first night no so good, feeling cursed

[DoriC]

You're getting good advice so you know you're not alone in this but one thing I'd suggest is to try another FF mask. The Amara hasn't gotten very good reviews and most people try several before they find the right one. Your DME should be able to work with you on that. There's some new ones that just came out, the Resmed Air and the F&P Simplus as well as the tried and true Resmed Quattro and Resmed Ultra Mirage. If you have a problem getting to try out other masks, PM me and I may be able to help you. Good luck and keep us posted.

[need_some_sleep]

I will take a sleep aid to see if that helps at all. Im going to be mighty discouraged for a while during this time I get this all sorted out.
Also, I have to mouth breathe because my nose completely closes shut no matter how much medication I take for it. This has been a life long problem with no solution being found. I have found prescription decongestants that work, but only for a short time before I become immune to it, or they gave me excruciatingly painful headaches, so I gave up on that route, and just accepted the mouth breathing after the nose shuts off. The only thing that works is Afrin, but that doesn't work all night, and the air has to be completely still or my nose will seal shut. I can count the number of times my nose has stayed open for longer than 12 hours in the past year on one hand. Kinda like how may days I remember waking feeling rested as far back as I can remember, all on one hand.
Also, I had some soreness in my chest, is that from the pressure? If so, Im assuming I have to get used to this too?

[robysue]

I am opposed to the Ramp because it is counter productive to our having a sense that we are getting enough air. If you turn off the Ramp entirely, then try to put the mask on, then your mind will think, "Gosh I could not never suffocate while this thing is blowing.

Some of us put the mask on at full force and think, "The machine is forcing so much air down my airway that I can't exhale properly and so I can't breathe right" The suffocation feeling can happen just as easily when you feel as though the machine is keeping you from exhaling.

When i was a newbie trying to sleep at 9cm of pressure, the ramp was critical to me: I felt overwhelmed by 9cm of pressure being blown down my airway. Even at 4cm, I was uncomfortable because I felt as though the machine was forcing more air down my airway and into my lungs than I could comfortably handle; there was no way I could tolerate going straight to 9cm. And when I woke up at night with the air blowing full force, I was always incredibly uncomfortable with both aeriophagia and a strong sensation that the machine was force-feeding me air. I even had bad dreams of being a goose being force fed for fois gras.

Some relief was obtained when I was switched to an APAP range of 4-8 cm. More relief came when I started using a BiPAP Auto with min EPAP = 4 and max IPAP = 8. I still occasionally feel as though there's too much air being blown down my airway at the start of the night---when my pressures are IPAP = 6 and EPAP = 4.

[49er]

I will take a sleep aid to see if that helps at all. Im going to be mighty discouraged for a while during this time I get this all sorted out.
Also, I have to mouth breathe because my nose completely closes shut no matter how much medication I take for it. This has been a life long problem with no solution being found. I have found prescription decongestants that work, but only for a short time before I become immune to it, or they gave me excruciatingly painful headaches, so I gave up on that route, and just accepted the mouth breathing after the nose shuts off. The only thing that works is Afrin, but that doesn't work all night, and the air has to be completely still or my nose will seal shut. I can count the number of times my nose has stayed open for longer than 12 hours in the past year on one hand. Kinda like how may days I remember waking feeling rested as far back as I can remember, all on one hand.
Also, I had some soreness in my chest, is that from the pressure? If so, Im assuming I have to get used to this too?

Have you considered consulting an ENT regarding your nasal issues? Might be something to pursue.

Hang in there.

49er

[Julie]

Using Afrin is a vicious cycle and many people here have weaned themselves off by using the new nasal rinses instead - they do a good job and don't make it necessary to use more but get less benefit the way Afrin does.

[RandyJ]

+1 to what Robysue said about humidifier setting. If you think you need more humidification:

Go into setting called "System One Humidification" - if it is set to ON, change it to C (for Classic). It will put out more moisture.

[flyingwithoutwings]

Hello need_some_sleep - It's been a few weeks since you lasted posted and I'm wondering how you're doing. I had some of the issues you were having including one night of not being able to fall asleep no matter what I did and wanting to scream at the top of my lungs - I was so angry with myself. I've been on PAP therapy for almost 4 months now and still getting used to it. I long for the days (before cpap) when I would fall asleep within 10 minutes of hitting the pillow and "sleeping like a baby" or so I thought. But now, after learning what OSA is, I don't dare go to sleep without my mask.

Please give us an update on how you're doing.

[ChicagoGranny]

Have you considered consulting an ENT regarding your nasal issues? Might be something to pursue.

Let me restate that.

If you haven't already, hurry the hell up to an ENT and let him scope your nasal passages and run allergy tests on you.

Taking CPAP therapy through the mouth, instead of the nose, is going to be constantly unpleasant.

ChicagoGramps

[need_some_sleep]

flying.. Im feeling pretty good. Im still getting used to the machine. There are still issues with mouth breathing, as I still can't keep my nose open overnight no matter what I have tried. I called my doctor's office, and they can see me in April regarding this problem. Since I already have another regular appointment at the end of february, I just decided to not try to get in earlier and just wait. Hell, I waited years to breathe throughout the night, I guess a few weeks isn't going to cause any further damage. still trying to get my AHI down. Im in the 2-3 range. It isn't a lot, but still would like to see that ever elusive zero.
Im sticking with it. The sleep aid seems to be working well, and I haven't had any problems just yet.

[DoriC]

Sounds like you're doing better with AHI's in the 2-3 range. If you're feeling better during the day and sleeping better you're on the right track. Trying for that elusive 0 AHI is setting yourself up for frustration. Most never achieve it and that's not really the goal and no one ever mentions it. Staying in the normal range <5.0 most of the time, minimal leaks with the right mask, sleeping undisturbed about 7-8 hrs and feeling good during the day is perfection! Good luck and keep us posted.

[BlackSpinner]

flying.. Im feeling pretty good. Im still getting used to the machine. There are still issues with mouth breathing, as I still can't keep my nose open overnight no matter what I have tried. I called my doctor's office, and they can see me in April regarding this problem. Since I already have another regular appointment at the end of february, I just decided to not try to get in earlier and just wait. Hell, I waited years to breathe throughout the night, I guess a few weeks isn't going to cause any further damage. still trying to get my AHI down. Im in the 2-3 range. It isn't a lot, but still would like to see that ever elusive zero.
Im sticking with it. The sleep aid seems to be working well, and I haven't had any problems just yet.

You may never manage it. Some of us have sleep transition centrals - as you move from one sleep stage to another you stop breathing until your brain remembers to send another signal. Also if you wake up almost and role over, people often hold their breathe. Don't get hung up on it because your doctor/ RT will slap you down and may not take any other thing you complain about seriously. The mouth breathing is far more important to focus on. Experiment with chin straps/ mouth covers made from Ace bandages.

[chunkyfrog]

@need_some_sleep: If you haven't tried these yet, it might be worth a shot.
The bullfrog swears by them.
http://www.breatheright.com/

[need_some_sleep]

@need_some_sleep: If you haven't tried these yet, it might be worth a shot.
The bullfrog swears by them.
http://www.breatheright.com/

I have those and they DO NOT work for me. my nose closes and seals shut like gnomes come in and pour glue in my nose. No success whatsoever on that front.
Im just hoping that this lifelong curse will in someway be alleviated. The sleep thankfully is better in just a month, but just have to stick with it.

[cj7jeep81]

Not sure what model machine you have, but I would recommend loading the data into sleep head software (or somethign simmilar), and checking to see your leak rate. I've been on C-pap about a year now, and had really bad problems with dry mouth. Checked the data, and saw I was having a really, really high leak rate. I never thought my old mask leaked that bad, but apparently it was. Once I switched to a different mask, dry mouth went away 100%.

[Pugsy]

Your profile equipment points to this humidifier
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... ifier.html
click on the link and look at it. I doubt you have that humidifier as it was discontinued back in 2007

The most recent models are the PR System One machines...click on the link in my signature to my machine to see what it looks like...
You mention AFlex...That's only available on the Auto CPAP machine
so most likely you haven either a 550 or 560 model machine.
the 560 and the 60 part of the number means a 60 series machine....has the heated hose option and is the latest model and most likely what you have even if they didn't supply the heated hose.
You might want to confirm exactly which machine you are using and adjust your profile equipment to show the correct equipment.

SleepyHead will work with either machine for obtaining the data the machine collects...check out my signature for links.