Another newbie with questions

Hi all, I was just diagnosed with sleep apnea on Friday and have used my cpap machine 3 nights now. I use the ResMed S8 Escape 2 with the humidifier and the Swift LT for Her mask.
My questions:
Is feeling sick to my stomach "normal"..if so what causes it how can I stop it?
Any tips on how to avoid leaks when I change position, this seems to wake me up quite a bit during the night.
I fell more tired now than when I started...when will that ease up?
Thank you I appreciate any help!

Mystic wrote:Hi all, I was just diagnosed with sleep apnea on Friday and have used my cpap machine 3 nights now. I use the ResMed S8 Escape 2 with the humidifier and the Swift LT for Her mask.
My questions:
Is feeling sick to my stomach "normal"..if so what causes it how can I stop it?
Any tips on how to avoid leaks when I change position, this seems to wake me up quite a bit during the night.
I fell more tired now than when I started...when will that ease up?
Thank you I appreciate any help!

No, feeling sick is not normal. When does this happen and have you discussed with your Doc?

Perhaps tightening up the mask will reduce leakage on movement... it really depends on how much you thrash about.

More tired now is not good, but...

Unfortunately you have the Resmed Escape machine which will not provide data to let you know how your therapy is going. The Resmed S8 Elite will provide you with leak rate, AI, HI, AHI which are crucial to have to see if your therapy is actually working.

If I was you... I would return the Escape and ask for a fully data compliant machine which the Resmed S8 Elite II is.

"Feeling sick" could mean a lot of things. One thing that comes to mind is gerd/heartburn. Are you having lots of aerophagia (swallowing air - which leads to bloat)?

Leaks when changing position: a number of possibilities here. Mask adjustment may be one issue. Do you toss and turn a lot or is it once or twice a night? What kind of mask are you using? Have you tried any others?

You'll probably feel tired until you start getting some solid sleep. Some believe that a long time with lack of sleep (such as with obstructive apnea) can result in a "sleep deficit". In any case, some people feel better fairly quickly while for others it can take months. I felt noticeably better at one month and then improvement gradually continued for another 6-12 months.

Mindy

Mystic wrote:Hi all, I was just diagnosed with sleep apnea on Friday and have used my cpap machine 3 nights now. I use the ResMed S8 Escape 2 with the humidifier and the Swift LT for Her mask.
My questions:
Is feeling sick to my stomach "normal"..if so what causes it how can I stop it?
Any tips on how to avoid leaks when I change position, this seems to wake me up quite a bit during the night.
I fell more tired now than when I started...when will that ease up?
Thank you I appreciate any help!

The very first time I used a machine, during titration, Feb 27, the pressure caused lots of acid reflux. I didn't even know I had a problem with acid reflux until that night. Then I was on a CPAP with constant pressure of 14 and spent that week almost throwing up in my mask. One doctor told me I would have to get used to it. The sleep doctor traded my CPAP for an APAP set 4/17 ( I was locked out) I unlocked it and got the software and reader and am working towards finding where I need to be on the machine.

Actually I will probably need a different type of machine and that is in the works with another titration study and a new sleep doctor. But also I went to a gastro doctor and I have GERD and underwent an upper endoscopy on Thursday...I don't have the results of the biopsies yet but the doctor mentioned on my checkout papers that if the acid reflux/GERD meds don't work, that GES or Reslan may be tried. My stomach/LES seem to be working much more slowly than they should or not in a proper manner. I've got two more doctor's appts this week about the stomach thing and sleep apnea. Right now I feel pretty sick at my stomach for about half a day because of this...I felt better before I was on XPAP.

But I'm taking steps towards figuring out the problems and finding the right XPAP machine for me. At least you know you aren't alone in feeling badly But I KNOW I am going to feel better eventually and I'm taking steps everyday towards that goal. I couldn't get the Quattro small or xsmall to stop leaking on me no matter what I tried so I switched to the Swift LT for Her and it has worked great for me (after I purchased lanolin for my sore nose).

So for today, I am taking acid reflux meds and have the head of my bed raised to help me with the acid reflux...but in my case more may need to be done. As for me still feeling tired, my machine may not be the right machine for me and I will be seeing a new sleep doctor this week. Good luck and keep at it...don't accept feeling sick...I know things can get better.

robertmarilyn wrote:.....But I'm taking steps towards figuring out the problems and finding the right XPAP machine for me. At least you know you aren't alone in feeling badly But I KNOW I am going to feel better eventually and I'm taking steps everyday towards that goal. I couldn't get the Quattro small or xsmall to stop leaking on me no matter what I tried so I switched to the Swift LT for Her and it has worked great for me (after I purchased lanolin for my sore nose).

So for today, I am taking acid reflux meds and have the head of my bed raised to help me with the acid reflux...but in my case more may need to be done. As for me still feeling tired, my machine may not be the right machine for me and I will be seeing a new sleep doctor this week. Good luck and keep at it...don't accept feeling sick...I know things can get better.

Good for you, robertmarilyn! You've got a great attitude and although your therapy has a way to go, you've got the perspective to make it work.

Mindy

Welcome Mystic,

I can't help you with sick or tired. The other postings have more insight than I do. However, I use a Swift LT mask and was having some leak problems in the beginning. Get some Lansinoh Lanolin (look for breast cream in the baby aisle at Walmart). It is thick and helps the nose pillows seal. It also soothes your nose. Apply it with a Q-Tip to avoid the big mess I made in the beginning.

Paradoxically, tightening the Swift LT too much will cause it to leak more. Leave it as loose as you can. It is also more comfortable that way.

Keep experimenting with the mask and hang in there. Things will get better.

Mark

Mystic wrote:...I fell more tired now than when I started...when will that ease up?
Thank you I appreciate any help!

Welcome Mystic,

If you're talking about waking up with a sense of queasiness in the belly, this happened for me for the first couple of weeks. I thought it because my muscles were working in a way in which my body was unfamiliar. I've had the same kind of feeling when doing too many push-ups or crunches, so I've got something to gauge it against. If it feels like that to you, it may just be a case of waiting for your body to adjust to new muscles usage.

Another thing to consider: try turning off the EPR. Some people experience an autonomic response that causes them to continually anticipate each next breath when EPR (or CFlex, depending on the machine) is on. You end up breathing faster than you ordinarily would during sleep because your body is being 'coached' by the machine to do so. See if you notice that in yourself. It doesn't happen with everyone, but it does for me. When I turned off Cflex, the over-breathing stopped, and my body started breathing at normal intervals during sleep.

Thank you all so much! You have all given me alot to think about and DO! Just knowing others have felt or gone thru what I am helps.

mindy wrote:
Good for you, robertmarilyn! You've got a great attitude and although your therapy has a way to go, you've got the perspective to make it work.
Mindy

Thanks Mindy,

And I took a big step forward today. I tried to talk to my sleep doctor again today (took my husband with me and I swear the doctor "listened" to me this time because he was there). We had a good in depth talk about how I am doing and how I am feeling (terrible). And although my blood pressure was 118/78, my oxygen level was 88-90%. He has scheduled me for chest xrays and lung and heart tests for this week. And because I didn't go past stage 2 sleep in either of my sleep tests in Feb, he has scheduled me for another sleep test.

The test is in 5 weeks. Its going to be the sleep test at night and then the daytime test (I forgot what it is called...I'm going to look it up and see what is involved) so I will be there for about 24 hours. We would like to see how I do in REM sleep and if I have centrals. And he wants to see what my body is doing doing the waking hours. The reason the test is 5 weeks away is so that I can stop taking Zoloft and have it out of my system. He also wants me to stop taking Allegra D until after the test, in case it is making me tired.

I'm to keep using my autopap until I am tested. Keep regular sleeping hours, practice good sleep hygiene, take good care of myself between now and then, like I have already been doing. I've purchased an oximeter which should be here on Friday...I was hoping it would say I was doing well on oxygen levels but that's wishful thinking if it read 88% while I am awake. Five weeks seems like a long time to wait for my next test but we will have taken the steps we need to take to prove that I need a bipap or some other machine, if that is the case.

I am going to be feeling better eventually!

Marilyn

Mystic--I have the Swift LT. It helped putting Padacheeks on the mask for the slipping around, hence a better fit. Do try the lanolin, and I have found I usually have to start over if I get to leaking. I turn off the machine, reseat the mask, and turn the machine back on. Good luck--it is a journey.--JS

robertmarilyn wrote:...
I'm to keep using my autopap until I am tested. Keep regular sleeping hours, practice good sleep hygiene, take good care of myself between now and then, like I have already been doing. I've purchased an oximeter which should be here on Friday...I was hoping it would say I was doing well on oxygen levels but that's wishful thinking if it read 88% while I am awake. Five weeks seems like a long time to wait for my next test but we will have taken the steps we need to take to prove that I need a bipap or some other machine, if that is the case.

I am going to be feeling better eventually!

Marilyn

Marilyn,

With an awake O2sat of 88%, imho it sounds like you've got more going on than sleep apnea. Glad to hear your doc listened (whatever the reason) and is pursuing finding out what's wrong. It can be quite a journey when we have multiple problems but we can get through it. Many of us seem to have multiple things wrong - from COPD to heart problems, etc. So when cpap therapy doesn't work well enough, it helps to get the other things sorted out, too. For me, a bad day does not = poor cpap therapy (although it can) - instead it means any one of a number of things. It's a pain, but the payoff is there when I have a really good day and feel great

Hang in there!
Mindy