A newbie is ready to throw in the towel

Lovegrove · Post by **Lovegrove** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 6:29 pm

In the last week of four week experience with a machine. Just about had it.! The tech won't concede that the AHI is invalid becoz I'm awake a lot of the time and the machine just evens out the apnoeas over the whole time it's on. Someone support me on this please.
Also the mask. Full face ( I need it coz of mouth leakage). ResMed F 20. Yes it has snazzy magnet clips (is it a good idea to have magnets on your face?) but it LEAKS!, (and wakes me up with the noise) especially when the pressure gets to around 11. And it is uncomfortable. Have tried the F&P Simplus but it is uncomfortable and it LEAKS.
Are there any masks that people have found comfortable? ( or don't leak)
Can any ladies advise on the masks for her?
(apologies for the crabby tone of this post)

Julie · Post by **Julie** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 6:45 pm

Crab away, we've all been there... but would like to help you do better. The machine doesn't 'just even out the apneas', but don't worry, you'll catch on with help. What machine - spec. model plse, not just brand name - do you use? Do you know your actual settings? I can't talk about that mask, but others will... maybe it just isn't the one for you (most of us had to go through a few at least to find that) or may be it hasn't been fitted properly, etc. There are lots of masks out there though, so again, you'll get direction there (but remember everyone's face is diff. and you need to try FFMs on while lying down as your face changes a lot then vs sitting. But tell us pressures, etc. and please try to stay with this thread so we can follow the story.

luvsbluberries · Post by **luvsbluberries** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 7:06 pm

Lovegrove wrote: Can any ladies advise on the masks for her?

I'm afraid that I am quite the newbie myself, but I have recently spoken to ResMed directly to ask about the For Her masks.

Most of them, the main difference is that the provided cushions are of a smaller size (for instance, it may come with sizes Medium, Small, and Extra Small whereas the regular style comes in sizes Large, Medium and Small). The headgear, for the most part, is the same size as the regular style (or size Small of the regular style), the difference being the color.

However, please call and speak to one of their representatives if you'd like information on a specific For Her mask. My short term memory is so poor at the moment - I do not want to give incorrect information and I cannot remember exactly which masks I asked about, other than the AirFit F10 For Her and the Swift FX For Her.

I hope this helps. And please know that you are not alone. I am not quite one week in.

Cardsfan · Post by **Cardsfan** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 7:28 pm

Hi new one. If you are Leoma Lovegrove, the artist, I love your work. http://www.leomalovegrove.com

TedVPAP · Post by **TedVPAP** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 7:34 pm

Crab away but that will not solve your OSA problem.
If you expect your DME or Doctor to solve your problem then you will likely fail.
If there was a single mask that worked for everyone, then there would be a single mask.
Take control of managing your treatment.
See the links in my signature and then we can try to help you.
Prior to treatment my AHI was 60. Now that it is well managed, my AHI is <1. Results are worth working for.

TASmart · Post by **TASmart** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 7:38 pm

Hang in there. Mask fir is the biggest problem for all PAPers. It's partly getting used to the sensation of having a foreign object strapped to your face, part finding the right mask. And for sure, it can make you crabby. Look at some of the posts that appear in this forum. But take heart, once it kicks in and you start getting enough sleep the feeling is soooooo fantastic.

Rainmom17 · Post by **Rainmom17** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 7:50 pm

Hi there, I use the F20. Is yours silicone or foam? Foam was comfy but leaked too much for me. Silicone is working a bit better. One thing that helped me was fitting the mask at a higher pressure, in my most usual sleep position. I was having the same problem as you - pressure goes up and leak city! It's better now with the adjustments I made. I also bought a mask liner from Padacheek, and that has helped with comfort level a lot.
I hear ya on the frustration - mask leaks we're a huge issue for me the first month!

Lovegrove · Post by **Lovegrove** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 8:49 pm

Thanks so much for all your kind replies
Is there a way I can reply to people individually?
Anyway, was supposed to see my respiratory specialist today but feel too ghastly to go
Julie: well I actually caught the machine evening things out last night. After couple hours sleep the AHI was 9, then after a couple more hours stewing awake (with machine on) it had gone down to 8
Rainmom: my mask is silicone; I will take your suggestions on board
TASmart: thanks for your sympathy and encouragement
TedVPAP: believe me, the drive to change masks, change between auto and fixed, try different pressures is all coming from me, not the tech
Cardsfan: no, I am not the artist, sorry!
Luvsblueberries: I guess the mask for her is pink. I will look into it further, thank you
Machine: Dreamstation auto with heated humidifier and hose
Pressure on fixed is 11, at the moment it is auto between 7 and 11

library lady · Post by **library lady** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:00 pm

I was there once too... I had a tough time with leaks, or, as I call them, face farts because that is what they sound like to me. I discovered a few things within a few weeks. 1. If my headgear was too loose or too tight, leaks would occur. 2. To get a good seal, I shouldn't have an oily face so I washed and dried it really well before masking up. 3. When that didn't work some research and coming to this forum gave me answers: MASK LINERS! They did the trick for me, and after nearly 4 years I am still using them. At first I bought them but now I make my own from old t-shirts. Some people use for just a night or two before washing, but I use mine for 5 or 6 nights before washing. When I googled "mask liners" I found several commercial brands available. From this forum, I learned about a pattern I could download and print for making my own.

Hang in there! Come back anytime with questions. That's what this forum is for.

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:07 pm

Lovegrove wrote:well I actually caught the machine evening things out last night. After couple hours sleep the AHI was 9, then after a couple more hours stewing awake (with machine on) it had gone down to 8

Ahh..this isn't so much the machine "evening things out" as it is the machine reporting giving you an overall average for the entire night.
If you were to look at the detailed software report you would see that you had a few more events prior to the 2 hour awake time than you did after the awake time and you went back to sleep.

It's common to have times of the night where more events might get flagged and at other time not much of anything gets flagged but the overall average does tell you what happened each hour...all it tells you is that over so many hours of use you average so and so number of events.
Example... My OSA is worse in REM stage sleep so I will sometimes see clusters of event that are quite ugly but only during REM. The other parts of the night not much happens. But the AHI will still have to take into account the entire night when it gives the average reported on the machine.

Also...the awake time can sometimes cause the machine to flag events that aren't really events. These machines only measure air flow..they have no way to know if you are awake or asleep and sometimes our awake breathing is so irregular the machine will flag what we call an awake event...it isn't real but the machine doesn't know that. That's what your tech meant about awake time messing with the results.

It's not a big deal. All machines do it that way. That's why we tell people to use the available software to see exactly when stuff happened and how many...check for clusters, etc.

I am sorry you are having such difficulty with finding the right mask for you. I have always said that the mask journey is the most difficult part of this therapy.
I don't use a full face mask so I can't offer much as to what might work for you. My needs and preferences are likely different from yours and what I might just love you might hate with a passion. It is the way of life for masks. One man's treasure is another man's trash.
Unfortunately the only way for a person to know which it is going to be for them is to try them.
The only full face mask I have ever even been able to sleep all night with is the Respironics Amara View. You might love it and you might hate it....heck, I don't "love" it but I could use it if for some reason I couldn't use my usual nasal pillow mask. That's the only reason I have it and I have had it for 2 years now and still never used it beyond the first night just to see if I could use it.

Your F20...I wouldn't last 5 minutes with it because of the mask touching my nasal bridge area...I can't stand that.
The Amara View doesn't have anything across the nose...just a little cushion under the nostrils and over the mouth.

Don't give up...you aren't the first to be really frustrated with the mask journey and you won't be the last.

Julie · Post by **Julie** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:09 pm

Ok, will try again... you say the pressure is fixed at 11, then say it's auto between 7 and 11. Makes no sense to me - is it an auto machine set to do plain Cpap (at a fixed pressure) or is it an auto machine with a min. and max setting between which pressures fluctuate according to what the machine perceives as apneas at certain levels?

Really do want to help, but...

Lovegrove · Post by **Lovegrove** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:33 pm

Okay, Julie...
The machine can be set either at fixed pressure or auto pressure ( I thought all auto machines were like this).
I have used it at auto but also as part of the months trial the tech has to set it to fixed. From the auto use she calculated that my pressure would be 10, then raised it to 11.
None of this worked (probably coz of the mask) so now I have asked the tech (I am not able to control it myself - a sore point with me) to set it at auto but able to rise and fall from 7 to 11. I did this becoz I don't like it being at 11 the whole time becoz the mask blows.
I reckon I need higher pressure but I have to find the mask that will not blow.

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:41 pm

We can get you educated so that you can control/set the machine if you wish.
Go here and request the provider/clinical manual for your machine. It explains how to get into that ultra secret setup menu area where changes can be made.
http://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-p ... tup-manual

There is also a shortcut version if you look on the page but I strongly urge you to request the manual via email (instructions on the page) because the actual manual has more information in it that is useful..and explains things not included in the user manual.
You can learn more about all the features of your machine and what they do.

Julie · Post by **Julie** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:47 pm

Ok, so your machine is now in Auto mode, not plain (fixed) Cpap mode... which helps when talking about things... thx!

Lovegrove · Post by **Lovegrove** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 10:04 pm

Library lady: like your description of leaks!! That mask liner sounds excellent - do you have any address for it? And you'd be the person to ask I reckon: how do I reply to individuals, I don't do chat so I don't know.
Pugsy: thank you for taking the time for such a detailed reply. Yes, by "evening out" I did mean averaging. What annoys me is when the tech says look what the machine has done for you it's got your AHI down to 5 when in fact it's twice that at least becoz I've been awake half the time the machine has been running.

And now I must go and treat myself to an episode of "Sherlock"...

A newbie is ready to throw in the towel

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