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Can I use my cpap to test a stubborn wife
#1
Can I use my cpap to test a stubborn wife
I am concerned that my wife may have sleep apnea too. She refuses to go to the doctor or get a sleep study but was willing to use my machine for the night. I was wondering if I lower the setting and use oscar if that might be possible. If so what setting would you use.

Thanks
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#2
RE: Can I use my cpap to test a stubborn wife
RLMMG Wrote:Can I use my cpap to test a stubborn wife

Boy, you like living dangerously! Dielaughing

You could conceivably set the machine to CPAP (fixed pressure) mode with a very low pressure. Maybe 4 - 6 cm H2O. Alternatively there are phone apps around which might be able to give you an indication without the need for her to use your machine. SnoreLab is one that seems to be popular, though I have never used it myself.
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#3
RE: Can I use my cpap to test a stubborn wife
What is your evidence for suspecting apnea?

Sharing prescriptions for anything, whether it be drugs or devices, is not legal and not something I would recommend.
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#4
RE: Can I use my cpap to test a stubborn wife
(02-04-2020, 07:40 AM)DeepBreathing Wrote:
RLMMG Wrote:Can I use my cpap to test a stubborn wife

Boy, you like living dangerously! Dielaughing

You could conceivably set the machine to CPAP (fixed pressure) mode with a very low pressure. Maybe 4 - 6 cm H2O. Alternatively there are phone apps around which might be able to give you an indication without the need for her to use your machine. SnoreLab is one that seems to be popular, though I have never used it myself.

Thanks if I can get her to try it for one night and she can see for herself. She thinks she is fine and says she dont snore but I know better and I am concerned for her





(02-04-2020, 10:23 AM)ApneaQuestions Wrote: What is your evidence for suspecting apnea?

Sharing prescriptions for anything, whether it be drugs or devices, is not legal and not something I would recommend.

I'll just choose to ignore you because if this is all you have to offer than I rather you keep your opinions to yourself
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#5
RE: Can I use my cpap to test a stubborn wife
A CPAP machine is not a diagnostic machine, It Cannot prove your wife does NOT have apnea. The closest we can get to is CPAP mode, EPAP =IPAP=4, PS=0. This may show apnea, or it may not.

Without question the best option is to get your wife into a sleep study. Make her a promise, she takes the study and accepts the results, either way, you won't bug her about it again.
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#6
RE: Can I use my cpap to test a stubborn wife
(02-04-2020, 11:13 AM)RLMMG Wrote:
(02-04-2020, 10:23 AM)ApneaQuestions Wrote: What is your evidence for suspecting apnea?

Sharing prescriptions for anything, whether it be drugs or devices, is not legal and not something I would recommend.

I'll just choose to ignore you because if this is all you have to offer than I rather you keep your opinions to yourself

I apologize if I misunderstood your question. 

The question "Can I?" could be interpreted as "Is it allowed?" or "Is it possible?"
I was answering the former interpretation of the question.


In answer to the latter interpretation of the question... the machine will probably interfere with the experiment since I don't believe you can set IPAP=EPAP=PS=0 unless you turn it off.
Bonjour got as close to all zeroes by suggesting 4,4,0.

The reason I asked what your evidence is was simply to get a better handle on the symptoms that could support your hypothesis.
Examples might incude:
a) I see her stop breathing in the middle of the night
b) I observe that she has sleep fragmentation and spontaneous arousals after periods of struggled breathing
c) I often see her wake up gasping for air before falling back to sleep.
d) etc


Whatever the answers, I wish you both well.
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#7
RE: Can I use my cpap to test a stubborn wife
If she refuses to see a doctor or do a home sleep study, but she will try your machine, then why not?

You do need to make her understand that this is not the same as doing a sleep study and acknowledge pursuing a study if the AHI is not close to 0.0.

The object here is not to diagnose sleep apnea, but get an agreement from her to do a study based on her AHI.

I tend to think pressure in the range of 5 or 6 would be a good place. Others might offer a better range that will give the best possibility of a higher AHI so she will get a real study.

John
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#8
RE: Can I use my cpap to test a stubborn wife
If you do try this note she may find it difficult to breath on CPAP with 4 cm pressure due to having no EPR. That might just makes things worse and make her think she will never get tested or use CPAP.

I would start on that setting but if she has any complaints bump her up to 6 cm with EPR of 2.

The hard part will be interpreting the CPAP data especially on a single night (I barely slept first night of CPAP). If she has bad enough sleep apnea it will be obvious but if it is minor the 6/2 and maybe even 4/0 will make a significant enough of a difference.

A recording oximeter can give an idea as well without the influence of CPAP.

Edit: That said a home sleep study is no less intrusive (probably easier to sleep then first night of CPAP) and will give much better results as well as professional interpretation. Although you can try these options if she is stubborn as a mule it wouldn't be my first choice.
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#9
RE: Can I use my cpap to test a stubborn wife
If the issue is snoring, you might be better off starting with a phone app which uses the phone's microphone to record snoring events. That way you wouldn't have the effect of the CPAP machine "contaminating" the results.
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#10
RE: Can I use my cpap to test a stubborn wife
In this one case I am ignoring comfort (higher pressures) to get the best chance of identifying if apnea is present, thus the min = max = 4 and PS (or EPR) =0. I do NOT want to treat her apnea nor apply higher pressures, as I would normally do, so that the best chance to identify apnea is present.
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