New here. After jumping through hoops since my diagnosis in October, I finally got my BiPAP! I have some questions.

[Kroldor]

Hi, All,

I was diagnosed with OSA back in October with an AHI of 94 and oxygen saturation as low as 55%.

Getting the machine was a nightmare. I'll spare you the details, but it was many months and many calls to doctors, DMEs, and my insurance company.

I ended up pushing for a ResMed Aircurve 10 VAUTO, but my DME tech said she wasn't allowed to set it to auto since I had a prescription for 20 inhale/16 exhale.

I tried on like 20 masks, but it was hard to find one I really liked. They all felt like I was suffocating and the tech didn't tell me that it takes a minute or two for the BiPAP to "sync" to my breathing. So for all the tests I was exhaling through the full pressure instead of the 16. The tech also set the inhale to 22. I think she misread the RX. I ended up setting it to 20 when I got home. She told me to avoid adjusting pressure, but just for health reasons. She didn't mention it going against compliance or anything like that so I figured it would be okay instead spending a ton of time making an appointment to get my pressure lowered by two.

I ended up going home with the Dreamwear Nasal Pillows (but I think I want the nasal cushion instead).

I used it 3 nights so far. I think I'm adapting pretty well. I haven't had the urge to pull the mask off and haven't experienced too many leaks. I don't feel as good as I had hoped. I thought I was going to wake up like a new person, but the improvement wasn't all that intense. I was able to drive to work without music to keep me awake for the first time. That was cool. I also haven't dosed off at all over the weekend or at work today. Also cool. I think it's just going to take time to adjust to sleeping with this thing.

On each of the three mornings, I woke with full torso soreness. It kind of feels like I worked out. I assumed that's because my lungs are expanding more than usual and I will eventually adjust to that. My mouth also feels weird when I wake up and my jaw is sore. I'm having a difficult time with my mouth filling with air once I actually fall asleep. I've ended up sleeping on my side, almost on my stomach, and wedging a towel under my chin. I think I need a chin strap. The DME tech said if I wasn't prescribed a chin strap, insurance won't cover it, but that's fine. They don't seem too expensive on amazon. My eyes are also puffy when I wake up. I'm fairly certain that might be because I need a large frame instead of the medium one I was given. I'll be swapping that out tomorrow.

---

Now on to some questions.

I'm just using the MyAir stats from the resmed site/app for now. I'll be picking up an SD card for sleepyhead soon.

Does having AHI events automatically mean I need more pressure? Friday I had 12.1 events with a leak of 10L/min. Saturday I had an AHI of 6.2 with 1L/min. Sunday I had an AHI of 15 with no leaks at all.

My DME tech said she couldn't use the autoset. If I try out the auto setting, will my insurance company or DME see that and send a swat team through my windows to take my machine away?

Can anyone recommend a good chin strap?

Does anyone have any general tips or things you wish you would have known when you started?

Thanks! I look forward to being a part of this community.

[Pugsy]

Welcome to the forum.

No...a higher AHI doesn't automatically mean that you need more pressure.
It all depends on what type of apnea event you are having a lot of.

Central apneas...won't respond to more pressure and in fact potentially could be made worse with more pressure.

Now obstructive apneas and hyponeas...yeah, probably need more pressure.

So it all depends on what you AHI is primarily composed of along with are you actually sleeping when the flagged events are scored.
Often newbies spend a lot of time awake with mask and machine on and the machine can flag false positive events because of awake irregular breathing. Those don't count at all except to mean you need more asleep time.

So get that SD card so you can see exactly when events are being flagged and what kind they are.

[palerider]

I ended up pushing for a ResMed Aircurve 10 VAUTO,

Not a "bipap", you have a 'bilevel'.

Calling that a bipap is like calling your car a 'ford', when it's actually made by GM.

[Kroldor]

I ended up pushing for a ResMed Aircurve 10 VAUTO,

Not a "bipap", you have a 'bilevel'.

Calling that a bipap is like calling your car a 'ford', when it's actually made by GM.

I thought it was a pretty commonly accepted term. It says bipap on all of my paperwork and prescription and everyone I had to talk to about it called it a bipap. It's even used like that in some articles in the wiki on this site. I mean, I call all sealed air packaging material "bubble wrap" regardless of brand, you know? But if it's confusing to people I'll be sure to not call it a bipap here.

[Kroldor]

Welcome to the forum.

No...a higher AHI doesn't automatically mean that you need more pressure.
It all depends on what type of apnea event you are having a lot of.

Central apneas...won't respond to more pressure and in fact potentially could be made worse with more pressure.

Now obstructive apneas and hyponeas...yeah, probably need more pressure.

So it all depends on what you AHI is primarily composed of along with are you actually sleeping when the flagged events are scored.
Often newbies spend a lot of time awake with mask and machine on and the machine can flag false positive events because of awake irregular breathing. Those don't count at all except to mean you need more asleep time.

So get that SD card so you can see exactly when events are being flagged and what kind they are.

Thanks for the info! That makes sense. It does take me a long time to fall asleep and I've also been doing weird breath patterns to test out the bilevel response or whatever the term is .

[Okie bipap]

Most people think of all bilevel machines as BIPAP machines. This is similar to the same thing as many people call any facial tissue a Kleenex, even Kleenex is officially on one brand of facial tissue. This is a very common mistake.

[Kroldor]

Most people think of all bilevel machines as BIPAP machines. This is similar to the same thing as many people call any facial tissue a Kleenex, even Kleenex is officially on one brand of facial tissue. This is a very common mistake.

Exactly! I know it's a brand name, but it also conveniently stands for bilevel positive airway pressure, which accurately describes what my machine does. Even if you google "bipap", the first result is from Johns Hopkins and the first part of the article says, "...bilevel positive airway pressure. It is commonly known as “BiPap” or “BPap.”

[palerider]

I ended up pushing for a ResMed Aircurve 10 VAUTO,

Not a "bipap", you have a 'bilevel'.

Calling that a bipap is like calling your car a 'ford', when it's actually made by GM.

I thought it was a pretty commonly accepted term. It says bipap on all of my paperwork and prescription and everyone I had to talk to about it called it a bipap. It's even used like that in some articles in the wiki on this site. I mean, I call all sealed air packaging material "bubble wrap" regardless of brand, you know? But if it's confusing to people I'll be sure to not call it a bipap here.

If you can find the word 'bipap' anywhere on the machine, Resmed box, or Resmed manual, then I'll concede the point.

Since "bipap" is a registered trademark of the competition, I doubt you'll have any luck.

[palerider]

Most people think of all bilevel machines as BIPAP machines. This is similar to the same thing as many people call any facial tissue a Kleenex, even Kleenex is officially on one brand of facial tissue. This is a very common mistake.

I'd grant 'many' but not 'most'. but, I certainly could be wrong about that.

[Kroldor]

I ended up pushing for a ResMed Aircurve 10 VAUTO,

Not a "bipap", you have a 'bilevel'.

Calling that a bipap is like calling your car a 'ford', when it's actually made by GM.

I thought it was a pretty commonly accepted term. It says bipap on all of my paperwork and prescription and everyone I had to talk to about it called it a bipap. It's even used like that in some articles in the wiki on this site. I mean, I call all sealed air packaging material "bubble wrap" regardless of brand, you know? But if it's confusing to people I'll be sure to not call it a bipap here.

If you can find the word 'bipap' anywhere on the machine, Resmed box, or Resmed manual, then I'll concede the point.

Since "bipap" is a registered trademark of the competition, I doubt you'll have any luck.

That's not my point, and I'm not asking you to concede anything. I know you're right about the trademark. I'm not arguing that what I have is technically a BiPAP brand bilevel device, just like what I use for shipping isn't actually "bubble wrap." I know it's a brand name. What I'm saying is it's also a commonly accepted term for bilevel machines, just like bubble wrap, kleenex, chap stick, post-it notes, band-aids, and many other things. Even "dumpster" is a brand name. They're actually called front loader waste containers. So yes BiPap is a registered trademark, but it's also a common term for bilevel devices.

[babydinosnoreless]

Most people think of all bilevel machines as BIPAP machines. This is similar to the same thing as many people call any facial tissue a Kleenex, even Kleenex is officially on one brand of facial tissue. This is a very common mistake.

I'd grant 'many' but not 'most'. but, I certainly could be wrong about that.

I call in Kleenex no matter what the brand.

[palerider]

Most people think of all bilevel machines as BIPAP machines. This is similar to the same thing as many people call any facial tissue a Kleenex, even Kleenex is officially on one brand of facial tissue. This is a very common mistake.

I'd grant 'many' but not 'most'. but, I certainly could be wrong about that.

I call in Kleenex no matter what the brand.

That might end up with you getting the wrong thing if you send someone else to the store!

[chunkyfrog]

Some technical writers are not as bright as their employers think they are . . .

[bombayone]

It is conversations of this tone that discourage people from seeking help. BiPAP/Bilevel - focus on offering help.

[Miss Emerita]

Kroldor, congratulations on getting the bilevel machine you wanted! You are wise to keep trying masks until you find a type and fit that work for you. And it’s great you will soon be using Sleepyhead.

Once you have a few daily charts to post, the resident experts can get to work on advising you on your settings. I think it is very likely that your AHI will come down with some fine-tuning.

It sounds as though you are already adapting well and pretty quickly. You are already seeing some daytime benefits from therapy—it can take many people weeks or months before they really notice improvement. As your treatment continues, I believe you will feel better and better. People’s bodies often adapt on their own schedule, not the one we would like! In addition, you should expect to feel improvements due to a lower AHI and solutions to your practical problems.

Your chest may be feeling a little sore from the effort of exhaling against pressure. This is not uncommon, and it should go away within a month.

As for air filling the mouth, is your problem that your mouth opens and air comes out of it, or is it that air gets in your closed mouth and balloons your cheeks?