Mild OSA-pros and cons of cpap treatment

george45 · Post by **george45** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 11:04 am

I have a AHI of 14, 2.5 apneas/hr and a min S O2 of 88%. The neurologist who evaluated my study told me "the OSA won't kill you, but the cpap can't hurt and will probably help." I've been using the RemStarAuto for 5 weeks with the ComfortClassic mask. I've never been able to use the cpap more than 4 1/2 hours because I am constantly waking up due to leaks. I've tried the Breeze SleepGear and can't stand having something touching my nares, not to mention that awful plastic plate at the back of the skull (padding didn't help.) I am now awaiting delivery of the ComfortGel mask. My RemStarAuto also has the annoying habit of increasing the pressure in anticipation of an event, and then keeping the pressure up even though I am wide awake and can't go back to sleep because of the pressure. If I push the Ramp button or turn the machine off, then back on the pressure remains at the lowest setting of 4.0. It seems that if I needed a higher pressure it would go back uo after turning it on again.

I was so looking forward to relief from my daytime sleepiness but find that the cpap just does not work and frequently I feel worse after a night of using it. At least without it I have a comforable night's sleep. I'd appreciate any thoughts on my experiences.

wading thru the muck! · Post by **wading thru the muck!** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 11:21 am

George,

I know what you have run into is discouraging, but it is very normal. They've given you a few bad masks and one (the Breeze) that is good but can be trouble some for some individuals. Mask leaks are a pain in the a$$ to live with so it's best to solve that problem. If you want to stay away from nasal pillows, the best mask to try is the ResMed Mirage Activa. It "inflates" to create a great seal and is worn very loosely. Many of us have had the most success in the beginning with the Activa. The pressure run-up on your auto may also be caused by the mask leaks. It's likely that you are mid-apnea and the machine is increasing the pressure in steps. It is unable to resolve your apnea (because of the leaks) so it keeps stepping up your pressure which causes more leaks. Some where in this process the leaks get bad enough to wake you up. The best thing to do in this case is (as you did) hit the ramp button and work on getting a good seal from your mask.

So far it sounds like you are on the right track. If you manage to get a mask that will provide you with a reliable seal for the course of the night you will be well on your way to be a successful hosehead.

roysann · Post by **roysann** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 9:35 pm

Hi George,

I started to reply to you last night and ended up getting booted offline. So, now I'm going to try again. I had to check the name on this post, as your case sounds so much like my own. I had an AHI of 6, but a RDI of 18. My events are mostly respiratory related arousals and hypopneas. My minimal 02 was also 88, but only a cumulative of 2 min the entire night, the rest of the night was above 95%. Like your doc, he decided to try me out on the APAP to see "how it made me fee" I also suffer from fibromyalgia which has chronic fatigue as well. So anyhow, I have been on APAP for about 8 weeks now. I use the Breeze sleepgear but could not tolerate the nasal pillows either, kept developing pressure sores in my nose. I use the nasal mask now and do much better. My fatigue level is somewhat better, I am still not sure though how much better. My doctor gave me the impression that I would die from this but that I might feel better with treatment. Is that how yours made you feel? I get the impression that this is not a black or white kind of situation. I think in our cases where we are so borderlinish that it may be up to how our bodies do with CPAP, yhsy'd my guess anyway I'm afraid I do nt have any great words of wisdom for you. Just empathy

george45 · Post by **george45** » Wed Sep 21, 2005 10:01 pm

I never even met the Dr. who evaluated my study. I belong to a large HMO, Kaiser, and my sleep study was the take home kind. I did speak briefly to the Dr. on the phone and it was my impression that he found my case not too serious but since I frequently have daytime sleepiness, why not try the cpap and see what happens. His exact words were something like "this is never going to kill you, but let's see if we can improve things for you." I thought it was nice of him to prescribe a cpap (especially a Remstar Auto) since Kaiser is picking up 80% of its cost. It does seem that it was a waste of money, though, given the fact that it is doing nothing for me except keeping me from sleeping.

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 12:07 pm

George45,

I believe that almost all of us at one time only had "mild" apnea....and then over time it got worse..... Could be that your doctor thought that this therapy NOW will prevent yours (apnea) from worsening and affecting other aspects of your health. This could have future health benefits in your case.

Best wishes,

Den

roysann · Post by **roysann** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 1:16 pm

Hi George, I thought I should clarify on my post that my doctor seemed to NOT be too awfully concerned about the health risks more than the fact that using the cpap may help my fatigue - basically like your doctor. I understand where you are coming from in that you are not getting much sleep with the cpap, what feels like less than before the cpap, but as my doctor told me - it may be just because you are more completely aroused from sleep and aware that you are awake because you are dealing with the mask rather than having the multiple awakening from the OSA and not remembering being awakened. Does that make sense? Just the other day I had to not use my machine for one night, and the next day I had the overwhelming fatigue that I thought was not any better with the cpap. Turns out that perhaps the cpap is working, even though I have some fatigue, it's just different. The past 2 nights I have used it and find that I seem to make it through the day better, cope better with the fatigue. So, I'm thinking I'm gonna stick with it a little longer. Perhaps if I can get to feeling better, I will stick with exercising more which may help me lose weight, which may in fact help my OSA in the long run. Just food for thought.

HisServ · Post by **HisServ** » Thu Sep 22, 2005 2:45 pm

I seemed to have posted on the other one before I read this one. Oops... silly me Then I'll probably post this and then see another one that changes that post, but here goes anyway. It's very common for there to be a long adjustment period where you are FINALLY able to sleep all night long with the machine and mask on. I would do what others have suggested and find that right mask for YOU. Everyone is different however the activa is a great mask for MOST people. I would also like to tell you to look at the subtle changes. Small things. Sometimes the improvement is so small and occurs so gradually that you don't even notice it all at once.