CPAP Air Smell; FFM Weight; APAP & Holding Breath

[oneantonee]

Hi gang,

Today I got my APAP, the Remstar Auto with C-Flex, and I have some questions.

First, the air that it pushes has a sort of plastic/rubbery smell. Is there anything I can add to the humidifier water to make it smell better? I know I could try all sorts of things that aren't recommended, but I just thought if someone had any particular expertise in this, that would be helpful.

Second, I have the Mirage Ultra FFM and it seemed fine (comfort-wise) when the RT delivered it, but when I actually got a chance to adjust it and lay down with it on top of my face, the weight of it was very uncomfortable, almost unbearable. It wasn't the tightness of the mask, really, but the weight. Does the Comfort 2 weigh any less?

Last, just as a test, I held my breath to see if the pressure indicated on the display would go up, as has been described in this forum. I thought the machine was supposed to sense the blockage immediately and then try to increase the pressure accordingly. Instead, the display remained at 5 (pressure) until I finally started breathing again and then it went up to only 6. Shouldn't a complete blockage like holding my breath increase the pressure more than that? (I have the C-Flex set at 3, and the pressure is supposed to be set at 5-13cm.)

Thanks for your advice and assistance!

Antonio

P.S. How do I add pictures of my equipment to my profile?

[Darth Vader Look]

The smell you are sensing is the newness and maybe some out gasing of the materials. It should fade in a very short time but you could wash the tubing out to help remove the odor sooner.

In regards to you holding your breathe, the sensor and algorithm require some time before making adjustments. Any slight change and the machine may pick up on it and not make any change. Good luck with your treatment.

[NightHawkeye]

I agree with everything Darth said. I've tried three Respironics machines. All had that noxious smell the first night, but not afterwards. (OK, maybe just a little the second night, too.) If it bothers you too much, just let the machine run for hours by itself before going to bed. Then, when you get ready to use it, the smell should be gone.

As has been discussed here, ad nauseum, pressure changes by an APAP are gradual. Yours sounds like it's working just fine. Some folks have also said it works better during sleep when you're in periodic rhythmic breathing, but I have numerous records where a couple of apneas have occurred just prior to the time the APAP started increasing pressure. I probably wouldn't have this problem with CPAP, but I couldn't take the full pressure on CPAP all night without blowing up like Humpty-Dumpty either. APAP is a good compromise for me.

Regards,
Bill

[snoozie_suzy]

to post pictures of your equipment, go under PROFILE at the top of the web page. Then in the first section it asks you to list your equipment, then there is a tab, "how do you wish to view your equipment" put IMAGES.

Suzy