Yesterday, I was given a ResMed S8 Vantage to test if I'd sleep better with it than with my Respironics machine. After trying to fall asleep for 5 to 6 hours, and being unable to do it, I decided to switch back to the Respironics machine, as the loud sounds coming from the S8 machine were intolerable and didn't give me any chance of falling asleep.

My question would be: is it normal that initially it's almost impossible to fall asleep with this model (initial pressure 5.0 and going up to 9.4 within 20 minutes, CPAP mode), but then one would get used and fall asleep normally, or is it me who is so sensitive to sounds, and I have no chance of getting used to it?

There is no way that Resmed S8 AutoSet Vantage should be any noisier than the Respironics device - unless perhaps your Respironics is NOT an auto and doesn't have C-Flex so that all you get is one steady pressure rather than a higher pressure on inhalation and lower pressure on exhalation. Some people do not do as well w/an auto in auto mode as they do in straight CPAP mode. The other thought that occurs is the age and total number of hours on that Vantage. Is it new or used?

If you are using the Vantage in CPAP mode w/that Ramp setting, is it the same Ramp setting as on your Respironics? Are you using EPR in straight CPAP mode and did you use C-Flex on your Respironics?


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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.

There is no way that Resmed S8 AutoSet Vantage should be any noisier than the Respironics device - unless perhaps your Respironics is NOT an auto and doesn't have C-Flex so that all you get is one steady pressure rather than a higher pressure on inhalation and lower pressure on exhalation. Some people do not do as well w/an auto in auto mode as they do in straight CPAP mode. The other thought that occurs is the age and total number of hours on that Vantage. Is it new or used?

If you are using the Vantage in CPAP mode w/that Ramp setting, is it the same Ramp setting as on your Respironics? Are you using EPR in straight CPAP mode and did you use C-Flex on your Respironics? Are you using the same mask w/the Vantage as you did w/your Respironics? Is the Mask Selection set properly on the Vantage?


_________________
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.

CrohnieToo wrote:

There is no way that Resmed S8 AutoSet Vantage should be any noisier than the Respironics device

Apparently, Respironics RemStar is one of the quietest machines. When I started using xPAP machines about 1.5 years ago, I started out with S8, and had to switch to Respironics because, even though it was bigger, but it was much-much less noisy.

CrohnieToo wrote:

-  unless perhaps your Respironics is NOT an auto and doesn't have C-Flex so that all you get is one steady pressure rather than a higher pressure on inhalation and lower pressure on exhalation.

It IS with C-Flex. And has been set to the CPAP mode for almost two months now.

CrohnieToo wrote:

Some people do not do as well w/an auto in auto mode as they do in straight CPAP mode. The other thought that occurs is the age and total number of hours on that Vantage. Is it new or used?

Brand new.

CrohnieToo wrote:

If you are using the Vantage in CPAP mode w/that Ramp setting, is it the same Ramp setting as on your Respironics?

Yes, absolutely the same settings.

CrohnieToo wrote:

Are you using EPR in straight CPAP mode and did you use C-Flex on your Respironics? Are you using the same mask w/the Vantage as you did w/your Respironics? Is the Mask Selection set properly on the Vantage?

Same mask. What's mask selection? I think the lab tech had set all the settings. What's EPR?

Well, I used a Respironics autoPAP and noticed absolutely NO DIFFERENCE in noise level.

Resmeds allow for a Mask Selection for Resmed masks and then automatically subtracts the allowed vent rate for that mask at that pressure when reporting the 95th percentile Leak Rate. If one uses other than a Resmed mask then one should select the Standard mask selection which automatically deducts .4 L/M or 24 L/s from the reported 95th percentile Leak Rate and you then have to know the allowed vent rate for the mask you are using at the set pressure and do the math yourself.

Respironics devices report the 90th percentile Leak rate.

EPR = expiration pressure relief, the equivalent of Respironics' C-Flex.

With the Resmeds, pressing the Left and Right buttons and holding for 3-4 seconds brings up the advanced patient menu. Efficacy Data will appear on the LCD screen. It is then just a matter of Left button to Enter, Right button to Exit, Down button to proceed to the next screen and Up button to return to the previous screen. You cannot accidentally or intentionally alter your therapy settings in this menu.

If the above button combination does NOT bring up the Efficacy Data menu then access to the advanced patient menu has NOT been turned on. If I remember correctly, that would be the Smart Data option in the Clinicians Menu which requires a different button combination and is for professional use only.


_________________
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.

OK, I see that the mask set in that machine is SWIFT, which I'm using. Apparently, I was unable to fall asleep for 5 hours with that machine, and fell asleep quickly more or less when I switched back to the Respironics machine. The level of noise coming out of S8 is incredibly high. Maybe your organism doesn't mind noise while falling asleep. And then, I'm also unable to fall asleep unless the pressure is high enough to resist sleep apnea, because my airway becomes obstructed at the very first stages of falling asleep (starting January 2008, as it wasn't like this before). But the thing is that I can't fall asleep with high pressure (such as 7.0 cm for example), and I wake up very often to reduce the pressure to its starting point. So it's a very difficult evil and cruel situation here, while S8 seems to be adding insult to injury.

Hey, there are those who do better w/the algorhythm of one manufacturer than anothers tho most of us don't notice the difference.

However, I still say the Resmed should be no louder than the Respironics and evidently you have a faulty Resmed. It happens to the best of manufacturers. I've just been following the thread of a person who has been thru THREE Respironics devices and almost unbelievably all three have been defective!! I mean, I seriously had my doubts! But that person was just provided w/a Resmed and is doing fine w/it. So this CAN happen w/the BEST of manufacturers.


_________________
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.

CrohnieToo wrote:

However, I still say the Resmed should be no louder than the Respironics and evidently you have a faulty Resmed.

The Resmed that I've had before was just as loud. And Respironics Remstar are known for being the quietest machines ever. Even when I covered the S8 with a pillow, it didn't help. I couldn't fall asleep due to the sound. Have you ever tried a Remstar machine?

CrohnieToo wrote:

It happens to the best of manufacturers. I've just been following the thread of a person who has been thru THREE Respironics devices and almost unbelievably all three have been defective!! I mean, I seriously had my doubts! But that person was just provided w/a Resmed and is doing fine w/it. So this CAN happen w/the BEST of manufacturers.

If a machine is defective, it shows by an error code.

Yes, as a matter of fact, I have used a Respironics Auto. I bought and owned one. And the new Resmed S8 IIs have a new inner technology, two impellors, propellors or some such that is supposed to make them even quieter than before.

PLUS I believe it is the new Covidien (formerly Puritan Bennett) that come out w/the quietest xPAP on the market w/their Sandman Intro, Sandman Info and Sandman Auto.

Or else it was the DeVilBiss IntelliPAP or IntelliAuto, I may have these two brand's newest mixed up. But one of them has been rated the quietest by 2 dcbls (if I remember the number of decibels correctly) of any xPAP on the market.

You lilke your Respironics, I like my Resmeds. We each have our reasons. But my experience w/the Resmeds and Respironics is that neither was louder or quieter than the other. As you mentioned, you may be much more sensitve to noise than most of us.


_________________
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.

CrohnieToo wrote:

Yes, as a matter of fact, I have used a Respironics Auto. I bought and owned one. And the new Resmed S8 IIs have a new inner technology, two impellors, propellors or some such that is supposed to make them even quieter than before.

It's an AutoSet Vantage, not anything like "II". At least from what I could find on its carcass.

CrohnieToo wrote:

PLUS I believe it is the new Covidien (formerly Puritan Bennett) that come out w/the quietest xPAP on the market w/their Sandman Intro, Sandman Info and Sandman Auto.

Or else it was the DeVilBiss IntelliPAP or IntelliAuto, I may have these two brand's newest mixed up. But one of them has been rated the quietest by 2 dcbls (if I remember the number of decibels correctly) of any xPAP on the market.

I'm not aware of those.

CrohnieToo wrote:

You lilke your Respironics, I like my Resmeds. We each have our reasons. But my experience w/the Resmeds and Respironics is that neither was louder or quieter than the other. As you mentioned, you may be much more sensitve to noise than most of us.

I don't like Respironics neither do I like Resmed. I don't like CPAP's at all. Because they haven't been helping much. And I hate them because I'm some kind of foredoomed to being alone, as no one would date a CPAP guy.

Oh, LeLoup, that is NOT true. You are NOT foredoomed to being alone because you are on CPAP!!! We're gonna have to get you an attitude adjustment, man! CPAP can save your health and even eventually your life! Who wants to sleep w/someone who snores and keeps us awake? Who wants to sleep w/someone who keeps us awake in fear because we hear you stop breathing? Who wants to sleep w/someone constantly moving or jerking in their sleep as they struggle for air?

You don't make whoopee w/the mask and CPAP on and you don't sleep w/the lights on. CPAP is for AFTER all the fun and games when you are ready to douse the lights and SLEEP. Good Lord, man! There are people out there w/all or a good share of their intestines removed and wearing a bag on their abdomen 24 hours a day and THAT doesn't stop them from meeting someone or sleeping w/someone!!

There are amputees out there, and certainly amputation is OBVIOUS from the get-go before you even get to know the person or their personality, and yet these amputees manage to meet and marry someone.

I was started w/the Resmed S8 Elite w/EPR in Oct '06, then I got "auto fever" from these forums and bought a Respironics Auto w/C-Flex outta pocket in early '07. I got good therapy w/it, it was no noiser than my Elite - but - when a lightly used (505 hours on it) Resmed S8 AutoSet Vantage complete became available at a very good price I bought it and sold the Respironics Auto to my son-in-law. Then I was switched to a bi-level and got this new Resmed VPAP Auto just over 3 months ago.


_________________
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.

CrohnieToo wrote:

Oh, LeLoup, that is NOT true. You are NOT foredoomed to being alone because you are on CPAP!!! We're gonna have to get you an attitude adjustment, man! CPAP can save your health and even eventually your life! Who wants to sleep w/someone who snores and keeps us awake? Who wants to sleep w/someone who keeps us awake in fear because we hear you stop breathing? Who wants to sleep w/someone constantly moving or jerking in their sleep as they struggle for air?

You don't make whoopee w/the mask and CPAP on and you don't sleep w/the lights on. CPAP is for AFTER all the fun and games when you are ready to douse the lights and SLEEP. Good Lord, man! There are people out there w/all or a good share of their intestines removed and wearing a bag on their abdomen 24 hours a day and THAT doesn't stop them from meeting someone or sleeping w/someone!!

There are amputees out there, and certainly amputation is OBVIOUS from the get-go before you even get to know the person or their personality, and yet these amputees manage to meet and marry someone.

I'm not arguing that. But everyone who I know doesn't have anything like this. Even outright obese people do alright in their sleep. And good sleep equals good mood equals good motivation equals good attitude. I don't have either. Because even though I sleep with a CPAP (instead of a girl), I don't get any good mood 80 to 90% of the time. And it means that my life feels like stinky s..t. I mean it's important to have an attitude. Whereas a relatively (physically) healthy person may feel life like being in hell.

Doggone it, LeLoup, you just stick with us, somehow or other we are going to get you thru this and getting some restful, restorative sleep.

But, I do have to ask, did you have one full night of sleep evaluation, one full night of CPAP titration - AND - did you get a copy of the doctor's dictated results (1-2 pages each) and the full scored data summary report w/condensed graphs (5+ pages each) from both studies? I don't know your legal rights to copies of your medical records in Canada but surely it can't hurt to ask for them. You need to be sure there isn't something else going on w/your sleep than "just" sleep apnea.


_________________
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.

CrohnieToo wrote:

Doggone it, LeLoup, you just stick with us, somehow or other we are going to get you thru this and getting some restful, restorative sleep.

But, I do have to ask, did you have one full night of sleep evaluation, one full night of CPAP titration - AND - did you get a copy of the doctor's dictated results (1-2 pages each) and the full scored data summary report w/condensed graphs (5+ pages each) from both studies? I don't know your legal rights to copies of your medical records in Canada but surely it can't hurt to ask for them. You need to be sure there isn't something else going on w/your sleep than "just" sleep apnea.

Yes, I'm trying to fight with this wicked complaint. I never heard of it until I was diagnosed with it. And it's entirely evil, especially since January 2008 (just about after the New Year), the time since which I can't seem being able to fall asleep without the machine at all, because the airway gets blocked immediately with the very first sleep stages.

No, I have not undergone any in-lab sleep studies yet, only one at home. It measured my blood oxygen level, snore level, airway blockage level as well I think. As well as abdominal tension level.

Are you scheduled for an in-lab sleep evaluation and/or titration? THAT is one of the BIG problems w/an at-home titration, there is no way to detect any of the other sleep disorders that may occur in conjunction w/or instead of sleep apnea.

For instance you could have periodic leg movements, central apneas, etc., etc.


_________________
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.