Picking up my first APAP tomorrow

[icancant]

As a result of an “at home” sleep study (Respiratory Index/29, lowest SPO2/67%, Bradycardia indicated), I will be picking up my first ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet W/Heated hose/humidifier chamber, mask of choice (side sleeper/nose breather, toss and turn a lot). I ordered a Hurricane dryer so my stuff is ready when I am . I’ll download the “Oscar” software (and configure it so I can post on this forum/hopefully I do it correctly lest I get “corrected” by my peers....) so I can observe my progress.
Any thoughts or tidbits of wisdom as to anything else I need/should be thinking of/expectations for my soon to be APAPtivity!!!.........
Should I be observing my SPO2 during my APAP use?

[Miss Emerita]

Welcome, and congratulations on being ready to go with a great machine, a great piece of software, and a great community to help you!

I think one key to long-term success is to give yourself a little time to get used to the novel experience of sleeping with a machine and mask. So I would recommend not trying to sleep with your gear the first night you get it. Instead, set up the machine somewhere outside your bedroom and try using it for an hour or two while you read or watch TV, or do something else that is pleasant and distracting for you.

You may notice that your mask leaks. (What kind are you going to try first?) Watch a video on line about how to fit your mask, then set up the machine next to your bed, mask up, lie down in your preferred sleep positions, and see what the story is with leaks. Fine-tune the fit until it seems right.

Think a little about hose management. A hose cover (easy to find on line) is more pleasant to the skin than a plastic tube. And some people really like to get the whole thing up and out of the way. This may mean simply routing it behind the top of your pillow, or it might mean buying a hose stand (lift) or some other device to help. Try searching Amazon with "cpap hose holder hanger."

Finally, quite a few people are asked to start with pressure settings from 4 to 20. Most adults feel air-starved at 4, so raise your minimum pressure to at least 6. Here is online information about how to get into the Clinician's Menu, which allows you to change your pressure:

"In Home position, press the Push Dial and the Setup Menu buttons down simultaneously for 3 seconds. The clinician menu will appear. Select parameter(s) you wish to modify with the Push Dial (push down to select, turn to modify). When done, select the Home choice again from the displayed menu, push down the Push Dial again and the adjustment is saved."

If you're reluctant to change the pressure yourself, ask your sleep technician to do it for you.

Keep us posted!

[icancant]

Welcome, and congratulations on being ready to go with a great machine, a great piece of software, and a great community to help you!

I think one key to long-term success is to give yourself a little time to get used to the novel experience of sleeping with a machine and mask. So I would recommend not trying to sleep with your gear the first night you get it. Instead, set up the machine somewhere outside your bedroom and try using it for an hour or two while you read or watch TV, or do something else that is pleasant and distracting for you.

You may notice that your mask leaks. (What kind are you going to try first?) Watch a video on line about how to fit your mask, then set up the machine next to your bed, mask up, lie down in your preferred sleep positions, and see what the story is with leaks. Fine-tune the fit until it seems right.

Think a little about hose management. A hose cover (easy to find on line) is more pleasant to the skin than a plastic tube. And some people really like to get the whole thing up and out of the way. This may mean simply routing it behind the top of your pillow, or it might mean buying a hose stand (lift) or some other device to help. Try searching Amazon with "cpap hose holder hanger."

Finally, quite a few people are asked to start with pressure settings from 4 to 20. Most adults feel air-starved at 4, so raise your minimum pressure to at least 6. Here is online information about how to get into the Clinician's Menu, which allows you to change your pressure:

"In Home position, press the Push Dial and the Setup Menu buttons down simultaneously for 3 seconds. The clinician menu will appear. Select parameter(s) you wish to modify with the Push Dial (push down to select, turn to modify). When done, select the Home choice again from the displayed menu, push down the Push Dial again and the adjustment is saved."

If you're reluctant to change the pressure yourself, ask your sleep technician to do it for you.

Keep us posted!

Thanks Miss Emerita for the quick response!
I haven’t made a final choice on a mask, tomorrow will be my deciding day.....I am a side sleeper and have shoulder pain when sleeping so I do toss back and forth quite frequently. The two mask systems I have been considering are the Fisher & Paykel Vitera & the Bleep system. I have a deviated septum, and have always used “Breath Rite” nasal strips to keep my nares open. I am definitely a nose breather while I sleep and my tongue is “suctioned” on the roof of my mouth. One of my questions is should I continue to use the nasal strips? I guess that if they work and don’t interfere with the mask sealing, why not?!

While paging through the forum, I notice that many people that have initial trouble with their CPAP compliance are using their machines at an minimum pressure that’s too low. I will definitely be attentive to that. My idea is to try the pressure my supplier programs into the machine for one to two nights and get some data on my response. After that, I will increase my minimum pressure to at least 8”H2O & max pressure to 20”H2O, and then increase the minimum pressure to get my obstructive apnea’s and hypopnea numbers under 1.5

Since my initial “at home” sleep study had a lowest SPO2 @ 67%, should I monitor it?

Thanks in advance for your response!

[icancant]

Sorry, all of the pressure readings should be read as cm/H20!

[Miss Emerita]

All sounds good. You can keep using Breath-Rite or not; why not experiment with both -- can't hurt!

I can understand your concern about your O2 levels. You might want to give yourself a week or two to settle in with PAP therapy and see what your Oscar data look like. I suspect it'll be easier then to figure out whether O2 monitoring is important.

Then again, if it would give you peace of mind to monitor sooner, and you can afford a monitoring device, you could just go ahead and do it. In Oscar, click on Oximeter Import Wizard to see information about Oscar-compatible monitors.

[icancant]

All sounds good. You can keep using Breath-Rite or not; why not experiment with both -- can't hurt!

I can understand your concern about your O2 levels. You might want to give yourself a week or two to settle in with PAP therapy and see what your Oscar data look like. I suspect it'll be easier then to figure out whether O2 monitoring is important.

Then again, if it would give you peace of mind to monitor sooner, and you can afford a monitoring device, you could just go ahead and do it. In Oscar, click on Oximeter Import Wizard to see information about Oscar-compatible monitors.

Thanks again Miss Emerita for the great info! I’ll keep everyone informed as to my progression.....wish me luck!

[Sheriff Buford]

I guarantee you if a 4 is too low, you'll not wait to raise the pressure. Be sure you know how to raise the pressure before you go to bed. You get the info from the clinical manual. you can download the clinical manual here.

Sheriff

[icancant]

I guarantee you if a 4 is too low, you'll not wait to raise the pressure. Be sure you know how to raise the pressure before you go to bed. You get the info from the clinical manual. you can download the clinical manual here.

Sheriff

Thanks Sheriff Buford, I’ve been doing my research for the past 2 weeks and reading the forums. I do know how to get into the “clinical” settings and I’ve already did download
“Oscar”. My insurance is chipping in 50%, so I have a “compliance” phase. A concern is that if I want the pressure raised, will my provided/doctor be able to do it in a timely manner or should I just go ahead and do it myself? Will that interfere with my compliance?

[Miss Emerita]

Do it yourself. Compliance is just for your hours of use per day. The details will depend on your insurance company (or licensing board, e.g., for truck drivers), but 4 hours minimum per night for 70% of your nights is common.

If you decide to ease into night-time use, you might want to explain that to your provider so they can help you figure out how to meet your compliance expectations.

[icancant]

Do it yourself. Compliance is just for your hours of use per day. The details will depend on your insurance company (or licensing board, e.g., for truck drivers), but 4 hours minimum per night for 70% of your nights is common.

If you decide to ease into night-time use, you might want to explain that to your provider so they can help you figure out how to meet your compliance expectations.

I’ll do that Miss Emerita! Thank you again for the advice!

[Miss Emerita]

My post just now was in reply to a post from the OP that has disappeared.

[icancant]

Well I think I did it correctly?!
First day with my APAP was spent familiarizing myself with the features, adjustments, preferences etc. I spent about 2 hours with the mask/APAP on while watching TV and fiddling with the fit and trying to see if I would be able to sleep on my side with this mask. I chose the Fisher Paykel Vitera full face mask as a result of my side sleeping and shoulder injuries which make me switch left and right sides often. I’ll have to work on the mask fit more as I felt like I was fighting some leaks, and my head position on the pillow contributed to the leakiness. I may have had the mask on too loose though.

Should I be concerned about the CA’s?

On a side note, when I inquired with my provider about alternative masks, specifically Bleep, she said she’s never heard of it and it was probably “some cheap Chinese knockoff”!! WOW!!.... I am definitely considering the Bleep as an alternative to this new mask, but her response was not very professional.....

[zonker]

Should I be concerned about the CA’s?

no because we don't even know if they are real or not. and i'm sorry i don't have the ability to explain that. pugsy will be along soon and can expand on that.

On a side note, when I inquired with my provider about alternative masks, specifically Bleep, she said she’s never heard of it and it was probably “some cheap Chinese knockoff”!! WOW!!.... I am definitely considering the Bleep as an alternative to this new mask, but her response was not very professional.....

grrrr....THIS is why we don't hold professionals here in high regard! it's bad enough she hasn't bothered to keep up with current developments. then she has to denigrate it that way!! another good reason for this forum to exist.

how did you sleep? do you remember any wake ups?

finally, no need to change this graph, but next time eliminate the snore graph. it's not needed and removing it will allow you to enlarge the other graphs to make them easier to read.

good luck!

[icancant]

how did you sleep? do you remember any wake ups?

finally, no need to change this graph, but next time eliminate the snore graph. it's not needed and removing it will allow you to enlarge the other graphs to make them easier to read.

good luck!

I was tossing and turning last night and did wake up numerous times to adjust the mask, hose, sleeping position and pillows. Not a fun night..

[Pugsy]

Ignore the centrals. Not enough of them, even if they were all real, to be a worry and I am sure a lot of them were more from waking up and fiddling with the mask.

As for the Bleep being a cheap chinese knockoff....idiotic statement from an idiot.