new cpap user

[zoocrewphoto]

HI,

I am new to cpap. I Have known for years that I have sleep apnea. Family and friends who have shared hotel rooms with me have told me that I snore badly, and that I sound scary. My mom has had a cpap machine for almost 20 years. I listened to her experiences with the sleep lab, and I watched her use of the cpap machine (or lack of use often), and figured there was no point in getting tested. I am a severe night owl, and I didn't see how I could provide decent data if asked to sleep hours earlier than I normally do. My mom's sleep study was done at 5:30am, and I normally go to bed between 4 and 6 am. I also misunderstood and thought I would have to use a mask like my mom's which was a nasal mask. I have allergies that clog my nose frequently, and I sleep with my mouth open. I couldn't imagine a machine working for me. Plus I hated the noise of her machine (really old). In hotel rooms, I would play music to cover the sound of her machine. I can sleep with tv or music, but I can't stand plain white noise.

Last September, I had a big scare with high blood pressure. It has always been at the high end of normal, but was higher now, usually in the 160s. A week after I started medication for high blood pressure (with a warning that I was at high risk for a stroke (I'm only 39 years old), I was out of town and had vertigo very badly. I went to the emergency room, and a few days later at home, it started again and went for almost 2 days, even after another trip to the emergency room. It appears to be unrelated, but it was a bad scare for me. My blood pressure is still very high, and my doctor has added more medications and increased dosages. I then saw a story on the news about sleep apnea causing high blood pressure. I have known for years that sleep deprivation causes problems, but I didn't realize that sleep apnea directly causes high blood pressure and heart problems. I decided I better fess up and tell my doctor about my sleep apnea. I don't want to be on medication, and I definitely do not want a stroke.

My doctor referred me for a sleep study, and she sent me to a different place than my mom went to. What a huge difference. I was also prescribed an ambien to help me sleep at an earlier time. They also did a short setup/explanation of the cpap machine, and then put me on it later in the night. The bad news is that my breathing was really bad. I had 71 apneas in 2 1/2 hours as well as 127 hypopneas. The good news is that with the machine, I had great improvement, and I will have noticeable improvement. I got my machine today. It is an apap machine, with a level of 11-17. I was falling asleep while watching tv, so I got up and setup the machine and tried to take a nap with it. I only dozed a little, but I had it on and running for about an hour and a half, and it felt fine. I'm looking forward to my first night with it. I am hoping I feel as good as I did the day after the sleep study. It was such a big difference.

[Sheriff Buford]

I hope the best for you. Please stay on this forum and work every issue you have. There are no stupid questions. Find a mask that is comfortable and doesn't leak.

Sheriff

[nanwilson]

Welcome...and my suggestion is for you is to read, read and read some more on this site, if you have any questions, just ask.

[locust78]

I'm glad to hear that you're off to a good start with CPAP! There's so much out there now, that can make the CPAP experience more bearable than the old days. Using the internet and forums like this can educate you and encourage you. Keep in mind though, there are bumps in every road. Don't get discouraged when you encounter them. For many of us, (myself included), it took many months to work out all the kinks. When that happens for you, you'll be glad you stuck it out. When I first went on BP meds, my doctor told me that I'd likely be on them the rest of my life. Right now, I've been off them for some years now. I still have to be careful & keep an eye on it, but I'm sure this improvement is due to me going on CPAP.

[zoocrewphoto]

Thank you for the replies. I'm really glad to find this forum. I was actually doing a search on google about adapting a night stand into a cpap holder. I am hoping to find a small night stand type piece of furniture that will fit under the desk that is already next to my bed. There is space there, and it would be a good location. I am concerned that my cat might puke on my machine. She eats too fast and tends to puke on a daily basis. She prefers to go up high before letting loose. And on top of my desk is a set of drawers and then a special cat bed. Right now, my machine is sitting on the floor with a towel over it to protect it.

Last night was my first night with the machine. It went pretty well. The mask felt a bit tighter than at the sleep study, but did leak a little. I could barely feel anything, but I could hear it a little. It wasn't bad, so I'm sure a little adjustment and it will be okay. And if that is all the noise it makes, I can get used to that.

My only real concern is that this morning, when I checked the info, it said I used it for 0.6 hours. In reality, I used it from 2am to 5am, and then 7am to 12:40pm. On another page, it said greater than 4 hours 0/1 days. So, it did not register my full usage. I need the doctor to be able to look at results, and the insurance company will need to see compliance. So, if it does this again tonight, I will call the DME and ask what I am doing wrong.

[Julie]

You're not doing anything ''wrong', but many machines don't track information of less than 4 hours, so hopefully you'll start sleeping in longer increments at one time.

[zoocrewphoto]

When I took the nap, it did show 1.5 hours. And the last time, after the interuption, was a little over 5 1/2 hours. So, it should have shown something. I can't imagine how it came up with 0.6 hours.

I'm going to try and get the software up and running. My computer deleted my volume icon yesterday, so I had to reboot it today to get it back up to unmute my sound. I will play the video to learn how to use the software.

[zoocrewphoto]

It took me awhile, but I got Rescan up and running, and it finally generated a report for me. It shows I have used it for a total of 10 hours and 4 minutes, which is correct. I have no idea why the screen on the actual machine told me 0.6 hours for last time and 0/1 days for greater than 4 hours. It shows on the report that I did use it for more than 4 hours at one time.

Is it possible that the time change from one day to the next has an odd setting? Perhaps noon to noon as one day? I am a severe night owl, so I did sleep until 12:40pm, which could be where it came up with 0.6 hours.

If that is the case, can I have the time frame changed? I don't want to download the card every day, but I would like to see accurate info. And it doesn't seem to go back more than one day on the on-screen viewing.

How do I get the reports to print?

[Julie]

It may also track from midnight through noon, then start registering as a new day... I'm not familiar with all machines though, but I think that might be it... hopefully someone else will explain that better.

[Pugsy]

ResMed machines do start a new day and new tracking period at noon and when you look at the onscreen data..it will change to a new day at noon...so if you sleep till 12:30 PM...you have 0.5 hour showing.
No big deal. It all shows in the software. There is a way to go back to a previous session in the machine screen though. The provider manual shows how. Do you have the provider manual? If not, I can send you one.
You can use SleepyHead software with your machine. I have links for it in my signature.

[Mary Z]

zoocrewphoto, nice looking cat. Welcome to the forum. You have gotten good advice- read, read, read. Be careful about covering the machine with a towel- it may be fine, I understand you don't want the cat to mess it up. The machine has to have good airflow around it to work properly. Your towel may or may not interfere. Maybe something really light like cheese cloth....Good luck. Keep us posted.

[chunkyfrog]

Welcome to the forum.
If you have any issues with comfort, frustration, or just want to rant--well, we've been there.

[zoocrewphoto]

zoocrewphoto, nice looking cat. Welcome to the forum. You have gotten good advice- read, read, read. Be careful about covering the machine with a towel- it may be fine, I understand you don't want the cat to mess it up. The machine has to have good airflow around it to work properly. Your towel may or may not interfere. Maybe something really light like cheese cloth....Good luck. Keep us posted.

Thanks. It is actually a light sheet, and I am trying to keep it vented nicely. I do hope to have something better for it tomorrow.

[zoocrewphoto]

ResMed machines do start a new day and new tracking period at noon and when you look at the onscreen data..it will change to a new day at noon...so if you sleep till 12:30 PM...you have 0.5 hour showing.
No big deal. It all shows in the software. There is a way to go back to a previous session in the machine screen though. The provider manual shows how. Do you have the provider manual? If not, I can send you one.
You can use SleepyHead software with your machine. I have links for it in my signature.

I have the manual, but I don't see anything about viewing info, other than push the info button. I have tried pushing the other buttons or turning the dial. No luck. But I did get Rescan working on my computer, and that is now showing full data.

I also changed the time on my machine so that it now thinks that noon is at 4pm. So, no matter what I sleep, it will show the whole night as one set of data, instead of showing two separate pieces.