Newbie observations

[ARA]

Hi folks!
I've had some interesting goings-on with my CPAP therapy in the 3 weeks since I started. I thought I'd describe them here, in case anyone else has similar issues...

At 2 weeks, I saw my DME rep because of inconsistent results- some days I was pinging off the walls, and other days I was miserably tired. And, my mask was horribly uncomfortable for me, because I sleep on my side (it was a Quattro FX, and the plastic dug into my cheeks). And... my hose spit in my face when I finally got comfortable with the humidity. I guess it's called "rainout," but it felt like being spat upon.

So, thanks to some helpful posts here, and digging around on the RESMED site, I honed in on a mask that I thought would work for me. I told my DME dude that I'd like to try the Mirage Quattro, and that I needed a blankie for my hose... or... something. I got the new mask, and a nifty new heated tube, and am really happy with both! I can make the air so stuffy that I can't breathe, and STILL no spit!

The weirdest thing I found out during the same meeting was that my machine was doing strange things to my brain! The pressure was going to 11, and I was having central apneas as a result. That means that the pressure was so high that my brain decided it didn't need to tell me to breathe because the machine was breathing for me! Isn't that bizarre?! So, the DME rep set the machine on CPAP mode and told it that it wasn't allowed to ramp the pressure higher than 7, which was my recommended pressure from my sleep study.

This week was my 3-week CPAP anniversary (is that roses? chocolate?...) and I wanted to see if things had improved. I felt like I was more uniformly rested most days since the 2-week adjustment, but still wasn't feeling fabulous overall. At my appointment, I found out that my central apneas had decreased, and my AHI had decreased, but I was still having hypopneas (shallow breathing). So... the DME guy set the machine at 8 to see how that works.

Another interesting thing I've noticed is a "panicky" feeling when I take off the mask... to use the bathroom, or throw it across the room because it's shooting air into my eyeballs. I asked my doc today what that was about, and he said it IS a panic reaction- the body got used to being supplied with pressure, so it freaked out just a little when the pressure was yanked away. Weird! If you've ever had a panic attack, it feels like that, but for usually less than a minute. I'm a scientist, so I think that's fascinating that our bodies react like that sometimes.

So, hope this is helpful to someone!

[chunkyfrog]

Welcome, ARA.
I think the three week anniversary is Pad a cheek--anything.
You've done quite well; and deserve something soft and cuddly.

[ARA]

Welcome, ARA.
I think the three week anniversary is Pad a cheek--anything.
You've done quite well; and deserve something soft and cuddly.

Thanks for the suggestion!