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Hello Everyone,

I am new to the site and appreciate you reading this post.

My background:
-30 years old, Large male, diagnosed 3 years ago with Sllep Apnea. Lost insurance 1 week later, just got back on it in Jan.
- I never could comply with the therapy...I felt the pressure was to high, mask problems. Leakage...I could go for two weeks bu then would lapse for months
- I have had three remarkable mornings in the past three years after using machine...but all nights after that I either can not fall asleep or feel no difference from not using the machine the next day.
- Sleep study said 45 sessions per hour. Original Rx was 18/14 (?)
- I never really knew what my sleep study revealed said.
- Went back to Dr. Last week, asked for pressure to be reduced. Now at 16/12, I think., was also put on 10 mg ambien.
- Using same machine as in '08 Respronics Auto BiPap M series with humidifier ( is this good?)
- was using a resmed quatromask, now on Flexifit431
- I am a side sleeper and have not had a new pillow in 7 years...very flat (can this affect therapy)

I have a few questions...
1. Does anyone have general advice for me to get the best therapy with my current equipment?
2. I have tried to search the forums and go to the newbie section, but it is overwhelming, where should I begin?
3. My humidifier runs out of water half way through the night.
4. I am still having leak issues around my eyes...how do I fix this?
5. The place where I got my equipment said I should let the "top strap" float on my head....befor I had always wore it around the top of my head. Which is right?
6.would other equipment help me?
7. is there a way to see how my therapy is working with my equipment?
8. I see people talk about AHI...how do I find this, what is it?

I would appreciate any help/advice/assistance anyone could provide...I am a novice and really have no idea what I am in to here...but I have to try and get this thing to work because I a exhausted all the time.

Thank you in advance for your help.

I'm bumping you to the top.
We have a few people who have bipaps, but I'm not one of them.
Their advice sounds really great--but I don't remember any of it.

you may have to try other masks in order to get a good fit that doesn't leak into your eyes.

Are you running it in Auto mode or are you running it with a set pressure?

I have a card in the machine...auto mode is off from what I looked at. This would be my second mask....tried fitting a nasal only, but I had three panics in three min...they stuck with a full face Rx.

Aghousewright,

Here are some answers to some of your questions, but not necessarily in the order you asked them.

8. I see people talk about AHI...how do I find this, what is it?

AHI stands for Apnea-Hypopnea Index. It measures the average number of apneas and hypopneas you have in a typical hour of SLEEP. The goal of xPAP therapy is to get the AHI < 5 and keep it there.

- Using same machine as in '08 Respronics Auto BiPap M series with humidifier ( is this good?)

At the time you got your equipment, this was top of the line; it has been replaced by the System One Auto BiPAP that is listed in my signature. The M series Auto BiPAP was a full data at the time, but it does not record the wave form like the System One does. I also believe that the M-series does not distinguish between OAs and CAs in the events table. I don't know if it records RERAs or snoring. But it does have full leak data and the events table will let you see when each of the events occurred. There's no good reason for replacing this machine right now unless your insurance will pay for a new machine. Chances are, your insurance won't pay for a new machine until this one is 5 years old.

7. is there a way to see how my therapy is working with my equipment?

I believe that your machine will show a day average AHI on the machine's LCD. But that's not really very much information. If you are willing to spend a bit of money, you can buy both the card reader for that proprietary data card and the Encore Viewer 2.0 software needed to see all of your efficacy data on your computer. Our host sells what you need. The link to the software&card reader package is https://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... eader.html I know that JediMark is working on expanding the list of machines that are compatible with SleepyHead, but I don't think that list includes the M-series yet. So you are probably stuck with Encore Viewer. Be aware: Encore Viewer is a 32-bit program and it is difficult to install on 64-bit computers.

2. I have tried to search the forums and go to the newbie section, but it is overwhelming, where should I begin?

In addition to the CPAP wiki under the light bulb at the top of this page, you might also want to check out my Understanding the data in your sleep study for a written description of the types of events that are considered part of sleep disordered breathing, how they're measured on the diagnostic test, and what all the acronyms mean. For a well written book about OSA that is aimed at OSA patients, you should consider getting Sleep Interrupted by Dr. Stephen Y. Park. It explains in appropriate detail just what happens in OSA, what untreated OSA does to you, and a bit about how CPAP works.

5. The place where I got my equipment said I should let the "top strap" float on my head....befor I had always wore it around the top of my head. Which is right?

The place where you got your equipment is called a DME around here. My guess is that what the DME meant when they said the top strap should float on your head is that the top strap does not need to be adjusted very tight. In light of the fact that you are complaining of leaks near you eyes, it may be a good idea to loosen that top strap so that the mask cushion can float against your face.

- I never could comply with the therapy...I felt the pressure was to high, mask problems. Leakage...I could go for two weeks bu then would lapse for months
...
1. Does anyone have general advice for me to get the best therapy with my current equipment?

The only way you will ever adjust to the machine is to use the machine all night long, every night when you sleep. Every time you've "lapsed for months", you've basically forced yourself to start over at the very beginning.

You can do this! But you must make a commitment to yourself to not give up and not give in to your baser instincts and abandon therapy when the going gets rough.

The fact that you've only used the machine intermittently and only for short periods of time is likely why you typically feel no different with CPAP or feel worse with CPAP than without it: Two weeks of CPAPing may feel like an eternity, but it's really a very short amount of time. For most of us, it takes several weeks to a few months of non-stop CPAPing every single night, all night long before we start to notice any difference. For some of us, it takes many months---as in four to six months or more---of full time CPAPing before we start to really adjust to the machine and start to feel its positive affects.

- I have had three remarkable mornings in the past three years after using machine...but all nights after that I either can not fall asleep or feel no difference from not using the machine the next day.

I'll say it again: It takes many of us many weeks to a few months of using the machine every night, all night long to start to feel a difference. Very few of us wake up with a Eureka!! I feel fantastic feeling. Rather, the improvement in how we feel is gradual and subtle. And that's why you have to keep at using the mask in spite of adjustment problems.

So one thing you need to do is make sure you have reasonable expectations of therapy. Give yourself at least 4-6 months of using the BiPAP every single night. In that time, you ought to notice some subtle signs that things are beginning to improve. For me, the first sign things were improving was waking up with no hand and foot pain. For others, that first sign that things are on the mend is a reduction in nighttime trips to the bathroom. So look for subtle signs first. And after a while you may discover that your notion of what constitutes an acceptable night of sleep is slowly changing (for the better): As the body becomes accustomed to sleep uninterrupted by apneas, it can become much more demanding about what a "good night's sleep" entails. And a "good night's sleep" may very well involve more than just a nice low AHI when you check the data.

As for not being able to fall asleep with the hose on your nose: I bid you a sad welcome into the CPAP&Insomnia Club. It does get better---if you work at solving the insomnia, but it also takes time. I've written at length here about my own battles with the CPAP-induced insomnia monster. For tips on how to fight the insomnia monster, you should read my Taming the CPAP induced insomnia monster essay on my blog.

I have used the M Series machine. I still have one for a backup.
With the special card reader and software..you can see..pressure..leaks...events ..obstructive & hyponeas along with snores. It won't record centrals or RERAs or waveform that the PR S1 machines will score. It will still give you some great information though when you use the software. The information on the LCD screen sucks.

You will need the DT3500 Infineer smart card reader to use the software.
Cheapest place that I have found the smart card on the web was $40.
Check your private message box in a few minutes and I will send link for it and also information on where to get the software.

If you need help with all this..just send me a note.
Your M Series BiPap Auto is a very good machine and the top of the line when it was first released. I am using the next model PR S1 BiPap Auto myself right now.