5 Nights and it feels like a year!

[areyea]

I have been using my CPAP for 5 nights and boy oh boy is this a struggle!!!! I am using the Remstar auto m series with a-flex and the pillow mask. But I don't know what size pillows to use. I started on the Medium but that felt like my nostrils were being stretched so I tried the small last night and woke up a few times gasping. Can someone please suggest how you know which size to use?

Also, I started this whole process because I am a sleep walker/eater. I was sent for a sleep study and after 2 studies was told I have sleep apnea and need CPAP. I am still walking at night and feel totally frustrated with this whole thing.

Is it it normal to feel like the machine is making you breath faster or ???

Thank you for any help you can help!

[Babette]

All of this is normal.

Contemplate turning OFF the Aflex, and turning ON the Cflex. I find the Aflex rushes my breathing. I prefer the Cflex setting. You should experiment with both. Between the two, you have 6 different settings to try. Try them all.

Masks are very individual. Do some online research at https://www.cpap.com and look for masks you think might work for you. You can buy them there, at http://www.cpapauction.com, and they are often sold and traded here on the forum, as well.

It took me 8 masks, 6 weeks, a course of Provigil and the patience of this forum to get me over my learning curve to the point where I was 100% compliant, all night, every night. It does NOT happen over night. It IS painful. You WILL get over it, and it WILL get easier.

Good luck!
Babs

[Pineapple]

Welcome, don't think your alone.

First - your not the first person to say you're having problems 1 week in, especially if your mask isn't right. I'm sorry I can't help you with the fitting issue as I CAN'T STAND pillows. My first suggestion is to call your DME and find out what their trade-in policy is, many have a "30 day guaranty", if the mask doesn't work for you they trade it for another. The mask is the holy grail. If it's not right, you won't be successful. Like Babette I went through numerous mask to find the right one, and there are members of this forum who went through more than we did.

As for the breathing thing, I believe it is pyscological(sp) driven by your machine. I found myself breathing harder because I would hear the machine "breath" It took me about a week to get it out of my mind that the machine was forcing me to breath and the sound was actually reacting to my breathing.

Now the hard part, this is not an immediate gratification therapy. First your body will heal on the inside. Depending how long you have suffered, the longer it may take to see improvement. The first improvements will come as a "whisper" such that you might think your imaging them. Grab on to these for moral boosters. Many people wait a month before they can get up one morning and say "I feel better".

The fact that you're here asking questions says you want to make this work. You've got a good start. Good Luck.

"Be Patient, Don't Give Up, Some People Are Harder To Fix Than Others"

[gasp]

A relative of mine just had his first night on a Respironics C-Flex and said he felt like he couldn't breathe. He said it felt like he couldn't catch his breath, that he was breathing fast and at the same time couldn't get enough air. He was using C-Flex. However, we must remember that everyone has different needs and the same machine or setting won't work for everyone. When you're new, just having air delivered to you can be a strange experience. I didn't relax into it and also felt like I was breathing faster. Now it's very easy and no problem - it's actually relaxing.

When I first began, I had to push the ramp button (the one with the triangle on the button) several times before I was able to get to sleep. The ramp feature delivers a reduced air pressure so that I felt more like I was breathing normally, I relaxed, and then fell asleep. The air pressure increased while I was asleep to deliver the air pressure as needed to prevent events. I did try straight pressure, during titration and was extremely uncomfortable.

Questions:
- what setting is your A-Flex set at. 1 is the least amount of exhalation relief (ease of exhalation) and 3 provides the most relief.
- what pressure range is your unit set at?

Nasal Pillow Fit:
I use the CL2 and found I had irritation when I chose a nasal pillow size that was too small. This was because the ridge or seal area on the pillow touched my nares. I just let the pillow puff up around my nares, thereby creating a seal and the ridge seam of the nasal pillow stay away from my nares. Here is a fitting guide found on the Respironics website. http://global.respironics.com/UserGuide ... lGauge.pdf Perhaps your mask manufacturer has a sizing guide for their pillows.

It took multiple masks for me to find ones that worked for me. I agree with Babette that it will take time and if you stick with it, trying what works for you, it will get better. It took 2 months for me to get used to using a mask and start getting real recuperative rest.

Data:
You have a machine that records data. You should have a smart card in the reader slot. It is invaluable to use the card with a card reader and learn how to read your own reports. This helps you know if you had events, how many, how long, and more. I can and do read my reports and have a good understanding of them. I'm not as capable of helping others based on their data as others who are more experienced on this forum. Post your results and issues with therapy and perhaps you'll get some great feedback on adjustments you can make.

Best wishes.

[areyea]

Thank you so much for all of your replies! Just knowing I am not unique in my struggles means so much! I turned the flex to 1 and got KY Jelly for my nose which both seem to be helping.

I was told to turn the humidity level up to 3, which I did last night and was drownded! I was also told to put panyhose over the tubing and that would help, but I think that made it worse. I saw on the auction site they actually having tubing insulation covers, has anyone tried those? If so, what do you think?

Tonights a new night and I will keep trying. Thank you again for caring and helping out a fellow CPAPer!

[bdp522]

Hose covers help. Fleece seems to work the best for me. If you still get rainout with the fleece cover you may need to invest in the aussie heated hose. I have one and love it.

Brenda

[jsmythe]

Areyea , when I had this mask, I found that I could not use the Small pillows for the very reason that you mentioned. The opening is just to small to let in the needed air. The Medium worked fine. Felt a little strange at first, but I could breathe very well and did not wake up gasping for air. Try the Medium again and see if it feels better and works for you.

[fortomorrow]

I'm about 3 weeks in and I'm still having trouble. I usually can't keep the mask on all night because I consistently wake up with a dry mouth. Biotene mouthwash and taping helps, but I'm still not there. I feel lucky that I got the mask right on the first try (I was prescribed a ComfortGel and bought myself a Breeze and I love it) but unfortunately I appear to be a really severe mouth leaker, so I've got a Hybrid coming next week. I'm worried that the Hybrid isn't going to work and I'm going to have to keep taping. I hate taping.

I'm not feeling much better, to be honest. Most nights I can manage to go without my usual post-work nap, but sometimes I come home and I need to lie down and sleep (with CPAP!). It takes me at least a half hour to wake up in the mornings, and sometimes I still wake up with a headache - usually on the nights that I've taken my mask off around 3 and gone back to sleep - which means I'm still having events.

I gave up on the ramp setting after two weeks. I've adjusted really well to my relatively high pressure, so much that I worried my machine wasn't working anymore!

I should be getting an upgrade machine tomorrow so I hope the data will help me in getting things right.

Anyway, you're not alone. Don't give up. I had to sit myself down and tell myself that it could take months for things to start working, but ultimately I was going to feel better.

[gasp]

Thank you so much for all of your replies! Just knowing I am not unique in my struggles means so much! I turned the flex to 1 and got KY Jelly for my nose which both seem to be helping.

I was told to turn the humidity level up to 3, which I did last night and was drownded! I was also told to put panyhose over the tubing and that would help, but I think that made it worse. I saw on the auction site they actually having tubing insulation covers, has anyone tried those? If so, what do you think?

Tonights a new night and I will keep trying. Thank you again for caring and helping out a fellow CPAPer!

I use both the ResMed zipper cover and the fleece cover over that during those times when my room is a lot colder than the air going through the hose - to prevent rainout.

https://www.cpap.com has fleece covers in lots of color choices.

[areyea]

I order the SnuggleHose Cover today so hopefully that will help. I think I almost drowned last night!

I did have a self talk with myself and I think that helped. I also switched back the medium size pillows, but I didn't leave them in for long last night due to the condensation problem. The KY Jelly also offered some relief and I don't look like rudolph today.

I was given the type of mask I have because I also suffer from Extreme dry eye and this one does not blow on my eyes. Is there any other type that would not add to the dryness?

This is going to be a long hard process for me and I am glad that I am not unique in some of the struggles I have been having. I just keep thinking, sleep will come and when it does it will all be worth it!!!