Please help! Newbie - big problems adapting to CPAP

rick blaine · Post by **rick blaine** » Thu Mar 29, 2018 12:21 pm

Boots have cervical collars, but often only in the bigger stores.

Lloyds also have a range.

Prices about a fiver.

The advantage of going to a physical store is - even if they don't let you try the collar on (for hygiene reasons), you can hold it up to your neck (still in its wrapping) and get a sense of whether it is too long/ not long enough/ just right.

You do not need a prescription.

Waynefb2002 · Post by **Waynefb2002** » Thu Mar 29, 2018 1:02 pm

Cool. Thanks.

Waynefb2002 · Post by **Waynefb2002** » Mon Apr 02, 2018 12:59 pm

Hi again,
Hope you've all had a good weekend.
A quick question please - im still finding my way round sleepyhead so wanted to check something with you.
I tried using a mask liner on 31/3/18 and I think it leaked horribly! My ahi was high for that night (ahi 13).
In the screenshots below, do the data show correlation between 'leak rates' and ahi?
31/3/18 ahi 13 because very leaky;
1/4/18 ahi 5 because least leaky;
2/4/18 ahi 8 because a bit leaky (but not as bad as 31/3/18).

If so, then it will be worth spending a bit more time & money on mask seal and minimising red marks.
If the data actually show that it's something else then....well I don't know!

Thanks again folks.
Best,
Wayne.

Jas_williams · Post by **Jas_williams** » Mon Apr 02, 2018 1:06 pm

The night with the worst leaks was Sunday night but even that one was not bad. It does not look like leaks play a part in your treatment. It looks more like your events are positional and a soft cervical collar may help prevent your chin tucking to your chest and obstructing your airway

Waynefb2002 · Post by **Waynefb2002** » Mon Apr 02, 2018 3:11 pm

Ok thank you. Collar is on order. Hopefully that will arrive soon & make some improvement.
Best wishes
Wayne

Okie bipap · Post by **Okie bipap** » Mon Apr 02, 2018 5:27 pm

Your leaks are not bad enough to affect your treatment. I you are running a strait 20 cm pressure, you may want to talk to your doctor about getting a different machine. Most bi-level machines go as high as 25cm pressure. Right now, you are running your machine at its maximum output all night long.

Jas_williams · Post by **Jas_williams** » Tue Apr 03, 2018 12:29 am

Okie bipap wrote: ↑
Mon Apr 02, 2018 5:27 pm
Your leaks are not bad enough to affect your treatment. I you are running a strait 20 cm pressure, you may want to talk to your doctor about getting a different machine. Most bi-level machines go as high as 25cm pressure. Right now, you are running your machine at its maximum output all night long.

Once you get the cervical collar you may find your pressure needs reduce and you can use a more comfortable pressure than the maximum of 20

Waynefb2002 · Post by **Waynefb2002** » Tue Apr 03, 2018 8:33 am

That certainly would be nice!

Fingers crossed then.

I will report back when I've tried the collar.
Cheers,
Wayne.

D.H. · Post by **D.H.** » Tue Apr 03, 2018 8:35 am

If you have sores from the mask, it could bee too tight or too loose. It is a very common mistake (especially among newbies) to try to solve every leak or fitting issue by tightening. However, you might do well by loosening and especially checking the relative tightness of the upper and lower straps.

Also, if you're sensitive to the latex, try soaking in 50% vinegar solution for two hours.

Waynefb2002 · Post by **Waynefb2002** » Tue Apr 03, 2018 8:56 am

Cool thanks. I will try those things.

Waynefb2002 · Post by **Waynefb2002** » Fri Apr 13, 2018 10:26 am

Hi folks,
My neck brace arrived - tried it 7/4/18 - AHI according to sleepyhead was 4.2.

I have now begun 'hell week' (where I will use the machine every night for at least a week, no matter how unwell I feel).
According to sleepyhead, AHI for 12/4/18 was 2.7 and last night 13/4/18 was 2.3. (see screen caps below.)
This is brilliant & I'm very pleased.
BUT
The sleep report on my machine for last night said AHI=24!!! (And I checked that I haven't misread decimal point.)
That is not so good!
So, my question is, are the data from sleepyhead the accurate ones and the ones I should take notice of? Or the machine?
Also, what will the clinic see? At some point I will want the consultant to write me a letter confirming that the apnoea is being controlled. No problem if it's 2.3, not so good if it's 24!!
Am worried!

Thank you,
Wayne.

Waynefb2002 · Post by **Waynefb2002** » Fri Apr 13, 2018 10:33 am

I've just had another bad thought - because I have delayed sleep phase syndrome at the moment, my actual sleep time tends to be from about 6.30am to about 2.30pm.

I know this is messed up (and I am working on it) but is this being captured by sleepyhead? It looks as if it cuts off at 1pm.

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Fri Apr 13, 2018 10:34 am

Don't worry about the sleep report on the machine...it's reporting the AHI for that very last and very short sleep session and not the entire night.

Your turned the machine off...and then back on again for a very brief time and had 1 maybe 2 events and the time frame involved had to be extrapolated to equal a 1 hour segment for reporting purposes. It's one of those things that "if this happened for an hour this would have been the AHI" but of course there's no guarantee that those events would have repeated themselves at all if an hour had lapsed.

What you see on SleepyHead is accurate for the entire night.
You can quit worrying and just be happy that there is light at the end of the tunnel with something as simple as a cervical collar.

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Fri Apr 13, 2018 10:39 am

It's the machine reporting clock and session thing that is maybe messing with how the reports might look at time.

ResMed starts a new sleep session reporting time at 12 Noon per the machine clock.

When you have some sleep time prior to noon and some time after 12 Noon...the reporting gets a bit whacko in terms of what the graphs might look like.
It all equals out long term but if it bugs you too much you can change the machine clock so that your new reporting time ends up being a time when you normally are awake.

Your reported times won't match actual real life times but the reports won't be split.
We have people here in the US that do that...the people that work nights and sleep days.
Like offset the clock 12 hours...when the machine thinks it's noon it's actually midnight.

Waynefb2002 · Post by **Waynefb2002** » Fri Apr 13, 2018 11:27 am

Ah thank you.
Yes, I would prefer it not to break the session.

I think I might have b*ggered something up here!

It tried to wind the clock on 12 hrs but it said 'time cannot be set in the past' - so I wound the date on to 14th then tried to alter the time again.....it wouldn't let me! So now it thinks it's tomorrow!! (24 hours from now!)
Woops.

Any ideas?

Please help! Newbie - big problems adapting to CPAP

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Machine	Mask

Additional Comments: Auto PAP; 13.5 cmH2O min - 20 cmH2O max