Last night was my first

[jburnham]

I didn't want to wait for my sleep Dr and DME so I ordered my setup from cpap.com with overnight shipping. It showed up yesterday afternoon and I hastily set it up and went back to other chores. I take gabapentin to help me stay asleep and infrequently an over the counter sleep pill. It's usually prescribed at doses > 1200mg to control seizures. I usually take 300mg or 600mg but last night I took 900mg.

My wife went to bed before me and turned off the lights and fan in our room. I went to bed around 10PM and just turned the machine on and climbed into bed. I was up around midnight with a sweaty head and one of the kids in our bed. I was able to disconnect, put her back in bed, put the fan on and climb back in bed and remember to put the mask back on.

I think I slept through the rest of the night until 6am and got out of bed at 7am. I'm feeling pretty groggy but that's probably the extra gabapentin (doesn't happen at my usual dose).

My sinuses and throat feel a little dry, but it's completely different than when I've been snoring and choking all night. I had a few red marks from the mask, but they went away in less than an hour. I feel "different" - like after my titration - and that's probably the REM sleep I've been missing. I felt progressively worse each night after my titration and today feels better again.

I've got a few adjustments and things to figure out on the machine, but I think I can do this all night, every night. I'm going to try and follow the rules today and stay off the coffee and beer, get a little exercise and go back to my usual 300mg of gabapentin tonight.

Thanks to everyone here in the forum for your helpful information. I think I've got the right equipment and it's comforting to have a place to ask questions.

[Lee Lee]

Re: the dry throat, check your humidity levels and turn it up a notch.
The red marks are something a lot of us live with, but it takes some tweaking to get the right tightness on the straps. You want them to tight enough to stabilize the mask, but loose enough to be comfortable. There's a product called Pad-a-cheek that helps with strap marks, (do a search.)
I would back way off the meds..the good sleep that you get sometimes helps to lower your dose. You might find that you don't even need them after a while. Give your body a chance to naturally heal your sleeping problems,which were more than likely caused but the OSA.

One other thing, are you sure you set the machine up properly? Just wondering how you knew how how to get it right. (but good for you, if you did!)

Anyway, I wish you the very best, and let us know how it goes.
Lee Ann

[RosemaryB]

Congratulations! It sounds like a good start. It's great that you are so proactive in getting your machine and getting things going. Are you still going to get a machine through your insurance? IMHO, it's a good idea to have a backup machine.

[Slinky]

I agree w/RosemaryB, play dumb w/the DME (well, SOMEWHAT dumb) and let them supply a fully data capable xPAP thru your insurance - AND try a couple of masks other than the one you bought and let your insurance pay for a mask for you as well.

[SleepingBeauty]

I was just going to post what Slinky and Rosemary said about having your insurance go ahead and provide a backup machine.

Interesting that you take Gabapentin for sleeping. That drug seems to be used for so many things -seizures, bi-polar, insomnia, OCD, anxiety disorders, multiple sclerosis, and pain relief. I take it as an adjunct to my pain medication. Good thing it doesn't make me sleepy! I have to take 300 mg three times a day.

Welcome to the board and being a hose head!

[jburnham]

Thanks for all your suggestions.

I'm planning to go back to my low dose of 300mg gabapentin at 7PM and try and eliminate it after a few weeks if everything is working. It doesn't make me sleepy, but it helps me to stay asleep which has always been the problem. CPAP may take care of that too.

I do plan to pursue another machine and mask from my DME/insurance and if it is comparable, I may use it and keep mine as a backup.

As for whether I set it up correctly - I think I did, but know enough to worry that I possibly didn't. That's reason enough to keep working with a DME. Equally important is having a forum like this full of people whose collective opinions I trust more than a DME. I've read everything I could find here and the manuals. I've got software and a cardreader coming from cpapaustralia.com to help monitor my treatment.

My sleep Dr hadn't finished writing up my study, but wrote my perscription for an auto and told me the study showed 8cm would be my initial CPAP target. I have septoplasty and pillar implants scheduled for Oct and am working on the diet and exercise.

My setup is:

Auto
A-Flex 2
6cm-12cm
Ramp 15 minutes @ 4cm
Mask Alert@off
Auto Off@off
Split@off
show AHI/Leak@On

[jburnham]

I'm still waiting for software and a card reader. I left my machine plugged in all day and it is finally showing data. My leak rate has been ~28, my 90% pressure 8cm and my AHI 2.5. I use a Mirage Ultra FF mask. I haven't figured all of this stuff out, but based on those numbers, aren't I doing very well? I pulled my mask off between 10pm and midnight last night but then put it on for the rest of the night. I'm feeling a little better already.

[rested gal]

I'm still waiting for software and a card reader. I left my machine plugged in all day and it is finally showing data. My leak rate has been ~28, my 90% pressure 8cm and my AHI 2.5. I use a Mirage Ultra FF mask. I haven't figured all of this stuff out, but based on those numbers, aren't I doing very well? I pulled my mask off between 10pm and midnight last night but then put it on for the rest of the night. I'm feeling a little better already.

Those numbers sound like you're doing great, jburnham! Very, very good!!

[AdmiralCougar]

Those numbers look good. I'd say you've got a good set up only thing I would do is turn on your mask alert. But that's just me. Those look like good numbers but I'm not an expert on leak rate for all the masks but the AHI are under 5 so that's great, so overall those numbers really look good.

I'm so glad you've got your therapy started off so good.

Christy

[jburnham]

Thank you all for your support. I'm coming up on two weeks and doing fine. I got my card reader and software and have been checking my data daily, but not monkeying with my settings much. I'm down to 300mg gabapentin and nothing else. I sleep 7 hours every night with a little bit of tossing and turning, but no choking.

So far, my DME and insurance have shocked me with excellent service. After reading up here, I asked my Dr for a prescription for exactly what I wanted which he sent to my DME who billed my insurance. The DME called the same day it was approved and I picked it up the next day. The setup I purchased is carefully packed away as my spare.

If you are in CT, I highly recommend Health Complex Medical Supply:
http://www.healthcomplex.biz/cpap.html

I'm enjoying the increased energy. I'm scheduled for somnoplasty and pillar implants in Oct and am going to work on loosing some weight.