Hello - another newbie

[bakermo]

Hello all,

I too am another newbie. I was diagnosed with severe OSA last month and found this wonderful forum last week.

My story is the same as many. My wife of 32 years has been concerned about my sleep for the last 10 years. My doctor insisted it was because I was over weight and put me on Adkins. I did lose weight but continued to snore "like a freight train" and as my wife put it "work hard to sleep".

I changed doctors this year and the new one sent me to sleep study where I was diagnosed. I had 70 instances with an average time of 23 seconds per hour (forgive me if I don't know all the proper terms yet). I had to return last week for a second night for titration.

I got my machine last week and with the help of this forum made it through the week. Initially my goal was four hours per night with the machine. The first two nights were 4 hours but after that I made it through the entire night - but with some discomfort. Last night I feel asleep with the ramp function and slept most of the night.

I don't feel the benefits yet but I read here in the forum that I may have a tremendous sleep debt and it may take a while. I don't plan on giving up!

I have some questions if someone can help.

#1. I keep reading how valuable it is to have the software. Before I make a purchase I just want to be sure what I get will work with my machine (PR System One REMstar Pro CPAP Machine with C-Flex Plus). Is Encore Viewer what I need or something else? Will I need the cable or can I use a USB SD card reader?

#2. I start sleep on my back. It's mostly because i am aware of the hose that I keep my arms down my side and pointed towards my feet. It seems my little and ring finger go to sleep with me (both hands). I'm sure it's because of the position I have my arms but is this something someone else has noticed? If I roll to my side I really don't know what to do with my arms and they end up in an awkward position with the same result.

#3. My mask tends to leak (Quattro FX Full face without Headgear). I am at 14cm of water for the pressure and the mask leaks into my eyes a bit and if I roll on my side it's a real pain to get used to. I'm just not sure how to be comfortable and keep the mask in contact. I usually end up rolling to my back - but it would be nice to be able to sleep on my side a bit. Any suggestions?

This is really a wonderful forum with great deal of information. Any help / support would be appreciated.

Most people just do not understand what a life changing event this is. They think - what's the big deal, so you sleep with a mask on? Well - as I told my wife (who is VERY supportive) it's like sticking the head out of the car window while going 50 mph and trying to go to sleep with the air pushing into you. Thanks goodness for the ramp function and the CFLEX! I never did any scuba diving in the past!

[goldfinch]

I am about a month into this like you are, and also having mask leak issues. For me it usually leaks if I am on my back. Anyway, my plan is to try out more masks.

[Hawthorne]

It is Encore Viewer 2 that you need, as far as software is concerned.

It's available from cpap.com.

Encore Pro 2.-- is available online free. I don't know how to get it and it is a real nuisance I hear.

There are 2 programs developed by a couple of different people on the forum that give you great detailed data though. One is "Onkor" and the other is "Sleepyhead". Search them on the forum and you can use those.

If you have a mac computer, all softwares may give you problems.

[robysue]

I got my machine last week and with the help of this forum made it through the week. Initially my goal was four hours per night with the machine. The first two nights were 4 hours but after that I made it through the entire night - but with some discomfort. Last night I feel asleep with the ramp function and slept most of the night.

You're off to a really good start! Here's hoping you continue to be able to sleep "most of the night" while you're working through your problems with the leaky mask and that you'll soon be sleeping "through the night".

#1. I keep reading how valuable it is to have the software. Before I make a purchase I just want to be sure what I get will work with my machine (PR System One REMstar Pro CPAP Machine with C-Flex Plus). Is Encore Viewer what I need or something else? Will I need the cable or can I use a USB SD card reader?

Encore Viewer is indeed what you want. It runs really well on 32-bit PCs running any operating system more recent than and including Windows XP. It's a bit more problematic on 64-bit computers. Free alternatives to Encore Viewer are Onkor (web based) and SleepyHead (free download). But note that both Onkor and SleepyHead are very much still in the development stage, and hence users should expect to see bugs.

For Encore Viewer, Onkor, and SleepyHead, any SD card reader will work just fine for reading the SD card.

#2. I start sleep on my back. It's mostly because i am aware of the hose that I keep my arms down my side and pointed towards my feet. It seems my little and ring finger go to sleep with me (both hands). I'm sure it's because of the position I have my arms but is this something someone else has noticed? If I roll to my side I really don't know what to do with my arms and they end up in an awkward position with the same result.

Finding a new sleeping position is always difficult. And it does seem as though the masks encourage back sleeping, which is ironic since many OSA patients have more severe apnea on their back and need higher pressures to deal with the OSA when on their back. As a lifelong side sleeper, that was one of my biggest issues in the early going---finding a comfortable position to sleep in that didn't mush the mask into my nose and that didn't lead to the exhaust flow bouncing off the covers and back into my eyes.

For finding a side sleeping position that words for you, I'd suggest moving your head to the edge of the pillow so that the bulk of the mask is hanging over the edge of the pillow and trying to get your hands and arms into a close approximation of your old favorite side sleeping position as possible. For me, this means "cuddling" the hose under my top arm and holding it the way a small child might hold a rather long stuffed toy snake in their sleep.

You might also find that trying different masks may help you find a side sleeping position that works for you.

And don't be afraid to experiment and roll around in the bed some----if it triggers a leak, so be it: Fix the leak as best you can by trying to reseat the mask IN the position you want to sleep in.

#3. My mask tends to leak (Quattro FX Full face without Headgear). I am at 14cm of water for the pressure and the mask leaks into my eyes a bit and if I roll on my side it's a real pain to get used to. I'm just not sure how to be comfortable and keep the mask in contact. I usually end up rolling to my back - but it would be nice to be able to sleep on my side a bit. Any suggestions?

A forum member named Janknitz has an excellent set of tips for Taming the Mirage Quattro on her blog. While the Mirage Quattro is not the same as the Quattro FX, both masks share an air-filled cushion as the sealing device. And so many of her Mirage Quattro tips will help with the Quattro FX.

Also note that so-called full face masks (FFM), like both of the Quattros, are often harder to seal well---mainly because of their size and weight. Is there a reason that the DME or sleep doc started you off with the Quattro FX? If you are NOT a mouth breather, you might well want to try a nasal pillows mask or a nasal mask both of which are much smaller and typically easier to tame. If you are a mouth breather and you want to try an alternative style mask, you can consider chin straps and taping your mouth.

And if you really need or want to use a FFM, you might find it useful to switch from an ordinary pillow to a special CPAP pillow with cutouts to prevent the mask from being dislodged by the pillow.

Most people just do not understand what a life changing event this is. They think - what's the big deal, so you sleep with a mask on? Well - as I told my wife (who is VERY supportive) it's like sticking the head out of the car window while going 50 mph and trying to go to sleep with the air pushing into you. Thanks goodness for the ramp function and the CFLEX! I never did any scuba diving in the past!

Ah yes, it is very difficult to get someone who has never tried to sleep with a hose on the nose to really understand what all you have to relearn just to get a decent night's sleep.

[Janknitz]

I start sleep on my back. It's mostly because i am aware of the hose that I keep my arms down my side and pointed towards my feet. It seems my little and ring finger go to sleep with me (both hands). I'm sure it's because of the position I have my arms but is this something someone else has noticed?

When your arms are in that position, you are probably putting just enough pressure on the ulnar nerves to compress them. This happens to me in certain positions, and sometimes I can't control my wrist and hand very well to turn off the alarm in the morning--it's like a bad slapstick comedy!

As you get more used to CPAP and get the mask leaks under control, you will find that you can return to your normal sleeping positions and you won't have this problem as much, although part of it may be that you tend to sleep in one position longer because you are not waking up to breathe so often.

I STILL have some leaks with my Quattro, despite my "Taming" blog post. But lately, I just wiggle my head around on the pillow to push the cushion, and this takes care of the leaks. I don't have to come fully awake to do it.

[rested gal]

Welcome to the forum, bakermo.

I don't plan on giving up!

Great attitude!

[Pugsy]

Welcome.

For examples and information on software choices this will give additional information.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=64906&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

[newhosehead]

A forum member named Janknitz has an excellent set of tips for Taming the Mirage Quattro on her blog. While the Mirage Quattro is not the same as the Quattro FX, both masks share an air-filled cushion as the sealing device. And so many of her Mirage Quattro tips will help with the Quattro FX.

If you do stay with the mask you have, I just want to add my 2 cents worth to robysue's comment above. Janknitz's tips for "taming the Mirage quattro" have been invaluable to me. I am a side sleeper and I use a CPAP pillow with cutouts for the mask to settle into. It is comfortable for me 90+% of the time. I do have nights when I cannot believe I ever slept with this contraption and want to chuck the whole thing out the window, but I think that is just the nature of the beast. After all, I was not comfortable every single night before I wore all this to bed every night.
Good luck and hang in there. And seriously, check out Janknitz' tips.

Jeanette

[bakermo]

Thanks for all the responses and support.

I have been reading all the links for taming the Quattro FX and they are GREAT!

To answer a couple of questions;

I am a mouth breather. When in for my testing I tried the nasal pillows and did not like them at all. At first they put the nasal mask on me but then changed me to the full face mask.

I am a computer analyst by occupation and a computer geek for fun. I have several systems in my home (I am into Network media sharing over my home LAN - PM me if you would like to know more) and have both 32 and 64 bit systems. I run Windows XP PRO on most but also have a Linux Ubuntu server that I am playing with.

You know, it's silly of me but I guess I just didn't realize it's no big deal when I am at home rolling over in bed to get comfortable and then adjusting the mask for the leaks. I suppose I think I am still "sleep testing". I think I will look into a CPAP pillow and maybe a "Pad a cheek".

Thanks again for all the help! What a GREAT forum this truly is!