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Are these settings OK?
#11
RE: Are these settings OK?
Welcome to the forum.

Your numbers are good, your volumes, tidal volume and minute vent, are ok as you are a small woman, thanks for that info, but you are indicating a shortness of breath, the first zoomed image supports that impression during sleep, showing that you are breathing shallowly at times during the night. You also mention some shortness of breath during the day. Both of these may be related to your surgery and the reduced lung volume post surgery.

A BiLevel machine with its capability for providing pressure support is capable of improving your tidal volume and minute vent which should improve your shortness of breath at night. I would discuss this with your doctor. Note that your current machine is not designed to do this.
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#12
RE: Are these settings OK?
Thank you. Really appreciate your help.
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#13
RE: Are these settings OK?
I thought my Dreamstation was a BIPAP machine. I checked after your post. In the settings there is a Flex feature allowing me to adjust inhale and exhale features. Or is a Bilevel machine different from a Bipap? Oh and you are right. The shortness of breath as opposed to the apnea was post surgery. I’ve been to doctors about it and had X-rays and scans, the advice is to exercise more and do not skip CPAP. When asked how I could adjust CPAP to maximise treatment, the ENT doctor referred me back to the Philips sleep tech/salesman who has been no help. The doctor said there’s really not much difference between machines so I never even thought of looking at other manufacturers.  The flex feature on my Dreamstation is on auto.
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#14
RE: Are these settings OK?
Further to my latest post that Dreamstation has flex function, I would like to share my experience with the professional community. I asked my sleep tech to adjust the pressure of my machine to a higher maximum than 10 to give me a better range. He said it was not necessary as my average pressure, as he put it, hovers around 9. But he could sell me a humidifier to help with any discomfort. At that point I decided to be my own sleep tech, teach myself about CPAP treatment and bought what I thought was a machine (with humidifier) based on the latest in CPAP research. Also,I’m sure you are all aware of internet blogs warning of the dangers of adjusting or “hacking” your machine, that only a licensed person has the expertise to do so.
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#15
RE: Are these settings OK?
Sorry, I meant experience OF not with the so-called professional community.
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#16
RE: Are these settings OK?
You have a CPAP that auto-adjusts pressure, but it does not provide bilevel pressure. Take a look at the A-Flex wiki to get an idea of what it does to round-off the start of inspiration and expiration. It never provides more than 2-cm pressure drop, and it is flow-based depending on how assertive your spontaneous breathing is. http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php/A-Flex You also have some variable breathing as shown in the pink shaded areas. This is a part of the Philips algorithm that is truly dysfunctional. http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php..._Breathing
Sleeprider
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com

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INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#17
RE: Are these settings OK?
I cannot thank everyone enough for their help. I will now do some research on the Resmed Autoset and perhaps give myself a birthday present.
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#18
RE: Are these settings OK?
Sleeprider, thank you again for your help. I don’t know if this should be in a new thread but I am saving for a better machine and have been reading up on sleep problems and the links in Wiki. 

You said earlier of the Dreamstation that it never provides more than 2-cm pressure drop, and it is flow-based depending on how assertive your spontaneous breathing is. 

So what is the range for the pressure drop that would be optimal? What should I be looking for?

ResMed markets a device called AirCurve that is a bilevel device. Do you know if that is the latest in the market?

Thanks
Bobbi
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#19
RE: Are these settings OK?
Your events are mainly obstructive and we have seen flow limits and RERA. Many of the OA events have been in pairs or clusters so the chin tucking thing is not entirely new, but it definitely showed up big-time last week. I'm certain you will find a Resmed machine more comfortable. The Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset has up to 3-cm of pressure support (EPR) that is delivered exactly the same way that pressure support is delivered with the Aircurve 10 Vauto. The main difference is the bilevel Aircurve Vauto is not limited to 3-cm of pressure difference between inhale and exhale. My personal preference is the Vauto, but I can certainly use an Airsense and do pretty well. I'm due for replacement. It looks like a new 11-series Airsense will be available in the Fall, but I have not seen anything to suggest the Aircurve series is changing this year. Either way, I don't expect radical changes other than in the use of a different modem, moving away from CDMA to 3G in the U.S., and none of that affects you anyway. The cost difference is significant between Airsense and Aircurve.

It's hard to answer your question because in truth the Philips does not give you pressure support at all. A-Flex is a temporary reduction in pressure during expiration that returns to CPAP pressure before inhale begins. This is Flex not PS. The Airsense 10 will feel significantly different and better to you even with its limit of 3-cm pressure difference. It's an open question whether or not you would benefit from higher pressure support.
Sleeprider
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com

____________________________________________
Download OSCAR Software
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing Therapy
Organize your OSCAR Charts
Attaching Files
Mask Primer
How To Deal With Equipment Supplier


INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#20
Wink 
RE: Are these settings OK?
Thank you Sleeprider 1) How important in terms of therapy and comfort is the difference between 2-cm (Dreamstation) and 3-cm pressure (Resmed)? 2) How do you manage to do so much? I’ve been reading your Wiki articles and your replies to posts on the forum. Don’t you sleep? Bobbi
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