New Hose; 28.5 AHI!

[Ron AKA]

Thanks. If you mean in the Machine settings, yes, I do. 

Under the cartoon of Bob, at bottom, is the line  "  Summary Only  :  "

The ResMed stores summary data and as well detailed data. I think the detailed data is only stored on the SD card. Is there any chance you did not have the SD card in the machine when you used it? If not, then when you put it in, the machine may have transferred only the summary data from the machine memory to the SD card. I would suggest you leave the card in the machine, and ensure it is not locked, and see if it collects detailed data tonight.

[gregger]

Thanks. You're correct, there has never been an SD card in the machine until today when I put one in to fetch data. I was unaware it was only able to download summary data to the SD card. BTW I used a 512MB card; can't imagine a few weeks of data taking up more than a tiny slice of that.

I'll take your suggestion of leaving the card in place during the next session(s) and then try again with SleepyHead. At least that should let me begin charting with Sleepyhead going forward.

BTW, any idea why Sleepyhead showed two separate sessions instead of merging (per <240 mins separation setting)?

Thanks again,

- G.

[Ron AKA]

Thanks. You're correct, there has never been an SD card in the machine until today when I put one in to fetch data. I was unaware it was only able to download summary data to the SD card. BTW I used a 512MB card; can't imagine a few weeks of data taking up more than a tiny slice of that.

I'll take your suggestion of leaving the card in place during the next session(s) and then try again with SleepyHead. At least that should let me begin charting with Sleepyhead going forward.

BTW, any idea why Sleepyhead showed two separate sessions instead of merging (per <240 mins separation setting)?

I inadvertently reformatted my SD card about 2 weeks ago. It now has 55 MB used, so you could go quite a while with a 512 MB card. The standard card that the machine comes with is 4 GB. The total storage of detailed data is only limited by the card size, so I would recommend a 4 GB or larger, but there is no rush. Once you have transferred it to SleepyHead you have it for as long as you want. Just keep in mind that the machine writes detailed data direct to the memory card. If you do not have the card in when you are sleeping you are losing the detailed data. 

In the bottom left hand corner you can see some black-green switches beside each session it records. Green means it is on and included in the summary. You can switch individual sessions off and they will turn red and not be included in the summary data.  Thanks to Crimson Nape for explaining that one to me.

[JesseLee]

Gregger,

Without an SD card in the machine, the detailed data will not be written to the card, only a summary of sessions unfortunately. However, your on track now. You've got your card in the machine, double check that the card is not locked, and try to relax and get some solid sleep.

For mask selection, try what doesn't leak first. If you experience mouth leaks with nasal pillows there are options such as a chin strap to help. If you don't have a chin strap ive heard of folks sleeping with a rolled towel under there chin or something similar.

If you go with the full face mask, getting leaks under control is just as important. That will take some experimenting with strap adjustment and maybe even a different mask all together.

Leaks are important to minimize as the machine will not respond or report accurately events you experience, thus inaccurate numbers.

Comfort. If your not comfortable then obviously you won't sleep so finding max comfort with minimum leakage is somewhat tough and you aren't alone in finding this compromise of sorts. Just remember it takes time and trial.

The aim is to get your leaks and comfort handled to register some sleep time (the more the betterer) with data being recorded. And i think you will do just fine albeit it may take a little while.

Keeping a positive attitude for therapy goes a long way and being persistent in knowing that once you get yourself dialed in, you won't look back at being without your machine.

The expert advisory members here know their stuff, so stay in touch and keep posting to this thread and you will get answers i assure you.

I almost forgot to ask, is your nasal congestion frequent or is you congestion just a temporary cold like symptom? Allergies?

[mdhampton]

Also, don't you have to pick the type of mask you use? I know I did with my ResMed Air 10 auto. I don't know if it uses that information to determine pressure/leaks though. If you change in the middle of the night it may be confused.

[JesseLee]

Also, don't you have to pick the type of mask you use? I know I did with my ResMed Air 10 auto. I don't know if it uses that information to determine pressure/leaks though. If you change in the middle of the night it may be confused.

That's an excellent point. There is a mask selection but I don't have an answer as to what the difference in outcome is. I do know that there is venting differences between nasal pillows and full face masks.

[SuperSleeper]

By the way, I am not looking for your help.

Ron, this is a discussion forum and this thread was started by gregger. DeepBreathing was pointing out some legitimate concern he had over the way in which you were trying to help gregger, in that your advice, as stated, had some factual issues that may mislead a reader.  And I think we all know you were not trying to intentionally mislead anyone.  DeepBreathing was making sure everyone understood the proper way to use the mask fit check feature.  If your post was left unchallenged, someone might get the wrong impression of what the fit-check feature actually does, so that information needed to be corrected.

Although we know you were not looking for help (it's actually gregger who was asking for help), DeepBreathing wanted to help gregger (and any other readers) so that folks would not be mislead (intentionally or unintentionally) into an incorrect understanding of how the mask fit check feature works.

Correcting someone when they are wrong is perfectly acceptable on Apnea Board, but unnecessarily abusive, disruptive, or inappropriate comments are, and will remain, against the forum rules.

[Ron AKA]

Ron, this is a discussion forum and this thread was started by gregger. DeepBreathing was pointing out some legitimate concern he had over the way in which you were trying to help gregger, in that your advice, as stated, had some factual issues that may mislead a reader.  And I think we all know you were not trying to intentionally mislead anyone...

I stand by my comments. While the mask fit function did not specifically cause the burst of events, it contributed to the sequence of events that caused them. When you initiate a mask test it continues and then offers the option to end the test. However, when you end the test it immediately jumps into treatment mode and bypasses the normal ramp process that is programmed into the machine which does not record events until the ramp is over. As a result it starts recording events even though you are not asleep. This can result in a very high AHI. I was not trying to mislead anyone with factual issues.

[gregger]

The aim is to get your leaks and comfort handled to register some sleep time (the more the betterer) with data being recorded. And i think you will do just fine albeit it may take a little while.

I almost forgot to ask, is your nasal congestion frequent or is you congestion just a temporary cold like symptom? Allergies?

Jesse, thanks for the advice and encouragement. I have spent the past few weeks trying to find the right equipment, and have found that when I use the Dreamwear Nasal Cushion (not pillows), I get a very comfortable fit, no major leaks, and AHI of under 5. I was really happy that I seemed to have found a solution so quickly. I also chose as a "backup" the new Dreamwear Full Mask (which cover the mouth and fits UNDER, not over, the nose in the exactly same way the Dreamwear Nasal Cusion does). It's comfortable but harder to manage leaks, and even on a  'good' night the AHI is higher than with the Nasal Cushion.

And, as a lifelong mouth breather, I was pleasantly but completely surprised that I was much better suited to a nasal cushion. I was worried that mouth leak would be a problem since I slept with my mouth open. Turns out, I've been able to "train" my tongue to keep my airway closed quite well; no need or desire for a chin strap (which made me feel trapped).  

Then, after this early success, the nasal congestion set in. To answer your question, I don't know if it's seasonal allergies or what. I've never really had to pay attention before, but, now that you mention it, I've always had some congestion issues, which has contributed to me being a mouth breather. I used Afrin type nasal sprays to quickly reopen my passages, but as you know these can't be used for more than a few days in a row. So my sleep Dr. said to use Flonase, thinking this was allergy based. I've been using it all week with partial success; I may go to sleep with an open nasal airway but some nights have awakened to more congestion, and then had to switch to the Full Mask.

Yes, switching in the middle of the night entails turning off the machine, changing gear, and trying to remember to edit the Settings from Full Mask to Nasal Cushion. I am not sure how it affects machine operation but I'd guess it's an adjustment to an algorithm the machine uses to maintain the prescribed pressure setting given the substantially larger air opening of a full mask vs just a nasal device. 

Here in Chicagoland we are at a peak in tree and other pollen right now, so I am disobeying the dosage instructions and goosing the amount of Flonase used temporarily to see if it does a better job with the congestion. Crossing my fingers this works. The Dreamwear Nasal Cushion is phenomenally comfortable, non obstructive and easy to use plus I get great AHI marks, so I'm trying hard to make it work. 

Thanks again to all for the comments and help.

[gregger]

I stand by my comments. While the mask fit function did not specifically cause the burst of events, it contributed to the sequence of events that caused them. When you initiate a mask test it continues and then offers the option to end the test. However, when you end the test it immediately jumps into treatment mode and bypasses the normal ramp process that is programmed into the machine which does not record events until the ramp is over. As a result it starts recording events even though you are not asleep. This can result in a very high AHI. I was not trying to mislead anyone with factual issues.

Ron, thanks for your thoughts on the Run Mask Fit feature.

I've only used that feature to test mask fit during the day or evening, before starting therapy. On the AirSense 10, when I click on "Run Mask Fit" it goes to high pressure while I play with the mask for a few seconds (who could stand more than that?!) , and then click on "Stop Mask Fit" to stop the machine, which in my case returns it to idle mode (off).