Just got AHI (24), waiting on CPAP

[Billymadison420]

Million dollar question, should I boil water for “distilled water”?

no. and through no fault of your own, you may have opened a can of worms here on the forum. most of the long time users could give s%^t less about using distilled water. regular tap water will be fine.

myself? i DO use distilled but mainly because i want to put off cleaning the reservoir for as long as possible. the minerals become built up and the tank "needs" to be cleaned when that happens. i'm just lazy enough that i'll spend the money for distilled water.

however, i just discovered that the place i go get that distilled water has change brands to arrowhead. the price has shot up from 98 cents to $1.48!

i may have to rethink my strategy.

LOL! I am already causing trouble on this forum.

64,000 dollar question. Just took my Airsense Res Med 11 for a "test drive". I am wearing the N20 nose mask. Even with air pressure at 10 I felt like it was difficult to force air out of my nose. Do I just get used to this? Felt like breathing in scuba equipment. The only thing I think can of is I have the n20 mask and it was set to "pillows" mask. Let met ry that.

edit: yeah tried it again. It feels like suffocating, and my ears pops. Any ideas?

[Pugsy]

Just took my Airsense Res Med 11 for a "test drive". I am wearing the N20 nose mask. Even with air pressure at 10 I felt like it was difficult to force air out of my nose. Do I just get used to this? Felt like breathing in scuba equipment.

Are you using EPR (exhale pressure relief) and if you are at what setting?

If you aren't using EPR...turn it on and set it to full time and setting of 3 and try again and see if you still have problems exhaling.

Yes...we do get used to it but there are ways to make it an easier process...the getting used to part.

[Billymadison420]

Just took my Airsense Res Med 11 for a "test drive". I am wearing the N20 nose mask. Even with air pressure at 10 I felt like it was difficult to force air out of my nose. Do I just get used to this? Felt like breathing in scuba equipment.

Are you using EPR (exhale pressure relief) and if you are at what setting?

If you aren't using EPR...turn it on and set it to full time and setting of 3 and try again and see if you still have problems exhaling.

Yes...we do get used to it but there are ways to make it an easier process...the getting used to part.

Oh great! Just located this setting. Will try it out. You all are a life saver.

[Billymadison420]

First off thank you. I figured out how to turn on EPR to 3. Set it to always and not ramp.

In the test drive it walked me through pressures of 4, 7 and 10. Breathing in out and felt the easiest on average with 7. But breathing in felt best with 10. Breathing out felt like I am forcing it. Which feels unnatural.

So:

1. My nose is always clogged. Should I try nasal steroids every night, or those snore aids that open my passage ways?
2. Give it time to adjust?
3. Call back monday and swap out for the full face mask?

It felt like my inclination was to breath through my mouth. I can tell that having it on my head is not at all a problem and won't feel weird. It's just the breathing for now.

I am also new at this and not very bright. During the test drive I purposely stopped breathing to see what would happen. Nothing did. So I am assuming during test drive it wouldn't react to me stopping breathing, and would only do so during an actual sleep session.

I can see why you guys say this is a process. Needless to say though, I am still EXCITED! I want to get this right! I will do whatever it takes to make this work. I need my life back.


and just as a recap here are my settings

Autoset Mode: Standard
Pressure: 6-20
EPR: 3 / Full time

[Pugsy]

Use the steroid spray for a few nights at least...you gotta breathe to be able to sleep and remember primary goal right now....Sleep. Do whatever it takes to clear the nose up so you can breathe through your nose without supplementing with mouth breathing.

See how you do this weekend and then revisit a different mask.

During the test drive I purposely stopped breathing to see what would happen. Nothing did. So I am assuming during test drive it wouldn't react to me stopping breathing, and would only do so during an actual sleep session.

Actually no...the machine really can't tell if you are asleep or not so the lack of doing anything wasn't because you were awake. The machine had no idea.
Most likely when you held your breathe the machine thought the pause in breathing was probably a central apnea.
Central apneas are when the airway is open but there is no air movement because there is no effort to breathe.
These machines won't/can't do anything for central apneas and they just ignore them. It's part of the auto adjusting algorithm to "ignore centrals"... The machine can't generate enough pressure fast enough to breathe for you so it does nothing.

Quit trying to fool the machine... It will drive you crazy.

[Billymadison420]

Use the steroid spray for a few nights at least...you gotta breathe to be able to sleep and remember primary goal right now....Sleep. Do whatever it takes to clear the nose up so you can breathe through your nose without supplementing with mouth breathing.

See how you do this weekend and then revisit a different mask.

During the test drive I purposely stopped breathing to see what would happen. Nothing did. So I am assuming during test drive it wouldn't react to me stopping breathing, and would only do so during an actual sleep session.

Actually no...the machine really can't tell if you are asleep or not so the lack of doing anything wasn't because you were awake. The machine had no idea.
Most likely when you held your breathe the machine thought the pause in breathing was probably a central apnea.
Central apneas are when the airway is open but there is no air movement because there is no effort to breathe.
These machines won't/can't do anything for central apneas and they just ignore them. It's part of the auto adjusting algorithm to "ignore centrals"... The machine can't generate enough pressure fast enough to breathe for you so it does nothing.

Quit trying to fool the machine... It will drive you crazy.

LOL Monkey could not fool the machine. Ok I will try the nasal steroid for this evening! I spent some more time with it and started to get used to breathing with it.

So to recap.

For Sleep Apnea:
1. The constant air will force/keep the nasal/air passage ways open
2. In theory this should prevent its collapse
3. Because it doesn't collapse, I breathe constantly throughout the night
4. Because I breathe constantly throughout the night I have less awakenings
5. That means longer TST
6. That means fatigue relief, better sleep (in theory). But at the very least probably better overall health.

THANK YOU! Again. Haha. I don't know what I would have done without this forum to guide me.

[Pugsy]

1. The constant air will force/keep the nasal/air passage ways open

The pressurized air can't "force" the airway open...just can't generate enough pressure to blow enough air to move tissues that have collapsed. In fact during the actual collapse of the airway and apnea event the machine sits by and twiddles its little thumbs waiting for the airway to open back up and then it decides (per the algorithm) based on what just happened along with snores or flow limitations if it wants to increase the pressure and try to do a better job holding the airway open and preventing airway tissue collapses.

2. In theory this should prevent its collapse
3. Because it doesn't collapse, I breathe constantly throughout the night
4. Because I breathe constantly throughout the night I have less awakenings
5. That means longer TST
6. That means fatigue relief, better sleep (in theory). But at the very least probably better overall health.

Stenting the airway open is key to prevention. These machine's whole job is preventing the airway tissues from collapsing.
Better sleep quality....less arousals from gasping for breath means better sleep in general and with better sleep we should feel better.
Hours of sleep is critical...don't come here saying "I slept 4 hours last night with the mask/machine and my AHI is 1.2 and I still feel like crap...Why?" .... Quantity is an important factor in addition to quality.

[zonker]

So to recap.

For Sleep Apnea:
1. The constant air will force/keep the nasal/air passage ways open
2. In theory this should prevent its collapse
3. Because it doesn't collapse, I breathe constantly throughout the night
4. Because I breathe constantly throughout the night I have less awakenings
5. That means longer TST
6. That means fatigue relief, better sleep (in theory). But at the very least probably better overall health.

THANK YOU! Again. Haha. I don't know what I would have done without this forum to guide me.

except, as pugsy says, it's not "forcing" your airway open; it's gently opening the airway. your experience with a min pressure of 10 shows you it can be rough. and you DO get used to it.

the idea is to use the bare minimum amount of pressure to hold the airway open. other than that, you are spot on with the rest of it.

good luck moving forward!

[Billymadison420]

Thank you both so much! Pugsy I will keep that in mind. Gotta get the hours, but now this (once I get it all sorted) will help me with quality. Last question for now. I see the SD card slot, but it didn't seem to come with it. Will pick one up at staples.

1. Is that for my healthcare provider?
2. Or is it for me?
3. Both?

I am using the app on the phone too.

[Pugsy]

Your doctor or provider/DME will probably use either MyAir online app stuff or AirView. They won't likely need the SD card files

BUT you want to use OSCAR so YOU need it to use OSCAR.

OSCAR https://www.sleepfiles.com/OSCAR/
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... stallation
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... rpretation
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... ganization organize and how to do screen shots.
wiki/index.php/Oscar:organize Wiki

http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic/t1585 ... eview.html

The card MUST be in the cpap machine to get any detailed data though...so without the SD card in the slot tonight you won't ever have any detailed data available. The machine only stores the summary data in its internal memory storage and once you do put the SD card in the machine it will write that stored summary numbers to the card but you won't have any of the cool details. So don't panic when you first try to use OSCAR...the machine won't have any detailed data files for you to import to OSCAR until the card is in the slot when you use the machine.

Summary numbers are like the AHI and each category breakdown and maybe leak and pressure 95% numbers..
OSCAR may even tell you that you have a brick no data machine....I don't remember what OSCAR says when there hasn't been a SD card in the slot. No need to use OSCAR until you have had the SD card in the machine all night.
Otherwise until you get the SD card just use the LCD screen or the MyAir app.

[Billymadison420]

Tried to Lay down to sleep. My nose is so clogged, it's like breathing through a straw. Tried turning up the humidifier? The pressure starts at 6 but doesn't feel enough to face air through my clogged nose.

[zonker]

Tried to Lay down to sleep. My nose is so clogged, it's like breathing through a straw. Tried turning up the humidifier? The pressure starts at 6 but doesn't feel enough to face air through my clogged nose.

that can help, but it's very much an individualized thing. hope you get through tonight. then maybe tomorrow off to the drugstore to get some flonase. amazing stuff, that flonase.

[ozij]

The machine can't really force air through a clogged nose.

People react to the air temperature and to the humidity differently: for some the clogged nose improves with less, for some with more. You'll have to find out which is better for you.

1. My nose is always clogged. Should I try nasal steroids every night, or those snore aids that open my passage ways?

Do your mean when you're awake, or is the only a response to CPAP?
If the former, it's and issue for and ENT specialist, and you will probably do better with a Full Face Mask (i.e. FFM) that lets the CPAP do its job even when you mouth opens in response to a clogged nose.

CPAP is not a solution for chronically clogged nasal passages.

[chunkyfrog]

Tried to Lay down to sleep. My nose is so clogged, it's like breathing through a straw. Tried turning up the humidifier? The pressure starts at 6 but doesn't feel enough to face air through my clogged nose.

When I have congestion, I apply a Breathe-Right strip and squirt some Mucinex
nasal spray up my nose. Works every time!

[Pugsy]

Do you have some sort of oral decongestant handy?
Even maybe emergency use of Afrin? Just a teeny tiny bit.
Do you have problems even during the day with the nasal congestion? So much so that you have to mouth breathe even during the day?