Got a Two Week ResMed Auto Spirit Loaner - Can I Read It?

[kteague]

Well, here I sit temporarily with a ResMed Auto Advantage/Spirit. This was my doc's attempt to pacify my insistence that I needed answers about my concerns over continued problems. First of all, I never achieved full compliance before. I would take the mask off in my sleep and not know it till morning. Or I'd wake up frantic and snatch it off feeling like I was smothering. But I did manage to use it a few hours most nites, but remained incapacitatingly sleepy in the daytime.

I'm scared to use it but I'm going to anyhow. Some of you may remember I was having repeated dreams that seemed so real - and surreal - about looking down on myself lying motionless in my bed and hearing a voice tell me it had been too long since I'd breathed and I needed to take a breath. And the dreams only happened when wearing my cpap. So tonight is going to take a lot of nerve.

Kathy

My question, though - the dme staff person said I will have to bring the machine in for the doctor to read in two weeks, and that data should adequately determine what setting to use for my cpap. Can I look at my numbers for myself? If so, how? And if I can, does that cause them ti be devetegjy. Okay, those last three words were supposed to say to be erased - Sorry, dozed off at the keyboard. I don't want to fiddle with the machine and maybe lose the data, but I'd like to see what you all have been talking about. Got a voice of experience out there?

I'm kinda looking forward to his smugness as he downloads what he expects to be homogeneous data to prove to me this was all unnecessary. Of course on the other hand, I could be proven wrong, but it will have to be seeing is believing. What I expect is that we will then be able to have a REAL discussion and work toward solutions.

In the meantime, can I read the numbers without jeopardizing data retrieval later?

Thanks,
Kathy

[mikemoran]

You can read some limited data from the LCD. It will tell you your AHI, AI and HI as well as the highest pressure your machine hit during the night to stop an event. these can all be read from the clinical menu. You can also see hours of usuage during the night as well as leak rate. None of this will erase the data stored. However, you have to read it before noon as teh LCD data resets to zero at that time.

To get to the clinical menu hold the right arrow button and the down button at the same time for a few seconds until the Clinical Menu shows. you then can scroll through the menus to see your data. But you didn't hear this from me(wink wink).

Glad to see you are still trying. I think you will find that the APAP will be much easier to live with. Best of luck.

[Guest]

just hold down that red and black key at the same time, then go to the clinical menu, then results, very easy to navigate and understand, no need for a manual on that machine.

mask selection can be critical on that machine if it is a full face, otherwise use Std/Standard if yours is not listed.

[Sergeant Bob]

To get to the clinical menu hold the right arrow button and the down button at the same time for a few seconds until the Clinical Menu shows.

Yes, this will get you to the Clinician's Menu (where you can reset the pressure, mode, etc). However if you just want to read the daily, weekly, monthly compliance data you need to push the green and red arrow keys then use the up and down keys to scroll through the press, leak rate, AHI, AI, and HI numbers.

[GoofyUT]

I have an S8 and I didn't know about this one. Which are Red and Green keys?? Are they trhe same as the left and right keys? What will this get you, again?

Many thanks!

Chuck

[Sergeant Bob]

I have an S8 and I didn't know about this one. Which are Red and Green keys?? Are they trhe same as the left and right keys? What will this get you, again?

Many thanks!

Chuck

I have and AutoSet Spirit (although it says S7 Elite on my profile, they seem to have deleted mine from the menu) but assuming they probably didn't change the layout between models, you would indeed need to push the left and right keys to get your readings.

[kteague]

Just a little update...

First nite I got geared up, adjusted the nosegear to get it a little more comfortable - big mistake. Loud whistling wind escaping and I'm frantically trying to get nosepiece back in original position when gale force winds felt like they reamed my sinuses. Snatched facegear off, turned off air, fiddling with it, woke up in AM with it in my hand.

Nite 2, put gear into position in preparation to turn on air. Woke up in AM - No mask. No data. Apparently turned it on then right back off.

Nite 3, we'll seeeeeeee.

Kathy

[Guest]

if you are having vivid dreams, I would look at any medications or even diet, Ambien is known to cause and if you are a Kennedy even driving drunk

The Spirit will record some sleep events, mask leak and found pressure. You can press the Results button and it will give you last night's pressure (if programmed to allow it).

Sounds to me your having more trouble fiddling with your mask than anything. I'd trash the one your fiddling with and just use a simple nasal mask like a Resmed UltraMirage2 until you get used to using the therapy.

[kteague]

It's a start...

Last nite I kept the mask on for 2 hours. The pressure is set at 5-18, the reading was 9.6 with .01 leaks.
AI=0
HI=11.7
AHI=11.7

What does that 11.7 represent, if anything?

[GoofyUT]

It means that for the two hours that you were using the machine, you averaged 11.7 hypopneas per hour, NO apneas per hour and that resulted in an Apnea-Hypopnea Index of 11.7 which, in your case is ALL hypopneas. This was at a 95% pressure of 9.6 cmH20, which means that 95% of the time, your Spirit was operating at a pressure of 9.6 cmH20 or less. Your leak rate was 0.1L/s, which is acceptable.

Cheers!

Chuck

[Guest]

I have an S8 and I didn't know about this one. Which are Red and Green keys?? Are they trhe same as the left and right keys? What will this get you, again?

Many thanks!

Chuck

Makes sense to me. The question starting this thread pertained to an "AutoSet Spirit" NOT YOUR S8, which is a totally different machine.

But on the Spirit, the keys are not identified by silk screening, they are colored. Left key is Green, center Up/Dn key is Black and the Right key is Red. In the manual, it says hold down the red & black keys to enter Clinical menu.

[snoozie_suzy]

The pressure is set at 5-18, the reading was 9.6 with .01 leaks.
AI=0
HI=11.7
AHI=11.7

Kathy_

Since your pressure was around 9.6 you might try upping your lower number from 5 to 7 or 8 and lower the high number down from 18 to maybe 12 or 13. Granted, you didn't have many hours on it, and you could forseably have apnea events higher and lower than that, but it does seem the auto pap works better with the numbers narrowed a bit instead of leaving them wide open like that.

Also, a few people have posted in the beginning when they were claustrophobic to the mask, to have it on while on the couch watching tv. or reading a book, for a few nights in a row, BEFORE trying to sleep with it. I didn't have the claustrophobia issues with the mask, but in the beginning back in January, I would have it on halfway thru the night and then the last few hours before dawn there would periodically be the morning I would wake up and the mask would be on my nightstand. That stopped after a few weeks, I think I just had to get fully used to the mask. Perhaps if you start wearing the mask throughout the early evening, like even unattached to the hose, have it on while you're washing dishes (I know it sounds silly) and then try reading a book sitting up in bed with it connected to the cpap and have the cpap on. Also I know I can vouch for this and others have posted too, but 5cm is a very low pressure and hard to breathe on. Perhaps if you do bump that lower number up to 7 you won't feel as claustrophobic because you will be getting more air.

Just a few tips. Hope they work. Keep us posted, Good luck Kathy

Suzy

[nodding off]

Kathy, I agree with Suzy. Turn the lower pressure up. Too low a bottom pressure can make you you uncomfortable and you end up taking the mask off. I know that from sad experience. Another thing that makes you feel like you are suffocating is a mouth leak. You might be more comfortable a couple points below your average. I use a Spirit as my primary machine. It's a great unit! Best of luck.

[snoozie_suzy]

Kathy~

Also one other thing, I tried nasal pillows too (Swift) and they just weren't a good match for me. It wasn't that the pressure was too hard to breathe but it felt like it was blasting right up my nose, like you quoted a "gale wind". Maybe just a regular nasal mask might be better for you. I know you mentioned the claustrophobia, but that stuff usually passes once you get used to the mask. Try ordering just a regular nasal mask and see how that pans out with the adjusted higher pressure. I remember when I tried the ramp function on my machine in the beginning, 5cm was way too low to breathe ,it truly felt like I was suffocating.

Suzy

[k_teague]

Thanks for the suggestions. Will check out the settings to figure out how to change the range. Nite #4 rapidly approaching. I'm out of town, sleeping on a couch.....this will be interesting. I almost left the machine at home, but I'm TRYING to be a good girl. Will keep you posted.
Kathy