First night data-Could my mouth have been open?

[KimberlyM]

I just received my S9 yesterday, so last night was my first night. My data this morning showed 17.1 AHI and a leak rate of 33.6%, but my mask had the green smiley face. Does that mean I had my mouth open? I have a nasal mask. It was a very uncomfortable night with the mask, so I tossed and turned, but wouldn't the mask not be the green smiley if it had leaked? I am discouraged and I feel like I struggled with this thing all night for nothing.

[jabman]

Welcome to the board,
What type of S9 do you have? Mine is the AutoSet which is a data capable machine, I also have the software with it. This is important in determining the leaks you are having. I don't even bother with the smiley face because I don't think it paints an accurate pitchure.

If you go to the user control panel (just below the search text box) you can add equipment which will ade in getting help and support

[chunkyfrog]

That was only the first night; you will get more comfortable with it as time goes.
Congratulations on your effort.
It's not always great the first few nights--but it gets better.
You may have noticed that many of us have our equipment listed at the bottom of our posts.
This is to help us identify which us have the same machine, etc.
If you can do likewise, others will chime in with more advice than you can handle--we want to help.

[KimberlyM]

Welcome to the board,
What type of S9 do you have? Mine is the AutoSet which is a data capable machine, I also have the software with it. This is important in determining the leaks you are having. I don't even bother with the smiley face because I don't think it paints an accurate pitchure.

If you go to the user control panel (just below the search text box) you can add equipment which will ade in getting help and support

Thank you for your response, mine is also the AutoSet, but I don't have the software. I tried repeatedly to find it online but to no avail. I also don't have the clinician manual. I looked here on the forum to find out how to see the AHI for the night. I wondered about how accurate the smiley is. I do know that I kept readjusting the mask throughout the night. I now realize that that may read as a leak also?

[KimberlyM]

That was only the first night; you will get more comfortable with it as time goes.
Congratulations on your effort.
It's not always great the first few nights--but it gets better.
You may have noticed that many of us have our equipment listed at the bottom of our posts.
This is to help us identify which us have the same machine, etc.
If you can do likewise, others will chime in with more advice than you can handle--we want to help.

I updated my profile to include that information. I didn't even think about that! Thank you for the encouragement. The pressure of the mask on my upper lip was driving me crazy and I kept readjusting it. The mask I have (EasyLife) is supposed to seal itself and not have to have tight straps. I now recognize my readjustments would probably read as leaks too. I am going to the ENT today and will see if there is an anatomical reason the nasal mask may not work for me. Thank you for your help!

[xenablue]

I agree with jabman about the smiley face. This can tell you if your mask is fitted right at that time - and I've only used it when I first put the mask on and while I'm watching tv. As soon as you lay down or move around, my guess is the smiley would be more red than green.

Cheers,
xena

[robysue]

I just received my S9 yesterday, so last night was my first night. My data this morning showed 17.1 AHI and a leak rate of 33.6%, but my mask had the green smiley face. Does that mean I had my mouth open? I have a nasal mask. It was a very uncomfortable night with the mask, so I tossed and turned, but wouldn't the mask not be the green smiley if it had leaked? I am discouraged and I feel like I struggled with this thing all night for nothing.

Your 95% leak rate figure is 33.6 L/min (not 33.6%) and it means that for 5% of the time the S9 was running, your leak rate was greater than or equal to 33.6 Liters (of air) per minute above the expected exhaust flow leak built into the mask. To get a grasp on how much time your leak was above 33.6 L/min, you need to realize that 5% of ONE hour is THREE minutes. Multiply THREE minutes by the hours you had the machine running and you'll know how long your leak was ABOVE 33.6 L/min.

The Green Smiley face (which is almost useless) only turns into the Red Frowny face if your 75% percentile leak rate is AT or ABOVE 24 L/min---if I recall correctly. So the fact that your S9 showed you the Green Smiley means that 75% of the time the machine was running you had a leak rate AT or BELOW 24 L/min. The S9 software accepts this rate as minimally acceptable in that the S9's engineers believe that the data the S9 gathers is reasonably accurate in spite of leaks as long as the leaks stay less than 24 L/min most of the time.

You will likely feel better if you can figure out how to get your S9's 95% leak rate much, much closer to 0.0 since fewer leaks will mean better therapy and fewer problems with air blowing in your eyes, on your cheeks, and otherwise irritating you.

Were you opening your mouth? It's possible and probably even pretty likely that you had your mouth open at times. Is it a problem? Maybe---particularly if you can't or don't want to use a full face mask. Only the detailed data will really let you see how often you are leaking and how big each of those individual leaks are.

But as a newbie, you need to worry most about fixing the problems that are leading to discomfort in using the machine first and then the problems that might make therapy better. If you feel like you had air blowing into your eyes or if your mouth was really dry this morning, then spending time now fixing leaks is likely to make the whole experience easier to adjust to. But if you were tossing and turning because of getting tangled in the hose, then work on hose management first and leaks second. So any impressions about what specific things were making you uncomfortable and unable to get/stay asleep last night?

[Emilia]

@ Kimberly... fine Uncle_Bob on the forum and PM him to ask for the link to download the software and clinician's manual for your machine.

[KimberlyM]

I just received my S9 yesterday, so last night was my first night. My data this morning showed 17.1 AHI and a leak rate of 33.6%, but my mask had the green smiley face. Does that mean I had my mouth open? I have a nasal mask. It was a very uncomfortable night with the mask, so I tossed and turned, but wouldn't the mask not be the green smiley if it had leaked? I am discouraged and I feel like I struggled with this thing all night for nothing.

Your 95% leak rate figure is 33.6 L/min (not 33.6%) and it means that for 5% of the time the S9 was running, your leak rate was greater than or equal to 33.6 Liters (of air) per minute above the expected exhaust flow leak built into the mask. To get a grasp on how much time your leak was above 33.6 L/min, you need to realize that 5% of ONE hour is THREE minutes. Multiply THREE minutes by the hours you had the machine running and you'll know how long your leak was ABOVE 33.6 L/min.

The Green Smiley face (which is almost useless) only turns into the Red Frowny face if your 75% percentile leak rate is AT or ABOVE 24 L/min---if I recall correctly. So the fact that your S9 showed you the Green Smiley means that 75% of the time the machine was running you had a leak rate AT or BELOW 24 L/min. The S9 software accepts this rate as minimally acceptable in that the S9's engineers believe that the data the S9 gathers is reasonably accurate in spite of leaks as long as the leaks stay less than 24 L/min most of the time.

You will likely feel better if you can figure out how to get your S9's 95% leak rate much, much closer to 0.0 since fewer leaks will mean better therapy and fewer problems with air blowing in your eyes, on your cheeks, and otherwise irritating you.

Were you opening your mouth? It's possible and probably even pretty likely that you had your mouth open at times. Is it a problem? Maybe---particularly if you can't or don't want to use a full face mask. Only the detailed data will really let you see how often you are leaking and how big each of those individual leaks are.

But as a newbie, you need to worry most about fixing the problems that are leading to discomfort in using the machine first and then the problems that might make therapy better. If you feel like you had air blowing into your eyes or if your mouth was really dry this morning, then spending time now fixing leaks is likely to make the whole experience easier to adjust to. But if you were tossing and turning because of getting tangled in the hose, then work on hose management first and leaks second. So any impressions about what specific things were making you uncomfortable and unable to get/stay asleep last night?[/quote]

Thank you for this advice and the details on the leak. You are right, my first priority should be addressing how to make the therapy more tolerable. The nasal mask was pressing on my upper lip pretty hard and I hated the strap being so low on the back of my head as I get occipital migraines. I may need to consider a different mask.

[chunkyfrog]

See what I said about these guys wanting to help?

[KimberlyM]

@ Kimberly... fine Uncle_Bob on the forum and PM him to ask for the link to download the software and clinician's manual for your machine.

Thank you, I PM'd him!

[KimberlyM]

See what I said about these guys wanting to help?

Most definitely, I would be lost without all of the people and information on this forum. I truly believe it is what makes it possible for many people to find solutions to stay compliant. Thank you all!

[robysue]

Thank you for this advice and the details on the leak. You are right, my first priority should be addressing how to make the therapy more tolerable. The nasal mask was pressing on my upper lip pretty hard and I hated the strap being so low on the back of my head as I get occipital migraines. I may need to consider a different mask.

My sympathies on the migraines---as a fellow migraine sufferer who knows that most migrainers have far worse migraine problems than I do. If that mask's headgear is properly placed so low on the back of your head to potentially trigger migraines, you really should consider another mask. You say you're using a nasal mask that's also pressing on your upper lip pretty hard----you might want to try a nasal pillows mask since the straps usually don't include one that goes around the back of the head at or near the base of the skull and they often don't seem to press so hard on the upper lip.

Fix the problems that irritate you the most first---then work on the rest of them. And good luck!

[SapphireCat]

My first night with CPAP (about a month ago) showed an AHI of 14 - down from my Sleep Study AHI of 69. By now, my AHI's are reading 3.3. I'm not really sure why they've come down, but they have. I felt dramatically better with the 14 than with the 69, so at least it was an improvement! I just wanted you to know that not everyone has great numbers in the beginning. I sure didn't. I'm hoping mine come down more yet. I think my mouth does drop open occasionally.

[KimberlyM]

Thank you for this advice and the details on the leak. You are right, my first priority should be addressing how to make the therapy more tolerable. The nasal mask was pressing on my upper lip pretty hard and I hated the strap being so low on the back of my head as I get occipital migraines. I may need to consider a different mask.

My sympathies on the migraines---as a fellow migraine sufferer who knows that most migrainers have far worse migraine problems than I do. If that mask's headgear is properly placed so low on the back of your head to potentially trigger migraines, you really should consider another mask. You say you're using a nasal mask that's also pressing on your upper lip pretty hard----you might want to try a nasal pillows mask since the straps usually don't include one that goes around the back of the head at or near the base of the skull and they often don't seem to press so hard on the upper lip.

Fix the problems that irritate you the most first---then work on the rest of them. And good luck!

The migraines are really a problem for me since they last three days at a time and even the abortive drugs only stop them for a few hours. They start at the base of my neck, go up through my jaw and then into the back of my nasal passage on the side of the headache, then into the eye. They are a combination of Migraine/Cluster. My concern on the nasal pillows is that the air blowing straight up the nose might be an irritant. Do you notice the air once the pillows are in place? Have you had an increase in migraines since starting treatment? I am grateful for your reply, it is nice to see someone who has made this (CPAP) work with these headaches.