Very uncool panik attack... :(

[musiccomposer1968]

I kept waking up last night and the machine was blowing hard again. Then I got nervous and anxiety started... a couple of minutes later I was a quivering mass of panic and actually called 911 - trip to the ER, but as usual nothing is seriously wrong with me except my mind...

I had a couple of anxiety and panic attacks before, but this one was really really strong... numbness of almost my whole body and even cramping. The ER doc said my CO2 was probably flushed out by too much and too deep breathing (hyperventilation, causing the blood to become too alkaline). He said next time if I don't have medication available I should really try to breathe shallow (which is what I normally do in my daily life anyways) and the symptoms would get better rapidly... I sure hope so, because it felt really ugly...

What's your experiences... will I get better? Is my machine blowing too hard and do I maybe breathe too much now? My sleep doc is so overbooked I can't get an appointment until in 2 weeks and the helper bees at the sleep lab don't seem too helpful so far...

[kteague]

Everyone I've ever heard describe a panic attack says how scarey it is, and how much it like feels like a major heart issue. (As if apneas weren't enough to cause that sensation!) Then add pressure issues - bless your heart! I guess what I'm not understanding is how your machine is blowing too hard, unless the upper pressure in your range is set too high. Some people have discussed "runaway" pressures on here. That may not be your issue, just thought I'd throw that out, just in case. Hope you find solutions that enable you to be comfortable with your therapy.
Kathy

[rested gal]

musiccomposer,

What was the original pressure on the Rx from the doctor after your sleep study?

Do you know how to access the setup menu of your bipap auto?

If you know how to go into the setup menu, here's what I'd do if it were me (I'm not a doctor, so not suggesting you do this...it's just what I'd do if I were in your shoes....

I'd set it for BFLE mode. I'd set the EPAP at two cm's below the prescribed pressure from the sleep study. I'd set the IPAP at two cm's above the prescribed pressure from the sleep study. Bi-Flex set at 2. If the pressures felt "too much", I'd set a ramp time and a ramp start pressure that felt comfortable to me. If I woke up in the night and wanted less pressure to go back to sleep easily, I'd hit the ramp button.

I'd keep it like that for several nights or a week, until I got more relaxed with this whole new way of sleeping. I'd rest easy knowing the machine was going to use just those two pressures for me. I'd let those two easy in/out pressures lull me to sleep (easier for me to say than you.)

With the machine held to a fixed in/out pressure in BFLE mode, you wouldn't have to worry if an auto range was right. Less to think about for the time being while you work just on getting the mask comfortable. Also work on getting everything else in your sleeping environment comfy and soothing.

[Goofproof]

It would be nice for your piece of mind , to get the software and card reader, costs less than a trip to the ER. Also breathing into a small paper bag, will increase the CO2, and help the calm return. The more you know about your treatment the more comfortable you will be with it. I take it the ER ruled out a heart problem? Jim

[musiccomposer1968]

I actually got another couple of hours sleep with the machine after the ER episode and it was somewhat better (reassurance works wonder sometimes). Still feel a bit edgy...

My prescription as far as I know is 13 IPAP and 10 EPAP max and when I looked last night, the machine was at 15 IPAP and 12 EPAP...

I can't see the settings (either it's blocked or I'm not pushing the right buttons) and I don't have the software or card reader or anything...

Thanks for trying to help!

[musiccomposer1968]

It would be nice for your piece of mind , to get the software and card reader, costs less than a trip to the ER. Also breathing into a small paper bag, will increase the CO2, and help the calm return. The more you know about your treatment the more comfortable you will be with it. I take it the ER ruled out a heart problem? Jim

Yes, they ruled out a heart problem. The paper bag thing is not really recommended, since it can go the other way too fast. The doc said, I should try shallow slow breathing instead. In fact, my books about anxiety recommend inhaling, count to 4, exhaling a couple of times to get the O2 / CO2 levels back to normal.

[musiccomposer1968]

I scheduled another titration sleep study at the sleep center on the 2nd of November... maybe they can work out better settings then.