Brand new CPAP user...please help you experienced users? :-)

[lainy]

Hi,
I've had the system for three nights now. How long do you try using the mask before you decide that it is or is not the right one for you? The RT gave me a Resp Remstar Amara in Medium. She said covering nose and mouth was important because I tend to be a mouth breather. It does take a while for me to fall asleep and sleeping on my side it's tough to find a good position on my pillow with the mask. I KNOW she started me on this mask because she said that this brand allows trade ins for the company for free if it doesnt work. While I understand that, I know I need the best mask for me!

I'm also not sure how much humidity I should be using? My settings are 1-5 and I live in Colorado so it's quite dry. I've been putting it on 4 or 5 so far.

Any tips or feedback you can give me would be very much appreciated!!! Thank you and good sleeping!

[Pugsy]

The Amara hasn't seemed to measure up to all the original hype.

Tell me what the model number is on the bottom of your blower unit please. You may have some additional humidity choices depending on model. Should be a 3 digit number on a sticker with an 8 digit number.

[Denial Dave]

It took me 30 days before I gave up on my 1st mask. But only gave mask #2 about 5 nights. Mask #3 was just right.

Dave

[Sheriff Buford]

How long do you try using the mask before you decide that it is or is not the right one for you?

When you are ready to drop-kick the mask into the next county. When I help folks, I let them come to the conclusion that a particular mask is not for them.

Sheriff

[msvaleriah]

Hi, Lainy! I"m a Colorado girl too - and a fellow newbie as well. It seems we have a lot in common - I also sleep on my side and use a full-face mask for much the same reason. I was lucky enough to run across a deal on Woot for a cpap pillow designed for side-sleepers right at the same time I got my machine. There's a little circular chunk cut out of the pillow on either side to accomodate your mask so it doesn't ride sideways. It really seems to help, and might make sleeping with a ffm more comfortable for you too. I've noticed them on a lot of the cpap supply sites, including cpap.com. My pillow is from Contour. I like it, but I wish I'd gotten the thicker version of the two offered if I had it to do again. A regular side-sleeper's pillow (shaped like a great big comma) might work as well. Bet if you searched Amazon or eBay you'd find listings for cpap pillows as well.

[TangledHose]

I'm also not sure how much humidity I should be using? My settings are 1-5 and I live in Colorado so it's quite dry. I've been putting it on 4 or 5 so far.

Any tips or feedback you can give me would be very much appreciated!!! Thank you and good sleeping!

I am in Colorado too (Centennial) - - I don't have the same system that you have, but I kept bumping up my humidity setting until I got to the point that I would sorta get a wet face feeling inside my Full Face Mask and then go down one notch. You definitely want as much humidity as you can use up here in the dry air without getting too much moisture where it causes a problem with wet face or Rain Out (condensation gurgling in the hose) - - some folks here point out that you should be sure your machine is positioned so it is at a point lower than your head is on the pillow, that way if you do get condensation in your hose you won't have it running downhill into your mask. I have noticed that my therapy numbers (AHI) tend to be a bit better with more humidity, and my sinuses are greatly improved with the CPAP therapy mostly due to the nice, warm, humid air I am breathing every night- - it's a nice side benefit of CPAP. If your machine has a heated hose option you should definitely go that route as it will markedly reduce any problems with condensation building up in the hose.

Good luck with your PAP therapy and stick with it - - it gets easier with time

[kohrmy]

Fellow newbie mouth-breather from Colorado here, and I concur that the humidifier is a must. I've only had 4 nights, and half of them have ended in desert-mouth, the first was from foolishly not topping off the reservoir before going to bed, and I'm thinking the second was from actually sleeping close to 8 hours on CPAP...the nerve! I have a very similar CPAP machine with settings of 1-5 and I believe the same humidifier, and I've been using 3, but I'm considering dropping down to 2 to avoid going through the whole reservoir in a long night. When I start the pressure, it seems colder than the surrounding air, I'm not sure if that's just because the distilled water hasn't heated up yet, or if it's a significant difference in the humidity.

I believe I used the Amara mask during my titration study, but I ended up getting the Mirage Quattro from the DME. My titration study ended with a major leak right into my eyes and puffed out cheeks, so it wasn't great. Of course, I've awoken very similar since, so it may just be a CPAP thing.

I like Sheriff Buford's suggestion of trying the mask until you're ready to kick it into the next county. This whole process is a lot of adjustment, of masks and of ourselves, and a lot of people seem to find it overwhelming, so stubbornness has it's place, stick with it, fiddle with things, but if you've tried everything you and the community here can think of, a different mask may be the next logical step to get your therapy working effectively. But what do I know?

[Pugsy]

I have no patience. Takes me all of one night to decide if it is worth investing anymore time in it.

[Wulfman...]

Hi,
I've had the system for three nights now. How long do you try using the mask before you decide that it is or is not the right one for you? The RT gave me a Resp Remstar Amara in Medium. She said covering nose and mouth was important because I tend to be a mouth breather. It does take a while for me to fall asleep and sleeping on my side it's tough to find a good position on my pillow with the mask. I KNOW she started me on this mask because she said that this brand allows trade ins for the company for free if it doesnt work. While I understand that, I know I need the best mask for me!

I'm also not sure how much humidity I should be using? My settings are 1-5 and I live in Colorado so it's quite dry. I've been putting it on 4 or 5 so far.

Any tips or feedback you can give me would be very much appreciated!!! Thank you and good sleeping!

After my first year (started in 2005) of using the ResMed Ultra Mirage Full Face mask, I bought a Respironics Comfortfull 2 (in 2006) because it was like the one I had used in my sleep study and I wanted to see how it would work in the "real world". I struggled to make it through 3 nights before I had to give up and switch back to my UMFF. About another year later (2007), I bought a ResMed Quattro from another forum member. I used it periodically, but never liked it as well as my UMFF.

On the question about humidity, I live in Northwest Wyoming (which is drier than all of you Coloradans) and use my humidifier strictly in "passover" mode (no heat) year-round. The dry air flowing through the machine picks up enough moisture and the cool air shrinks the nasal tissues and keeps my nasal passages open. (too much warm, moist air can cause nasal congestion)


Den

.

[lainy]

So Pugsy....my unit says DS6HFLG. Hmmmm, maybe that is the humidifier. I'll check again.

[chunkyfrog]

The masks that hurt or leaked badly got the boot quickly from me.
Comfort is important. If the mask doesn't fit, you keep trying, but with a different mask--or more.
Cpap should not hurt. Period.

[Pugsy]

So Pugsy....my unit says DS6HFLG. Hmmmm, maybe that is the humidifier. I'll check again.

Yeah, that sounds like humidifier. I think that is the model number for the heated tube humidifier which is used with model 560 machines.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/3041 This is what you are showing in your profile and if this is the right machine the model number would be 550...but there are also 560 machines that have the heated hose.
Sometimes the machines will have DS in front of the 3 digit model number but sometimes they have REF...It's on the blower part of your machine.

The 560 machines are newer and while it wouldn't be impossible that you were given a 550 ...maybe you just chose the wrong machine.
The 560 looks like this...a little darker gray instead of the silver.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-sys ... -tube.html

It comes with a heated hose...which is an option and not always supplied but the 560 without the heated hose can be upgraded to use the heated hose.

All this affects what we might offer in ideas to help with humidifier issues.

[jencat824]

I personally try to give a mask a week, if after a week I just don't feel right with it, then I look at trying something else. The exception to that rule is the Quattro FX for her - I could not get a full nights sleep with it and eventually just gave up. You will know when a mask is just downright unusable. Some masks are OK & usable but just now the right mask for your regular, 'love it' mask.

Hang in there, you will find that 'right for you' mask.

Jen

[Drowsy Dancer]

I'm really stubborn. I only gave up on my first mask when I had an open sore on the bridge of my nose.

I don't recommend this.

If you don't have a heated hose, I recommend a hose cosy. Also makes the bedroom look less hospital-like. Padacheek (forum member, CPAP user, clever craftswoman) is THE place to get such items.

[squid13]

I hope that when your picking your unit up to look for numbers you have the water container out of the humidifier.