My CPAP Treatment Journey

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
Heart Jumping
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Re: My CPAP Treatment Questions

Post by Heart Jumping » Thu Nov 19, 2015 10:45 am

ChicagoGranny wrote:I wonder how long it took you to fall asleep? At some point you had to discontinue the conscious effort of breathing or you would not have fallen asleep.
I don't know, but last night was much easier than the first night, fighting the resistance was much less of an issue. I woke up at one point and thought my machine was off. Started to pull the mask off and discovered it was blowing at full intensity. Pretty funny, I couldn't believe I had already adjusted to that point!

I still slept very poorly, after about 5 hours I woke up exhausted and my nose was hurting. I gave in and slept a few hours without the mask (I know, I know !) and again it was funny because now at first breathing felt strange and not automatic without the mask.

I'm pleased with where I am after only 2 days. Baby steps.

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Additional Comments: AirFit F10 Full Face Mask is my backup mask for when congested.

WindCpap
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Re: My CPAP Treatment Journey

Post by WindCpap » Thu Nov 19, 2015 11:50 am

it us OK to take off your mask. Just don't sleep without it. There is a product called Lansinoh that will relieve nose soreness. It us for breastfeeding so look in the baby aisle.

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ChicagoGranny
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Re: My CPAP Treatment Journey

Post by ChicagoGranny » Thu Nov 19, 2015 12:36 pm

Heart Jumping wrote:I'm pleased with where I am after only 2 days. Baby steps.
You are off to a great start.
Heart Jumping wrote: slept a few hours without the mask
If you feel you just MUST do this, try to avoid backsleeping and instead sleep on your sides or stomach. You can pile up some pillows behind your back if needed. Here is the correct way to stomachsleep, with or without CPAP - http://www.uarsrelief.com/sleeppositions.html

(On your back, gravity is directly pulling your tongue and soft palate toward a point of obstruction in the airway. The effect is moderated a bit in the other positions.)

Heart Jumping wrote:my nose was hurting
- Observe how the hose runs from the machine to the mask. Manage your hose in such a way that it does not pull on the mask when you move in the bed. You need some slack in the hose. Check when you bed down that the slack is there.

- Watch the manufacturer's videos on how to adjust the mask headgear. There is a medium range, not too loose and not too tight, that needs to be achieved. https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... dgear.html

- Do use a small amount of Lansinoh lanolin on irritated areas.

http://www.target.com/p/lansinoh-hpa-la ... m=lansinoh

WindCpap
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Re: My CPAP Treatment Journey

Post by WindCpap » Thu Nov 19, 2015 6:51 pm

Not sleeping without your mask has nothing to do with short term therapy and everything to do with long term success. Your sleeping position cannot undo the negative cognitive training done by removing your mask to sleep. I know that everybody wants quick results, but your initial focus has to be training yourself to associate your CPAP with sleep. if you think you might do it again I would highly advise skipping tonight altogether and restarting tomorrow night.

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Heart Jumping
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Re: My CPAP Treatment Journey

Post by Heart Jumping » Thu Nov 19, 2015 8:07 pm

Follow-up question:
OK, so some medical group or board has set the following guidance:
None/Minimal: AHI < 5 per hour
Mild: AHI ≥ 5, but < 15 per hour
Moderate: AHI ≥ 15, but < 30 per hour
Severe: AHI ≥ 30 per hour

Is there any similar official guidance for what treatment is trying to achieve? Obviously it's arbitrary, any improvement is better than none, and it's going to vary by person, but my question still stands.

For instance, is the goal to reduce AHI to the none/minimal range? If I'm seeing 5 and 6 should I be satisfied (as far as that part goes)? Or am I ultimately aiming for 1 and 2? I'm not worried about my numbers, just the opposite, I just want to learn as much as possible.

Thanks

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Machine: ResMed AirSense™ 10 AutoSet™ CPAP Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier
Mask: DreamWear Nasal CPAP Mask with Headgear - Fit Pack (All Cushions Included with Medium Frame)
Additional Comments: AirFit F10 Full Face Mask is my backup mask for when congested.

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Okie bipap
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Re: My CPAP Treatment Journey

Post by Okie bipap » Thu Nov 19, 2015 9:15 pm

When hour AHI is under 5, your apnea is considered to be under control. Ideally, it should be zero. With my machine set as high as it can go (20-25 cm H2O IPAP), my AHI normally stays under 3 which my doctor considers as being under control.

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ChicagoGranny
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Re: My CPAP Treatment Journey

Post by ChicagoGranny » Thu Nov 19, 2015 9:18 pm

Heart Jumping wrote:official guidance for what treatment is trying to achieve
The treating physician must conduct a clinical reevaluation and document that the patient is benefiting from CPAP therapy. Clinical benefit is demonstrated by a face-to-face clinical reevaluation by the treating provider with documentation that symptoms of OSA are improved.

Heart Jumping
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Re: My CPAP Treatment Journey

Post by Heart Jumping » Fri Nov 20, 2015 10:33 am

So 3rd time wasn't quite a charm, but I did go the full night wearing the P10. The breathing issue is already subsiding. Sleep was still lousy and I woke up several times.

At one point something woke me up and I took the mask off and it literally started shooting water out onto the pillow and soaked a small area of the pillow, thank God it didn't start blowing that inside of me, I'm going to guess that only happens when the mask is off? Anyhow, at that point I turned humidity down from the 6 (4 - 8 range) the DME had set it to, to 4. The DME had told me this machine doesn't get condensation inside the tube, obviously that is not the case.

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Machine: ResMed AirSense™ 10 AutoSet™ CPAP Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier
Mask: DreamWear Nasal CPAP Mask with Headgear - Fit Pack (All Cushions Included with Medium Frame)
Additional Comments: AirFit F10 Full Face Mask is my backup mask for when congested.

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Pugsy
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Re: My CPAP Treatment Journey

Post by Pugsy » Fri Nov 20, 2015 10:56 am

Even with a heated hose we can sometimes get condensation at the mask level from the added moisture in our own exhaled breath if the conditions are just right.
See this thread posts #2 and #3 that explains your options.
If you have a heated hose you can simply try turning up the hose air temp.
If you don't have a heated hose you can get one.

The condensation in the nasal pillows won't hurt you but it can be highly annoying in the middle of the night when it sprays out the vent holes and gives you a cold shower or you end up snorting a few drops of water.

It took me several weeks for my overall sleep to get past the frequent wake ups just because the brain is confused by the new stuff on our faces. Right now the brain likes to wake us up and say "hey dude, there's a weird thing on your nose" This can happen even without any other issues with the mask or pressure.

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ChicagoGranny
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Re: My CPAP Treatment Journey

Post by ChicagoGranny » Fri Nov 20, 2015 12:20 pm

Heart Jumping wrote:The DME had told me this machine doesn't get condensation inside the tube, obviously that is not the case.
When I use a humidifier, it is placed slightly below the level of the top of the mattress. Should condensate form in the hose, it will run back into the humidifier instead of the mask.

WindCpap
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Re: My CPAP Treatment Journey

Post by WindCpap » Fri Nov 20, 2015 1:24 pm

The only way for the machine to control rainout for you is if you have a heated hose and set humidity to auto.

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OkyDoky
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Re: My CPAP Treatment Journey

Post by OkyDoky » Fri Nov 20, 2015 1:36 pm

WindCpap wrote:The only way for the machine to control rainout for you is if you have a heated hose and set humidity to auto.
Auto works fine for some people but with the Airsense 10 and Climateline hose you can also set the tube temperature and humidity level can be adjusted individually. And as long as you are using a heated tube it can prevent rainout.
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Heart Jumping
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Re: My CPAP Treatment Journey

Post by Heart Jumping » Fri Nov 20, 2015 1:44 pm

Thanks all. Yes I have a heated tube. Climate control is set to manual and tube temp is set to 75.
Pugsy wrote:See this thread posts #2 and #3 that explains your options.
I assume you mean some other thread than "this thread" but don't see a link.

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Machine: ResMed AirSense™ 10 AutoSet™ CPAP Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier
Mask: DreamWear Nasal CPAP Mask with Headgear - Fit Pack (All Cushions Included with Medium Frame)
Additional Comments: AirFit F10 Full Face Mask is my backup mask for when congested.

WindCpap
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Re: My CPAP Treatment Journey

Post by WindCpap » Fri Nov 20, 2015 2:01 pm

With a heated tube, you want to have Climate control set to auto, and then set your tube temperature to control the humidity. The relative humidity will be set to 80%, so the higher the tube temperature, the higher the humidity. Auto tube temperature just means 80 degrees F. I don't understand why they have the "auto" option for temp when they could just say the 80 degrees is the default.

If you find the air a little cold or a little warm, you can set the temp a little higher or vice versa, and the humidity will always be adjusted to keep up with the actual tube temperature.

The thing that woke you up was the water clogging your vents.

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WindCpap
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Re: My CPAP Treatment Journey

Post by WindCpap » Fri Nov 20, 2015 2:53 pm

New post for a slightly different topic.

Don't worry about how many hours you sleep with the mask. Just make sure that the number of hours you sleep without it is zero. Don't stress about how much sleep you are getting. The more relaxed you are about it, the more sleep you will get. If you are having trouble sleeping, get up and read or surf the net. Then, go back to sleep when you are more relaxed. This period of time is all about training. If your therapy needs a little adjusting, you can do that after you are comfortable sleeping with your CPAP.

What are your current settings, by the way.

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