Arteecat.... I've been using this machine for 3-1/2 months, and the mask fit feature works just fine. I know this because I have had poor-fitting masks that have shown up as poor-fitting masks.
Crohnie.... unfortunately, I don't have the software and card reader, so I'm not downloading my own data anyway. I have to just check the LED readout every morning when I take the mask off and end the cycle. I know that before I got the machine, my DME had only seen it like once, and that was when whoever the other guy is in Chattanooga got it. So yeah, there is a definite learning curve going on there, and I'd love to be able to download the machine directly to the computer, with or without a smart card..... but oh well, such is life...
So far its doing okay... I'll just keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best! lol
_________________ ---Sherri---
ResMed VPap Adapt SV with heated humidifer
ResMed Ultra Mirage II Nasal Mask
Hosehead since 1/17/06 - "Adapter" since 1/28/07
Tonsillectomy/Septoplasty/Turbinatectomy 1/16/08 = AHI 6, "ALMOST" Normal!!
Sherri Baby...have you EVER felt like it was difficult or you had to work to inhale with this machine and this mask? I tried my ComfortGel nasal mask last nite and same old problem, woke up feeling like it was hard to get enough air. Does anyone know, if you are a nose breather what type of mask you are supposed to wear to allow enough air to be sucked up your nose? I'm getting frustrated. tks..
Sat Mar 17, 2007 6:53 am
CrohnieToo
Joined: 20 Mar 2006
Posts: 3650
Location: Michigan
HemiMan, I would expect that it would be more your pressure settings than the mask leaving you feeling like it was hard to get enough air.
I have a Resmed S8 Elite and I recently (2 nights) used the ComforGel nasal mask w/the Resmed selection of Standard (my pressure is a straight 8 cms) and I had no problems w/being able to get enough air. What I "did" have problems w/was leaks as the Medium was too large, I evidently need a Small.
_________________ Some people are like Slinkies... Not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
Resmed VPAP Auto. Humidaire 3i, Simplicity & Micro masks, ResScan 3.4, S8 ResLink, Embla oximeter.
The ComfortGel mask is not compatible with the VPap Adapt! That's why you're having problems with it. I used to have the CG, and loved it... I tried to get it to work with the ASV a couple times, and no dice. I always got that same feeling you're having, it feels like you're not getting enough air....kind of suffocating. If you look in the owner's manual for the ASV, it will tell you that it is only compatible with ResMed masks, and specifically, 3 different ones..... the Activa, the Ultra, and the Vista. Other ResMed's might be able to pass the learning circuit, and you might be able to use them, but you're best off trying to stick with one of these. I tried the Ultra Mirage II Nasal Mask, and I like it... it has a comfortable feel, similar to the CG.
_________________ ---Sherri---
ResMed VPap Adapt SV with heated humidifer
ResMed Ultra Mirage II Nasal Mask
Hosehead since 1/17/06 - "Adapter" since 1/28/07
Tonsillectomy/Septoplasty/Turbinatectomy 1/16/08 = AHI 6, "ALMOST" Normal!!
On the mornings your Adapt reports very low sleeping times, do you happen to sleep past noon? The Adapt starts a new day at 12 noon, whether you're using it or not....I've had it happen a couple times to me when I slept in too long-lol. We are lucky, as other ResMed machines won't show data on the screen after 12noon, so if you forget to check it in the morning, you're out of luck. I was surprised that even when I traveled to my sisters for Christmas, I could still check the night befores stats. As for how long it has to be off before it counts it as a new session, I haven't figured that out completely. I do know if I only use it for 5 minutes or so, it doesn't affect the stats; but it does seem like it has to off for around an hour or so to start a new session.
It could very well be that your DME isn't setting the clock on the Adapt, which would put its 'noon' at a different time. Its something they can do from the clinical menu easily, but with the machine being so new & not something they're use to, it may have been overlooked. Of course they probably all need to be reset with the earlier change of daylight savings time this year.
I still love my Adapt, though I'm still not happy with the mask limitations, so I am keeping an eye on the Respironics ASV, which has received FDA approval recently (though who knows how long before it'll be before its widely available). I have a skin condition were if anything rubs or puts too much pressure on my skin, I get raised red welts and blisters. I've been switching back and forth between Activa & Vista, sometimes nightly, but even that's not enough and I end up not being able to use one of the masks until the area heals up, which puts more pressure where the other mask hits my nose. Boy do I miss my Comfort Curve & Swift masks...I'd even go back to a Breeze if I could, but not if it means giving up sleeping through the night and actually feeling like my brain works again.
No, I don't think I've ever slept past noon, mask or not. But I will check out the clock settings if I can, and see what its set on. Don't know if I'll be able to access that menu or not though...haven't tried yet. And yeah, I turn my machine off every morning... I don't like the idea of leaving it on during the day when I'm not at home - don't want any power surges or outages that might mess it up somehow.
It hasn't had any screwy usage reports in quite a while now though, so I think it may have been "user error" somehow, and whatever it was, I seem to have corrected it! LOL!
As for the mask choices.... I read somewhere that one person put the Swift through the learning circuit under the Vista setting and got it to pass the circuit.... have you tried that? Couldn't hurt to try and just see how it feels....
_________________ ---Sherri---
ResMed VPap Adapt SV with heated humidifer
ResMed Ultra Mirage II Nasal Mask
Hosehead since 1/17/06 - "Adapter" since 1/28/07
Tonsillectomy/Septoplasty/Turbinatectomy 1/16/08 = AHI 6, "ALMOST" Normal!!
I bet you anything that the clock is set wrong and those days you get short data are because you're sleeping past 12noon machine time. I thought I had changed mine (I have dr permission to access clinical menu), but I must have missed hitting accept or something because I took a nap from 12:15-1:15 the other day and it only showed 15 minutes data instead of 1 hr. Teach me to not double check a setting change, which I do with any changes in clinical parameters...but it was just the time setting, so I didn't think to.
When the ResMed rep set my machine up, he said it was best left to leave it 'on' all the time, with the light pressure blowing out when not in use, as turning it off & on with the main power switch daily is more taxing on it. I figure it will help keep any moisture from the humidifier from going back into the machine, which can cause nasty science experiments to set up housekeeping in an xPAP. Yes, I admit, I don't empty & clean my humidifier daily ;) I also keep my Adapt plugged into a UPS, like you would use for a computer, so minor power outages don't affect. We don't have many power outages here other then the rare 10-30 second, so it works well for me; especially since it also provides surge protection.
When it comes to masks, I'm just not comfortable putting a different mask on for the training circuit then what I'm going to use, especially if the mask cannot pass the training on its own, which is what the person using the Swift with an Adapt is doing (running training with Vista then using Swift). Its one thing if its a mask that's very similar to one of the approved masks and can successfully pass the training circuit on its own, using the closest approximation from the 4 mask options, but even then you have to be cautious. I've noticed some weird stats when I've forgot to run the training circuit when I switch mask from Activa to the Vista or vice versa. Since I sometimes end up having to change out during the night, its an easy mistake to make unfortunately...even worse is that I usually stick with whatever mask I switched out to for a couple nights and don't always catch my mistake until I go to switch back. I'm trying to be more careful about it and I'm hoping between my dermatologist & new allergist, they can help me figure out a way to control my Dermatization, so I don't end up with red welts & open blisters from the pressure of a mask all night. Right now I'm having fun with a bad blister along the side of my nose from the Vista, which the Activa tends to land across too.
Sherri
You might consider getting the ResLink module for the back of the ASV. That will allow you to store about a months worth of data, which then could be downloaded to the ResScan software. My DME has the software and periodically comes and dumps the smartcard in the ResLink. Maybe you should talk nice to them and ask how to access the Clinical menu, as you can see more results each morning than otherwise.
I understand there is a ASV revision or at least another set of features going through US FDA approvals, so that we can get indices in the data. Don't know anything else about that however.
christine... I was actually talking about setting the machine for the vista, then putting on the Swift and letting the Swift attempt to pass the circuit on the vista setting - because the vista is the closest you can get to a nasal pillow system on the ASV. I have actually tried attaching a different mask without changing the learn circuit, and that just does NOT work. The ComfortGel mask would pass the learn circuit successfully, but it just didn't "feel" right....I always felt like I was suffocating & not getting enough air with it.
But anyway.... had another night or two with funky usage readings, but for the most part I seem to be averaging about 6:45, 6:50, 7 hrs a night. I had a reslink module for a while when I first got the machine, but the last time the DME took it for download, they didn't bring it back. Guess they decided I didn't need it anymore.... and they won't let me have the software, I got a story about how you have to have a "special" reader for the card and everything... guess they think I'm not smart enough for it or something. (even though I know the machine better than they do now, since I'm the one playing with it every day.)
Oh well.... such is life, I guess. I'm to the point where its not really that important to me anymore, as long as I'm getting decent sleep every night, and feeling halfway decent during the day!
_________________ ---Sherri---
ResMed VPap Adapt SV with heated humidifer
ResMed Ultra Mirage II Nasal Mask
Hosehead since 1/17/06 - "Adapter" since 1/28/07
Tonsillectomy/Septoplasty/Turbinatectomy 1/16/08 = AHI 6, "ALMOST" Normal!!
The Swift will not pass on its own, nor will any mask with a smaller diameter lead tube...believe, I've tried a lot of them (been on BiPAP ST 3 1/2 years + Mom is on CPAP, so between we have a pretty good mask collection). I even tried the Swift after running the LC with a Vista, as the other Adapt user had stated her doctors had told her to. She had also posted about it being uncomfortable when she first used her Swift each time after running LC, as the Adapt ran its pressure up and down. I had never felt uncomfortable using mine with any mask that could pass LC on its own, but trying it with Swift, as she had described, was a totally different experience...and not one I would want to deal with regularly either. I swear if I had not known any better, I would have thought I was hooked to a totally different machine or my my Adapt had become possessed or something. My old Swift was destine to become a cat toy until my Mom decided to give it a try-lol...she loves it for her CPAP, as I did at one point for my BiPAP ST.
The whole experience has made me ultra aware of how careful we have to be the Adapt and only use ResMed approved accessories. I may still use non-ResMed masks that can pass LC on their own for short periods of time, due to the problems with my skin and needing to hit different places across my nose & face, but whenever possible, I am sticking to the book. I'm not even sure I would use my stand alone F&P Heated Humidifier, as I did earlier on when my integrated humidifier was not functioning properly, except in a situation like that were it was either use a different HH or not be able to use my Adapt. With the unusual reading you've been getting Sherri, you aren't using any non-ResMed accessories are you?
How are other Adapt users doing with replacement supplies? I went ahead and ordered a backup hose, since its not something DME's will always have on hand if we get a hole in ours. My insurance technically allows one hose per month, which is a bit excessive, but I plan on keeping one new hose ahead at all times.
Is everyone using the standard intake filters? Anyone using the hypoallergenic filters that are suppose to filter out smaller particles? The manual didn't make it real clear there were two types, but its pretty obvious on the Adapt Accessories part list that came with my supplies there are two types. I plan on talking with my allergist about it to see if I need to switch.
No, I'm only using the stuff given to me when I got the machine. That's a good idea, keeping another hose though...I might just do that. I decided I was going to get new silicone inserts before I left on my cruise in a week, so I'll just get an extra hose at the same time. I'm hoping that I'll catch up on the last of my sleep debt while on vacation for a week & come back feeling like a new person!
I have really bad airborne allergies in the summertime...hayfever, ragweed, every pollen known to man, etc. Do the allergy filters help you? I got 7:36 hrs last night (woohoo! ), but because of the pollen problems we've been having, woke up with a killer headache anyway this morning. I'll have to call my DME and see if I can't try it.
Anyway... while I've got them on the phone, I'll ask about the "internal clock" and see what they say.
_________________ ---Sherri---
ResMed VPap Adapt SV with heated humidifer
ResMed Ultra Mirage II Nasal Mask
Hosehead since 1/17/06 - "Adapter" since 1/28/07
Tonsillectomy/Septoplasty/Turbinatectomy 1/16/08 = AHI 6, "ALMOST" Normal!!
Went over to the DME with machine in tow today.... picked up new hose, mask shell, and rubber thingy for the humidifier, and had her check the clock settings in the clinical menu. She said that the guy at ResMed's technical support denied the part about the clock resetting at 12noon, but when she pulled up the clock in the menu.....lo and behold, the clock time was wrong! And she said well, he may not have known himself! So, we'll see what happens tonight.... and I was sneaky and paid attention when she pulled up the clinical menu, so I know how to do it now! Woo hoo! LOL! I'll have to go into it later on and write down all of my settings and see what you guys can tell me about it.
She also said that my insurance is really good, and they pay for everything without asking any questions! (which I'm not so sure is such a good thing....but anyway...) She said I'm on a 10-month pay plan, and after 10 months, they consider the machine "paid for", and if I wanted to get a new machine at the end of the year, I probably could and they wouldn't bat an eye. She told me all of this because I was telling her about the new Adapt coming out that showed AHI and everything on the readout, so we'll see....
_________________ ---Sherri---
ResMed VPap Adapt SV with heated humidifer
ResMed Ultra Mirage II Nasal Mask
Hosehead since 1/17/06 - "Adapter" since 1/28/07
Tonsillectomy/Septoplasty/Turbinatectomy 1/16/08 = AHI 6, "ALMOST" Normal!!
Well I'm one of Dr Clark's patients in cols oh also. I just got my machine last night, hope to start using it tonite, I got CA also, the quit breathing thing when falling asleep. Glad I found this forum and hope my sleep gets better.
Sorry I took so long getting back to you....I've been on vacation!
I switched to the ASV because I have a really good sleep doctor - really. I had been on a bi-pap for a year, and was still taking Adderall XR to keep me awake during the day, and even that wasn't really helping all that much. I wasn't seeing any kind of improvement AT ALL. Nothing, nada, zilch. Got up every morning feeling like I'd been hit by a truck. Every time I would go in, my doc would tell me to try something else....went from one mask to another, tried different doses of speed (Adderall), and still wasn't getting any relief.
So finally went in one day after a year of trying, and he was all excited about this new machine that had just gotten approval for use in the states, and he couldn't wait to try me on it. We had to wait 2 weeks for the sleep study because the machine was so new they had to call and get it in. Slept great, got my new machine, and I've never looked back.
No, I don't know the difference between the ResMed and the Respironics. ResMed had it first, and they just recently released a new and improved version, but other than that, I don't know. And no, my insurance didn't cover the software - but my DME will print me the reports any time I want them to.
Hope that helps...
_________________ ---Sherri---
ResMed VPap Adapt SV with heated humidifer
ResMed Ultra Mirage II Nasal Mask
Hosehead since 1/17/06 - "Adapter" since 1/28/07
Tonsillectomy/Septoplasty/Turbinatectomy 1/16/08 = AHI 6, "ALMOST" Normal!!
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
The information provided on this site is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice.
You should not use this information on this web site or the information on links from this site to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider.
), but because of the pollen problems we've been having, woke up with a killer headache anyway this morning. I'll have to call my DME and see if I can't try it.