First night on CPAP

Finally got to see the doctor on Tuesday to go over my sleep study results and found I had an Apnea Index of 113, total 680 obstructive apneas and 613 desaturations and 14 percent of sleeptime spent below 88 percent oxygen going as low as 78 percent during the sleep study. It was probably my fault confusing the doctors assistant but I was scheduled for a titration visit to the sleep centre in two weeks time and I did'nt realise it was going to be that long until I got home! I rang the sleep centre direct and got an appointment for the following night which was last night. While its fresh in my mind I wanted to share the experience so other newbies have an idea of what to expect.
Arrived at the sleep centre at 8.15 and was lucky enough to get the same nurse who did my first sleep study. I asked if I could try a full face mask as breathing through my nose is harder than breathing through my mouth. She agreed to let me try one but she had a Mirage Activa LT nasal mask ready and I sat with this watching TV for half an hour on about 5(cm's). I found it very easy to breath through my nose for the first time in years. I did'nt realise that when your airway is held open its hard to speak clearly. No problems so far. After thirty minutes the nurse brought a full face mask for me to try. I have a beard and was prepared to shave it off if we could'nt get a good seal but the part of the mask in contact with the face is super soft and sealed well at low pressure. After reading other peoples experiences here I was expecting better results from the full face mask but it was much bigger, restricted movement more and I found it very difficult to breath through my nose as it seemed to force all the air into my mouth. One thing I did'nt anticipate with both masks was that I could'nt wear my spectacles which meant I couldnt watch tv or read a book. The nurse recommended I tried to sleep using the nasal mask and if I had a problem we would go back to the full face mask. I was happy to follow her recommendation.

Next followed the usual glueing and taping all the sensors and testing them before I was ready to try and sleep. After sitting upright with the nasal mask and breathing so easily I was disappointed to find I was struggling to breath laying on my back and it was even harder laying on my side. It was hard to breath in as my nose felt blocked like when you have a cold and it was hard to breath out to. Eventually after what felt like nearly an hour I finally fell asleep getting used to the machines note change as I breathed in and out. Some one here described the sound as like a turbine accelerating and decelerating which is a pretty accurate simile. I remember at various times being able to breath very easily and all I could hear was the rush of air in the mask as I breathed and no machine noise. Other times I experienced what I can only descibe as a nasal snore and it felt like I was'nt getting enough air and having to work hard at breathing in and out. I woke at one point because the mask had slid up on my head and was leaking. It was blowing cold air into the corner of my eye and the mask was pressed hard against the bottom of my nose which was uncomfortable. I called the nurse who put the mask back in a more comfortable position. I was dreaming when I woke which is something I havent done for years and felt ready to get up for the day but it was only 12.30!

Back to sleep after 15 mins or so and next thing I know its time to wake up at 5am. I felt like I wanted more sleep but when I got home I only slept for another 30 mins before waking and am now much wider awake than I have been for months and am ready to go out and get on with all the chores rather than leaving them for another day.

One other aspect of the nasal mask was that if I did feel I was struggling for air I could just open my mouth and breath. If I had been wearing a full face mask I think the panic level would have risen rapidly. I was worried that my mouth would have fallen open while sleeping on the CPAP and the nurse told me we might need to use a chin strap if that happened although it wasnt usually a problem. In reality as soon as I opened my mouth the sound and feel of air rushing out of my mouth and the increase in breathing effort made me want to close my mouth again and I dont think I had any problems with it while asleep.

I may have to wait 10 days now until I get a call to say I can get my machine to use at home and hopefully it wont be too hard to get the Resmed Elite 11 machine I want. Am still excited to get it and have that deep sleep feeling I had last night. Thanks for all the posts from people here and to the Kalamazoo Sleep Study centre for all the advice.

Sleep Well folks and sweet dreams.

Hello Dave, sounds like you had a good night getting tested. One thing not to try and that is drinking with the mask on. Even if turn off the machine the auto start might kick in and you will have water all over the place. You might want to give a mask like the Hybrid or Liberty a try as they will let you wear glasses and breath thru your mouth. Now you just have to wait for what will seem like ever.
Don

Restlessdave wrote:I had an Apnea Index of 113, total 680 obstructive apneas and 613 desaturations and 14 percent of sleeptime spent below 88 percent oxygen going as low as 78 percent during the sleep study.

Wowie. What was your Hypopnea Index, or your total AHI?

Sounds like you are ready, that's great good luck to you, keep reading the post here, and let
us know as soon as you get your supplies,

Glad to hear you got the diagnosis and titration done, Dave. You're on your way to better breathin' sleep soon, when you receive your machine!

Welcome to our special world.

Thanks to all of you who replied. I hope no one will be offended if I send a group reply. I can just imagine the mess if you tried to drink water on a CPAP. he he. Might have to try that some time I am still trying to understand some of the terminology and what a normal value is. Will go back to the Newbie definitions and print them out. The sleep report says I had 680 obstructive apneas and 1 central Apnea There were 18 hypopneas with AHI 116. There were 613 desaturations, Respiritory Arousal Index was 9.8. Total sleep time 361.5 mins. Sleep Efficiency 74.7% Total Arousal Index 14.8
Rem AHI was 129.8 Must have been some awsome dreaming but it might be just as well I dont remember what I was dreaming about. Will get back to some studying now and wait for a call to say I can visit the DMU and get a machine set up. Thanks All

Dave,

Good to hear you had such a positive experience with the CPAP. Since you are going for a ResMed machine you may want to try the Swift LT Nasal Pillow mask. I can wear my glasses with it and it is far less intrusive than the larger masks. I am one week into my CPAP life. Other than a sore nose in the beginning it has gone smoothly. Keep the dreams coming!

Mark