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Newbie questions
#1
Newbie questions
I have 1 night with a ResMed S9 Autoset and Respronics Wisp nasal mask. I've downloaded the ResScan application and see that my AHI is 3 or less so the machine is working as it's supposed to. The machine is configured to ramp up in 30 minutes to a constant 17 so I'm not using the autoset feature.

Question 1:

If I have to get up to use the bathroom, how do I suspend the machine? I just unclipped the mask from the hose and the telemetry data shows a several minute glitch where air was pouring out of the hose. Is there a more orderly way?

Question 2:
There was a chunk of the night showing lots of leaking was going on. I wear reading glasses and didn't want a forehead bridge to prevent me from reading before falling asleep so I have a very lightweight nasal mask with straps. I imagine I rolled over on my stomach and somewhat dislodged the mask. Are there tricks to minimize this? Should I be experimenting with a nasal pillow or something else?
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#2
RE: Newbie questions
I would advise running in the Auto mode for a few nights just to see what your top pressure needs really are. Then if you find that 17 cm wc is actually needed, you will have to take other steps to address your problems. Those would be, try some method of restricting yourself from going face down, which will dislodge any mask, and as a last resort, try some other type of mask that may be better suited for you particular use.
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#3
RE: Newbie questions
Hi Geoff! Welcome to the site....

First off good job downloading the software and going to the trouble to start figuring all this out for yourself.

Start backing off that ramp time. After awhile, you'll probably just forego it completely. When the machine is "ramping," which it is doing for 30 minutes when you first go to bed, and 30 minutes everytime you take a break, no event diagnosis is being done.

Secondly, you've got a top of the line machine, so telling it to just hang out at a constant of 17 isn't my idea of a good time. That's a lot of pressure if you don't need it. Maybe you do, but if the machine was set in Auto with a minimum of say 12, and a max of say 17 then you could evaluate the results over the course of a few days and see what is really going on. At 17, it is probably also a good idea to turn the EPR on to a setting of 2 to start with, then maybe 3, to allow you a little "breathing room" for your exhale.

Now, when you get up in the night? Just push the cute little button and turn the thing off. Then unclip or remove the mask, take a short stroll, mask back up, turn the machine on, and you're good to go.

Finally, "some" leakage is normal. It just depends on how much and how much of the time during the night it's going on. If it continues to be a problem you can get a mask liner from Pad-A-Cheek, or Remzzzzz, or make your own out of a t-shirt. Come back for more details on that.
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#4
RE: Newbie questions
And as for the trip to the bathroom, turn the machine off before removing the hose from the mask. When you plug the hose back in, turn the machine back on. It'll leave a small gap in the data but it's all still there for the reading and even documents the time you went to pee. You might want to shorten that ramp time or even eliminate it when you can do without it. It's mostly good for the first few days but in short time you'll not likely need it at all.
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#5
RE: Newbie questions
Hi GeoffD,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
When you get up to go to the bathroom, turn your machine off. Otherwise, if you leave it on, it will just look like a large leak.
You might also consider starting to back off the ramp time.
Hang in there for more responses to your post and best of luck to you with your CPAP therapy.
trish6hundred
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#6
RE: Newbie questions
Or try setting the machine to auto-start and auto-stop and not worry about the leakage rates. I suspect that with time you'll find that the 30-minute ramp is way more than you need. I'm currently set to 10 minutes and have tried 5 minute ramp a few times.
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#7
RE: Newbie questions
OK. I think I'm going to leave the initial 30 minute ramp as it is now as my "training wheels" and gradually reduce it. After I collect some baseline data, I'll start fiddling with autoset mode. I already had EPR configured to 3. I tried the device briefly at the medical supply place and commented that it was much more difficult to exhale than when I did a sleep study with a CPAP machine. They enabled EPR. They initially wanted to keep the setup mode for the machine completely secret but I fed them with such a long list of questions that they finally told me how to get into that screen since I'd obviously figure it out myself.

The thing that totally blows me away with all of this is the total racket the neurology/sleep center people and medical supply people have. The medical supply house "rents" me the machine for 13 months at $125.00/month that is billed to my insurance company. If I don't keep spending money with the neurology people where I have a $40 co-pay and my insurance company gets hammered with a big fee for a couple of minutes work, the Rx gets cancelled. They told me I could hit a web site and get filters, mask cushions, hoses, replacement mask, and water container at various intervals billed to the insurance company. A quick online search shows I can buy the machine for sub-$800 and everything else I'll need at a fraction of what they are billing my insurance company. Amazon and eBay have just about all of it. If I change employers and end up with crappy high deductible insurance, it's pretty clear that I'm going to unplug from this high expense racket and manage the device myself. $7.00 for a filter? Really? I was also supposed to go a month+ using the machine without any access to the data before seeing some nurse practitioner at the sleep center. Are most people just sheep who allow this nonsense?
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#8
RE: Newbie questions
Well Geoff, when I first got my machine they just handed it to me, told me to go home and use it at night, and they didn't want it back. So my quick mind translated that to mean 1. It's my machine. 2. It's my body the darned thing is hooked up to. 3. It's my health we're talking about and my responsibility. So I felt immediately empowered to do whatever the heck I felt I needed to do. It just took a few days before I found this bunch and began to figure out all the neat stuff.

If you have a copy of your prescription, and if you don't your doc is sort of required to give you one, you can provide that prescription to one of our on-line suppliers here on the site and order anything you need without all the nonsense.
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#9
RE: Newbie questions
Geoff,

Did you have a sleep test? What were the results of the sleep test? Was your prescription for CPAP at 17 cm/H2O? If so, were you able to push them into giving you an Autoset. If you did, good job! The leaks may require a different mask but there is a good thread on "How to achieve the perfect mask fit - GAURANTEED!
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...434#pid434

Best Regards,

PaytonA

Admin Note:
PaytonA passed away in September 2017
Click HERE to read his Memorial Thread

~ Rest in Peace ~
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#10
RE: Newbie questions
GeoffD, that whole racket of renting a machine is what brought me here. Only mine was a 3B medical unit for the same price that you got the S9. I disliked the whole process so much that I bought my own used S9 and everything else online bypassing DME and insurance ( I didn't want to give them another dime). I guess you've got to deal with the supply side issues in your own way. Good job on learning and working on your treatment yourself.
It would not be the same without all the good folks here that will offer help when needed, a lot of info can be had with a little digging.
Good Luck!

Doc J (despite my nickname I am not a doctor)

Remember to donate to the board if you can, it has helped a lot of people including myself.
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