A-Flex is Fabulous!

[gasp]

Finally, I have my machine. I drove the hour from the DME to my home fully anticipating a wonderful night's sleep. I stopped at QFC to buy distilled water only to find out there was not one on the shelf. Any other store would take too long to get to, so I decided to go home. I proceeded to take out each item from the very nice travel bag, read each booklet, inspected the A-Flex, and even watched the Comfort Gel mask DVD. It felt like Christmas.

Whoa, the plastic really smelled bad! The hose and mask used for my titration must have had a chance to out gas. So, as it turned out, the delay gave me a chance to wash all the plastic and air dry it for a day. I read someone's post about how bad the vinegar smell can linger, so I called Respironics and they said castile soap would be fine, and the lavender castile too. Now the plastic has a lavender plastic smell. Note to self - look into Pur Sleep product.

Today I went to another store and loaded up on distilled water. Directions said to use fresh water daily. 1 1/2 cups of water daily = approx. 1 gallon a week. I stocked up for a month.

I came home in much anticipation of filling the unit and giving it a try. I put the mask on and did all the adjustments according to the DVD. I turned the A-Flex on and it began ramping at 5 as programmed. During titration I was on a C-Flex and felt as if I had to breath in hard to get enough air during ramping - not so with the A-Flex. Instead, I just kept breathing in anticipation of when it would become intolerable. Didn't happen. In fact, I was able to reach my level of 10 wondering if it was actually at that level, because I was so comfortable. I almost fell asleep. Just in case there was a malfunction, I decided to lift my mask while the air was blowing to see if it was actually at 10. I was very surprised! It was blowing like a hurricane.

In titration I had a hard time exhaling regardless which mask I used. The Comfort Gel was my favorite, but even with it I experienced difficulty exhaling comfortably. I hoped, but didn't know, that the A-Flex would provide enough exhalation relief. It does! The machine has an exhalation relief setting of 1, 2, or 3 with my DME setting my machine at a 3.

The machine is very quiet with a low rhythmic sound between inhalation and exhalation. I can still hear birds chirping in the distance.

I cannot wait to go to bed tonight. There is no way I would have guessed that I would feel this way back in February, when I had to prod myself to go in for another sleep study and commit to myself that I would get a "stupid CPAP."

I'm honored to be an official hose head. Unfortunately the machine and the exhaust on my mask are so quiet, I may not qualify for Darthdom.

[Babette]

OH YAY!!!!! GASP THAT'S GREAT!!!!!

I'm so happy for you!!!!!

BTW, I picked up Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap in PEPPERMINT from Trader Joe's. I prefer Peppermint to Lavender. But where did you find yours? I tried Walgreen's and Rite Aid with no go until I found it at Trader Joe's. Used to be everywhere....

Happy Happy Joy Joy!!!!!!

KEEP ON ROCKIN' IN THE FREE WORLD! And let us know if you wanna test drive a mask. You know where to find anything you want here!

Hugs,
B.

[Bookbear]

Congrats! It's really good for all the newbies to hear a success story. You're off to a great start! ^5's

[Sleepdeprived]

[quote="gasp"]Finally, I have my machine. I drove the hour from the DME to my home fully anticipating a wonderful night's sleep. I stopped at QFC to buy distilled water only to find out there was not one on the shelf. Any other store would take too long to get to, so I decided to go home. I proceeded to take out each item from the very nice travel bag, read each booklet, inspected the A-Flex, and even watched the Comfort Gel mask DVD. It felt like Christmas.

Whoa, the plastic really smelled bad! The hose and mask used for my titration must have had a chance to out gas. So, as it turned out, the delay gave me a chance to wash all the plastic and air dry it for a day. I read someone's post about how bad the vinegar smell can linger, so I called Respironics and they said castile soap would be fine, and the lavender castile too. Now the plastic has a lavender plastic smell. Note to self - look into Pur Sleep product.

Today I went to another store and loaded up on distilled water. Directions said to use fresh water daily. 1 1/2 cups of water daily = approx. 1 gallon a week. I stocked up for a month.

I came home in much anticipation of filling the unit and giving it a try. I put the mask on and did all the adjustments according to the DVD. I turned the A-Flex on and it began ramping at 5 as programmed. During titration I was on a C-Flex and felt as if I had to breath in hard to get enough air during ramping - not so with the A-Flex. Instead, I just kept breathing in anticipation of when it would become intolerable. Didn't happen. In fact, I was able to reach my level of 10 wondering if it was actually at that level, because I was so comfortable. I almost fell asleep. Just in case there was a malfunction, I decided to lift my mask while the air was blowing to see if it was actually at 10. I was very surprised! It was blowing like a hurricane.

In titration I had a hard time exhaling regardless which mask I used. The Comfort Gel was my favorite, but even with it I experienced difficulty exhaling comfortably. I hoped, but didn't know, that the A-Flex would provide enough exhalation relief. It does! The machine has an exhalation relief setting of 1, 2, or 3 with my DME setting my machine at a 3.

The machine is very quiet with a low rhythmic sound between inhalation and exhalation. I can still hear birds chirping in the distance.

I cannot wait to go to bed tonight. There is no way I would have guessed that I would feel this way back in February, when I had to prod myself to go in for another sleep study and commit to myself that I would get a "stupid CPAP."

I'm honored to be an official hose head. Unfortunately the machine and the exhaust on my mask are so quiet, I may not qualify for Darthdom.

[dsm]

Sounds like a great start - congrats

Do keep us posted on progress, and any detailed description of A-flex most appreciated

Good luck

DSM

[rested gal]

Very, very good news, gasp.

Hope every night is as comfortable for you!

[gasp]

I usually have to get up 3-5 times a night. Last night I only got up once to go to the bathroom and then woke earlier than usual in the morning. When I woke up for the bathroom visit, the mask startled me. Sheesh, you'd think my sub-conscious would keep me better informed than that, letting me know what to expect when I woke up : ) I should have practiced how to unhook myself. The materials said to keep the mask on, just disconnect the hose. So here I was trying to figure out how to do that. The one on the mask is too tight to get off. Then I decided to take it out of the back of the machine. Now I'm wide awake, taking 6 feet of tubing with me to the bathroom. There has to be a better way.

I thought about leaving the mask off and going back to sleep without it, but then thought how silly that would be since I had surprisingly slept half-way through the night with it. So, I gave it another go and woke up a couple of hours later when I rolled over on my tube. I took it off this time and slept another 2 hours without it. I have to come up with a tube solution. Guess I'll be doing my first mod on my Comfort Gel mask so the tube stays going over the top of my head.

The A-Flex performed flawlessly. I didn't have to fight the pressure coming in or out all night. Of course, I haven't had any other machine to compare it to except the one in titration. Getting used to the mask was my only issue. Oh, and the bright blue lights on top of the machine that lit up the whole room. I haven't found a way to turn them off yet. I will call Respironics so at the very least they know a customer wants them dimmed.

So far, so good.

[Snoredog]

[quote="gasp"]I usually have to get up 3-5 times a night. Last night I only got up once to go to the bathroom and then woke earlier than usual in the morning. When I woke up for the bathroom visit, the mask startled me. Sheesh, you'd think my sub-conscious would keep me better informed than that, letting me know what to expect when I woke up : ) I should have practiced how to unhook myself. The materials said to keep the mask on, just disconnect the hose. So here I was trying to figure out how to do that. The one on the mask is too tight to get off. Then I decided to take it out of the back of the machine. Now I'm wide awake, taking 6 feet of tubing with me to the bathroom. There has to be a better way.

I thought about leaving the mask off and going back to sleep without it, but then thought how silly that would be since I had surprisingly slept half-way through the night with it. So, I gave it another go and woke up a couple of hours later when I rolled over on my tube. I took it off this time and slept another 2 hours without it. I have to come up with a tube solution. Guess I'll be doing my first mod on my Comfort Gel mask so the tube stays going over the top of my head.

The A-Flex performed flawlessly. I didn't have to fight the pressure coming in or out all night. Of course, I haven't had any other machine to compare it to except the one in titration. Getting used to the mask was my only issue. Oh, and the bright blue lights on top of the machine that lit up the whole room. I haven't found a way to turn them off yet. I will call Respironics so at the very least they know a customer wants them dimmed.

So far, so good.

[rested gal]

Oh, and the bright blue lights on top of the machine that lit up the whole room. I haven't found a way to turn them off yet. I will call Respironics so at the very least they know a customer wants them dimmed.

So far, so good.

Good, glad you called Respironics to let them know the blue lights are wayyyy too bright in a dark room.

There's no way to turn them off or dim them.

I lay a dark sock over them. Sock, washcloth...anything like that will do. Just one more small item to take care of in the "going to bed" routine.

I thought about leaving the mask off and going back to sleep without it, but then thought how silly that would be since I had surprisingly slept half-way through the night with it. So, I gave it another go

Good for you, gasp -- for NOT taking the mask off even though you that thought tempted you!!

woke up a couple of hours later when I rolled over on my tube. I took it off this time and slept another 2 hours without it.

Ohhhh...nooooooo... What you did for those last two hours was become oblivious to the two-hour life and death struggle your body went through.

REM sleep is when apnea events usually hit us the hardest. REM cycles normally become longer and longer as morning approaches. We're in our longest REM during the latter part of our sleep session. It's extra important to be using our machines during those last hours before morning wakeup time.

But, ya done good most of the night, gasp. Try not to give in to temptation. Except when it comes to chocolate!

[Babette]

YAY GASP! GOOD WORK! KEEP IT UP!!!!

I have perfected unhooking the mask hose from the 6 foot hose. Practice that.

In the early days - I needed a mask break ANYWAY, so I'd take the mask off and leave it hooked up. The downside is getting it back on, having to peer in the mirror to see if everything's in place, re-doing velcro...

I ended up bringing a stand mirror into the bedroom and putting it on the nightstand for that.

I finally got a mask that I could rip off and put back on without too much fuss - the Breeze. It never needed realigning of the velcro or anything. Just put it on, make sure the pillows are in place, and good to go.

The new NAII is similar, it just takes longer for me to get the prongs in place. And the headgear being floppy takes me longer to get it positioned just where I want it. Way easier to just unhook from the 6 foot hose.

I have varied in the bathroom breaks. I went for nearly a week not waking up at all when I first got the NAII. Now this week I'm back to the 1 am or 3 am pee. I think it's stress-related, though.

How's your tube management? I love the over the head tube idea, but it does come with rainout. I bought a special tube hanger, but have yet to use it. I should just sell it to someone here.

I have found that really the best tube management for me is to run the tube over my head, behind the pillow, along the mattress edge, and out to the machine. Hanging it over the headboard can sometimes get wonky. If it falls behind the headboard too much, it will pull on the mask. The other way, I rarely if ever encounter the tube at all.

Best Wishes!
Barbara

[Snoredog]

some reverse physco babble stuff:

Everyone should email or SPAM Respironics customer support about those annoying BLUE LED's and if this tactic works as well as it did complaining about a few night's lost data from EncorePro reports, maybe they will REMOVE those too??

...just a thought


In case you do want to let them know, you can tell them so here, just put your comments in the Other box:

http://global.respironics.com/contactus.aspx

[rhowald]

Hi Gasp,

I use the same comfort gel mask as you do. When I need to take it off for a washroom break I twist the right ball/socket joint and push forward slightly and it releases the bottom strap on the one side.

If your mask is adjusted properly, this should be enough for you to slip it off your head. When you return, just do the reverse and put the ball back in the socket (the straps need to be at 90 degrees from the norm to fit in properly) and let it twist back to normal setting. The mask should reseal itself quickly (even with my mustache).

After a few nights of practice you will come to love the ease of this mask. I can even put it on while laying in bed already and then breath a couple times to get the CPAP to auto-on. Makes it nicer to read a book for a bit, then put the mask on and go to sleep.

Also glad to hear you are having such a great time with your therapy!



Rob

[roster]

............ The materials said to keep the mask on, just disconnect the hose. So here I was trying to figure out how to do that. The one on the mask is too tight to get off. Then I decided to take it out of the back of the machine. Now I'm wide awake, taking 6 feet of tubing with me to the bathroom. There has to be a better way.

..............

When you have to get up at night you want to minimize your activity so you can fall asleep again more easily. Taking off a mask and then putting it on again and making sure it is on properly is a considerable amount of activity for me in the middle of the night.

In order to minimize this type of activity, I have a hard plastic connector between the hose and the cpap machine. When I have to get up, it is easy to disconnect the six foot hose from the machine. I wrap the hose twice around my neck and make my way to the restroom in the dark. When I am back in bed it is easy to take the hose off my neck and slip it onto the cpap machine. The mask fit has not been disturbed.

I do not use the hard plastic connector on the mask end of the hose because it can slip off too easily while I am sleeping.

[Vader]

BTW, I picked up Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap in PEPPERMINT from Trader Joe's. I prefer Peppermint to Lavender. But where did you find yours? I tried Walgreen's and Rite Aid with no go until I found it at Trader Joe's. Used to be everywhere....

IMO, Trader Joe's own brand of peppermint castile is superior to Dr. Bronners, and a whole lot cheaper too.
Got to LOVE, Trader Joe's!

[Babette]

Oh yeah? I didn't notice that on the shelf. Thanks for the clue! I'll go investigate!
B.