit ended things for the evening, but at least I know how put the mask on correctly. It makes all the difference in the world.