4th night on my new CPAP

[allwxrider]

The first 3 nights were horrible, leaky mask, sinus congestion, velcro scratching...

My 4th night was 7:54 minutes, much better:
AHI 6.3
AI 0.8
HI 5.5

I think that washing my face just B4 bedtime keeps the silicone mask from slipping out. Shaving too.
Resmed S8 Elite II, Pressure 9, H3i@2, No EPR

My DME doesn't stock a Passover Humidifier, so I went with the heated one.

[KatieW]

Yes, glad to hear it's getting easier for you.

What was your leak rate?

[kteague]

Using the machine for nearly 8 hours on the 4th night sounds like quick progress to me. Was most of that time spent asleep? Hope this trend of adjusting well continues and the treatment quickly becomes routine. Welcome to the forum.
Kathy

[Jersey Girl]

Wow! Using your cpap for almost 8 hours on just your fourth night. This is wonderful! I'm curious - what kind of mask are you using?

Warmly,

Jersey Girl

[rested gal]

Welcome to the board, allwxrider!

That's very good progress, indeed. Way to go!

[allwxrider]

Leak rate was ~0.5, somehow the data was erased. Maybe it was because I had to unplug the unit today.

I use a Mirage Quattro mask, I do need a chin strap, since my mouth opens, then the mask leaks, then I wake up.

I wasn't asleep continuously, but I had it on the whole night for the first time. Alka-Selzer Cold Plus helped me with the initial congestion that I first experienced at the sleep clinic.

On night 3, I forgot to rinse and refill the humidifier . So at 2am, I smelled something cooking. There was still moisture but some minerals were roasting. I disconnected the humidifier, but the dry air got me after ~1hour.

I also turned off the Ramp. If the mask is going to leak, I want to know right now, not after Ramp time. The Mask Leak feature is great too, just too much to learn with a hypoxia brain.

Looking forward to ordering the PC download cable...too many bills right now.

[KatieW]

Leak rate was ~0.5, somehow the data was erased. Maybe it was because I had to unplug the unit today.

The daily data on the lcd screen disappears at noon, when a new day starts. So check it before
noon.

A leak rate of .5 liters/second is a little high, and Resmed says that over .4 can affect therapy and reliability of data. So, while you are doing great for 4 nights, you could work on the leaks more.
It takes awhile to learn how to adjust the mask, and it sounds like you're getting the hang of it.

[allwxrider]

Leak rate 0.18L/S... still not much of a memory. Hypoxia Brain.

5.5 hours last night. I got closterphobia from the mask. I'm not a good candidate for The Lone Ranger or Zorro...huh?

[dtsm]

Dear Lone Ranger

The first few weeks for me were also very difficult - getting used to the mask, the noises, the sounds, the smells, everything bothered me. But it gets better, and better and better. Your numbers are great for the first one - it took me almost 6 wks to get such good AHI's.

How do you actually feel - sleep wise? Remember it's a marathon, no winners for the fastest.

Good luck

[melissa1974]

Hi! Congratulations on the fantastic progress you have made so quickly in your therapy! Your numbers look great after so few nights! How are you feeling?

One question I had for you, is that you mentioned that you are using the Mirage Quatrro and that you felt that you needed a chinstrap because your mouth opened. I wanted to let you know that it is ok to have your mouth open when wearing a full face mask. The whole point of a full face mask is that both your nose and mouth are covered, so all of the therapy air can still be contained by the mask and therefore still used to open your airway. It's only important to make sure that your mouth stays closed if you are using a nasal mask (or nasal pillows or prongs).

If this is old news to you....forgive me. I just know that there is sooooo much info to process at the beginning and precious little oxygenated sleep to help with the processing. I remembering feeling like I would never be able to figure it all out. (Now that I have been using my machine for about a month and a half....I feel like I am finally starting to figure out SOME of it, but I know I still have a lot more to learn! ) Good luck!

[allwxrider]

I got a head cold, wife has it too. The sinus congestion is fierce, so I, again, only lasted 5.5 hours. I was tempted to put some Vicks in the humidifier.

I used the chin strap last night, if my mouth opens, the Mirage Quattro leaks on the bottom. The chin strap fixed this. The Respironics premium is a good model, very comfortable AND I was able to keep the bottom mask straps looser.

I use a Medium mask, so would a large mask cover my mouth better?

I just read the complaint posts on the Quattro: Yes the seal is very thin and is blowing out even at 9"H2O. I've been disconnecting the hose at the mask to allow it to reseat and reconnect. Takes 2 seconds, but it DOES wake you up.

[SleepyBobR]

I don't think it's a good idea to put Vicks or anything else in the humidifier. You would be inhaling the vapors directly into your lungs. Not a good plan. As for the Quattro, I'm surprised that it leaks when your mouth opens. Mine does not. I know my mouth falls open a bit when I'm asleep but it doesn't cause any leakage at all. Maybe you need a larger size mask. Also, be careful when pulling the hose off the mask that you grasp the gray plastic part of the elbow assembly rather than just holding the mask and pulling the hose off. The elbow assembly looks like it could be broken if not handled carefully during hose placement and removal.

[Jersey Girl]

Sorry that you have a cold. When I had a cold I put a little Vics vapor rub on a cottonball and placed the cottonball on some aluminum foil. Then I placed it about 3" from my air intake valve behind the machine. That way, it's not hurting my machine at all, but it was helping to open up my sinuses and breathe. Someone had suggested that to me and it worked really well.

Hope you are feeling better soon!

Warmly,

Jersey Girl

[melissa1974]

Jersey Girl-
Thanks for sharing that tip!! That's a terrific idea! It sounds a bit like the way the PurSleep aromotherapy oils are used, so it makes a lot of sense, but it sounds totally safe for both the machine and user. I have chronic sinus problems and that sounds like it might come in very handy! I love this forum!