Got My CPAP - First Experiences
- Thread starter Pat Anderson
- Start date
Colby
Hello, My name is Harvey and I am a CPAP user. I have to admit to slippin off the C-BRAT site for a while there, so sorry for any inconvenience or discomfort that may have caused.
Keeping priorities in order, No, my next boat name will not be C-Pap or See Pap or any other variation of that. (Yes, that name was considered once, for a while, until someone asked me if I was a Gynecologist. :shock: :roll:
That name fit all the right criteria, except one, so SleepyC won out.
Now, something important, (well more important than some of the other stuff). I was told this a long time ago, and though I cannot vouch for it personally, professionally I know it is true. Sometimes I can't keep my mouth shut, EVEN at night. Which really means, IF you are actually, really sleeping, you may have the same issue. That is important because the air pressure exerted by the CPAP, can and will (in many cases) blow open your mouth, (lips open and cheeks can flap), which causes a HUGE air leak, and when that happens, your anatomical airway is not kept inflated, and you are back in Obstructive Sleep Apnea again and your event (AHI) count goes up.
There are some fixes: Use a Full Face Mask, Use any other mask with a chin strap to hold your mouth closed or (and though I have seen patients who do this, I cannot recommend it) use duct tape over the mouth. What works for you is good. It depends on your "gadget tolerance" level. Often, a heated humidifier will help in keeping the mouth closed due to the humidity clearing and soothing the nasal passages. Every patient is different, that is why there are some 100+ mask designs, styles and sizes. Sometimes it takes some trial to find that perfect fit. A person who has a titration study in a lab should come out of that study with a perfect fit. That is the purpose of that study, and it is not cheap so you should get your monies worth.
When your mask (which is really the most important piece of the puzzle), fits right, there should be two results. #1, When you take it off in the morning, there should be a slight "face print" or track on your face where the mask was. This should go away within 30 to 60 minutes. If it last longer than that, in whole or part, something is too tight. #2, Your AHI or event count should be less than 5. (Greater than 5 and Medicare will say you are not compliant even if you have enough time per night with the mask.) In our practice, if our patients were greater than 2.5 we would work with them to get it down. Now yes, 5 is way better than 77 so you get an A for improvement, but there are things to look at in the reports that can help bring that down and it does make a noticeable, reportable improvement in the perceived sleep/rest of the patient. (On my own system, I check my numbers every day. It is rare that I am over 0.5 on any night.) I do use the heated humidifier and a full face mask always. (However, when I am on the boat, I use a Transcend Travel device and no humidifier or another old Resmed without the humidifier.) That heater takes way to much juice out of my batteries. I do use and recommend using some Nasal Saline spray morning and evening if you are running a dry system.
I didn't see anything about anyone adjusting their own pressures 8) but I might add, that IF you are being followed by a Sleep Physician, They will know, so talk to them, Why, and what is the benefit? Most of the new machines are capable of running in a range of pressures, so the base pressure might be 7, but you may need 13 for some apneas. You should be asleep when that 13 is called for and you should not even notice. BUT IF you drop that pressure down to, say 10, it may not hold the airway open and you will wake, maybe not totally but enough to lose the sleep continuity and an event will be recorded and the brain will have an arousal, causing you to fall back to stage 1 sleep after some seconds of wake, and pushing off the time to get into the deeper sleep stages, Delta and REM.
Glad to help if I can, and as always,
Have a good night.
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
Keeping priorities in order, No, my next boat name will not be C-Pap or See Pap or any other variation of that. (Yes, that name was considered once, for a while, until someone asked me if I was a Gynecologist. :shock: :roll:
That name fit all the right criteria, except one, so SleepyC won out.Now, something important, (well more important than some of the other stuff). I was told this a long time ago, and though I cannot vouch for it personally, professionally I know it is true. Sometimes I can't keep my mouth shut, EVEN at night. Which really means, IF you are actually, really sleeping, you may have the same issue. That is important because the air pressure exerted by the CPAP, can and will (in many cases) blow open your mouth, (lips open and cheeks can flap), which causes a HUGE air leak, and when that happens, your anatomical airway is not kept inflated, and you are back in Obstructive Sleep Apnea again and your event (AHI) count goes up.
There are some fixes: Use a Full Face Mask, Use any other mask with a chin strap to hold your mouth closed or (and though I have seen patients who do this, I cannot recommend it) use duct tape over the mouth. What works for you is good. It depends on your "gadget tolerance" level. Often, a heated humidifier will help in keeping the mouth closed due to the humidity clearing and soothing the nasal passages. Every patient is different, that is why there are some 100+ mask designs, styles and sizes. Sometimes it takes some trial to find that perfect fit. A person who has a titration study in a lab should come out of that study with a perfect fit. That is the purpose of that study, and it is not cheap so you should get your monies worth.
When your mask (which is really the most important piece of the puzzle), fits right, there should be two results. #1, When you take it off in the morning, there should be a slight "face print" or track on your face where the mask was. This should go away within 30 to 60 minutes. If it last longer than that, in whole or part, something is too tight. #2, Your AHI or event count should be less than 5. (Greater than 5 and Medicare will say you are not compliant even if you have enough time per night with the mask.) In our practice, if our patients were greater than 2.5 we would work with them to get it down. Now yes, 5 is way better than 77 so you get an A for improvement, but there are things to look at in the reports that can help bring that down and it does make a noticeable, reportable improvement in the perceived sleep/rest of the patient. (On my own system, I check my numbers every day. It is rare that I am over 0.5 on any night.) I do use the heated humidifier and a full face mask always. (However, when I am on the boat, I use a Transcend Travel device and no humidifier or another old Resmed without the humidifier.) That heater takes way to much juice out of my batteries. I do use and recommend using some Nasal Saline spray morning and evening if you are running a dry system.
I didn't see anything about anyone adjusting their own pressures 8) but I might add, that IF you are being followed by a Sleep Physician, They will know, so talk to them, Why, and what is the benefit? Most of the new machines are capable of running in a range of pressures, so the base pressure might be 7, but you may need 13 for some apneas. You should be asleep when that 13 is called for and you should not even notice. BUT IF you drop that pressure down to, say 10, it may not hold the airway open and you will wake, maybe not totally but enough to lose the sleep continuity and an event will be recorded and the brain will have an arousal, causing you to fall back to stage 1 sleep after some seconds of wake, and pushing off the time to get into the deeper sleep stages, Delta and REM.
Glad to help if I can, and as always,
Have a good night.
Harvey
SleepyC :moon
colbysmith
Active member
Just thought I’d bring this thread back to life. I’ve recently switched to using Oscar software and now have two Resmed Airsense 10 machines. One at home and one for the boat. Cpap.com had a sell recently and I couldn’t pass up the chance to get a new one for the boat. I did also get a 12vt converter for that one and do not use the humidifier. I’ve been very happy with the 10 at home and sure it will work well in place of the S9 I had for the boat! They sent the new one out with an auto setting of 5-15 I think, but I changed it back to my prescribed pressure of 9. Not sure if the auto setting is better as I understand the machine has to respond to events before auto changing and my prescribed pressure still seems to work well! I continue to use the nasal pillows with headgear and mostly the slimline tubing. I’ve tried several nasal pillows but keep coming back to the opus 360. (I was able to dump the Dream Station during the recall and after some help with a government oversight agency got my insurance to reimburse me for an Airsense 10!) Colby
Pat Anderson
New member
Glad to see this come back to life! To update my story. I started with a Resmed AirSense 10 CPAP. I joined apneaboard.com early on, and after posting screenshots from OSCAR, they told me that it was clear that I had CENTRAL apnea and not OBSTRUCTIVE apnea which had been diagnosed.
Early on, I learned that the only mask that worked for me was the Resmed AirFit 10 Nasal Pillow, and I was able to get it without returning the full face mask, which leaked like crazy and "farted" all the time.
I further learned that I needed an ASV (Adaptive Servo Ventilator) and not a CPAP. My sleep doc was skeptical until I provided a spreadsheet of my OSCAR numbers, which were all over the board with CPAP. He reluctantly agreed and ordered me a Resdmed Aircurve 10 ASV machine. Right from Day 1, my AHIs have been LESS than 2, mostly 1 point something. He was shocked. LESSON: you need to be informed, and be your own advocate!
I have used it with and without the humidity (which is more comfortable), but I can use it without humidity, which uses a LOT less amp hours on the boat and in the pickup camper. Both are good but at home I use the humidity!
Early on, I learned that the only mask that worked for me was the Resmed AirFit 10 Nasal Pillow, and I was able to get it without returning the full face mask, which leaked like crazy and "farted" all the time.
I further learned that I needed an ASV (Adaptive Servo Ventilator) and not a CPAP. My sleep doc was skeptical until I provided a spreadsheet of my OSCAR numbers, which were all over the board with CPAP. He reluctantly agreed and ordered me a Resdmed Aircurve 10 ASV machine. Right from Day 1, my AHIs have been LESS than 2, mostly 1 point something. He was shocked. LESSON: you need to be informed, and be your own advocate!
I have used it with and without the humidity (which is more comfortable), but I can use it without humidity, which uses a LOT less amp hours on the boat and in the pickup camper. Both are good but at home I use the humidity!
colbysmith
Active member
I think this is very true with just about everything. Especially in health care. Colby