Highest pressure ever

[profoundapnea]

I've read through what seems like millions of these posts and people are whining about how to cope with pressures of 8 and 11, but my pressure is 17/21 on a bipap and I'm having lots of trouble. I could use some feedback and help. Does anybody else have such a high pressure? I was told in the lab that I caused quite a stir because my oxygen levels get so low that my heart stops. I have central and obstructive apnea, my ahi is 95, and I have a very fancy machine: an Auto25 with humidifier (which i don't use as the air is hot and humid anyway) and a mirage quattro. It leaks something fierce. I have tried a bunch of other masks and they also stink. I have oily skin and by the middle of the night the mask is leaking - farting and squealing just awfully. So I took the online advice I found and got a small and that seems to be working. I do wake up with very sore lungs, although that seems to be getting better. I am scared to sleep without the machine because I could die or at least stress my heart. I have high blood pressure and we're hoping this is the cause. Anyone have a similar pressure or any advice on how to deal with leaking masks at high pressure?

[harry33]

I hink you are doing all the right things, the nose only respironics comfort gell mask can be reshaped to suit your face and may leak less

your lung muscles will become used to the extra work, a soak in a hot bath should reduce the pain

a humidifier is usual for high pressures as its said the saliva can be evaporated, but if you arent bothered by a dry mouth, then IMO, a humidifier isnt needed, I dont use one

[Jaylee]

I am pretty sure my pressure is higher. I can't remember offhand. Anyhow, I had to try some different masks before I found the one that I love. I also do not use the ramp feature, I adjusted faster by avoiding it altogether.

[montana user]

Your pressure seems backwards. Usally the higher number is on top such as 21/17. This way it is easier to exhale. Is this the correct setting?

[SleepingUgly]

the nose only respironics comfort gell mask can be reshaped to suit your face and may leak less

Really?? How?

[torontoCPAPguy]

the nose only respironics comfort gell mask can be reshaped to suit your face and may leak less

Really?? How?

By whacking yourself in the nose with a brick... go give it a try and report back.

[torontoCPAPguy]

Those pressures are the highest that I have ever seen (not that this means a lot) but it is no wonder that your mask is giving you grief.... don't know what kind of medical supervision you have but I am in a similar boat here in that my issue is more low blood oxygen saturation than OSA events. SO2 drops = blood pressure skyrockets = bad things happen. It's that simple. OTOH, in my case my Rx is only 9.8 and my autoset range is 9.8 (-2 for EPR = 7. to 15. My breathing gets so shallow when I sleep that my SO2 plummets and my blood pressure skyrockets. This is couple with mild OSA and airway collapse/"constriction" and presto.... walking time bomb. Or rather, sleeping time bomb. I have had two sophisticated sleep studies including EKG, BP, the whole 9 yards as well as the most incredible cardiopulmonary testing at the hospital a few months ago. Had a stress test only at the rehab hospital this past Monday and my lung capacity had improved according to them (I excercise 5 days a week to bring my pulse rate up to 100 max) and I would attribute the improvement to this. Next step is more excercise and lose some more weight. I am hoping that someday I may get off the APAP machine but am not getting my hopes up. The thing of it is that I would not settle for anyone less than the best of the best in terms of MD's and equipment (I think). And neither should you. If you are uncomfortable with what they are telling you then perhaps its time to change MD's and get another study done. More testing to nail down the cause(s) of the problem and a plan to try and improve things as best you can (it's a bugger - I can cycle 20KM a day). Good luck to you. Strydex pads before going to sleep may help with the oiliness and reduce the face farts from the mask - or you may need to be experimenting with musical masks as most of us have. Whatever you do, keep your chin up - it could be a whole lot worse and you can trust me on that. While I was in critical care last summer 3 weeks on life support, as I came back to the real world after 3 weeks I watched them wheel the corpses out in the night, including a teen that drank and took a few snorts at his grad party. I have never heard anything so pitiful as his parents wailing when they were told; it tore me up. I am a child of the Viet Nam era too and saw my share of teenagers meet their maker far too early. WE have the opportunity to fight this thing and I consider myself very fortunate to be in that position.

[cobra4x4]

the nose only respironics comfort gell mask can be reshaped to suit your face and may leak less

Really?? How?

Here are the instructions in .pdf format... Look at page 2 (bottom right section)

http://www.respironics.com/UserGuides/1 ... ortGel.pdf

[SleepingUgly]

the nose only respironics comfort gell mask can be reshaped to suit your face and may leak less

Really?? How?

Here are the instructions in .pdf format... Look at page 2 (bottom right section)

http://www.respironics.com/UserGuides/1 ... ortGel.pdf

Thank you, Cobra4x4. Much more helpful than Toronto's suggestion:

By whacking yourself in the nose with a brick... go give it a try and report back.

...although I'm sure he meant it in the nicest way possible.

[Coolsideofthepillow]

30/10 here. Haven't got my auto sv yet

[Jaylee]

30/10 here. Haven't got my auto sv yet

You win.

[brain_cloud]

You've got a good machine and mask. And plenty of people on bipap have to go higher still, so it could be worse. Currently I'm doing 19.8 on CPAP and it doesn't feel worse then 11 or 12 used to feel at the very beginning. So here's a few thoughts, none of which is original with me:

As you get used to it, it is going to get better.

I am also an oily type, so I clean my face and mask last thing before bed.

If you can afford another mask (cpapauction.com is good), you can swap out to a fresh one if you wake up in the middle of the night.

Get some flexible soft ties to use as extra straps. There's no law that says the headgear that comes with the mask is the only thing that can be used to help secure it to your face. Also for the Quattro, there is an anti-leak strap available at, uhh, some place online whose name escapes me at the moment. But it actually helps.

Try different things.

[sunnyway]

I'm on 18 lbs. I don't use the ramp function most of the time. I like the pressure, the feeling of air blowing at me. I did turn the heat off on the humidifier--I like the air cool.

Even with 18 lbs, I'm not feeling refreshed and well-rested upon waking. (I have had other benefits, like elimination of night time headaches, and fewer headaches during the day, less depression, a bit more energy.) On my last visit with the sleep doc, I asked if I might do better with an APAP setting. He told me to stick with the CPAP setting, but since I got a copy of the Provider Set-Up Guide, I may do some experimenting anyway.

[JSan24]

I am on Bipap 22/16. My AHI was 123. I have found the only mask to work for me with that pressure was the Mirage Liberty. I was incredibly frustrated when I first started Bipap therapy, because every mask I tried wouldn’t work due to leaking but I knew that I had no other choice than to figure this out since my OSA was so severe. I do like to use the ramp feature because it helps me to not feel so much pressure on my chest right at first.

[Mary Z]

I use a Respironics FitLfe Total Face mask at pressures of 24/20 with 0.0 leaks most nights.
It took some modifications- only comes in a large and small and I'm a medium. LOL. I tied the strap on the top of the head to the place where the bottom two straps crossed. Keeps the mask straps from sliding down the back of my neck. Then I used an old sweatband on the bottom straps from connector to connector (just behind them) to keep the mask out of my mouth. It's comfortable and it works.