another confused new kid on the block

[sleepyjan]

So many questions.so few answers..........had sleep study.tech saidi had 91 awakenings in 7 hrs wired up and "didn't kick around around as uch as he expected".........went to DR......he said I have moderate apnea is ordering macine for daytime sleepiness ( I'm barely functioning and fall asleep standing up durin the day) ......have 2nd study and am told my setting will be 14....ok.whatever that is......got machine and mask from supplier......says resmed m auto/autoflex on top......and a cushy blue mask with a hose that comes out the bottom.........no instruction book no warranty....she does tell me she signed me up for autorepalcement of hoses etc and I can clean my mask with baby wipes.........I've used my cpap for 5 nights now .....am feeling better, actually sleep about 6 hrs a night ...dog stopped growling at weird new bedtie thingy......had rainout in mask 2nd nightand turned down dial to 2 above the part i put water in .........Thank God for this forum.I'mconfused anf don't know what any of this means......I really need to have some of this explained to me ..........I will use this for the rest of my life..and I'd really like to know what I'm doing! Thanks in advance for all of your help.....By the way I'm 62, female, work averaage of 50 hrs a week and drive 2 hrs to my Dr............

[BlackSpinner]

Welcome to you from another 61 year old female. You are doing great. You will find that the information gets easier to understand the longer you use the machine, brains fed oxygen work better and smarter.

What exactly do you need to know?
It will help us if you go into your profile and pick out your equipment. - words are easier then pictures.

[JohnBFisher]

Greetings! And welcome to the Forum!

We are very glad you found the Forum. Every one of us understand just how daunting this can be. There is a lot to learn.

So, where to start? Well, first of all you might want to read the "New CPAP User" information above:

new-cpap-user.php

The Wiki (the Yellow Light Bulb) above also has some great information.

wiki/

Though I note it is NOT working at the moment. Hopefully it will be available soon.

Also, PLEASE feel free to ask questions here. We've all been in those meetings with doctors, tired, feeling awful and trying to sort out what they are saying!

So, let me try to take apart what you said and see if I can help explain it.

... So many questions.so few answers. ...

Well, you've come to a good spot to get some great answers. You will find answers to questions you did not even know you had!

... had sleep study.tech saidi had 91 awakenings in 7 hrs ...

AHI is the measurement of sleep distrubances. But in the sleep test (as you found out) they measure lots of things. One is the number of apneas (times you stop breathing). So, when the sleep tech said you had 91 awakenings in 7 hours that means that about 13 (= 91/7) times an hour you stopped breathing long enough that your body aroused you. Probably not all the way awake. But definitely not able to sleep fully, either.

... wired up and "didn't kick around around as much as he expected".. ...

It's not unusual when someone has lots of problems with apnea, they also will kick in their sleep. It's essentially one way that our bodies learn to awaken. So, the sleep tech ... probably from experience and hearing how sleepy you are ... learned to expect a certain amount of thrashing from someone who is as sleepy as you are.

The good news for you with this is that you are not also fighting periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD). That's when your body twitches about (usually arms and legs) during your sleep. Just the apnea. And that's easier to address.

... went to DR......he said I have moderate apnea ...

Well, it means that it could be worse, but even moderate sleep apnea does REALLY bad things to your body. Left untreated, you will eventually gain lots of weight, develop diabetes, high blood pressure, have a heart attack or stroke. And no that's not an exaggeration. There is a of clinical evidence that is emerging that shows this cause and effect.

... is ordering macine for daytime sleepiness ( I'm barely functioning and fall asleep standing up durin the day) .. ...

Well, it's clear that you need some intervention. Think of the sleepiness as the canary in the mine. Sure, you are a danger to yourself and others if you drive. But worse, it also indicates your body is at much higher risk of increased infection, developing diabetes, etc, etc, etc ... The CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) unit will help "splint" open your airway. You will be able to sleep more deeply and feel more rested.

... had 2nd study and am told my setting will be 14....ok.whatever that is... ...

14 means that the air pressure would lift a column of water 14 centimeters. It is often shorted to just the number of 14cm H2O.

The following Wikipedia article explains it a bit more:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure_m ... uid_column

... ..got machine and mask from supplier......says resmed m auto/autoflex on top......and a cushy blue mask with a hose that comes out the bottom.. ...

I suspect (since it says "flex") that it is in face a Respironics unit. It says REMstar on the top. (The words all run together).

Does the unit look like the picture in the following link:

https://www.cpap.com/viewImage.php?PNum ... x-ball.jpg

Or does it look like the picture of the unit in the following link:

https://www.cpap.com/viewImage.php?PNum ... o-shot.jpg

The first one is an Respironics M Series unit. The second is the newer PR System One unit. Either way, both units are very good.

... ..no instruction book no warranty....she does tell me she signed me up for autorepalcement of hoses etc and I can clean my mask with baby wipes.. ...

When you let me know which one you have, we will be able to point you to information.

I'ld not heard of using baby wipes, but sure. It's a cheap and simple solution to cleaning the mask on a regular basis.

... ..I've used my cpap for 5 nights now .....am feeling better, actually sleep about 6 hrs a night ...

Whooo Hooo! That's what we want to hear. Glad it is helping already.

... .dog stopped growling at weird new bedtie thingy.. ...

LOL! That's TOO funny.

... ..had rainout in mask 2nd nightand turned down dial to 2 above the part i put water in ...

You can also buy a hose cover. That helps keep the air from cooling down and causing the rainout.

... Thank God for this forum.I'mconfused anf don't know what any of this means... ...

It's perfectly natural. If you developed diabetes you would feel the same way. There is a lot to learn... and unlearn. But you've done an amazingly good job of geting started.

... ...I really need to have some of this explained to me ....I will use this for the rest of my life..and I'd really like to know what I'm doing! ...

That's the power behind this forum. It can definitely help.

... Thanks in advance for all of your help ...

Think of it as a way for those of us here to pay it forward. We had help getting started. We now offer to help others.

Best wishes! And WELCOME!!

[imtired]

I'm barely functioning and fall asleep standing up durin the day

i am also new and this forum is a lifesaver. tonight will be my 4th on CPAP and everyone here has given me all the info and support i need. if it makes you feel better i fell asleep on a bike at the gym earlier this week and was also diagnosed as moderate. welcome to the forum

[Ghoov]

You've already gotten some great advice here but I wanted to say "Welcome". I'm a newbie too and have been on the cpap machine for just over a month - my daily headaches are gone, my thinking is sharp and I'm feeling better than I have in a few years.

All the best of luck to you

[Jersey Girl]

Dear sleepyjan,

Welcome. So glad that you posted. I too had a lot of condensation in my hose and mask. My husband likes to keep our bedroom at a cool 64 degrees and of course, my breath is much warmer than the air and the humidifer runs warmer as well. I ordered a fleece hose cover from http://www.padacheek.com. The hose covers come in cute designs (just like our pajamas) and feel cozy. You can kind of customize your equipment so that it's more you and stop the rain out problem as well. I also ordered a forhead fleece cover from them because I was waking up with a kind of pink mark on my forehead from my comfort gel nasal mask.

For cleaning my equipment I do the following: I use Citrus II cpap wipes - they leave no residual odor on the silicone pillow of the mask and are safe for the materials. http://www.citrusmagic.com. I also clean my hose every week - put a touch of Ivory liquid dish soap in the hose and rince with hot water and then hang to dry. Each week I use a small amount of distilled white vinegar and fill the rest of the humidifier with water. I let it sit on the kitchen counter for an hour or so and then rinse well - this disinfects the humidifer. I also used distilled water in the humidifer so that I don't get any building up of mineral deposits and then empty any residual water each day so that nothing begins to grow in there. I wash my nasal mask/pillow inserts each week with warm water and ivory dish washing liquid each week but daily use the mask wipes. My little weekly cleaning routine only takes about 5 minutes every Sunday.

The wonderful thing about CPAP is that eventually your exhaustion will be replaced by energy. You won't be falling asleep while standing up any more. Eventually you will feel more like you again. I say "eventually", because the time period for feeling better is different for each person. If you have any questions or issues along the way, your friends here at the forum are ready to help, or just listen if you need to vent.


Please, keep us posted on how you are doing.

Warmly,

Jersey Girl