Give me hope

Scentastics · Post by **Scentastics** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 11:49 pm

I'm new to the forum. I've had my machine for about a year. I haven't really been using it. I dragged it out the other night. I've had two different kinds of mask.

I still wake up gasping for breath and try to remember how to breathe to get oxygen to my brain. Spend all day with a headache and chest pains.

Does this mean the machine will not work for me? Should I try another mask, maybe the one that covers your whole nose and mouth?

lvwildcat · Post by **lvwildcat** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 12:55 am

OK a step in the right direction was actually taking your equipment out again. YAY!! What machine and masks do you have? I from day 1 knew that being a notorious mouth breather I started with a full face mask. While I never had any problems I just didn't love my mask. Strangely enough last July I decided to try an oral mask(which I believe 95% people hate the Oracle)but I found out the very first night that this was my dream mask. I still keep a full mask as back-up but haven't used it since July.
Like I said earlier-let us know what mask you have now and maybe someone out there will be able to give you some feedback. Don't give up on CPAP and by being here and posting it sounds like you want to be compliant but may just need a little support to get you started. You've come to the right place!

hades161 · Post by **hades161** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 3:27 am

Hmm how to give you hope. Well first off Welcome to the board, you have come to the right place for it. I went years without treating my severe OSA and had gotten to a point where I was simply waiting to die. I never took OSA seriously, never explored it's effects on my health, and up until about 4 months ago I pretty much was at a loss on how to rebuild my life. I got referred to this site by a co-worker of my girl friend's and looked over this board and the information in "Our Collective Wisdom". After that, I realized how badly OSA undermined my life and all the things I tried to improve it and went about doing all I could get my treatment underway.

4 months later and I have the will and the energy to face life again and to rebuild. Treatment of my OSA through cpap therapy and the information from this site as well as the support of the people here has out right cured a few of my issues and is continuing to help most of my other health issues and my quality of life in general. I won't kid ya it's baby steps all the way and I am still working on getting my treatment to be more effective everyday.

It's not an easy thing to strap a mask on and let a machine blow air down your throat as you try to sleep but its far far easier then dealing with the issues OSA can bring about in your life. The best hope I can give you is that through treating your OSA and learning how to make your treatment work for you, you will wake up one morning and think, " Hey this might just be the magic bullet".

If you don't treat it, well there is only so much hope can do. The rest is up too you. Fill out your profile, list your equipment, your settings for your unit, post your sleep study info, visit the live chat that's available, and I am sure everyone here will be jumping to help you get going on your treatment and give you all the support you need to succeed.

blarg · Post by **blarg** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 3:34 am

Most important question here is what pressure are you on, and are you using ramp? If so, what pressure is it set at?

Most of the time, when you're gasping for breath, it's because your pressure is too low, meaning you're either having apneas still, or if it's really low, that the CO2 you breathe out isn't given the chance to "wash out." In other words, there isn't enough air flowing through the system to give you enough oxygen.

kteague · Post by **kteague** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 4:32 am

Glad you decided to give it another try, and that you found your way here. I too had given up and quit using my machine due to feeling like I was suffocating. You may find that a change in your pressure and/or your ramp settings or other tweaking will be the beginning of making this therapy work for you rather than against you. Best wishes and welcome.
Kathy

Scentastics · Post by **Scentastics** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 1:11 pm

Thanks everyone for your kindness and understanding. This is quite emotional and it is so nice to know there are people here who understand.

I am using the Nasal Aire II and I called today the help line and the person helped me make my pressure higher. I also ordered the extra small nose piece and a chin strap.

I had the nose mask before and gave it to my brother. I felt like that was too confining, but if this Nasal Aire II doesn't do the trick I might have to go to a full face mask, which I dread.

I haven't had a goodnight sleep in a long time and just hearing from you all really has given me the hope and the want to continue to find out my best solution.

Thank you all again.

SleepGuy · Post by **SleepGuy** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 3:04 pm

I certainly can relate to where you are. After 3 years on cpap I consistently woke up every night about 2 am, angry as could be, and wanting nothing more than to throw my machine across the room and smash it with a hammer.

I saw this idea on a thread a few days ago and have been thinking about trying it out myself. It's a way to make your own mouthpiece using athletic "boil and bite" mouthpieces. It seems to work extremely well in helping people keep their oral air passage pleasantly closed all night--no chin straps, no ace bandages, no FF masks. And it's an inexpensive do-it-yourself project.

Here's the thread:

viewtopic/t18034/Like-you-havent-heard- ... hingy.html
You might want to give it a try--sounds like a great, non-intrusive way to help with the mouth breathing issues.

I also invite you to read the “essential oils” thread on this board:

viewtopic/t17513/essential-oils.html

About ten months ago I started down a path that changed my personal compliance, literally, overnight, so much so that I have put together a little business so that others can try the same thing. From the thread (and several others on this site and others) it seems to be helping a lot of people who are having trouble sleeping with the equipment. I see from your profile that you have fragrance-related business so I thought this might be of interest to you.

Stick with it!

Linda3032 · Post by **Linda3032** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 5:40 pm

Scentastics,
As other have said, you came to the right place. In order for us to try to help you, we still need more info.

According to your profile, you have the Bi-Pap Pro2 with Bi-Flex. Is that the machine you have or did you click on the wrong machine? The name of your machine should be printed on the top of it.

If you truly have a Bi-Pap, what are your settings - inhale and exhale?

Do you know what your titrated pressure was at the sleep clinic, or what was written on your prescription? Do you have a copy of the prescription?

When you say the "help line", who do you mean? I can't believe they would tell you how to change your pressure. Was it just the ramp pressure? And lastly, do you use a Respironics heated humidifier?

Sorry for all the questions, but your answers will help us help you.

Scentastics · Post by **Scentastics** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 5:56 pm

Your right, Linda, I did put in the wrong machine type! Duh! It is actually the Remstar Pro-2 CFlex. I just called the CPAP customer service line and the gentlemen actually helped me changed my pressure from 12 to 13.

I actually did not go to a sleep study because of no insurance at the time. I was able to get my machine through my brother who is a merchant marine and owns 4 of them!

I am hoping I can tweek this device to where I need it to be. I have a humidifier but haven't gotten that far yet to figuring that one out!

I'm really hoping the nose piece I ordered (extra small), the chin strap and the new pressure change will make some kind of difference. It's hard to know if I open my mouth when I sleep, so maybe by wearing the chin strap I can rule that out. I'll try the new pressure tonight, but won't get my nose piece and chin strap until Wednesday.

Since I recently got health insurance, I will probably be more active in seeking professional help if none of the above works.

I'll keep everyone posted of my progress. Thanks again for the words of encouragement and being there for me!

Rabid1 · Post by **Rabid1** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 6:47 pm

Scentastics,

If it's not convenient at this time to go to a sleep lab, you should expore the advantages of Encore Pro software, and the data card reader. It can be an invaluable tool for self-treatment.

PM me and I will give you more info.

Rick

Linda3032 · Post by **Linda3032** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 10:14 pm

Scentastics, ah, you've really presented us with a challenge. But we can help you.

1. Ask your brother if he has an Auto cpap to at least loan you. With an auto, you can set it and basically "self-titrate" yourself. Then you will know what pressure you should be using.

2. Does your machine have a "smart-card" in it? If it does, and if you want to mail it to me, I will read it for you and send you a report of your data.

3. You really need the Encore Pro (that Rabid mentioned), and a card reader if you are self titrating. Because at this point, you are just guessing at a number and it could be completely wrong.

4. If you are mouth breathing, you probably aren't aware of it -- because you are asleep. A chin strap seldom helps. Do you wake up with your mouth very dry?

5. You need that humidifier. It uses distilled water. Only fill it up to the line (about half full). If you can't figure it out, just ask. Many of us have the same one and can answer questions. Does the clear plastic chamber have the black base with it? The black base has a metal plate on it that the chamber slides onto.

Please don't give up, we can help you accomplish this.

Give me hope

Give me hope

Trying to use machine again

Thank you all so much!

Mask

Additional Comments: Machine:Resmed S7 Elite; Oracle Mask(YES! My DREAM mask!!)