CPAPtalk.com

you know, I can't find my machine on the list of available ones. This is the one I have

http://www.devilbisshealthcare.com/prod ... autoadjust

LSAT wrote:I may be mistaken, but I don't think his machine is an APAP.(?)

turns out his machine isn't the one listed. thanks to the limited selection on the eq list page.

gdgiles wrote: when sleeping w/o the pillow last night I noticed I was keeping my mouth closed

How did you notice that while you were sleeping?

gdgiles wrote:you know, I can't find my machine on the list of available ones. This is the one I have

http://www.devilbisshealthcare.com/prod ... autoadjust

aha, it is an auto... so, set the machine in the equipment list to blank and add it as an additional comment, to avoid future confusion

My machine has a System One Response setting that varies dependent upon type of mask. Even from pillow to pillow there is a change. Make sure your machine is calibrated (if it requires the setting) for your mask. When I received my new machine my AHI jumped from the usual 1-1/2 all the way up to 24! With the setting corrected, back down to 0.8.

ChicagoGranny wrote:

gdgiles wrote: when sleeping w/o the pillow last night I noticed I was keeping my mouth closed

How did you notice that while you were sleeping?

I'm a very light sleeper.

Ok, I scrolled through some menus and wrote stuff down but I don't know what it means. As I list info I'll follow it with how many days that info is for.

Smart code:
F8BF-FBF-DR43 one
3CC9-FF7F-3A4F seven

100% one and seven

AHI:
4.5 one
3.0 seven
2.5 thirty

High Leak:
0% all

Daily use:
6.6 one
7.2 seven

Adherence score ****

That's it.

ChicagoGranny wrote:

gdgiles wrote: when sleeping w/o the pillow last night I noticed I was keeping my mouth closed

How did you notice that while you were sleeping?

maybe tapped into the NSA video surveillance of his bedroom...

I've not slept well in years and my wife is very quick to let me know when I start snoring.

I tried the large size pillow last night. On the plus side it's very easy to breathe through. There was too many leaky times. But, just like the medium and small it's not that my brain is ready to wake up or I can't sleep anymore, my nostrils just can't take it any more. I have to get the pillow off and get up. Twice, last week on vacation, I took the pillow off, shut the unit down, and went back to sleep w/o it. My wife was already up and out so my snoring wouldn't bother her at that point. Both times I slept an additional hour.

Pressure jumped again last night. I woke up it was blowing so hard and this time it was ranging from 10-13. Is it maybe because I'm getting to a deeper level of sleep? The large pillow is too big; going back to medium.

I assume you woke up and immediately looked at the LCD screen to see the pressure???

gdgiles wrote:High Leak:
0% all

The above pretty much tells us large leaks aren't an issue since no time was spent in high leak so I doubt the machine was chasing leaks.

Most likely culprits for big changes in pressure are either supine sleeping or REM stage sleep or a combination of both.
With either it is common for our OSA to be worse and need more pressure to keep the airway from collapsing. Sometimes just a little pressure and sometimes a lot of pressure.
Without seeing the actual detailed pressure graphs...you need the software and special module to do that... as we have no idea how high the pressure actually goes to or how long it thinks it needs to stay there. You only wake up when it causes you to wake up. It might have been higher for all you know.

If the higher pressures continue to disturb your sleep and you wish to eliminate the disturbances then you have to reduce the need for the big changes in pressure if you can. This is why some people do better with a small APAP range or even cpap mode.
Either by increasing the starting minimum pressure in an effort to prevent whatever the machine is wanting to "fix" with more pressure so that the airway simply doesn't collapse as easily or limit the maximum pressure so that it can't go higher. Limiting the maximum pressure has a down side...it could potentially allow some OSA events to materialize if the airway needs more pressure to stay open and it can get that pressure because the pressure max has been limited.
Evaluating pressure needs just by using the smart codes from the machine is easier done with the software but not impossible to do with just the use of the AHI from the smart code data.

gdgiles wrote: I woke up it was blowing so hard and this time it was ranging from 10-13.

That is not so high. Anecdotally, 10 seems to be an average prescribed pressure. Some doctors consider 14 and above to be high pressures.

I am guessing your minimum is set too low and it is the change in pressure, rather than the absolute pressure, that is disturbing you.

Can you get software for that machine to look at some details?

ChicagoGranny wrote:Can you get software for that machine to look at some details?

Software is available. For purchase from Devilbiss or free SleepyHead seems to work with these machines.
There is a special module that is needed though to be able to use some sort of SD card or whatever they use.

Module alone (data card is extra)
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/devilb ... odule.html

or module packaged with the Devilbiss software....
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/devilb ... ystem.html

Devilbiss doesn't gather flow rate breath by breath data. Otherwise decent software reporting. SleepyHead seems to do well with at least showing what it does gather.
IMHO the need for the special purchase of the separate module to see any detailed data makes the usually attractive pricing less attractive. Brings the cost pretty much up where the PR S1 full data machines are. People see the attractive price and the full data comments and don't see that the module is needed if they want more than what the smart codes offer. Not a big deal if the software isn't needed or wanted I suppose but for myself it would be a serious negative.

Super Pugsy to the rescue as usual.

gdgiles, I would spend the $100 for the module - a small investment for health and life.

How you use the smart code is... what I do in the a.m... Go to Cpap.com and find the page with our machine. Halfway down the pg is...

"Track Your Therapy
SmartCode: Track Your Therapy Without Buying Software

What Is SmartCode | View Sample Report
Add Another SmartCode Generate Report"

with an (almost invisible) little box between both headings... enter the code you got from the machine screen (bypass 'Adherence' pg) and then hit 'Generate' to see your nightly stats graph. I copy those and have some going back years!

Once you have the code from the machine written down you can just hit the off button to go back to 'normal'.

ChicagoGranny wrote:Super Pugsy to the rescue as usual.

we should get her a cape.