Newbie - Oscar uploads

[Bednbones]

Dreamwear FFM

screenshot-20190701-201604.png (120.37 KiB) Viewed 4456 times

Dreamwear Nasal Pillow

screenshot-20190701-201530.png (124.55 KiB) Viewed 4456 times

So the horrible AHi is using my Nasal Pillow but it allows me to sleep on my stomach which I love. I so would like to be able to use this if possible but need some help.

My screenshot from last night was my best so far in the last month. I had to sleep on my back and side with the DreamWear FFM and woke up with a sore knee (replacement), and back.

I'm also struggling with CPAP rhinitis - and have been using a nettie pot w/saline, afrin, azelastine, Zyrtec and still am stuffy and end up mouth breathing,. My humidifier is now at 4 and heated. It doesn't seem to make a difference whether it is higher, lower or heated vs not. I have allergies but they have been in check for the last several years by using YL Essential Oils so I'm a little sad about the stuffy nose again.

I also wear a fitbit to tell me about my sleep. It did not work for the last 9 months when I wasn't sleeping well with my Apnea (but I didnt know thats what I had at the time). Now, even with terrible sleep on CPAP, I get results every morning w my fitbit. It seems to line up with times I am awake but that is the only thing I truly understand on my Oscar report.

Any and all help is appreciated. I feel amazing compared to a month ago but still looking to get the sleeping positions worked out and the stuffy nose to go with my CPAP sleep!

[Julie]

Why are your pressures so low? The max is more usually left high (even 20) and the min. for beginners at e.g. 6 or 7.

Have you tried just not using the humidifier at all, or else at a very low setting over a couple of nights? You may be causing congestion is your ambient/local humidity is adequate or higher than other areas and you may not need as much at all.

I also stomach-sleep but do it with a FF mask in a 1' long, 3" wide trench cut in the top of my foam bed... a bit like massage tables use -not something everyone would try, but have done it for years and it works for me plus I don't get a sore neck. However you need to be careful about covering the CO2 vents with bedding, etc... my mask vents quite high so it's not blocked, but most would be.

[palerider]

Set your pressures to a min 8, max 20, and let's see how much better the results are.

The horrible AHI didn't have anything to do with the mask you were wearing, rather the ridiculously low max pressure.

[Bednbones]

Julie,

Thank you for replying. I did not have a humidifier when I first started with my cpap. I got a bloody nose after the first 3 days (using DW nasal pillow). So I added the heated humidifier but then realized I had a stuffy nose. So I ordered the DW FFM because I knew I was mouth breathing and my throat was so parched.

2nd, my pressure is so low because my mask was having major leaks every time it went over 9.5. Maybe I still don’t have the right mask. I spend the whole night (at least 10x) adjusting and tightening. It’s so tight I have marks on my face. Now it stays on mostly with a maximum of 9.5.

My insurance didn’t pay for any of my sleep apnea as my out of pocket has to be over $5000 before it pays anything. And I’m never sick or at the doctor so this is my first $$ going to my deductible. So I have just been ordering blindly off the internet. Have have 1 nasal pillows and 4 sizes of the face mask. It always leaks at my nose and below my lips on the sides.

I think I’m also moving too much trying to get comfortable without being on my stomach. I have a sleep number bed so I can’t cut any holes in it. . But I will try to make a pillow. I’ll keep trying to raise my pressure after I get my night to be mostly without leaks.

Thanks again.

[Bednbones]

Palerider,

Thank you for your reply but my mask blows off at 9.5. It leaks in several places. I have a little nose and a big mouth. I have to start it low or I feel overwhelmed. I have already adjusted the exhale or whatever that is called. That was causing me some distress before I figured that out. I’m sleeping way better than I have been for the last 6 months. So there is that .... I’m just waiting for the perfect sleep - under 5 AHI, 7 hours, 1 hr of Rem, 1 hour of deep, no leaks and waking up without a sore back.

Fingers crossed and praying hands.

[zonker]

Palerider,

Thank you for your reply but my mask blows off at 9.5. It leaks in several places. I have a little nose and a big mouth. I have to start it low or I feel overwhelmed. I have already adjusted the exhale or whatever that is called. That was causing me some distress before I figured that out. I’m sleeping way better than I have been for the last 6 months. So there is that .... I’m just waiting for the perfect sleep - under 5 AHI, 7 hours, 1 hr of Rem, 1 hour of deep, no leaks and waking up without a sore back.

Fingers crossed and praying hands.

keep on keepin' on, as the kids say.(no, the kids don't say that.)

may i suggest you search you tube for mask fitting videos for your particular mask?

it might help you get that mask fitted better.

if you stick with it, you can get an ahi of WAY below 5.

good luck!

[Bednbones]

Hi Zonker,

I have watched a lot of YouTube videos as that is the only way I could ever have figured no out my machine. It was a serious undertaking. It wasn’t until I pulled the SD card out and put it back in that I could even pull up the preheat on the humidifier and other features. Weird.

Yes, I will look today for some new videos. It might be the mask because I need a small with the nasal pillow and a medium for my big mouth (in many senses). I might need one that just goes over my nose so there is no measurement needed.

I upped my pressure as a few suggested but just by 1 on the min and max last night. I turned off the humification. I didn’t fall asleep until way after midnight. I could not get my nose clear and the the blowing was causing pressure in my sinuses. I tried saline, azelastine, Zyrtec and finally wine.

Funny, my nose feels clear and perfect this morning. I did swim laps yesterday. I’m going to watch and see if the pool chemicals may be contributing to my stuffy nose. I don’t think so but I’m watching everything. No dogs or cats on the bedroom, air purifier, ac off, everything.

Trial and error. My brother has been on cpap for 20 years - his advice, “try not to move when you sleep”. . Tough request.

Thank you for the suggestion. I will look up some videos today!

[zonker]

Hi Zonker,

I have watched a lot of YouTube videos as that is the only way I could ever have figured no out my machine. It was a serious undertaking. It wasn’t until I pulled the SD card out and put it back in that I could even pull up the preheat on the humidifier and other features. Weird.

Yes, I will look today for some new videos. It might be the mask because I need a small with the nasal pillow and a medium for my big mouth (in many senses). I might need one that just goes over my nose so there is no measurement needed.

I upped my pressure as a few suggested but just by 1 on the min and max last night. I turned off the humification. I didn’t fall asleep until way after midnight. I could not get my nose clear and the the blowing was causing pressure in my sinuses. I tried saline, azelastine, Zyrtec and finally wine.

Funny, my nose feels clear and perfect this morning. I did swim laps yesterday. I’m going to watch and see if the pool chemicals may be contributing to my stuffy nose. I don’t think so but I’m watching everything. No dogs or cats on the bedroom, air purifier, ac off, everything.

Trial and error. My brother has been on cpap for 20 years - his advice, “try not to move when you sleep”. . Tough request.

Thank you for the suggestion. I will look up some videos today!

i know you're joking, but wine can actually be detrimental to sleep. particularly if you snort it!

and what does your brother suggest? chains? mummy wrapping?

[Bednbones]

Maybe I should say “whine”.

[TropicalDiver]

Several thoughts:
1) It does get better. Trial and error. You are on the right path...
2) Getting a great mask fit is crucial. You are correct to focus on that.
3) The two sets of data you posted appear to have different max pressure settings (looks like 9.5 for one and 5.5 for the other). That likely explains the difference in the number of events.

Getting the right mask -- for you -- is crucial. It is about choosing the right type/style, then model, and then size. And then adjusting the mask properly (I check for leaks at full pressure). And, sometimes, adding additional things (some people use soft neck collars, anti-leak straps, padding, mask liners, chin straps, mouth taping, etc.). No amount of adjusting will ever make a poorly fitting mask work. But poor adjustments can make a mask that is a good fit leak. This helped narrow the field. Then they offered to let me trial a few (and I could return within 30 days). I am pretty sure CPAP.Com allows the 30 day thing. I also tried mask liners (did not work for me) but I did try and anti-leak strap -- and that made a good mask fit almost perfect. Others have matched headgear from one mask with another. The big think to be careful about: don't block the mask venting.

One other thing: start focusing on where the masks tend to leak and look for alternatives. For example, some masks don't go way up the bridge of the nose (Amara View or F30 while others do Quattro air or F20). The F20 cushions can be either memory foam or silicone. And it comes in several sizes. Then there is a mask that uses a bit of adhesive but no straps (IIRC) -- the bleep. My point is that there are choices/options. (I found the Amara wonderful except -- it pushed up on the base of my nose and was painful. Others, that is not an issue at all to them).

On to the graphs. Your machine will increase pressure when it detects that there is a need to do so. But, it doesn't do this instantly. So most users feel best if the min pressure you set is sufficient to resolve most apneas and the max pressure is set high enough that you don't max out. For example, in REM sleep you often need a bit more pressure. Now, look at the pressure graphs you posted. In the top graph, your machine wanted to increase above your limit (9.5) over half of the time you were asleep. If you look at the second graph, it was pretty much all of the time. This is why people are talking raising you pressures -- your min and max both seem too low (I am not a provider).

So, mask fit will allow you to increase the pressures. It will also help avoid drying you out. It will help with the annoyance factor.

[Bednbones]

Tropical diver,

Thank you for taking the time to explain so many facets of the mask fit and the pressure. I did order from cpap.com and it has been under 30 days so I will return a few masks. This also opens up some options without feeling like I’m dropping $100’s here and there. My minimum was low because that was on the prescription. My max is only 12 according to the prescription as well. I did push it up last night to 10.5. The reason I set it so low as the max at the beginning was because I kept waking up all night and flipping out like I had my head outside of a car window on the freeway. I kept restarting my DS to get it to 5 so I figured better to just have it at 5. No one said I was smart all of the time. ♪(๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)♪

I feel like I need to get my nose cleared as well. It’s bothering me that it gets plugged as soon as I put on the mask. I already have a sore/scab inside my nose- maybe from the medication? I’m a bit of a homeopath so all the nasal/allergy stuff is bothering me. I feel like if I could get my airways clear, then I could raise the levels. That some of the leaking maybe from the blocked nasal? Also, I really dislike mouth breathing and drooling in my mask- so gross. Blehhh.

I’m going to set my pressure to my RX max tonight and put my big girl pants on. I have tomorrow off Incase I need a nap if things don’t work out.

Thank you for taking the time to explain so many things to me. I so appreciate it.

[zonker]

I feel like I need to get my nose cleared as well. It’s bothering me that it gets plugged as soon as I put on the mask.

may i suggest flonase?

[bjhunt01]

Welcome bednbones! Glad you are here and you will get the help you need. Just keep asking questions, trying out the recommendations and don't give up. I am on mask #9 since starting on Sept. 6 so yes that is total pain. Like you, full face masks blew off and leaked like crazy. I have scalp allodynia so straps hurt. Went to nasal and nasal pillows. Those do well, but then there was the mouth falling open and sounding like a motorboat and not helping me at all. So next problem was how to keep my mouth shut and on and on it goes. But you will get there and from all the things I've read, it takes many CPAP users about 6 months of trial and error to find the magic. Probably one of the most frustrating things you'll ever do because you aren't getting quick and immediate help from your doctors and DME's, but THIS the place!!!

[Bednbones]

I feel like I need to get my nose cleared as well. It’s bothering me that it gets plugged as soon as I put on the mask.

may i suggest flonase?

Yes you may! I’m willing to try almost anything.
It’s on my shopping list for tomorrow.

[Bednbones]

Welcome bednbones! Glad you are here and you will get the help you need. Just keep asking questions, trying out the recommendations and don't give up. I am on mask #9 since starting on Sept. 6 so yes that is total pain. Like you, full face masks blew off and leaked like crazy. I have scalp allodynia so straps hurt. Went to nasal and nasal pillows. Those do well, but then there was the mouth falling open and sounding like a motorboat and not helping me at all. So next problem was how to keep my mouth shut and on and on it goes. But you will get there and from all the things I've read, it takes many CPAP users about 6 months of trial and error to find the magic. Probably one of the most frustrating things you'll ever do because you aren't getting quick and immediate help from your doctors and DME's, but THIS the place!!!

Oh gosh, 6 months. Ha ha. I have so little patience and was hoping that by months end I would have most of this wired. Okay, I’m going to change my thinking so I don’t get discouraged.

I wished the sleep doctor had a room w every size and kind of mask so it wouldn’t take so long to figure it out. It seriously was easier picking and healing from my knee replacement.

I do really like how helpful people are sharing their journeys to sleep.