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one month in
#1
one month in
Well, I'm a month in and have adapted to my vpap pretty decent.

I'm now sleeping all the way through the night with the mask on, not taking it off, everything is dialed in pretty well, and my AHI is consistent under 1.

The only issue I'm having is occasional aerophagia. I went back to the sleep doc today, and got his blessing to start using the auto function to lower the pressure some unless needed. Now I just need to figure out how to set that up properly. My DME is a bunch of jackwagons, in case you were wondering why I don't just let them do it.

I just wanted to say Thanks for all the information and assistance.

edit: Woops, posted this in the wrong forum. How do I move this thing?
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#2
RE: one month in
Glad to hear, I still have a bout with aerophagia once in a while but its very few and far between. good luck
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#3
RE: one month in
(02-28-2014, 10:58 AM)Dgsr Wrote: Well, I'm a month in and have adapted to my vpap pretty decent.
The only issue I'm having is occasional aerophagia. I went back to the sleep doc today, and got his blessing to start using the auto function to lower the pressure some unless needed. Now I just need to figure out how to set that up properly. My DME is a bunch of jackwagons, in case you were wondering why I don't just let them do it.

Your DME can't determine the pressure for you to use. They have to have a script from a doc telling them what pressure settings to use. Did you have a sleep study? What pressure settings were recommended?

This one is not as easy as if you have a CPAP Auto because you have a different pressure for IPAP and EPAP rather than a range of pressures for both IPAP and EPAP unless EPR is used (this being on a CPAP Auto).

I didn't set mine up but I still cannot figure out how 18/8 equals 15/9 which is what my doc wanted. I have to admit, I haven't had a lot of time to really think about it. I have a lot on my plate right now.

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#4
RE: one month in
Dgsr, you posted in the correct forum.

me50, you misunderstood him. He meant he was going to figure out how to set up the auto on his own vs having the idiots at the DME do it for him.

Dgsr, have you gotten the clinician manual for your machine yet? That would have instruction on how to set it up.

http://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-pr...tup-manual

Also, don't adjust the pressure based on a single night's worth of data. You need at least a week, preferably more.

As for the air in the stomach, try raising the head of your bed. There's a few ways to do it. You can put boards under the feet of the headboard or under the mattress. You can try several pillows to prop yourself up. You can also try just starting out at a lower pressure than your prescribed pressure, let your body get used to everything, then increase it slightly. Doing it in steps can prevent the air in some cases.

Good luck and keep us posted!
PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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#5
RE: one month in
Hi Dgsr,
Great to hear that you have, for the most part, adjusted to your therapy, CONGRATULATIONS.!
Best of luck on getting rid of the aerophagia.
trish6hundred
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#6
RE: one month in
Thanks.

I probably could have done a better job of explaining myself. The doctor has modified my prescription based on our discussion after being on a pressure setting of 18 for a month and reviewing my data. He has recommended an ipap range of 12-18 with the auto feature. I felt like going from 18 to 12 would be a pretty big swing, so I have adjusted it for 14-18 for now. I might step down further once I feel comfortable with 14.

My DME didn't know what an auto bipap was, and struggled to figure it out in the first place.

I have read the manual, but was a little confused by ipap/epap/ps at first. Robysue has a post that explains it quite well, and its really very simple once it was explained.

The way I understand it -there are three settings that affect the pressure: min epap, max ipap, and ps.

Min EPAP + PS = starting IPAP
Max IPAP - PS = max EPAP.

Using those settings and formulas, you can determine your range. If you wanted an IPAP range of 12-18, and wanted your PS to be 4, you could determine that

Min epap (8) + PS (4) = stating ipap (12)
Max ipap (18) - PS (4) = max epap (8)

When you say 15/9, do you mean ipap/epap? or do you mean a range of 9-15 on your ipap?
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#7
RE: one month in
(03-02-2014, 11:48 AM)Dgsr Wrote: Thanks.

I probably could have done a better job of explaining myself. The doctor has modified my prescription based on our discussion after being on a pressure setting of 18 for a month and reviewing my data. He has recommended an ipap range of 12-18 with the auto feature. I felt like going from 18 to 12 would be a pretty big swing, so I have adjusted it for 14-18 for now. I might step down further once I feel comfortable with 14.

My DME didn't know what an auto bipap was, and struggled to figure it out in the first place.

I have read the manual, but was a little confused by ipap/epap/ps at first. Robysue has a post that explains it quite well, and its really very simple once it was explained.

The way I understand it -there are three settings that affect the pressure: min epap, max ipap, and ps.

Min EPAP + PS = starting IPAP
Max IPAP - PS = max EPAP.

Using those settings and formulas, you can determine your range. If you wanted an IPAP range of 12-18, and wanted your PS to be 4, you could determine that

Min epap (8) + PS (4) = stating ipap (12)
Max ipap (18) - PS (4) = max epap (8)

When you say 15/9, do you mean ipap/epap? or do you mean a range of 9-15 on your ipap?

15/9 was determined to be my pressure on VPAP (15 being IPAP and 9 being EPAP). The RT set my machine at 18 IPAP and 8 EPAP with PS 4 according to him. I still don't get how this is an auto pressure range.

I also don't get what you said about MAX IPAP being 18 - PS of 4 = 8 wouldn't that be 14? If that is what you mean, I think I get it. Thx!
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#8
RE: one month in
(03-02-2014, 12:26 PM)me50 Wrote: I also don't get what you said about MAX IPAP being 18 - PS of 4 = 8 wouldn't that be 14? If that is what you mean, I think I get it. Thx!

Yes, I goofed that up. I meant 14.
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#9
RE: one month in
It sounds like your settings (ipap 18, epap 8, ps 4) would get you started at 12/8 and have the ability to ramp up to 18/14 (or somewhere in between) if the machine determines you need more pressure. You could verify this by looking at your pressure lines in SleepyHead or ResScan.

I'm still a newb to the whole cpap/bipap thing myself, so take anything I say with a grain of salt and ask your DME/doctor to validate.
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