BamaGramma's Therapy Thread (Was Can someone explain all this and make suggestions?)

[zonker]

My understanding was those nasal masks don't work well for side sleepers. And side is my preferred position.

one does what one can do. i am a side sleeper and have no trouble with my p10 pillows. but then i have had to train myself to use the edge of the pillow, with my beak (and mask) hanging over the side.

true i can't burrow into my pillow, but i can sleep on my side.

but that's me. we are all different.

[BamaGramma]

Everything I knew about CPAP and masks up until about 24 hours ago I learned from the DME and now I have to forget all that.

{quote}Which one of the 2 masks that you have now do you hate the least?{/quote}

The second one - the Dreamwisp. I tried to find a photo but (1) they are all photos of men and (2) all the photos show the tube connecting to the top of the head. I'm wondering if I have old stock they're trying to get rid of with Medicare patients. I do like the quick tube release. Makes it easier to get unhooked if I need to get to the bathroom in the night. And for me it's an overall better fit - feels more secure on my head and doesn't seem to slide about like the Wear. I'm thinking the problem is the settings and not the mask and frame.

[BamaGramma]

one does what one can do. i am a side sleeper and have no trouble with my p10 pillows. but then i have had to train myself to use the edge of the pillow, with my beak (and mask) hanging over the side.

I've done that edge hanging too.

[Pugsy]

Can you explain the problem you feel you have with the settings?

Also...let's see how you feel with A Flex.

[BamaGramma]

Can you explain the problem you feel you have with the settings?

I had written in an earlier post that I just don't feel as if I can breathe normally with the mask on. And if this is supposed to be continuous positive air pressure, where's the pressure? I guess that's why y'all have been telling me to increase it. Right now it's sorta like somebody breathing on my face - annoying as hell. I don't really know how to describe it otherwise.

[Pugsy]

Gotcha.

Try A Flex at all the settings and see how it feels.
Also try 6 and 7 minimum pressure while you are at it.
Do it while awake and not under any pressure to go to sleep so you can just concentrate on how it feels.

I did find that I liked A Flex much more than C Flex....it's a timing thing for when the inhale and exhale changes and A Flex is the newer technology and it's just better IMHO. Made it almost feel like no machine was being used at all. Super smooth.

[palerider]

My understanding was those nasal masks don't work well for side sleepers. And side is my preferred position.

If Pugsy tells you something that contradicts something someone else told you...

*BELIEVE PUGSY*.

[zonker]

My understanding was those nasal masks don't work well for side sleepers. And side is my preferred position.

If Pugsy tells you something that contradicts something someone else told you...

*BELIEVE PUGSY*.

THIS-Hands.jpg

should be the motto of this board, tbh.

[BamaGramma]

Checking in today after a night with pressure at 6 and Flex set to A. It was more comfortable and by golly I almost made it to 6 hours on the machine. Six more minutes and I've have been there but I had to get up and shower and primp and get to an event in the next town at 9:30.

So here's the Oscar data for last night. The AHI was 9.82 which is still higher than my sleep study. It's up and down and all over the place. But I do believe the quality of my sleep from a purely non-clinical standpoint was better.

I'm wondering now if I should bump the pressure to 6.5 or 7 tonight and leave it on A Flex or leave it at 6 and let my system adjust to that for a night before the next bump.

And Pugsy, you have quite the fan club there. Glad to know there's someone who knows something because I sure had little to no faith in the sleep doctor and the DME.

[Pugsy]

Well we know you need a little more pressure but I am torn as to how fast to make changes.
How about giving 6.5 a try? Sort of split the difference. I don't normally want to hang around at a lower pressure any longer than just absolutely necessary but some people are just more sensitive to little changes than other people so sometimes a person just has to move super slowly.
Or you can try 7 and see how you do with it briefly and if you don't do well you can back up immediately.

Do you happen to know if there is a strong positional or REM component to your OSA? Meaning do you know if your OSA is worse in REM or if you are sleeping on your back?

[BamaGramma]

I'll give 6.5 a try tonight and see how it goes.

And I have no idea if there's a positional or REM component. They only told me my AHI, blood oxygen and that I fell asleep pretty quickly that night.

[BamaGramma]

6.5 pressure and A Flex. It was a better night and I didn't wake up but once in the night. Fingers crossed this continues. I'll bump to 7 tonight.

[Pugsy]

From 7:30 on...were you awake or half awake?

[BamaGramma]

From 7:30 on...were you awake or half awake?

Yep. Kept thinking I might fall back asleep and when I didn't, I got up. I also slept for about an hour or so in my recliner before I put the mask on and went to bed. Didn't mean to but... well, you know how things just happen.

Those charts mean nothing to me so I'm amazed at how you decipher them.

[Okie bipap]

It is very common to see clusters of events at the beginning of the night and at the end. When we are not sleeping, our breathing is very uneven and this confuses the machine which is programmed to monitor the even breathing most people have when sleeping. These clusters are referred to as sleep/wake junk (SWJ).