Advice on S9 equipment

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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope on May 20, 2016 at 17:29

Hi Dave and welcome.  Is your S9 machine an auto one or fixed pressures and does it show data so you can see how well you're doing on the machine?  CPAP pressures can't be guessed, and I'm particularly concerned that you already have some health issues going on there.  Have you thought to contact the sleep clinic to explain that you've bought your own machine, as the waiting list in your area could be due to a shortage of machines.  What most clinics do is put people on auto machines first (APAP) to see what pressures people need, as there can be contraindications to too high a pressure, which is why CPAP is a prescription item.  I understand your impatience - I too had to wait a long time after diagnosis.  If you can get your clinic involved they will give you a suitable mask, but if you do need advice on these we sell masks on the website linked with this forum www.hope2sleep.co.uk and don't hesitate to ask for help before purchase.

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Permalink Reply by Bill Thomson on May 20, 2016 at 18:14

Dave, or should I call you Scrumpyjack?

Sorry you haven't had the support you need from your health service, and sorry that you have those health problems. I was diagnosed nearly 20 years ago and have used CPAP ever since. Because I was not overweight and my Epworth (tiredness) score was low I had to go private because the NHS then would not accept that I had OSA. Things are generally better now I am pleased to say. However, the specialist managed to get a machine for me from the NHS though it had no support then in terms of servicing or new masks. I did get on to the NHS ladder after a while and have had several machines and masks - my current machine is an S9 Autoset and my favourite mask is a Fisher & Paykel Pilairo Q nasal pillows.

I have to endorse what Kath says about needing a proper sleep study to get the pressure right, because too high a pressure can be dangerous and too low is ineffective. The clinic that diagnosed you should be able to advise. There are basically three S9 models. If you have the Autoset it will almost certainly be set at a 4-20 pressure range and will find the optimum pressure within that range. The S9 Elite and S9 Escape are fixed pressure machines which need to be set to your prescribed figure, found by a sleep study. The difference is that the Elite records data, as does the Autoset, which can be very useful in finding how effective is your therapy, while the Escape does not have that capability. Which model do you have?

We cannot endorse patients setting or changing their own pressures, though it is easy to do this, as a Google search will confirm. One clinic I was with for a time (Churchill at Oxford) was happy to tell me over the phone how to alter my own pressure, but most strongly discourage you from trying to enter the clinician menu.

Sleep clinics tend to start patients with a nasal mask, though if you are a mouth breather - and many people are - a full face mask is best. Choice of make and model of mask is completely individual as we all have different needs and different shaped faces so there is no general rule, but we will do what we can to advise. Hope2sleep is a good place to shop for supplies, not just masks but things like hose lifts and covers, and CPAP wipes and creams. You can also join ResMed's customer programme to get a discount on ResMed spares, accessories and equipment.

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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope on May 20, 2016 at 20:59

Bill, out of interest, do you know what your AHI was back when you got diagnosed, with you saying you weren't tired as I know you've previously said on Facebook that you had high blood pressure?

Bill Thomson said:

.....Because I was not overweight and my Epworth (tiredness) score was low I had to go private because the NHS then would not accept that I had OSA. Things are generally better now I am pleased to say. However, the specialist managed to get a machine for me from the NHS though it had no support then in terms of servicing or new masks. I did get on to the NHS ladder after a while and have had several machines and masks - my current machine is an S9 Autoset and my favourite mask is a Fisher & Paykel Pilairo Q nasal pillows......

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Permalink Reply by Bill Thomson on May 22, 2016 at 16:53

Kath, it was a long time ago but I 'm sure the consultant said I was on the verge of being classed as severe. You are right, it was high blood pressure that was behind my being tested, as the cardiologist could find no other reason. i think he had read of a possible link with OSA, back then it was still 'possible', and when Mrs T confirmed that I sometimes gasped in my sleep he sent me to a sleep doctor colleague. Although I didn't score high on Epworth, on looking back I think I did experience 'micro sleeps'.

Kath Hope said:

Bill, out of interest, do you know what your AHI was back when you got diagnosed, with you saying you weren't tired as I know you've previously said on Facebook that you had high blood pressure?

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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope on May 28, 2016 at 22:04

Interesting Bill thanks, and especially with you not feeling daytime symptoms/tiredness levels to score high enough on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, which as we know is actually often the deciding factor of whether to actually give people a sleep study.  Kudos to your cardiologist back then, when sleep apnoea was seldom known about, and to you too for sticking with the therapy in faith it was helping your health, as it can be hard to motivate people to keep using their CPAP machines when they don't 'feel' much different during the day.  I hope we see the day soon when people like you with high blood pressure are routinely checked out for sleep apnoea!

Bill Thomson said:

Kath, it was a long time ago but I 'm sure the consultant said I was on the verge of being classed as severe. You are right, it was high blood pressure that was behind my being tested, as the cardiologist could find no other reason. i think he had read of a possible link with OSA, back then it was still 'possible', and when Mrs T confirmed that I sometimes gasped in my sleep he sent me to a sleep doctor colleague. Although I didn't score high on Epworth, on looking back I think I did experience 'micro sleeps'.

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