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[CPAP] Changes in how the machine has been working?
#1
Changes in how the machine has been working?
Okay, so I got my CPAP last November, so it's been about a year. I'm not 100% sure where to start, so I hope this is coherent enough.

Little background: The beginning of 2015 there was an on the job incident that nearly killed me. We now know it was carbon monoxide poisoning, but it took a while before we found that out (as my employer left me passed out on the ground outside for an hour before calling my husband to take me to the ER, so by the time I got there, it was not showing up in blood tests). During the many many tests I had to do, they noticed what they thought was sleep apnea, so I did that test, and BAM, sure enough. They said I had severe sleep apnea.
I should note that I was on bedrest most of this time, which was most of the year, so I gained somewhere around 70lbs between the incident and the diagnosis of sleep apnea.

My insurance put it through completely immediately, so other than an email a week later to make sure I was okay, the sleep doctor dropped me like a hot potatoe. Which was fine by me, because I really wasn't up to coming in the office all the time. So for the last year I've just been using it as originally set up (so I'm not sure why sleepyhead is showing an RX change on Oct 23rd of this year).

My main problem was that for the last week or two I've been having issues where it essentially feels like the machine is sucking the air out, rather than pushing air in. It keeps waking me up, and it continues every few seconds with this suffocating feeling. I turned the A-flex down, as googling it seemed to show that might help, but it only helped a bit.

I've been using the same mask for a while now, and am not sure if that has something to do with it. I lose my insurance Oct. 1 of next year, so I've been trying to make the masks last longer, so I hopefully have extra when my insurance goes away, until I can figure out a new insurance plan.

Now with joining this site and finding the sleepyhead program I also may have another issue. The AHI has gone up recently, which I remember was not a great thing. But I honestly don't know what the other Efficacy numbers mean.

Recent history: I have gotten back to work (but at a different job) recently, and it along with the lingering effects of the CO poisoning are very taxing on me, and I often times will fall asleep on the couch or something, while going to take my shoes off after work, so the CPAP doesn't help with all my sleep.

Oh yes, and my dentist was bewildered when I came in this past June, I had gotten 22 cavities between Nov '15 and June '16. He asked if there were any changes, and I told him that I got the CPAP, he said he wasn't surprised to hear it, and it seemed to be causing problems with my teeth. Is there anyway to avoid that? I don't have a humidifier, as it was too difficult for me to breathe with it.


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#2
RE: Changes in how the machine has been working?
Hi Xinectyl,
Welcome to Apnea Board!

Sorry for all you've been through, but it sounds as if you want to take control of your situation.

Your perscription shows a change on Oct. 23rd simply because you made a change to the AFlex setting. This is a feature that helps when you exhale.

What you may be experiencing is a feeling of being "air starved". When you have a low minimum pressure, (yours is set at 5) sometimes it feels as if you are not getting enough air.

I don't see anything major on your data report that jumps out at me. Your leak rate is ok.

Being your Flow Limitation and RERA events are high, and events are mostly hypopneas,
I would suggest you start to narrow your pressure range. Move minimum up to 7 and bring the max pressure down to 15. This should help you breath easier.

I don't know about cpap therapy causing cavities, but if you are not getting enough humidity, plus you may be mouth breathing without realizing it. This will cause your gums to be inflamed and in time loosen teeth.

If you don't already have a Clinicians manual, request one:
http://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-pr...tup-manual

It's good you are using #SleepyHead, here is a link to the Beginners Guide.
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...SleepyHead
OpalRose
Apnea Board Administrator
www.apneaboard.com

_______________________
OSCAR Chart Organization
How to Attach Images and Files.
OSCAR - The Guide
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing therapy
OSCAR supported machines
Mask Primer



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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#3
RE: Changes in how the machine has been working?
Okay, so I read the manual page, took the SD card out and changed it. It seemed to stick, but if I put the card back in it reverted to 5 and 20. Do I just keep it out, and put it in occasionally to grab the data for sleepyhead, then set it back to 7 and 15 after I get the data?
The doctor told us in the class that the machine saves the data when there is no SD card, and puts it on the card when you put it back in, for when they check compliance. But I'm not sure if that's what it actually does?
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#4
RE: Changes in how the machine has been working?
Hi Xinectyl, welcome to Apnea Board.

My dental therapist gives me a hard time about CPAP causing dry mouth which can lead to additional cavities. It's the saliva in your mouth which keeps washing the surface of your teeth, resisting a build-up of bacteria. If your mouth is too dry the bacteria aren't flushed away and will cause cavities. This seems counter-intuitive to me, but I have since read it elsewhere so it's probably true. Use of the humidifier will help if you can learn to tolerate it. You can also try Biotene products (mouthwash, tooth past, gel) which are designed to avoid this problem.

You machine will store the summary data but I don't think it stores detailed data, which is written directly to the SD card. (This is the way it works with my Resmed machine and I believe your Respironics is similar). You should leave the card in the machine except when you want to download it to SleepyHead.

Setting pressures is done on the machine itself - SleepyHead has no way to write the changes to the card. However it's possible your therapist set the pressures using Encore Pro software and this is over-ruling your settings. In that case it would be best to format the card or use a new one, which can be got from any pharmacy or camera shop.
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#5
RE: Changes in how the machine has been working?
I am sure that my Remstar put full data on my SD card after I forgot to put it in one night. I know that the S9 doesn't do this.
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#6
RE: Changes in how the machine has been working?
(11-07-2016, 02:06 AM)Xinectyl Wrote: Okay, so I read the manual page, took the SD card out and changed it. It seemed to stick, but if I put the card back in it reverted to 5 and 20. Do I just keep it out, and put it in occasionally to grab the data for sleepyhead, then set it back to 7 and 15 after I get the data?
The doctor told us in the class that the machine saves the data when there is no SD card, and puts it on the card when you put it back in, for when they check compliance. But I'm not sure if that's what it actually does?


You have to make changes in the providers menu, not on the SD card.

Use the link I gave you above for the Clinicians manual and make changes on the cpap itself. The cpap will rewrite changes to SD card.

Always put your card back in cpap after you imported data to SleepyHead.
OpalRose
Apnea Board Administrator
www.apneaboard.com

_______________________
OSCAR Chart Organization
How to Attach Images and Files.
OSCAR - The Guide
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing therapy
OSCAR supported machines
Mask Primer



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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#7
RE: Changes in how the machine has been working?
Hi OpalRose, could you clarify for me... On the Resmed machines, it's possible to change the settings on the SD card by using the ResScan software. Is the same thing possible on PR machines (using Encore), and if so, could this be causing the OP's problem?
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#8
RE: Changes in how the machine has been working?
DB,
I can only speak for the PR CPAPs, but any changes to perscription are made in the providers menu on the cpap itself. It doesn't matter if SD card is in the machine at the time. Even if you put the card in after you make the changes, the cpap will write the changes to the card.

No, I'm not able to make changes on Encore Basic as far as pressure settings go. I tried that early on, and it made no difference until I made the actual change on the cpap itself.

I didn't realize you could make those changes on ResScan.

It sounds like the OP is trying to make changes on the SD card, then when she places it back in the PR machine, the cpap will rewrite data according to what changes are on the actual machine. So if the changes were not made in the providers menu on the cpap, the original pressure setting would still be in effect.

Hope that makes sense.
OpalRose
Apnea Board Administrator
www.apneaboard.com

_______________________
OSCAR Chart Organization
How to Attach Images and Files.
OSCAR - The Guide
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing therapy
OSCAR supported machines
Mask Primer



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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#9
RE: Changes in how the machine has been working?
Hi Xinectyl,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
I'm sorry to hear that you have been through so much.
I would suggest that you get the humidifier for your machine and use it. If your mouth is really dry, that can cause problems with your teeth. The humidity will moisten your mouth and that is better for your teeth and gums.
I wish you good luck as you continue your CPAP therapy, hang in there for more responses to your post.
trish6hundred
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#10
RE: Changes in how the machine has been working?
Yeah, I did it in the clinician's menu, then put the card back in, but instead of being at 7, which I had it set at before the card, it was back at 5.
I used it without the card last night at 7 and 15, and it was a lot better than it has been!
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