About 3 months in........
About 3 months in........
and think I'm about to give up. CPAP is causing so many issues with my breathing during the day (over breathing and feeling like I'm being forced to breathe when I don't want to) that I don't think I can do it anymore. My ENT thinks it's anxiety, which may be the case. However, I've never had the issue before CPAP, so no doubt that it's related. If I was confident that it would subside, I'd power through it, but just don't see it happening.
- Wulfman...
- Posts: 6688
- Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2014 6:41 pm
- Location: Nearest fishing spot
Re: About 3 months in........
Oh, come on.......you don't want to quit. And, your health probably depends on not quitting.
There has to be some element of the therapy that can be tweaked to make it work better for you.
Mask.....pressure.....Flex setting.......something.
Den
.
There has to be some element of the therapy that can be tweaked to make it work better for you.
Mask.....pressure.....Flex setting.......something.
Den
.
(5) REMstar Autos w/C-Flex & (6) REMstar Pro 2 CPAPs w/C-Flex - Pressure Setting = 14 cm.
"Passover" Humidification - ResMed Ultra Mirage FF - Encore Pro w/Card Reader & MyEncore software - Chiroflow pillow
User since 05/14/05
"Passover" Humidification - ResMed Ultra Mirage FF - Encore Pro w/Card Reader & MyEncore software - Chiroflow pillow
User since 05/14/05
- chunkyfrog
- Posts: 34400
- Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2010 5:10 pm
- Location: Nebraska--I am sworn to keep the secret of this paradise.
Re: About 3 months in........
Don't want to . . . BREATHE? You cannot really mean that! The alternative would be . . . very quietjnew71 wrote: . . . feeling like I'm being forced to breathe when I don't want to
I would suggest a mask liner, but they don't make them for pillows--maybe a barrel cozy?
_________________
Mask: AirFit™ P10 For Her Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear |
Additional Comments: Airsense 10 Autoset for Her |
Re: About 3 months in........
Pardon the ignorance, but what would liners have to do with my daytime breathing?chunkyfrog... wrote:Don't want to . . . BREATHE? You cannot really mean that! The alternative would be . . . very quiet
I would suggest a mask liner, but they don't make them for pillows--maybe a barrel cozy?
I've made changes to all and while my numbers have improved and stabilized, the feeling during the day have not improved. I did wonder if the concentrated stream of air that accompanies the nasal pillows could be an issue for me and considered another mask, but who knows.Wulfman... wrote:Oh, come on.......you don't want to quit. And, your health probably depends on not quitting.
There has to be some element of the therapy that can be tweaked to make it work better for you.
Mask.....pressure.....Flex setting.......something.
.
- Wulfman...
- Posts: 6688
- Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2014 6:41 pm
- Location: Nearest fishing spot
Re: About 3 months in........
Then I'd suggest looking at all the masks at CPAP.COM and do some evaluating as to whether some other design may be more to your liking.
What are the settings in your machine (pressure, humidity, exhale relief, etc.)
Den
.
What are the settings in your machine (pressure, humidity, exhale relief, etc.)
Den
.
(5) REMstar Autos w/C-Flex & (6) REMstar Pro 2 CPAPs w/C-Flex - Pressure Setting = 14 cm.
"Passover" Humidification - ResMed Ultra Mirage FF - Encore Pro w/Card Reader & MyEncore software - Chiroflow pillow
User since 05/14/05
"Passover" Humidification - ResMed Ultra Mirage FF - Encore Pro w/Card Reader & MyEncore software - Chiroflow pillow
User since 05/14/05
Re: About 3 months in........
Wulfman... wrote:Then I'd suggest looking at all the masks at CPAP.COM and do some evaluating as to whether some other design may be more to your liking.
What are the settings in your machine (pressure, humidity, exhale relief, etc.)
.
Pressure @ 9, flex disabled (just recently), humidity@3.
Re: About 3 months in........
I think it probably is anxiety... some kind of reaction, which wouldn't be very abnormal considering most of us take a while getting used to be Darth Vader, but have you no distraction that you can go to that would take your attention for a while so that you forget about breathing (as we do when not on Cpap)? You may not be a yoga person, but is there something to put in place so you aren't conscious of your breathing, and in time (maybe even a short time) you'll forget altogether and doing it at night will be no more than another domestic habit? Arrange something active with friends, or find something you like that forces you to concentrate for a while... you never know, you might even enjoy it.
_________________
Mask: Ultra Mirage™ Full Face CPAP Mask with Headgear |
Humidifier: IntelliPAP Integrated Heated Humidifier |
Last edited by Julie on Sat Jan 31, 2015 6:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
- Wulfman...
- Posts: 6688
- Joined: Mon Sep 01, 2014 6:41 pm
- Location: Nearest fishing spot
Re: About 3 months in........
Does it feel like 9 cm. is too much or not enough? (with or without Flex?)jnew71 wrote:Wulfman... wrote:Then I'd suggest looking at all the masks at CPAP.COM and do some evaluating as to whether some other design may be more to your liking.
What are the settings in your machine (pressure, humidity, exhale relief, etc.)
.
Pressure @ 9, flex disabled (just recently), humidity@3.
Does the humidity setting feel like too much, not enough or just right?
Can you describe the daytime breathing sensation a little better? I was trying to think back to when I started and some of that experience. I think I can recall that periodically during the day I had to take some deep breaths.......like I wasn't getting enough air. Does that sound familiar?
Den
.
(5) REMstar Autos w/C-Flex & (6) REMstar Pro 2 CPAPs w/C-Flex - Pressure Setting = 14 cm.
"Passover" Humidification - ResMed Ultra Mirage FF - Encore Pro w/Card Reader & MyEncore software - Chiroflow pillow
User since 05/14/05
"Passover" Humidification - ResMed Ultra Mirage FF - Encore Pro w/Card Reader & MyEncore software - Chiroflow pillow
User since 05/14/05
Re: About 3 months in........
when you put the nasal pillows on your nose, there is no "concentrated stream of air". there's just the pressure to hold your throat open, and then the air flows in and out of your nose, just like normal without the cpap...jnew71 wrote:I did wonder if the concentrated stream of air that accompanies the nasal pillows could be an issue for me and considered another mask, but who knows.
no stream, just a little pressure to help you live.
Get OSCAR
Accounts to put on the foe list: dataq1, clownbell, gearchange, lynninnj, mper!?, DreamDiver, Geer1, almostadoctor, sleepgeek, ajack, stom, mogy, D.H., They often post misleading, timewasting stuff.
Accounts to put on the foe list: dataq1, clownbell, gearchange, lynninnj, mper!?, DreamDiver, Geer1, almostadoctor, sleepgeek, ajack, stom, mogy, D.H., They often post misleading, timewasting stuff.
- chunkyfrog
- Posts: 34400
- Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2010 5:10 pm
- Location: Nebraska--I am sworn to keep the secret of this paradise.
Re: About 3 months in........
I don't think I could have used nasal pillows right out of the chute.
The first one I tried, (Swift LT) just did not feel right.
Some nasal pillows masks do not match the angle of my nares, I rejected the Aloha in minutes.
The PR Nuance Pro is incredibly soft, (but my head is too small for the headgear)
Sometimes one must kiss a lot of frogs . . . (puckering)
The first one I tried, (Swift LT) just did not feel right.
Some nasal pillows masks do not match the angle of my nares, I rejected the Aloha in minutes.
The PR Nuance Pro is incredibly soft, (but my head is too small for the headgear)
Sometimes one must kiss a lot of frogs . . . (puckering)
_________________
Mask: AirFit™ P10 For Her Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear |
Additional Comments: Airsense 10 Autoset for Her |
Re: About 3 months in........
Thanks for the lesson - I've seen you post this a few times and now understand what you mean. That being the case, I'm assuming that changing masks will do nothing for my daytime symptoms.palerider wrote: when you put the nasal pillows on your nose, there is no "concentrated stream of air". there's just the pressure to hold your throat open, and then the air flows in and out of your nose, just like normal without the cpap...
no stream, just a little pressure to help you live.
Hard to describe - Neck tightness on either side of my throat and a feeling like once I start to take a breath, that the air is sucked in more forcefully without any control (I realize breathing isn't supposed to be controlled, but natural), resulting in deeper and more frequent breathing. Of note, when I do CPAP at night, it does feel like it's causing me to over breathe (although I don't feel anxious). The daytime just seems like a continuation of what CPAP is doing at night if that makes sense.Wulfman... wrote: Does it feel like 9 cm. is too much or not enough? (with or without Flex?)
Does the humidity setting feel like too much, not enough or just right?
Can you describe the daytime breathing sensation a little better? I was trying to think back to when I started and some of that experience. I think I can recall that periodically during the day I had to take some deep breaths.......like I wasn't getting enough air. Does that sound familiar?
Den
.
As for pressure, 9 feels fine and I am good without the flex if I ramp (if you recall, you and I had a small back and forth about Cflex settings - my numbers were cut in half when I disabled flex and have remained this way). Humidity feels fine.
- Tatooed Lady
- Posts: 984
- Joined: Sat Jun 07, 2014 6:18 pm
- Location: Central Wisconsin
Re: About 3 months in........
Are you normally such a shallow breather that therapy is simply making you breathe more deeply all the time?
_________________
Mask: Swift™ FX For Her Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear |
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control |
Additional Comments: Precious and POW are very very good to me. |
As Bette Davis famously said, “Old age ain’t for sissies.”
I'm with the band.
So.Many.TOYS!
I'm with the band.
So.Many.TOYS!
Re: About 3 months in........
This is a great way to describe it - yes. I've always been a shallow mouth breather to the point that it's caused chronic neck pain for 9+ years. My journey began when I made the connection between my breathing and pain. I started concentrating on breathing through my nose during the day and had great success. My neck pain and muscle tone were greatly improved. However, I wanted to optimize, so I decided to see an ENT to see if there was any physical reason I had been inclined to breath through my mouth. After inquiring about sleep, he ordered an at home sleep study and said I had moderate sleep apnea. After 3 months, here we are -Tatooed Lady wrote:Are you normally such a shallow breather that therapy is simply making you breathe more deeply all the time?
Re: About 3 months in........
it's easy to make the mistake of thinking that cpap is some (as others have put it) gale force wind, but the truth of the matter is that it provides less pressure than you would use to blow bubbles through a straw in the bottom of a tall drink.jnew71 wrote:Thanks for the lesson - I've seen you post this a few times and now understand what you mean. That being the case, I'm assuming that changing masks will do nothing for my daytime symptoms.palerider wrote: when you put the nasal pillows on your nose, there is no "concentrated stream of air". there's just the pressure to hold your throat open, and then the air flows in and out of your nose, just like normal without the cpap, no stream, just a little pressure to help you live.
10cm/h2o is just that, about 4 inches of water, if you can stick a straw into a 4 (or more) inch deep drink, and blow bubbles, you've just blown harder than the average cpap setting is pushing at you. and it IS a push.
the only stream that's happening is coming up the hose, and then going out the vents... it doesn't go into your nose until you inhale.
now, when you take the mask off, the blower in the cpap ramps up to full speed, trying to maintain that gentle pressure... of course, it can't, since there's nothing pushing back, but it TRIES.
I wish that there was a tachometer on the blower motors, you could see how it's loafing along under normal circumstances, when it's on your nose, and then how it spins up to the redline when you take the mask off.
I can't speak to whether changing masks would make a difference or not, I have no data on your condition... my *feeling* is that mask choice may not matter, and it's something like what tatooed lady is suggesting... that, and who knows, maybe your neck muscles getting some rest after all these years
Get OSCAR
Accounts to put on the foe list: dataq1, clownbell, gearchange, lynninnj, mper!?, DreamDiver, Geer1, almostadoctor, sleepgeek, ajack, stom, mogy, D.H., They often post misleading, timewasting stuff.
Accounts to put on the foe list: dataq1, clownbell, gearchange, lynninnj, mper!?, DreamDiver, Geer1, almostadoctor, sleepgeek, ajack, stom, mogy, D.H., They often post misleading, timewasting stuff.
- Tatooed Lady
- Posts: 984
- Joined: Sat Jun 07, 2014 6:18 pm
- Location: Central Wisconsin
Re: About 3 months in........
Careful...I might just start feeling brilliant here, if people start agreeing with me.
So...maybe it's not a BAD thing that you're breathing deeper now. It feels "wrong" because you aren't used to it, but getting enough air to let your body relax as you sleep can't be a BAD thing. I had many aches and pains in my back, shoulders and neck pre-therapy...don't get me wrong, I'm NOT ache free now, but since dinking around with being able to breathe and not keep waking during the night, my body can finally relax. It takes time. It takes patience. I agree that you might just need to distract your brain from overthinking how deeply you breathe during the day. Music, meditation, wild naked dancing on tables while singing show tunes at the top of your lungs...whatever it takes.
So...maybe it's not a BAD thing that you're breathing deeper now. It feels "wrong" because you aren't used to it, but getting enough air to let your body relax as you sleep can't be a BAD thing. I had many aches and pains in my back, shoulders and neck pre-therapy...don't get me wrong, I'm NOT ache free now, but since dinking around with being able to breathe and not keep waking during the night, my body can finally relax. It takes time. It takes patience. I agree that you might just need to distract your brain from overthinking how deeply you breathe during the day. Music, meditation, wild naked dancing on tables while singing show tunes at the top of your lungs...whatever it takes.
_________________
Mask: Swift™ FX For Her Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear |
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control |
Additional Comments: Precious and POW are very very good to me. |
As Bette Davis famously said, “Old age ain’t for sissies.”
I'm with the band.
So.Many.TOYS!
I'm with the band.
So.Many.TOYS!