New to using the machine not new to having one

I just wanted to say hello. I just noticed this forum while trying to find some answers to my problems with my cpap machine. A little history, i have had my machine for almost 2 years. I noticed i snored but never really thought much about it until my wife could not tolerate it anymore. I work swing shifts so being tired most of the time was normal for me. I went to the sleep Dr and did the overnight sleep study. They said I was waking myself up over 60 times an hour. I was not sure the results were accurate since i only slept about 2 hours during the study because i had to sleep on my back, which i am not used too. I purchased the Resmed Autoset and tried to use it a couple of nights, I could not get to sleep with it on. They first had me using nasal pillows but i was opening my mouth so i went with a full face setup. I continued to try for a couple of weeks and would take the mask off after an hour or so when i would wake up startled. I ended up sleeping on the couch for almost the entire next year and a half. I figured at least some sleep was better than messing with the mask all night or not sleeping at all with it on. Fast forward to about a month ago and not sleeping together was starting to take a real toll on our marriage. i buckled down and started using the machine through the night. 1st 3 hours, then 4.5 up to about 8 hours a night over the last month. The problem is I don't notice any difference in my fatigue. I still get abruptly awakened almost every hour or so.I have started getting used to sleeping on my back because if i sleep in any other position the mask shifts and starts to leak, waking me up. My wife is also telling me that i still snore. I have an appointment January 15th to see my Dr again for the 4th or 5th time since this all began. I'm hoping this time he has enough data to help me, i had not logged enough on the machine the last few times i went to see him. I was just wondering if anyone had any tips or hints or at least knew where i was coming from.

Thanks,

Will

highhopes420 wrote:I was just wondering if anyone had any tips or hints or at least knew where i was coming from.

step 1, download sleepyhead (see my sig)
step 2, upload the data from your sd card in the back of your autoset into sleepyhead.
step 3, post a couple nights charts.

arrange them so they look something like this:

I will as soon as i get home. I am working till 12:00am. I wish i would have brought the card with me. it looks like i can learn a lot from sleepyhead.

Also: what kind of machine are you using [ETA: I see you said Resmed Autoset]? What are your pressure settings? Are you using ramp?

Sometimes people are provided with an APAP machine with "wide open" settings (4 - 20) so they spend a part of the night undertreated and gasping for breath. Those people--AND I HAVE NO IDEA IF YOU ARE ONE--can benefit by raising the minimum setting to closer to what their pressure climbs to. SleepyHead will give you some insight. I have my suspicions based on your statement that you are "waking up startled" every hour or so. However, data is king.

There is collective knowledge here about how to jimmy the settings on the Resmed Autoset, and also how to adjust comfort settings such as the level of EPR (makes it easier to exhale against the pressure). Also, the "ramp" setting can cause more trouble than it's worth and is easily gotten rid of. But don't try to fix anything that has not yet determined to be broken.

Mask leaks can often be fixed. Getting the right mask, and learning how to sleep in it, can be the trickiest part of getting the therapy right for many, many folks.

Welcome. Sorry you had to join us.

As much as I distrust the "medical mafia," if they diagnosed you with apnea, especially with an AHI of 60, you probably really do have it and have it bad.

Keep the faith. These problems can usually be worked through, although the medical mafia does such a bad job that you often have to do a lot of the work yourself. You're lucky that you got the AutoSet, it's an excellent machine.

Sometimes, even if everything is right with the CPAP, it takes a while for your body to adjust and recover. Sometimes you need to adjust the therapy.

Do get the software and learn to read the results. Unfortunately, your doctor is unlikely to monitor your results very well.

Another problem to be careful of is that even if you eliminate apnea, you can still have other problems.

1) If you have an AHI of 60, apnea is killing you slowly, even you don't feel different with CPAP.
2) After you fix your apnea, don't get "apnea blindness," where you assume all your health problems are due to apnea. Even the doctors tend to make this mistake, and many patients are worse.

Please fill in your equipment on your profile. There's a link in my signature line with hints on how to do that.

BTW, PLEASE use paragraphs. It's too hard to read without.

I'm sorry about the paragraphs. After reading through some of the posts i started to get excited and quickly posted. I am pretty computer and technologically literate I'm not sure why it has taken so long to do my own research or look for an online forum or support.

I will know more about my machine when i get home. All i am sure of is it is a S9 Resmed Autoset with the humidifier attachment. I don't know if they make different versions of the S9.

I disabled the ramp function almost immediately. It was a big reason i was having problems getting to sleep using the machine in the first place

I know my Dr increased the pressure at my last appointment but not sure what he increased it too. I will know and post as soon as i get home assuming sleepyhead will tell me that.

I just wanted to say thank you for your quick replies, kicking myself for not looking into this myself before now.

highhopes420 wrote: I don't know if they make different versions of the S9.

about 13 different ones.

You will also want to get the Clinicians Manual, it will tell what the machine is capable of and how to do it. There is also a tutorial there telling how to do it.

http://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-p ... tup-manual

OK, Still a couple of hours til I am home but I managed to figure out my equipment.

grayghost4 wrote:You will also want to get the Clinicians Manual, it will tell what the machine is capable of and how to do it. There is also a tutorial there telling how to do it.

http://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-p ... tup-manual

Thanks for the link to the clinicians manual.

I have the graphs from last night and sleepyhead said they were bad. How do I post the screenshot?

highhopes420 wrote:I have the graphs from last night and sleepyhead said they were bad. How do I post the screenshot?

upload them to imgur.com and post the linkedbbcode links that imgur gives you

Your minimum pressure is too low and the maximum pressure is also likely too low. Looks for a good bit of the night your pressure is maxed out at 12 cm. Hard to tell with the tiny mask pressure graph.
Even your median pressure is nearly at your maximum.
Those hyponeas and OAs could very well be responsible for the awakenings/arousals that you are experiencing.
So your therapy pressure settings aren't getting the job done.

I could only sleep for about 3 hours last night but here is what I got. Ill try and make the mask pressure graph bigger.

I'd say 10-14 might be better pressures