New to this, and I have some questions

So I have a ResMed S9 Auto CPAP with those nose pillows that I got three days ago. The first night was tough, and I kept taking it off, but I feel like I've done pretty well these last two nights, after turning on the EPR to 3, and turning on the SmartStart feature, which were both disabled when I received my machine. My AHI for last night was 3.1, after being 4.2 the night before, usage was 8.2 hours, and pressure was listed right around 8.

For some reason though, I feel sleepier than ever throughout the day, with bloodshot eyes and a lethargic brain. I also had a tingling sensation in my scalp and hair follicules for several hours after waking up. Is this normal, or could I be doing something wrong? I spoke with the technician and asked him about the tingling, and all he said was "that's really weird...never heard that one before...". Not so helpful.

Any feedback/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to the forum

You have a PM.

Get the software and look at daily details to see if anything stands out.
3 nights? Very early on and all this does take some adjustment. Make sure that leaks are under control. Look for possible groupings of event clusters.

Your odd symptoms bloodshot eyes and tingling in scalp? I have no idea.

General increased fatigue? yes, all this stuff on our face is quite an adjustment and for some people this disrupts the normal restorative sleep cycle and that in itself can cause us to be more tired and fuzzy headed than normal.

While some people get lucky the first night and see a huge difference, most of us have to work at it and realize it takes time even when we find therapy is optimal.

Welcome boognish..... find forum member, Uncle_Bob, and PM him to ask for the link to the software download. Your numbers look good for a newbie...keep up the good work. You will find that you have pay off your sleep debt before the refreshed and energetic feelings come back. For some it is quick, others it takes a while. Patience and continued good sleep will prevail!

Thanks, I'm hopeful that the software will give me a better idea of what is actually going on during the night. Any recommendations regarding where to pick up a cheap card reader?

If your computer doesn't have a card reader then go to Walmart and get generic card reader $10 or so.
Some computers have built in card reader. You may not need to buy one. Doesn't need to be fancy reader.

Please go to the user account control and your profile and then equipment page and enter your equipment in TEXT please (images too small an all look alike) so we can see at a glance what equipment you use and won't have to ask all the time. Our memories fail us often with so many here with different equipment.

I bought my last card reader from Walmart for $8.00. I have been using it for 4 months with no problems.

boognish wrote:Thanks, I'm hopeful that the software will give me a better idea of what is actually going on during the night. Any recommendations regarding where to pick up a cheap card reader?

Ditto on the WalMart card reader. You will also want take a look at your settings and if it were me I would have them wide open to start with, i.e. low pressure 4 high pressure (whatever it goes up to). With the software you'll very easily be able to see what's going on with the help of the board. Good luck and keep us posted.

Last night I ended up taking the mask off because every time I exhaled it felt like air was leaking out between my nostrils and the pillows. Plus it just felt really claustraphobic last night for some reason (like I wasn't getting enough air). I could breath much better with it off and seemed to sleep better too. When I looked at the readout my AHI was up to 6.5 (from 4 and 3 the previous two nights), but my pressure was still right around 8. Any idea why I would feel like I wasn't getting enough air last night, when it felt like I was getting an excess of air the previous two nights, even though the pressure was the same? Could a poor seal with the nose pillows be enough to cause these problems?

Could be the seal. Check it out closely before ever going to bed. So as to not have that work and frustration at bedtime.

Could be the vent holes in mask assembly. Make sure they are clear. If blocked by anything (bedding, dust, etc) it will create bit of rebreathing of air containing more carbon dioxide than your body will want and thus fill a bit stifling.

Also, were you using the ramp at all? Sometimes the lower pressure of ramping simply don't let enough air move and we feel stifled.

Consider adding these two items to your mask gear.

Not only do they increase comfort, I feel that they have greatly increased my mask stability and thus seal with less work.
Especially the barrel cozy. I originally got it for rain out prevention but first time I wore it I decided it was going to be a year round feature. So much nicer against the nostrils...

http://www.padacheek.com/PACSwiftII_Barrel_cozy.html

http://www.padacheek.com/PAC_SwiftFX.html

Check my fitting tips here--it may help answer your questions about the nasal pillows: http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/swift- ... ing-guide/

Pugsy wrote:Could be the seal. Check it out closely before ever going to bed. So as to not have that work and frustration at bedtime.

Could be the vent holes in mask assembly. Make sure they are clear. If blocked by anything (bedding, dust, etc) it will create bit of rebreathing of air containing more carbon dioxide than your body will want and thus fill a bit stifling.

Also, were you using the ramp at all? Sometimes the lower pressure of ramping simply don't let enough air move and we feel stifled.

I'll check those out before bed tonight. I didn't put the mask on until the last second before turning out the light, because I wanted to be able to talk to my wife for a little while. I think I'm slightly embarrassed to be wearing it, even in front of my wife; I'll have to get over that. I did have the ramp on @ 15 minutes. I washed the pillows for the first time last night too, so maybe I put it back on wrong somehow. BTW, do people wash their mask before every night, or wait for a couple of days between cleanings?

boognish wrote: I washed the pillows for the first time last night too, so maybe I put it back on wrong somehow.

Ahhh, highly suspect. Check assembly.

I don't wash the pillows every night. I used to but not for a long time. Now it is only ever 3 to 5 days. Personal preference thing. I have got lazier as time has gone by. Not so religious about cleaning. No ill effects seen.