I CANNOT GET USED TO MY MACHINE_HELP

[shellybean54]

I started 2 nights ago and I feel like I am suffocating!! I cannot get relaxed enough to fall asleep. I feel like I am going to suffocate. HELP

[OkyDoky]

What machine are you using and what are your settings? Are you using ramp? EPR or flex? With a low ramp or minimum pressure it is not an uncommon feeling. But we need more information to help.

[Julie]

my keyboard has gone strange today - will replace it, but for now this is what im stuck with so please forgive... i havent drunk my breakfast

unfortunately too many doctors do not understand how apap works and think prescribing a range of 4 to 2 is ok as the machine will know what to do, but in fact, 4 (or 5 is too low for anyone to reasonably use, so if youd like help to raise it to e.g. at least 6 or 7 let us know. you arent supposed to suffocate! And dont use the ramp for now... at such a low setting youre only making things worse.

[LSAT]

my keyboard has gone strange today - will replace it, but for now this is what im stuck with so please forgive... i havent drunk my breakfast

unfortunately too many doctors do not understand how apap works and think prescribing a range of 4 to 2 is ok as the machine will know what to do, but in fact, 4 (or 5 is too low for anyone to reasonably use, so if youd like help to raise it to e.g. at least 6 or 7 let us know. you arent supposed to suffocate! And dont use the ramp for now... at such a low setting youre only making things worse.

Julie...How do you know she has an apap?....How do you know she has a low setting? ...You may be confusing the issue.

[Pugsy]

Before telling someone to change something it usually works better if we know what they are doing in the first place.
For all we know this person could be using an extra small nasal pillow at a pressure of 10 and the too small of a pillow is the cause of the suffocation discomfort.
We assume it is the typical 4 cm starting point for ramp or maybe a similar low setting but we don't know for sure until we get more details.

The answers to OkyDoky's questions need to be obtained and then perhaps setting changes need to be advised.

[dontknowhowtodeal]

I totally understand (I think) your feeling like you are suffocating. I fought it for a month. Putting that mask over my face is what caused the feeling. Just keep trying, a little bit every day. It was suggested that I sit with the mask on while watching TV or sitting reading without being in bed. That would get you used to the feeling of the mask (so they told me). For me it didn't work. I didn't, and still don't, want to see the mask. So I just tried the mask every night, even for a short period. After a month or so I was able to keep it on for 4 hours at a time. Now, 10 months later, I can keep it on all night. I still don't want to see the mask on me, but at least I can wear it while in bed. Hang in there. I would also recommend you check what others have said to make sure the mask is the correct size, etc.
Best of luck to you

[reolhlains]

Hey Shelly - please come back to us soon with your machine and settings as the others are saying.
I can assure you - they are all an amazing help - and will be able to get you sorted and sleeping like a baby in no time!!

[shellybean54]

Oh Gosh, I don't know the answers to most of this. I have a Resmed S9 Autoset for Her with an H5i heated humidifier. I have the nasal pillows. Yes, I have the Ramp setting. I will try without tonight. I did not have anyone set up my machine, I will call the doc today and see if I can bring it by. I know absolutely NOTHING about this. I had a slightly better night last night. I wore my mask for about 4.5 hours. I slept a little bit. I think I need a different pillow, and I noticed my mouth open a couple of times. UGH!

[Pugsy]

Try using a size larger in the nasal pillows to see if that helps with the suffocation feeling if you still feel that way when not using the ramp.
You may need to go into the clinical setup to turn off the ramp.
Here's the manual that explains how to go into the setup menu...and while you are in there you can see the various settings like pressure, EPR etc
http://www.apneuvereniging.nl/forum/pdf ... manual.pdf

Often these machines get sent home with ramp being on and the pressure starts out at 4 cm...DMEs think this helps people adjust but 4 cm isn't much air movement and it's quite common to feel like one is suffocating. We won't suffocate but it sure feels like it and it is distressing.
It might also be that your settings are just start out at 4 cm and let the machine go up as needed...and again that is sometimes just not comfortable and you may need to start out at something that moves more air...like maybe 6 cm.

So you need to figure out what your settings are and then decide how to go about changing...if that's what your problem is.
Read the manual and go write down all your settings and then we know if it's something as simple as a little starting pressure change or something else.

[shellybean54]

OK Friends! I found my prescription for my machine. Pressure is 6-20 cmsH2O I just turned the Ramp off, EPR is 3 cms H20, Smartstart is ON.

Whatever all of that means. lol

[Pugsy]

Read the manual and the meaning for all those things should become clearer.

What size nasal pillow are you using? Starting at 6 should be okay for most people but maybe you just need a larger nasal pillow. There isn't much room in those nasal pillow for air to circulate and some people that use a smaller size have found that moving up a size causes a little more room for air to circulate and lessen that suffocation feeling.
Your machine can't go below 4 cm....You might need a little more than 6 cm to start with..some people do.

Check out a different size nasal pillow though...it might be just enough to get you comfortable.
Try using the machine while reading or watching TV and not be under the stress of "I need to fall asleep".

[OkyDoky]

Glad you came back. Keep reading and asking questions. Pugsy addressed the initial areas I was thinking about so try the suggestions and then let us know how you are doing. You can get past this.

[shellybean54]

Thank you! I will try the larger pillows and see how I do tonight. I slept with the machine last night for 4.3 hours, so I hope to do better tonight. Maybe in a month or so, I will be sleeping all night. I think I may need something to close my mouth. I woke up twice with it slightly open. Whatever.

[OkyDoky]

Since you have an autoset you can use SleepyHead to see if those leaks are a problem (in addition to waking you up). They may be short and if you return to sleep quickly not such a big problem. Here is a link to show you how to download. https://sleep.tnet.com/resources/sleepyhead
And do you have your Clinical manual for your machine? It has a lot more info than the user manual. If you don't we can point you in the right direction to get one.