New CPAP user

Benz · Post by **Benz** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 7:45 am

I just start using my CPAP machine about 10 days ago. When I woke up in the morning my mouth and throat were so dry. My machine is set the pressure at 8 with the heated humidifier is at 2. So far I still didn’t feel like the CPAP machine is helping my sleep yet, I still feel sleepy in the daytime. Is there any good suggestion for me? Is it takes long before I can tell the difference?

Thank you for your help.

jcarn · Post by **jcarn** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 8:37 am

something to check .. make sure your humidifier is ON.

Press the Heat button and make sure the little green light on the Humidifier lights up. It won't automatically turn on when the CPAP machine turns on.

-- For some it takes a while to see results .. I still don't feel 100% rested. Other people notice results the next day.
Give your body a few days to adjust .. then you'll have a better idea. This forum is a great resource for all types of questions - search and you shall find.

good luck and welcome!

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 9:36 am

Hi Benz,

jcarn's point is important to remember - the REMstar's integrated heated humidifier will turn OFF automatically any time the machine itself goes OFF. But the humidifier will not turn on automatically.

Just turning on the machine itself won't start the humidifier too. You have to press the humidifier button to turn the humidifier on each time.

If you turn the machine off at any point during the night, like to go to the bathroom, when you come back to bed and turn the machine on again, you have to remember to turn the humidifier on again, too.

If you have mask alert/auto-Off enabled (I don't) and the mask is removed during the night and put back on...again, you have to turn on the humidifier each time the machine is re-started.

Breathing through one's mouth is very drying, even when using a full face mask and heated humidification. Your heat setting of "2" is fairly low, since the highest heat setting for the REMstar heated humidifier is "5". You might want to try turning the heat up.

It can be a balancing act, trying to get as much heated humidification as you need or like, and not get "rainout" - water dripping on your face from inside a mask, due to warm humidified air condensing into water droplets inside the hose or mask as the warm air travels through a cold plastic hose.

Hose covers of various kinds can help reduce or avoid rainout. The surest way of all to avoid rainout as much as possible is to get the Aussie heated hose from http://www.sleepzone.com.au

With the heated hose, you can crank the humidifier heat up as much as you wish with far less chance of rainout disturbing your sleep.

Here's something to bear in mind even if you are not experiencing rainout problems. Even if you are able to turn your heated humidifier up all the way without causing rainout, the air IS cooling off somewhat on the long journey through a cold plastic air hose even with a hose cover. Using a heated hose as your main air hose will keep the air warmer through the entire length, letting more humidification actually reach you.

My edit: taking out the period that made the link to sleepzone not work. Thanks for catching that, Linda!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 9:39 am

I was all set to suggest you might be mouth-breathing, which commonly results in a terribly dry mouth and throat, but the picture in your equipment shows you are using a full face mask that completely covers both your nose and mouth. Is that correct?

What does the software tell you? What does it show for your AHI and leak rate each night? It always helps to be able to see what's going on and might lead you to make changes that will help.

You might try turning up the humidifier to see if that helps.

It can take some people quite a while to feel the difference from using CPAP, but stay the course. Using it all night, every night and for every nap will ensure you're addressing your OSA. Hang in there.

Benz · Post by **Benz** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 10:00 am

Thank you very much for all the responses. I have only smart card that can keep the record for 6 months, I will need to bring the card to the doctor's office to get it read.

I am a mouth breather, so that is why I have to use full face mask. In the near future I might want to try to use Mirage Swift Nasal Pillow CPAP mask system with headgear and using chin strap to hold my mouth shut. What do you think? Swift nasal pillow it looks like smaller object on the face, so I might feel more comfortable with it.

I always turn the humidifier on by pushing the heat button until the number turn to 2, I will try No. 3 tonight. I left the machine on when I go to the bathroom during the night, I just disconnect the hose and reconnect when I got back.

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 10:04 am

The Swift and a chinstrap are definitely worth a try. Unfortunately, chinstraps don't work all that well, but tape does so you can always try that.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 10:50 am

Benz wrote:So far I still didn’t feel like the CPAP machine is helping my sleep yet, I still feel sleepy in the daytime. Is there any good suggestion for me? Is it takes long before I can tell the difference?

Several possibilities come to mind for continued daytime sleepiness continuing after starting cpap treatment:

1. This brand new way of trying to sleep, with a mask on the face and a machine going can be disruptive to sleep. Takes time to get used to it, even if a person's mask is comfortable. Takes time to get used to all this. Dig into the message board's old posts. Continue asking questions so you can give yourself a fighting chance to make it as comfortable as possible.

2. The single fixed prescribed pressure arrived at from a one night sleep study titration is usually "right", but there's always the chance it might not be enough. That was a one night snapshot of your sleep. Using software to monitor your own nightly results at home is smart, imho, to see if the pressure is giving you effective treatment. An autopap would be my choice, but the straight cpap machine you have (REMstar Pro 2) can also show you plenty of overnight detailed info, using Encore Pro software.

3. If your sleep study turned up other sleep disorders besides OSA that were severe enough to disturb your sleep, those need to be addressed effectively too. PLM's (periodic limb movements) for example.

4. Other underlying health problems (GERD, arthritis pain, etc.) can continue to disrupt sleep even though the OSA is well treated.

5. Paying back sleep debt. Even after years of untreated sleep apnea, "sleep debt" can be paid back fairly quickly (a matter of days) IF sleep during cpap treatment is not continuing to be disrupted by mask/machine issues. I don't think you can really start counting how long you've "been on CPAP" until the day you are reasonably comfortable with mask/machine and are having no excessive leaks of treatment air.

Worth noting is that studies have indicated a possibility that repeated episodes of hypoxia to the brain can, in some cases, permanently alter parts of the brain which relate to sleep and wakefulness, resulting in continued EDS (excessive daytime sleepiness) even though effective treatment for sleep apnea is finally begun.

That may seem discouraging -- "What's the use of putting up with all this if I might continue to have daytime sleepiness anyway?!" But I'd look at it this way....if sleep apnea has been damaging parts of my brain, I sure don't want that damage to continue and get worse!

For some who continue to have EDS even with effective treatment for OSA and any other sleep disorder they might have, and even after other underlying health issues or sleepiness-causing meds are ruled out, medications like Provigil to relieve EDS might be needed.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 11:13 am

Benz wrote:I have only smart card that can keep the record for 6 months, I will need to bring the card to the doctor's office to get it read.

Some of us like to read our own Smart Card at home, as often as we like, on our own computers...with the Encore Pro software (free) and purchase ($30) of the necessary card reader. Months of summary data stays on the Smart Card, but the more useful "detailed data" has a much shorter life on the Smart Card... a week or less, as older detailed data is overwritten by newer.

Usually the only thing doctors, DME's (home health care supply stores) and insurance companies are interested in seeing from the Smart Card is "hours of use". Seeing if the person is actually using the machine at least 4 hours a night so that insurance will continue paying for the machine rental. The medical professionals are usually not interested at all in looking at the "overnight details" from the data downloads....information that starts being overwritten if you don't download it off the Smart Card at least once a week.

It's not necessary to look at your own results from the Smart Card unless you really want to. You can get perfectly good treatment without ever having the Smart Card downloaded at all. Just don't expect most doctors to take any interest in your treatment details, or even ever ask to see the Smart Card.

Benz · Post by **Benz** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 1:35 pm

Thank you very much "rested gal".

Where can I buy only Card Reader for $30? I saw from CPAP.com asking for $199 for Software and Card Reader as a package. Is it simple enough for general people to understand the printout from the card reader?

Linda3032 · Post by **Linda3032** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 3:47 pm

You can purchase a reader for $30.80 (includes shipping from Hong Kong to the USA). Some use a credit card, some pay via Paypal. It takes about 8 to 10 days to get to the USA. This is the one I purchased for a desktop computer:
http://www.2factors.com/index.php?sp=&p ... s=&lang=en
You do NOT use the CD that comes with the Hong Kong reader – at all.

Another place to purchase (in the USA) at a cost of $56.00 is:
http://www.securetech-corp.com/mako_dt.html

Linda3032 · Post by **Linda3032** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 3:50 pm

Is it simple enough for general people to understand the printout from the card reader?

Yes. Some of us just use the basics, but "geeks" go to extremes (said with a smile). ....

sunnyvale sleeper · Post by **sunnyvale sleeper** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 4:06 pm

restedgal, I checked out the http://www.sleepzone.com.au./ website but found only the Contact web hosting site. Is there an updated url for this supplier?

Linda3032 · Post by **Linda3032** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 4:21 pm

Try:

http://www.sleepzone.com.au/

(no period behind the au)

Scroll halfway down to the red "sun" on the left.

Benz · Post by **Benz** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 5:53 am

Thank you so much "Linda3032", I really appreciate your help. I'm so glad that I found this forum, everybody here are so helpful.

Benz · Post by **Benz** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 8:43 am

I try to buy Smart Card Reader from 2factors.com, but I couldn't. First I registered as a member, after that I got e-mail from them so I can sign in as a member. After I signed in and click to buy Smart Card Reader for $30.80, it went back to sign in page again. It kept going back and forth between sign in page and click the item to buy without asking for my credit card number to pay. I just don't know what I did wrong.

Did anyone ever have any problem to buy from 2factors.com website? May you please tell me what to do?

Thank you for your help.

Mask	Humidifier

Humidifier

Additional Comments: Auto range 11-15

Mask	Humidifier

Mask	Humidifier

New CPAP user

New CPAP user

Re: New CPAP user