What is AHI? Mine was 49.7!

[sleepmba]

Good job sticking with it. It's great to see people overcome the obstacles presented when it comes to PAP therapy. Best of luck to you in this journey!

[DreamOn]

Last night I turned the pressure up to 12 and my AHI was 1.9! It's a shame that they would give me this machine and not want me to see the doctor for a whole month. If not for the great help I've received in this forum, my AHI would still be at 50-60 every night. I know the doctor's going to be mad that I turned it up myself, but too bad.

EDIT: Just talked to the lady at the doctor's office and she told me that at my sleep study my AHI was 127! No wonder I'm always so tired.

Great results, fotoguy!!!

Yes, with an AHI of 127, no wonder you were always tired! Perhaps that woman at the doctor's office would give you a copy of your sleep study(s) now, before you meet with the doctor. I think you're going to find some interesting information there.

It may be a good idea to stay at 12 for a while and see what your results are longer term at that pressure. I hope that you continue to feel better and better!

[Popi]

Tell me, have you noticed yourself having more dreams?

I've finally started to act like an adult and force myself to stick with it, and man, do I have dreams. I still wake up every night at around midnight and it takes me a while to fall back to sleep, and I'm getting about double the sleep I used to, but it's the dreams that, to me, are the biggest difference.

About two years ago, a friend of mine called me to relate his experiences after his first night with CPAP....the first words out of his mouth were, "I dreamed...I can't remember that last time I had one of those."

[ozij]

Congratulations, Fotoguy! And to all those who helped you.

[fotoguy]

Thanks, everybody. I don't remember having any dreams. Last night I turned the pressure back down to 11 and my AHI was 7.9. So it looks like 12 is going to be the magic number for me. I'm getting a hybrid mask tomorrow. This full face mask is just too uncomfortable and leaks a bit too much.

[fotoguy]

Today I got a Mirage Quattro full face mask and it feels so much better. Can't wait to see how it works out tonight. Decided that the hybrid wouldn't work for me.

[fotoguy]

Used a Mirage Quattro full face mask for the first time last night with the pressure set at 10 and EPR at 2. I got an AHI of 9.1 - not too bad for me. It was comfortable enough, woke up a few times from the noise of it leaking. The adjustment knob that sticks out at the top was bothersome, too. It was better to me than the other two masks I've tried - the FlexiFit HC432 full face mask and the Zest nasal mask. They guy also brought a FitLife Total Face Mask that looked like a firefighter's mask - it covered the whole face, including the eyes. It was very uncomfortable for me. Here's the Mirage Quattro:

[DreamOn]

Good to read that the Quattro is comfortable for you. It didn't seem to work well for me, but it's a very popular mask. Another popular full-face mask seems to be the ResMed Ultra Mirage. A lot of people like the InnoMed/RespCare Hybrid too, which is quite different than the Liberty Hybrid.

It looks like you're figuring things out! Please let us know how it goes when you meet with your sleep doctor too.

[fotoguy]

I would have preferred a hybrid mask, but I'm currently sporting a moustache so it wouldn't work for me at this time. Honestly, I'm pretty tired of all this CPAP stuff already and it's only been two weeks for me. But they said that during my sleep study, my AHI was 127. To me, that is pretty frightening...enough so that I'll continue to use my machine until I'm cured (as if).

[DreamOn]

.... until I'm cured (as if).

Yeah, I wish!

Yes, it can be quite frustrating, but as time goes on you should feel better and better. That makes it all worthwhile. Focusing on the rewards of successful therapy keeps me going. I want to be healthier and live longer, so it's something I have to do. I've gotten used to it now (almost 8 months).

Right now you're still trying to find the right mask and ideal pressure. In my experience, that's been the hardest part (especially the mask!). You haven't had restful sleep for a long time and you're still not sleeping as well as you probably will be in a few months. You'll get there! You've made tremendous progress already!

[fotoguy]

Thanks, DreamOn. I'm looking forward to not being tired all day, every day. I couldn't even go workout today, I was so tired.

[fotoguy]

It's been 2 1/2 weeks and I'm still dead tired every day. I feel that I was doing better without the CPAP, even though I know my AHI was over 100 without it.

[DreamOn]

For many people it takes months to feel better. Part of the time during these last few weeks you experimented with masks and pressure, so you haven't been getting good therapy for all that long. In fact, it's probably still not optimal. Perhaps your sleep doctor will have suggestions for you, in light of the information in your sleep study report(s). Your cardiac problems are probably contributing to your fatigue as well.

It's the repeated oxygen desaturations caused by the apneas that does so much damage over time. Your untreated AHI was very high, so it's going to take time to undo some of that damage. Are you getting enough hours of sleep right now? What have your results numbers been like these last few days? Which mask and pressure setting are you using right now?

Read about Spirit's struggle with extreme fatigue here: viewtopic.php?t=49037. He was having such a difficult time for a long while, and wanted to give up numerous times. Then read this thread that he started a few months later: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=52402. He found what worked for him and turned it around completely! Hang in there!

[fotoguy]

Hi, DreamOn! Thanks again for your much-appreciated help. I'm using the Mirage Quattro™ Full Face Mask now and I've turned the pressure back down to 9, as I'll be seeing the doctor soon. I'm still going to insist that he let me have a ResMed S9 Autoset. He can set it manually if he wants, but I want that option to go auto later. My AHI has been around 20, but the mask has been occasionally leaking. I wasn't this tired before the CPAP.

I see you're from Southern California - my favorite place! I was stationed at Twentynine Palms for a while and fell in love with the place. I like the desert and the coast equally as much. I lived in Las Vegas for a couple years, too, and liked it as well. May I ask where you are? I'm near St. Louis, Missouri, where all of my family is.

[brain_cloud]

Since you were getting lower numbers at 10, I'm wondering why you are going back down to a lower pressure?