Swallowing air with bipap use

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Signe

Active member
Joined
Aug 17, 2017
Messages
88
Reason
PALS
Diagnosis
04/2019
Country
US
State
IA
City
Lansing
Didn't know if this warrants a new thread or not, I had tried to see if I could find anything here similar to review but I don't. So here goes.
I knew I must be swallowing air with my bipap right from the beginning. I'd wake up just totally gassed up. I researched it and read it would improve as I got used to the bipap. Six months later and still having trouble with it. Worse though, the last two nights I have woken up feeling like I was drowning and realizing I was swallowing air and it was quite uncomfortable. Any input, suggestions or experience with this?
 
Same problem, Signe! Laurie suggested lowering my settings, so the RT came out and helped to alleviate much of it although I still have some.
 
Yes, probably too high an IPAP.
 
The AVAPS rate can also factor in, and the cycle sensitivity, among other things. Happy to help with your settings; you have my email.
 
The AVAPS rate can also factor in, and the cycle sensitivity, among other things. Happy to help with your settings; you have my email.
Thank you, I had talked to my provider about changing the settings, since I don't own mine yet and I'm still having insurance company pay a portion, the respiratory therapist said I need it at the prescribed setting for insurance coverage. They won't change it and they still do a weekly upload of my usage and what ever else is on the SD card. I was at the ALS clinic this past week. I did an overnight spirometry test. The respiratory guy I saw there was going to check on "stuff" and get back to me. I'll see if I can contact him about it. I forgot to mention that I was swallowing air, but I hadn't woke up with it drowning me then. Thank you for your input, it does make a lot of sense.
 
That is not true; reimbursement for a progressive disease indication could hardly rest on never changing the settings. At worst, your payor would need a note in the record that your settings were now XX as a result of being titrated to comfort. Your RT is lazy and/or incompetent.

P/CALS have the right and ability to change settings, whether your machine is owned or rented, and whatever your payor.
 
Ok. I'll have to look into it.
 
I was firm with our RT and insisted that the settings remained unlocked so that I could change them. Then I emailed with Laurie and did exactly what she told me and sent feedback if necessary. You never know what you need between visits - which is a good argument for settings to remain unlocked. The equipment is supposed to help rather than to satisfy anybody's standards.
 
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