Hi! I'm new

bikernc · Post by **bikernc** » Tue May 31, 2005 3:40 pm

The board has been very informative. I too am a newbie, having been on CPAP for just under a month. Remstar Pro w CFLEX and a Mirage /Resmed Mask. (The mask is the third one in a month).
My Doctor and the technicians are all in the same clinic , so I am not running to diffrent DME's etc, etc. After my first study, the Doc informed me I had moderate SA and AHI of 57 and blood Oxy of 77 at the lowest point.
THe machine has been set for 7/8 max with a 2 for the cflex.
MY problem is I seem to keep taking the mask off during my sleep. I keep finding it (the mask) on the floor and the machine turned off. My doctor and the technicians keep telling me it is the adjudtment period and not to worry. I don't have any recollection of waking and taking the thing off, but I am told this is normal.
So if this is normal.....???? When will the benefits start to kick in ....grin???
I am a teacher so I have the summer to adjust (cept for my classes etc).
Is this all really normal ????
Bill

neversleeps · Post by **neversleeps** » Tue May 31, 2005 5:36 pm

You wake up to find your mask on the floor??? Boy, is that ever weird... I've never heard of such a thing. No, that's not at all normal.....

Okay, just kidding. Click on:

http://cpaptalk.com/viewtopic.php?t=125 ... ving+night

or do your own search by clicking on the word: Search
at the top of the page. Enter the words: taking and removing and night

You have LOTS of company!! Bedrooms floor across the country are strewn with CPAP masks!!!

Teej813 · Post by **Teej813** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 5:14 pm

Well, it's been a year, and i figured it was time for an update.

First.. I realize now that the $970 figure was their retail price. Don't recall exactly what my DME ended up charging my insurance, but it was much less.

I'm still using the Activa and sleeping MUCH better than a year ago. Even on those nights when i don't sleep thru the night, i sleep better. And that makes a major diff in how i feel and perform at work.

This CPAP thing works, folks. Stick with it!

I bought an Aura (Headrest) and gave it a try, but it sits in a drawer these days. Although it was relatively comfortable and sealed ok, it was very noisy.

And i just ordered a ComfortLite 2 based on the reviews i read here. Glad to see you're still around, RG, and still giving good advice.

teej

OwlCreekObserver · Post by **OwlCreekObserver** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 6:51 pm

Teej, I've been at this for a little over a week now. At the 7-day point, I was just about ready to toss the whole thing and take my chances. I was averaging about 3 or 4 hours sleep each night. During two of those nights I removed the mask sometime during the night, thereby setting off the alarm and shutting down the unit.

But on the 8th night, everything worked. I got a good, solid 8 hours for the first time in months. The 9th night -- last night -- was almost as good. I'm hopeful that it's all starting to fall into place. I guess we just have to keep working at it.

BTW, I only got about 3 or 4 hours sleep during both of my sleep labs. Has anyone ever actually slept while being strung up like Pinocchio??

snoregirl · Post by **snoregirl** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 8:34 pm

Interesting question about sleeping at the sleep study. By the time I got all wired up and finally tried to sleep it was probably almost midnight, given that they woke me to leave at 5am (horrible time) that doesn't leave too much time to actually sleep. So if you use my sleep center, you better start sleeping quickly or 3 -4 hours will be the most you CAN get

GoofyUT · Post by **GoofyUT** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 8:41 pm

I had EXACTLY the same experience. Kinda makes you wonder. Most folks would say that this is a reason to go APAP (and they have been shown in one study to do as good a job of titrating as a sleep study does). But ya know, if most PSGs are this unrealistic, then how good are APAPs if we say that they are equal? A better solution is to say NONSENSE to a sleep study, especially a splt-night like I had, when they wire you up by midnight, jump into titration as SOON as they "qualify" you, and then wake your *ss up at 5AM to kick you out! WE DESERVE BETTER.

Chuck

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 8:51 pm

GoofyUT wrote: . . . and then wake your *ss up at 5AM to kick you out! WE DESERVE BETTER.

I agree with you this time, Chuck. Do you have a recommendation to remedy this deficiency?

Regards,
Bill

snoregirl · Post by **snoregirl** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 10:10 pm

Actually mine was not a split night study like Chuck's. Rather I got my *ss kicked out of bed at 5AM twice. Very unpleasant. Then I had to drive home in the dark woozy (luckily mine was a whopping 6 miles from home) to crawl back into my own bed and try to get some more rest.

I have a recomendation. Let the people sleep until a reasonable hour 8am? 9am? If they have to pay some overtime to the tech or bring in someone for a partial shift do it.

Heck, they are charging a whole lot of money the way it is now. How much can the incremental cost be? Labor only, maybe a tiny bit more electricity for the lights and the computers to run a couple hours more.

Building is not used for anything else anyway. No second shift of sleepers coming into where I went. Only incremental labor cost which is tiny compared to the cost of the study.

OwlCreekObserver · Post by **OwlCreekObserver** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 9:37 am

Yeah, all of that sounds very familiar. At least the attendant I had for the first visit was a youngster who had only been doing it for about a month and was still enthusiastic about her work. The second trip I had Nurse Nightmare who acted like I was screwing up her life by just being there. Her solution to fixing every mask leak was to tighten everything down another notch. By the time I went to sleep (more or less) my head felt like a grape in a winepress.

And let's not forget the fact that they know EVERYTHING that goes on during the night -- breathing, pulse, turning over, etc. My lab had low-light closed circuit TV cameras and of course a microphone at the head of the bed. I suspect they were even keeping track of my thoughts. Maybe that's why she was so cranky.

I'm still struggling with my new equipment -- only about five hours total sleep last night. Around five AM, I shut down "Puff the Magic Dragon," took off the mask and intended to get up, but dropped back off again for the last hour. Also, I've developed a pretty sore spot at the top of my nose, apparently from where the mask has been setting. I made a couple of adjustments during the night and they seemed to help. The learning continues.

Don

Issac · Post by **Issac** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 6:04 pm

I am new, in a way. I'm sure I have posted here before, but I must not have used my name. Issac Zook. I thought I posted as my nick name , Zookie, but it doesnt work now.
Should anyone on a pressure ,say , higher than 16 be on autopap?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 6:06 pm

Isaac, did your doctor prescribe a bi-level machine?

Issac · Post by **Issac** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 6:14 pm

No. And you would never believe how high my pressure is. I cannot find a mask that fits. I have been given CPAP /humidity set up. I use a resmed unit now.
I need an output of 20. That is a pressure for better equipment, I'm sure.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 6:30 pm

Isaac, do you have difficulty exhaling at that pressure on your cpap machine? If not, then a cpap will work just fine. Which Resmed machine do you have? Do you have the software so you can check your nightly data to see your AHI? Have you contacted your doctor about finding a mask that fits you? Which different masks have you tried?

Issac · Post by **Issac** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 8:04 pm

I have brand new equipment. Elite S7 Cpap with attached humidifier humid- Air and full face ultra mirage that leaks in my eyes.

Issac · Post by **Issac** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 8:30 pm

The Bilevel is for the heart problems? I saw today in the news on this website about VPAP for the heart problems and I know Resmed makes Bilevel VPAP. I think my heart is not the problem.
I think I need to cut short my damn tounge. I hate this life and I have endured for 5 months.

Hi! I'm new

Same here!!

Re: Same here!!

also new