New user, feeling overwhelmed

[Wifeofasnorer]

Hello,
I have been reading on topics and am still needing guidance. First off, I don’t have reports like y’all are posting. I haven’t figured that out yet. I do have the Phillips dream mapper app. I finally convinced My husband to have a sleep study done. It was an at-home sleep test. Results showed that he has severe sleep apnea (36 AHI). We purchased a Phillips Respironics DreamStation APAP with heated tube and humidifier (Model #GSX500T11C). He has been very motivated to wear it because he is just completely exhausted all the time. We are on day 8. The first few nights he felt good and rested throughout the day. He was so quiet at night I wondered if he was alive! (I’ve been wearing earplugs for years now because of his snoring). The past 3 nights, right around midnight, the air pressure wakes him. It’s blowing so hard and then he has a hard time going back to sleep. Last night he just took it off and then couldn’t sleep well with no mask on. I’m wondering if he is in such a deep sleep and breathing is worse so this is when the machine ups the pressure. He thinks it’s the mask because air blows out a lot at this time. He is wearing the Dream wear full mask size large. His 90 % pressure averages around 15-16. I have lowered the max press from 20 to 16 one night and 18 one night. I’m afraid to put it too much lower if this is where he’s at most of the time. I have upped the min pressure from 4 to 7-8 because he couldn’t tell a difference at 4. Happy to say his AHI has gone down to 1.8 to 3.2 since we first started this. His mask fit is about 92% but leak time on those days he noticed the pressure was 1 to 1.5 hours of large leak time. I hope I have given enough info but please give any advice or wisdom so I can try and fix this before he just says screw this. Thank you!

[Okie bipap]

Welcome to the forum. Congratulations on getting your husband tested. You can find a lot of help here. The first thing is to start here: viewtopic/t172378/Sticky--Newbies-PLEAS ... STING.html

Some of the people will carefully take you by the hand and slowly lead you on this journey, and others take a more direct approach. If you read through some of the existing posts, it is easy to identify which group different people fall in to. Once again, welcome to the forum.

[Miss Emerita]

His AHI with treatment is great, and he already knows that when things go well, he feels better during the day. Of course, the benefit to his long-term health is tremendous. I really hope he will persevere!

Before he started on the machine, did you have any sense he had more problems when he was lying on his back? And when the pressure rises and bothers him, what position do you think he’s in?

Also, about how long after he falls asleep do the problems start?

Finally, does he have options to try other masks? Experimenting can be very helpful, as finding the right mask is both important and challenging.

[Auntducky59]

Welcome to the forum. When I was using the FF dreamwear, it made loud flapping/farting noises as it revved up above 10. That woke me and my husband up. I had to wear liners in order for it to not make obnoxious noises when strong blasts of air hit it. (my highest setting is 20). The liners I have tried are Remzzz ( 30 day supply, disposable, and prone to slip, but insurance will pay for them) & Pad a Cheek (insurance will not pay for them, but they are affordable & washable, & reusable and stay in place with velcro). There are other liners and gadgets available to help keep the mask sealed when that blast of air hits. He may prefer a different mask altogether. Most people go through several different mask or mask variations before they finally "settle" on their favorite, but no mask is "perfect". Every mask may have a minor leak from time to time, it's the blasts of air and noises that are annoying & finding the right mask for your face/head shape, sleeping style, etc... can be a trial & error process for most people. Good luck. This forum is full of helpful information (except when discussing SoClean or any other cpap cleaning machine using ozone or otherwise) (And if you already own one, do not admit it) Soap & water in combination with Disinfecting wipes are all you need to keep your equipment clean.

[babydinosnoreless]

(And if you already own one, do not admit it)

best internet post of the day

[Wifeofasnorer]

His AHI with treatment is great, and he already knows that when things go well, he feels better during the day. Of course, the benefit to his long-term health is tremendous. I really hope he will persevere!

Before he started on the machine, did you have any sense he had more problems when he was lying on his back? And when the pressure rises and bothers him, what position do you think he’s in?

Also, about how long after he falls asleep do the problems start?

Finally, does he have options to try other masks? Experimenting can be very helpful, as finding the right mask is both important and challenging.

Oh yes, he has always snored the worst when he’s on his back and he has been lying on his back every time the pressure bothers him. He’s a about 2 1/2 hours into his sleeping when this starts to bother him. No option to try other masks, except to pay for it upfront which we can do, they just seem pretty expensive. I guess my main dilemma is, do I lower the max pressure or try a new mask. I know it’s only been a week but I’m trying to learn as much as I can as fast as I can. A week ago I knew zilch about sleep apnea so it’s overwhelming

[Wifeofasnorer]

Welcome to the forum. When I was using the FF dreamwear, it made loud flapping/farting noises as it revved up above 10. That woke me and my husband up. I had to wear liners in order for it to not make obnoxious noises when strong blasts of air hit it. (my highest setting is 20). The liners I have tried are Remzzz ( 30 day supply, disposable, and prone to slip, but insurance will pay for them) & Pad a Cheek (insurance will not pay for them, but they are affordable & washable, & reusable and stay in place with velcro). There are other liners and gadgets available to help keep the mask sealed when that blast of air hits. He may prefer a different mask altogether. Most people go through several different mask or mask variations before they finally "settle" on their favorite, but no mask is "perfect". Every mask may have a minor leak from time to time, it's the blasts of air and noises that are annoying & finding the right mask for your face/head shape, sleeping style, etc... can be a trial & error process for most people. Good luck. This forum is full of helpful information (except when discussing SoClean or any other cpap cleaning machine using ozone or otherwise) (And if you already own one, do not admit it) Soap & water in combination with Disinfecting wipes are all you need to keep your equipment clean.

Thank you for all the Info! I’ll look into these. And that’s funny! My husband keeps telling me to buy this SoClean (whatever that is) because he keeps seeing a commercial about it. I agree, the soapy water seems to be just fine

[Wifeofasnorer]

Welcome to the forum. Congratulations on getting your husband tested. You can find a lot of help here. The first thing is to start here: viewtopic/t172378/Sticky--Newbies-PLEAS ... STING.html

Some of the people will carefully take you by the hand and slowly lead you on this journey, and others take a more direct approach. If you read through some of the existing posts, it is easy to identify which group different people fall in to. Once again, welcome to the forum.

Thank you !

[Auntducky59]

I am assuming you have medical insurance. Our family experience is with Tricare & Medicare . Both pay 80% (you pay 20%) and allows a new mask interface (mask, cushion, headgear) every 3 months, a new water tank (humidifier), hose, & chin strap (if needed) every 6 months. I also get 2 filters for my CPAP machine every 3 months. During my experimenting phase for the last year and a half, I tried a new mask every 3 months. I think I have about narrowed things down. I will try the Resmed N30i in October. Then in January 2020, I let my DME know if that is what I keep or I go back to Phillips Dreamwear nasal or try the dreamwisp. I know I am going to stick with nasal because I got it to work by using a chin strap with it, & I like the hose on the head style, so that leaves me with Dreamwear nasal, N30i, or Dreamwisp. I could try a P30i, but I tried the nasal pillow style with the dreamwear and did not care for it. My perfect chin strap (and I tried MANY) ended up being the Ruby adjustable. More cloth on my face than I wanted to end up with, but it's the only one that works for me and allows me to use a nasal mask. Glad to be done with Full face.

[Auntducky59]

oh, and another thing. You don't have to buy special soap, most of us use Dawn or any other dishwashing soap. Some people do use specialty soaps because they prefer to. Scented or unscented is fine. I like the smell of oranges. I like Dawn orange scented when I can find it. Apple scented is my next favorite. Also, you don't need to buy expensive "cpap wipes". Most of us use name brand or generic disinfectant wipes (clorox brand, Lysol brand, Wal-mart or store brand or dollar store). Some people use baby wipes. I would not use one with bleach, but aloe added is fine if you like that feel. I prefer Clorox brand orange scented. I use the wipes for every day cleaning of the mask. I use Dawn for weekly cleaning. You can use soap & water every day and skip the wipes. Wipes are excellent for travel. I visit my family in Ohio once a year . I pack a carton of wipes in my check in luggage & use wipes while on vacation. I have had to stay in hotels at times while on vacation & wipes are more convenient than soap & water in hotel rooms.

[Miss Emerita]

ANY chance of persuading your husband to sleep on his side? Many CPAP users find that this really improves their treatment and the way they feel during both night and day. It can be hard at first but then start to feel normal. The selling point for your husband would be that this might keep the pressure from going way up and bothering him.

People try all kinds of things to keep from rolling onto their backs. A simple one to start with is a pillow wedged against the back. You can make pockets for tennis balls in pajama tops or t-shirts. Or you can search Amazon using "prevent back sleeping."

[palerider]

This forum is full of helpful information

Well that is correct.

(except when discussing SoClean or any other cpap cleaning machine using ozone or otherwise)

And that is totally false. You were doing so well, why did you fall completely off the rails?

[Okie bipap]

If you are going to purchase a different mask without using your insurance, I recommend our forum sponsor, cpap.com. Many of their masks come with free return insurance which means you will have 30 days to try a mask, and can return it for a refund if returned within that period. I tried masks from them when I was trying to decide which one to use. My problem was, I tended to keep them for more than 30 days, then decide I didn't like them. When this happened, I would give the used mask away here on the forum. I did manage to return a few for refund when I knew within one or two nights that I could not stand the mask.

[djams]

The past 3 nights, right around midnight, the air pressure wakes him. It’s blowing so hard and then he has a hard time going back to sleep.

If not doing so already, turn the machine off/on - start over with initial settings. The "blowing so hard" is a newbie thing. You get used to it. Pretty soon he'll be lifting the mask to make sure the machine is working.

His 90 % pressure averages around 15-16. I have lowered the max press from 20 to 16 one night and 18 one night. I’m afraid to put it too much lower if this is where he’s at most of the time.

Not where he's at most of the time. At *or below* this number. Common misconception.

so I can try and fix this before he just says screw this

Not an option. OSA is a serious health problem. Affects the heart and the brain, strokes can result if untreated. Sleepy drivers are dangerous drivers.

The mask is the key to success. Once you find the right one, everything is easy. I went through a bunch of them.

Good luck to both of you. No quitting! Post some charts.

[Marko2019]

Ozone is a toxic and unstable gas as defined by the FDA.

I believe that part of SoClean's gig is misinformation and fear tactics. It works well with people who simply don't have the time or energy to seek the truth.

A detailed list if this misinformation is here: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/14 ... clean-inc/

Whatever you decide, good luck!

M

My husband keeps telling me to buy this SoClean (whatever that is) because he keeps seeing a commercial about it.