Husband says I'm choking? MyAir score 98? Sleepyhead Sat 4/14

New to this forum, not new (sadly) to Cpap. Was diagnosed 5 yrs ago with severe sleep apnea. Had a 2nd split sleep study a month ago to see if my needs had changed. Got a ResMed Airsense 10 Autoset (prev pressure was 9, now it's set to 9-15).

I'm really, really struggling. I had been using a Swift FX for her, but have had trouble with congestion, so I wanted to try a new full face mask.

It's been a disasterous start.

I AM determined to make this work. New machine, new mask. Big nightmare.

Last night I used the Dreamwear Full face mask for almost 7 hours (yay!), and got a "score" of 98 on the MyAir app (yay!) and 1.8 events/hour (yay!).

I woke up about 4am, my mask sliding around too much - I'm thinking that by that time, my naturally oily skin is too oily for the mask and it moves around too much. I'm going to try a liner.

But I was pretty pleased with the numbers above, and feel like I had a good nights sleep. Until my husband woke up.

He said it sounded like I was "fighting" with the mask all night - it made all kinds of awful leaking, "freight train" noises, it sounded sometimes like I was going to start snoring, or was choking/gagging then "something" happened with the mask and it made a ton of noise. He didn't sleep at all. He said he didn't hear the steady, quiet sound that my old machine/mask made (ResMed S9/ Swift FX for her).

I don't have an SD card yet, need to get one.

Is this the "auto" feature of my machine?

Any words of advice? Maybe a liner will help? I'm thinking that due to my congestion right now, I wouldn't even be able to use a nasal pillow mask right now? This coupled with my "severe" sleep apnea has me feeling very discouraged.

I really hate apnea.

Get the SD card as soon as you can so you can see the details because there might be something going on that shows up in the details that isn't reflected in the AHI or the leak data overall.

And no...it's not normal for the "auto" mode to be so noisy or problematic for the user or the spouse.
Sounds like you had some mask issues during the night that didn't disturb your sleep as much as it did your husband's.
It happens.

The SD card has to be in the machine during the night to be able to use the available software to see the details.

Can you use an astringent on your face before bed?

Yes, I'm planning on using an astringent, and have bought the cpap wipes at the DME store for the mask - hopefully that will help. I had a SD card from my ResMed S9 but it's too big? Will go and get one for tonight.....and I have to say I feel physically great today - just discouraged about my husband's report! The night before last I could only have the mask on for 1.5 hrs but felt like I was drowning or suffocating and just slept without it (I cannot use my Swift FX because the tubing is different). I think I need a nasal pillow mask as a 2nd option...

The SD card from a S9 machine will indeed fit in the AirSense 10 machine....I know for a fact because I robbed my S9 to put one in my new AirSense that didn't have a SD card in it.

Are you sure you are trying the right slot and there's nothing already in that slot?

See manual.
https://sleep.tnet.com/home/files/resme ... -guide.pdf

Now the AirSense machine will likely want to erase all the data off that old SD card but it will fit.
I just erased all the old data using my computer.

Well. Duh. I was looking in the wrong spot. Of course you are right - the old SD card fit right in. I downloaded Sleepyhead on my new laptop, and am going to try creating my own liner for tonight. Here's hoping!

Kara

You can find a pattern for a CPAP mask liner at this site:
http://montfordhouse.com/cpap/diy-cotton-mask-liner.pdf

I used this pattern when I made my liners. I made them out of an old, well-used tee shirt. I have also made them out of paint rags I purchased at one of the large home improvement centers. This pattern will work for a small or medium mask, and can be enlarged to use with a large mask. When I was using them, my wife crocheted a small bag with a draw string on it to put the liners in when we laundered them. We would throw them in with the whites when doing laundry, then iron them dry in order to return the to the correct size.

oops. Realized I probably should put this on this thread and not create a somewhat duplicate post. Sorry!

Here's sleepyhead from last night.

I'm thinking this mask isn't a match for me, and I'm calling my DME today to see about trying something else tonight. I know I'm supposed to use something for a week, but I'm waving the white flag. I had been using the Swift FX for her, any suggestions for anything else? I have a deviated septum (congestion too) and a large tongue (I know, such a lovely description!). I don't think my old SwiftFX will work with this new hose/machine will it?

Here is my sleepyhead report from last night - only 3 hrs, but 9.1 AHI seems high. I'm unsure about how to read this and would appreciate any help. If you need anything more, please let me know and I'll post. I read Pugsly's post about how to do a screenshot and what you all like to see - this reflects that (hopefully!).

I'm determined to get back to sleeping all night, and getting that AHI down. I had never tried a full face, and maybe my anatomy isn't right for it? I wonder if I'd have the same results with the Dreamwear nasal cushion? I really like the top-of-the-head hose. Guess I could try it tonight and see how it is....it's gonna be a long week!

Kara

How was your sleep last night? Do you still feel good this morning? Could you try putting your old mask on the new machine and maybe we could help you get it to work?

I'm exhausted today. I just put the old mask on the machine and put it on. It's the Swift FX for her with new nasal pillows - but old headgear. I gotta say, that this was my old "go-to" mask and on this machine it is a REAL effort to pull air in, and especially push air out. Feels a bit like I'm underwater? Very strange as with my old machine (at pressure of 9) I didn't really "notice" my breathing. With the beginning pressure of 5 on this new machine I'm aware of every, single breath I take - it's very uncomfortable. When I did "mask fit" on the machine? And it went up to 15? Holy guacamole - it was suffocating for sure - I guess that's to test if there is leaking?

Maybe I should use the ramp feature? But I don't see where I can do that. Also I changed the setting to "nasal pillow" under Mask - not sure if that matters or not. I'm using the new hose I got with the machine. I would also love to change the "auto on" feature - that's a real pain in the neck, but don't see where to do that either.

I really thought that a new, improved machine and mask would help (I have congestion and sometimes that swift fx comes off in the middle of the night because of that).

Back to the drawing board.

The ramp won't help anything, but you very likely need more min. pressure so raise it 2 cm for a few nights to see how things go.

She said the pressure on the new machine is 9 - 15. Sleepyhead says it is 5 - 15. Perhaps that is the issue.

I would be tempted to raise the minimum to 9 as a starting place since that was the old machine setting. If that works more reasonable it may be possible to drop it down a bit. I suspect raising it to 9 should at least improve sleep quality.

The above is solely my opinion and I have only been using CPAP for a little over a year.

Hang in there. I've been on CPAP for a little over two years and am just now finding solutions that are comfortable for both me and my wife.

Although I don't buy it, some doctors claim that full face masks are contraindicated for people with sinus issues.
I've gone through a couple of periods where I've worn a full mask for several months and a long period where I wore nasal pillows for about a year.
I've felt better overall when I've been able to tolerate a full mask, but each time it did take some adjustment with my sinuses.

My experience with nasal pillows is that they push air through my nose better than any other option, but they don't allow my sinuses to drain as well as a full face mask does.
I sympathize with your issues of "choking" and fighting the mask. I've fought just about every kind of mask initially, even masks that eventually worked well for me.

Many people turn to CPAP so that they and their partner can sleep better together, and although that usually happens eventually,
it can be frustrating when you go for months and months after starting CPAP before you reach that point.

All I can say is listen to your body, your husband, and your doctor. Also, several members here have good tips on how to interpret the numbers from your machine.

Assuming SleepyHead's reported settings are correct I do think that is likely the issue.
For some reason the new machine wasn't set like the old machine.
I would go into the clinical setup menu area and change the new machine to what the old machine was set at.
If someone had been using a starting pressure of 9 minimum for years...they aren't going to be very comfortable with 5 for sure and never mind it probably is sub therapeutic to boot.