Humidifier ran out of water? M series pro

[mindy]

Ooops

I didn't phrase my last post very well and apologize. No offense intended!

Mindy

[echo]

Hi Andy,

Good to hear that you're sleeping better. Somtimes it just takes time to get used to the whole setup. As for the C-flex, some people on this forum have report that they get a better AHI without the flex option, so it's not bad that you experiment with it.

Sorry if I was a bit forceful with you, I must've forgotten what it's like to be new at this and to be completely overwhelmed! So I will try to lay off a bit.

I too had mouth leaking, and the doctor's suggestion was to turn down the pressure to 4. Not a very useful suggestion if I was also supposed to have therapeutic pressure! (I am on 10cm). They even refused to give me a FFM (full face mask). In the end I was desperate and decided to go to cpap.com and buy a FFM.
So I understand how you feel - they don't seem to care, or even understand. They seem to have some very weird reasoning behind their statements too.

But, as the others have already suggested, your best bet is to go your DME (Durable Medical Equiment supplier = med supply place) and explain that you want a FFM. CRS's and cpapqueens' posts have some very good suggestions.

Just remember that this is YOUR therapy and YOUR health, and unfortunately sometimes we have to fight for it. It's definintely unfair, especially if we're sleep deprived and tired and overwhelmed to begin with ... but you just have to be insistent and stick up for yourself and your health. We are all rooting for you!

If you're truly stuck with the DME and aren't able to get a FFM from them (even after you've annoyed your doctor, ENT, and sleep clinic), you can try a FFM from one of the forum's mask trials (phpBBFolk.php?mode=search&tag=%22mask%20test%20drive%22) and then order one online from either https://www.cpap.com or http://www.cpapauction.com .
You don't need a prescription to buy a mask from either cpap.com or cpapauction.

The reason that mouth breathing or leaking is so bad is that if the pressure escapes out your mouth, then there is no pressure left to keep your throat open. That's how a CPAP works - the additional air pressure keeps your throat open, and stops the gasping (which is due to your throat slamming shut while you're sleeping). A full face mask works because the pressure goes into both your nose and mouth, and since the pressure is equal there's no chance that the air will somehow escape out of your mouth.
Mouth tape just keeps your mouth shut to prevent the air from escaping - but it's not for everyone.

I assume you've read through the definintions posted earlier, but just in case....
AHI = Apnea Hypopnea Index.
An apnea is when you stop breathing for 10 seconds or more while asleep.
A hypopnea is when your breathing is reduced by 50% and your oxygen desaturation falls by some %.
The total number of apneas + hypopnea's you have while asleep, divided by the total hours you slept, gives you the AHI. You can look at it like the average number of apnea's and hypopnea's per hour.

So why is a high AHI bad? 2 reasons:
1) Both an apnea and a hypopnea cause a reduction in blood oxygen. This means there's less oxygen in circulation, which means your organs (heart, brain) are getting less oxygen. As you can imagine, that can't be good! That's why heart disease and strokes are so strongly linked to sleep apnea. This is also called SaO2 = oxygen saturation. This can be measured in the sleep clinic, but also at home, using a pulse oximeter (also called pulse-ox for short).
2) Each time you stop breathing and your O2 levels drop, your body releases adrenaline/cortisol to wake you up and get you started breathing again. You won't wake up completely, but be sure that every time you have an event you 'wake up' to some extent. This is called an arousal. Arousals are very bad too! They keep you from reaching restorative sleep, because each time you have an arousal you jump from the deeper sleep state to a lighter one. Additionally, you have all those extra stimulative hormones circulating in your system - and those are also no good for your heart.

I'm not a doctor or anywhere near it, so my layman's explanation may be a bit off in the details, but the gist of the seriousness of the issue is there. I hope that's helped clarify everything a bit.

You'll do fine, you've found this site and you're willing to work to make the CPAP work for you. You're already ahead of most people that give up after a few days. So keep at it, and we're here if you need more help! Keep us posted!