Day 13 - some observations and conclusions.

[SleepyInIndy]

I have two masks, a FF Quattro from the DME and an Opus from my titration which I took home with me. I liked the lightness and the simplified headgear of the Opus mask very much. I did not mouth breath during my titration and hoped to use this mask my primary mask.

After a few days, I noticed that I was getting dry mouth several times per night and the headgear seemed to slip up and over the head releasing the pillows from the nose. I also awoke realizing I was mouth-leaking air. I assume that because I am sleeping better, I relax more and bingo open goes the mouth. Conclusion: I must be a FF mask type as I don’t want to go the taping route

So I have switched to the FF mask as my primary. This is not a problem as I have been able to sleep with this mask for the entire night. I hope I to use the Opus during an upcoming extended Alaskan vacation as it will pack much easier than the FF Quattro.

I know I need the software and reader to get the most from my therapy. However, finances do not allow this yet, so I am resetting my therapy screen every night (as I learned on this forum) and recording the numbers in a spreadsheet manually. And the numbers as I am seeing there look pretty good.

Time – 6+ hours daily. 7+ hours when I am working day shift.
Leakage – 32 – 34 L/M.
AHI – 0.5 or lower every night.

At my pressure (9 cm) the leakage for my FF mask is just over 32 L/m, so apparently I am having little air leakage issues. As I am a side sleeper I am quite pleased with the results. Conclusion: keep on keeping on.

Two nights ago I had the worst night with my mask yet. Around 4:00 AM the mask started leaking no matter what sleeping position or how I repositioned the mask. I reluctantly switched to the Opus and was able to continue with the therapy until morning. I theorize that I hadn’t cleaned the FF mask sufficiently and face oils were causing the incomplete sealing. I carefully washed the mask cushion and had no problems last night. Conclusion: I need to pay attention to the mask seals daily.

I stopped using the ramp feature several nights ago as my pressure is not oppressive (except the first whoosh on startup). The other night when I switched to the Opus I engaged the ramp and found that the air volume felt insufficient to breathe. Conclusion: Right now, I no longer need the ramp.

Is it working? While I cannot say I feel any better, I do seem to be waking better. I no longer need that extra 15 minutes before rousing and stumbling to the shower in the AM. My work schedule since beginning CPAP has been chaotic so I cannot say if I am less tired during the day. But my venture is still in the early days.

I apologize for the long monologue. It's just the ramblings of another newbe. Thanks for listening and the knowledge on this forum and I hope you weren’t too bored.

John

[RipVW]

Sounds like you're off to a great beginning, John! For many of us (me!), it took a lot longer to get to the point you are with your therapy. And, feeling better seems to take a bit longer, too. Of course, how long it takes varies for everyone. Good luck!

[Claire]

Don't apologize for rambling. It's good to hear another person's story. I don't have any friends with apnea so I rely on this forum to learn what other people do, have done, and so on.

I tried nasal pillows also and had terrible dry mouth which my DME described as a result of air hunger...I wasn't getting enough air through the pillows. I'm not a mouth breather so I guess my tendency is to consistently try to breathe through my nose.

Anyway, switched to a nasal mask and have learned that if I don't wash it every day, I'll get leaks. I also found that sometimes I was exhaling through my mouth (my husband would hear this and push me). So I have a strap with velcro that I use around my head to keep my mouth closed. This generally works well for me.

That's my story to day...I'm in month 4 of CPAP.

[cricachakyrop]

And I was the only one interested in doing so at the time. Some mix of pain and anger consumes us, and trust is lost; even worse, hope is lost. I used a good combination of different stamps here and watercolour pencils. Kansas: Any applicant who is under age 18 must have either: - Notarized, written consent of all then living parents and legal guardians, or notarized, written consent of one parent or legal guardian and consent of a district court judge. The lyrics are a lot of my prayer, that God is with us from the beginning til the end and can meet us in the midst our pain/wounds and repair what has been destroyed in our hearts.
location voiture mariage
coiffure de mariage
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50ieme anniversaire de mariage

[KevinMWHM]

Please keep up with the ramblings - it's the best way I've found to know that I'm on the same track.