Problems with the CPAP

[karisma446]

This will be a bit long winded but I feel I need to explain a lot before I ask advise on my problems. I moved to Florida 4/06 my fiance and I bought a house that Christmas and about March he told me he thinks I have sleep apnea, he's a night owl and I would be fast asleep when he came to bed. He says not only do I snore loud enough to wake the dead but he thought he heard me stop breathing, only for a few seconds, but he was worried so I made an appointment with a very wonderful sleep doctor. He treats everyone really well. My doctor had me have 2 sleep studies done. First one to be sure I do have sleep apnea and then the 2nd to find my pressure. My fiance says he no longer hears me snore or stop breathing, both great things. Now for my issues.

1) I have a hard time sleeping on my back because of lower back problems. I use 2 leg pillows to keep my back from bothering me too much. What is the best way to be sure I do not hurt my back and still be sure that I have no leaks in my mask?

2) I use the petite mask that only covers the nose and have been noticing that on the left side(I sleep with the right side of my face on the pillow) of my nose I have a sore that may be from the mask. Could it be because I sleep on my sides, the mask is too tight or what? But I also feel that if I loosen my mask any more that my mask will leak.

3) I have major sinus problems that only started about 4 months ago. I need to have an allergy test done but I have never had allergies before but I know they can develop so I will get tested. I put vapor rub on my nose a lot and especially before I put the mask on to help me breath a bit better. I am having a sinus scan done soon for my ENT and will know more later. But what else can I do or try?

4) I wake up a lot at night even with the cpap running. Is that normal? Could it be because of my sinus issues, my side sleeping causing leaks in the mask, a combo or am I subconsciously nervous that I will stop breathing because I am wearing something over my nose?
Oh yeah, in my studies it shows that I wake up a lot from moving around but I do not think I move as much with the machine attached.

Thanks all for listening to my rant and I hope to solve these issues so I can get great sleep again and not feel run down. I should also mention, besides a house, a fiance and work I also have 3 cats and college, so I am very busy all the time but want to not be so tired so I can do more things to relax instead of sleeping away the few hours a week I get to enjoy life.

[Pineapple]

Karisma,

Your lucky, you have a great finace who cares about you.

Could you clarify how long you have been on CPAP. Please fill in your profile so we can better answer you questions.

[karisma446]

I have added my cpap info, thank you for letting me know where to do that.

[Goofproof]

I have added my cpap info, thank you for letting me know where to do that.

While icon are "cutsy", they lack the info that you get using the text form. One machine looks like ever machine of the same brand. Text form is better, Profile icons should be banned. Jim

[Julie]

One thing I will tell you while others are waiting for your detailed acct of your equipment, is that sleeping on your back is the worst position if you have apnea and even if you're wearing a mask, it can't be a great idea to sleep that way, so if you're more comfortable in another position, go for it . As well, you may have to rethink your present mask re leaking, sizing, etc., and once you're comfortable with whatever one you get, then there are tips to help you adjust to wearing it in diff. sleeping positions, with different pillows, etc. so you don't get a stiff neck or leaks, and the therapy's effective. Has your fiance mentioned that you sleep with your mouth open? If so, you may need to wear a 'full face' mask, one that also covers your mouth, because if not, most of the air meant to keep your airway open will go straight out your mouth... not much good then, of course.

[karisma446]

Julie, I am at preesure 8 and it does suction my mouth closed so my mouth stays closed while I sleep. I have tried different size masks for my mask and the nasal pillows none were comfy. Thanks Karisma

[crossfit]

What is your humidifier set at? Too high and it seems to actually increase peoples congestion. That has been my experience as well. I sometimes need it high but usually it is around 2.

As for waking a lot, I am still doing that too. I have a data capable machine so I can see just how long I was asleep and such. I think I might have something else going on, possibly restless legs or periodic limb movements. I will talk to my doc at my appointment next Monday. You might have something similar. Our sleep architecture gets really messed up by the apneas and hypopneas so it can take a while to learn to sleep normally. I know a few people who still take sleep medications such as ambien so they sleep a good long stretch but they knock me out too much. I am also going to ask the doc about something like that which doesn't make the apneas worse but helps me stay asleep longer. You may wish to do some research on other sleep disorders to see if you have another one as well keeping you from resting. That said, it is still just possible that your still only learning. I am not getting a good few days sleep in a row per week but not resting well all the time.

[Pineapple]

Karisma,

3 months in - you have a therapy problem. Your machine is a Plus so it won't help pin-point your problem, it only collects compliance data, whether or not you are using your machine. I would talk to your doctor and see if he might be willing to upgrade you to an APAP (or and least a Remstar Pro) which is fully data capable.

Mouth Leaking is the number one therapy killer. Remember the machine is blowing not suctioning. While you believe you have your mouth closed all night, it is quite probable that you are still leaking air through your lips. When the airway closes es the least possible path of resistance, right out the lips. Chinstraps, taping or a full face mask would help this problem.

Julie is right that back sleeping is the worst position for apnea. I also find that my mask pops more leaks when I sleep on my back. For the most part, I am a side sleeper. I bought a small camp pillow so I could stick my mask over the edge and not suffocate my husband by shoving the other end of the pillow in his face.

I would try loosening the mask a little. When I first started I wore my mask tight. After I got used to sleeping with the mask I found I could loosen it up some and still not leak. I'm not a big fan of Comfort Gel (OK I called it evil after my sleep study ) and I can't stand pillows. There is a whole world of masks out there. Talk to your DME about trying others. Our host cpap.com has a nice selection of masks.

Sinuses - as crossfit mentioned play a little with your humidifier, you could even try turning the heat off and running it in passive mode. Have you tried nasal washes such as Neil Meds, Ary or Ocean? I've used nasal washes for years and find the Neil Meds the easiest to use. Some members of this forum have stated that if they mask up congested, after a few minutes the congestion clears. BTW make sure you are changing/cleaning your filters regularly and keep that appointment with the ENT.

Waking is a common problem for those who have just started. Some say it's just that your body doesn't realize that it no longer needs to wake you up to make sure your breathing. It will probably go away one you start getting decent therapy. You may need a sleep aid to "get you over the hump" Some members have prescriptions, others like myself use products like Melatonin.

Good Luck.

[CamiTampa]

Karisma, I live in Tampa too, so being a Florida resident we get used to the very dry air our air conditioners fill our houses with. You'll need to find a happy balance of humidity for your cpap. It took me months to figure out where I needed mine. And the setting differs for my masks. 1 for my hybrid, 2 for my comfort lite. When it's not right I get stuffy or dry and sore.
As far as allergies, the bay area has something for everyone. I suffer when the oaks do their thing, but orange blossoms bring tears to my eyes.
Stick with it if you can.
Good luck,
Cami

[karisma446]

Thank you all for being so nice and trying to help.

Pineapple, My mouth does stay closed. The sleep study personnel said that they found the correct pressure for me and that it will keep my mouth suctioned closed. When I wake up in the morning I cannot open my mouth until I remove the mask and I can hear the suction release. It is a very funny feeling. My fiance is awake while I sleep during the week because of our work scheduales. He says that I do not snore at all with the mask on because my mouth stays closed. I will talk to my doctor to see what we can do. I am going to have a sinus scan done then back to the ENT doctor to see if the problem is there, I would never cancel an appointment this important
As I said I do believe my mouth is closed but will try a chinstrap, better safe than sorry. Oh and I have had the machine 3 months been using it for about 3 weeks
My humidifier is set at 2, anything higher and the condensation is a nightmare. I do need to try nasal washes thanks for the idea. Will check filters again just to be safe.

Cami, nice to see an other bay area person =)
I plan to have alergy tests done soon. I will stick with it, I may be having problems and am still tired but.. let put it this way, I was tired 100% of the day now I am tired about 90% of the day a 10 % imporvement in 3 weeks I stick to it, thanks =)

Now all I need to figure out is could this mask rub my face raw to the point of sore???

Thanks all
Karisma

[Pineapple]

Karisma,

If you've only been using it 3 weeks, hang in there, what your describing is normal at this point. Most of us don't see improvement until a month. The first signs some as a whisper - start listening for them, they are great morale boosters.

[karisma446]

All right! Chinstrap is on it's way and I told my fiance about it and he asked if I'd wear it all the time cause I talk to much I think he was joking

I know my machine comes with a card but I do not know if I can read my results and if I do get them I would not know what any of it means. I do want to read what is going on so I can tweak if needed to get the best therapy I can. How do I find out how to read my card?

Thanks Karisma

[Pineapple]

Karisma,

You said your machine is a "Plus". The only data the card records is compliance data - when and how long you use your machine. This will not help you tweak your therapy. You need to get a "Pro" or better yet an "Auto" (or a fully data capible machine from another vendor). These machines tell you compliance, leak rate AI and HI (combined AHI). After you have the machine that records everything, then you will need to get a card reader and software to read your card for detailed reports on yuour therapy.