Jimmy's CPAP experience. (Formerly my HELP! thread)

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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Jimmycrackhorn
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Jimmy's CPAP experience. (Formerly my HELP! thread)

Post by Jimmycrackhorn » Tue Apr 11, 2017 3:35 am

My eyes are pressure tired which tells me I'm not sleeping well and also tonight I've had to have woken up once per hour. I did have 2mg of Ativan a day and a half before when I couldn't sleep and am wondering if the rebound could cause the wake ups.

Regardless I'm tired as heck in my eyes. (Does anyone one a way or a trick to make that pressure in the eyes go away?)

I was at the hospital in ER because I'm still having problems after 3 years trusting this thing. Anyway they hooked me up to an oxymeter and I was told my oxygen levels were great during the night. Not that I'm sure they were actually checking so I just have to take them at their word.

Anyway, so I'm using auto trial to try and zero in on my ahi. I'd like to think I'm close but I'm not sure how accurate it is. Is it just as accurate at adjusting to my events and breathing as a autopap? I've been on it for months.

I was at 10 to 13.5 for a bit. Just changed it a couple days ago to 12-14.5 and JUST NOW changed it to 13.5 to 15.5 because I've been getting TON of wakeups and waking up every day with these tired eyes.

I know I've ripped the mask off one a couple of nights in my sleep.

I have a new mask. It's an F&P Simplus.

My question is, can certain masks screw up the readings from my machine or is auto-trial poor accuracy?

I just now set my machine back to 10-16 which is the original setting my sleep doc wanted me to try for a while to help zero in. I didn't even try the 13.5 to 15.5 at all!!

I'm in a panic!! Help please!!!!!!!!!

My AHI reading from tonight was telling me .9 but then why was I waking up every hour?

I'm scared and insomnia is kicking in more and more because I don't know that the mask is right. HELP

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Last edited by Jimmycrackhorn on Thu Apr 13, 2017 10:35 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Julie
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Re: Is my mask and Auto-Trial reading me accurately? HELP!

Post by Julie » Tue Apr 11, 2017 3:56 am

It would help so much (to help you) if you'd stick to your original thread so we can follow the history. I'm not going back to try and find answers - can't remember if you were asked what meds you might be on - but depending on the answer they might be impacting your sleep. I guess there's an anxiety component and sometimes we can only address so much here, not being doctors of any kind. And I can't remember if you've tried Sleepyhead (vs e.g. MyAir or whatever info your machine might provide by itself) and what the results have been.

You've been looking for help now for a few weeks but unless the story's in one place, it's hard to bring the pieces together. But I'm not sure the mask will turn out to be 'the' culprit any more than other red herrings here might be so. And I think you should stop moving your pressures around and change only one thing at a time in your whole picture, then follow through to absolutely include or eliminate it from what's working and what isn't.

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Jimmycrackhorn
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Re: Is my mask and Auto-Trial reading me accurately? HELP!

Post by Jimmycrackhorn » Tue Apr 11, 2017 9:06 am

Julie wrote:It would help so much (to help you) if you'd stick to your original thread so we can follow the history. I'm not going back to try and find answers - can't remember if you were asked what meds you might be on - but depending on the answer they might be impacting your sleep. I guess there's an anxiety component and sometimes we can only address so much here, not being doctors of any kind. And I can't remember if you've tried Sleepyhead (vs e.g. MyAir or whatever info your machine might provide by itself) and what the results have been.

You've been looking for help now for a few weeks but unless the story's in one place, it's hard to bring the pieces together. But I'm not sure the mask will turn out to be 'the' culprit any more than other red herrings here might be so. And I think you should stop moving your pressures around and change only one thing at a time in your whole picture, then follow through to absolutely include or eliminate it from what's working and what isn't.

OK.

I got the impression that this was a place that would frown on one big long thread for some reason.

Got it.

My anxiety is related only to bad treatment over the 3 years since I've been doing this. It's not anxiety as a stand alone issue and I'm certain that if I knew 100% my treatment was on point I would have no more Anxiety.

My sleep doctor, for instance, gave me Klonopin, a 30 hour half life to handle 8 hours of sleep a night

The three other doctors I talked to since then including the ER doc and my GP say they have no idea what the hell he gave me that for and that I shouldn't be taking that.

My next steps are to get in a program with a sleep neurologist type and go see a psychologist specializing in sleep.

I'm also going to get checked for diabetes in case. That's all I can do.

I tried a Xanax .5 after I wrote this and got another hour or two of sleep.

At the very least I'm not getting that sick feeling I used to get but I'm having problems now with my eyes feeling strained and tired. That's what actually causes the anxiety the most. If that was gone completely, again, no anxiety.

I went 3 years so far with this mess. I hope people can understand that I'm not just being a baby about this. I wouldn't wish what I've gone through on my worst enemy.

I'm thinking it's about time this whole ordeal is at an end already. I have an appointment tomorrow with my GP.

I just hope he has some great referrals for a great Sleep Neurologist, Psych etc.

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TASmart
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Re: Is my mask and Auto-Trial reading me accurately? HELP!

Post by TASmart » Tue Apr 11, 2017 9:17 am

Not all wake problems are breathing related. What did your titration show?

Having been treated for depression and anxiety the klonopin may have been an attempt to reduce your anxiety overall. As only you are deeply invested in your health, I think you need to ask your Dr. why any prescription is made, duration of expected treatment, expected outcome, and so on. The old ways of take this its good for you are gone. Ask questions. Get answers.

As far as apnea treatment, you will need to post sleepyhead data (or Rescan) so people can see what's going on.
All posts reflect my own opinion based on my experience and reading.
Your mileage may vary
Past performance is no guarantee of future results
Consult with your own physician as people very

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Julie
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Re: Is my mask and Auto-Trial reading me accurately? HELP!

Post by Julie » Tue Apr 11, 2017 9:22 am

Hi, ok glad to know some of that. Dumb question maybe, but when did you last get your eyes checked? Not everything's about OSA/Cpap. Second, again, your meds may well be having an effect on things in ways you may not appreciate, and it's important to look into that and separate what is only a Cpap problem vs only meds, etc. You may need the meds and that's fine, except that if they impact Cpap (or just OSA) that needs to be sorted.

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Jimmycrackhorn
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Re: Is my mask and Auto-Trial reading me accurately? HELP!

Post by Jimmycrackhorn » Tue Apr 11, 2017 10:43 am

Julie wrote:Hi, ok glad to know some of that. Dumb question maybe, but when did you last get your eyes checked? Not everything's about OSA/Cpap. Second, again, your meds may well be having an effect on things in ways you may not appreciate, and it's important to look into that and separate what is only a Cpap problem vs only meds, etc. You may need the meds and that's fine, except that if they impact Cpap (or just OSA) that needs to be sorted.

I'm not taking the meds too often. Only this week really. And not every day. 2 nights ago I took nothing. Last night I went to bed taking nothing but woke up around 3:30 with hurting eyes and then eventually took a .5mg Xanax.

The .5 Klonopin I only took once however there was a period where I took some expired Ativan, about 1mg each time.

That was maybe 2 different days.

That's where I'm at. I've not taken anything else since.

I try my best to NOT take these types and of meds. Hell I don't even want to have to use a machine to breathe and sleep right.

One other thing is I might have SAD. For years this time of year when the weather changes seems to be the worst for me. I like to tell myself it's just a fake disorder but here we are again like clockwork but this year I'm not drinking beer to chase it away.

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Jimmycrackhorn
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Re: Is my mask and Auto-Trial reading me accurately? HELP!

Post by Jimmycrackhorn » Tue Apr 11, 2017 10:43 am

TASmart wrote:Not all wake problems are breathing related. What did your titration show?

Having been treated for depression and anxiety the klonopin may have been an attempt to reduce your anxiety overall. As only you are deeply invested in your health, I think you need to ask your Dr. why any prescription is made, duration of expected treatment, expected outcome, and so on. The old ways of take this its good for you are gone. Ask questions. Get answers.

As far as apnea treatment, you will need to post sleepyhead data (or Rescan) so people can see what's going on.
Roger that.

I'll work on getting my data up sometime today

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TASmart
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Re: Is my mask and Auto-Trial reading me accurately? HELP!

Post by TASmart » Tue Apr 11, 2017 10:53 am

Jimmycrackhorn wrote:
TASmart wrote:Not all wake problems are breathing related. What did your titration show?

Having been treated for depression and anxiety the klonopin may have been an attempt to reduce your anxiety overall. As only you are deeply invested in your health, I think you need to ask your Dr. why any prescription is made, duration of expected treatment, expected outcome, and so on. The old ways of take this its good for you are gone. Ask questions. Get answers.

As far as apnea treatment, you will need to post sleepyhead data (or Rescan) so people can see what's going on.
Roger that.

I'll work on getting my data up sometime today
Opps Sorry, you are not on a ResMed machine. Rescan will not work for you
All posts reflect my own opinion based on my experience and reading.
Your mileage may vary
Past performance is no guarantee of future results
Consult with your own physician as people very

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Julie
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Re: Is my mask and Auto-Trial reading me accurately? HELP!

Post by Julie » Tue Apr 11, 2017 11:18 am

You don't get it... I'm saying you need to research every med you take - even if only one pill on occasion - so you know if that particular one can affect you... how. It could alleviate your panicking the a.m. after if you realize that med is known to mess with sleep, or relax tissues that then end up blocking your airway more than usual, etc... Xanax is not something I advise you to take, others here do use Klonipin and the Ativan has definite potential interactions. If you work with your MD, any MD, to regulate what you use and when, what time of day, etc. etc. you might find you can actually have some control and get some sleep, but randomly taking whatever at 4 am on a given night is not going to move you forward in a straight line, but could put you back 2 steps from the previous night and possibly affect the night to come. You need to do a little work yourself, keep a journal (or just a napkin) with things written down about what, when, and the results.

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Jimmycrackhorn
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Re: Is my mask and Auto-Trial reading me accurately? HELP!

Post by Jimmycrackhorn » Tue Apr 11, 2017 5:21 pm

PLEASE someone help me understand these, especially whether or not the auto-trial is not as accurate as a regular Auto-Pap and might be giving me faulty readings. Also why I might be waking up more and if that is even registering in the data or not. I really need words of encouragement. The good news is I got a bit of a miracle and will be getting my Medacaid tomorrow!!!
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THANKS

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Re: Is my mask and Auto-Trial reading me accurately? HELP!

Post by Jimmycrackhorn » Tue Apr 11, 2017 7:00 pm

I screwed up one of the screenshots from one of the days but the important stuff is still there I think? Let me know.

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Julie
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Re: Is my mask and Auto-Trial reading me accurately? HELP!

Post by Julie » Tue Apr 11, 2017 7:12 pm

Just a tip - it's better to scrap the calendar and leave more room for the results underneath it.... but don't post all those again yet

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Re: Is my mask and Auto-Trial reading me accurately? HELP!

Post by Jimmycrackhorn » Tue Apr 11, 2017 7:19 pm

Julie wrote:Just a tip - it's better to scrap the calendar and leave more room for the results underneath it.... but don't post all those again yet

I'm curious about what you said above. Ativan has some potential interactions. Is that good or bad?

I want to sleep with nothing tonight. Maybe just some tea but I'm still feeling junky from that Xanax.

I have some calm tea with stuff like passionflower and valerian. Thinking of just trying that.

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Julie
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Re: Is my mask and Auto-Trial reading me accurately? HELP!

Post by Julie » Tue Apr 11, 2017 8:23 pm

Valerian etc. is so much better than Xanax! Good luck, but if it isn't perfect, don't panic, just think of tomorrow as anotber day to get it right... you will in the end, just give yourself that chance. But can you not Google e.g. Ativan side FX and look for anything that refs sleep and/or possible breathing issues, etc.... you have a brain and can decide for yourself what's good and bad - and do the same thing for your other meds - and then write down the words you need to remember the important stuff about each med so you have something (besides yuour memory) to go by. I can't say for sure that they're causing the problem(s), but it seems like a good place to start... or at least get sorted out so even if there are other major issues with Cpap, etc. at least you'll have that one taken care of.
Last edited by Julie on Fri Apr 14, 2017 8:30 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Is my mask and Auto-Trial reading me accurately? HELP!

Post by Jimmycrackhorn » Wed Apr 12, 2017 8:56 am

So. Apparently no thoughts on my readings.. ?

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