Very New User feeling so overwhelmed....

[barbara8912]

Diagnosed with severe apnea two weeks ago, picked up (loaned) respironics cpap machine, first night thursday, tried to stay positive have a nose mask and nasal prongs, preferred the prongs as Im claustrophobic, went to bed as normal, trying hard to relax and well slept.... woke up at 3am aware that my mask was off (didnt know I had taken it off) went to the bathroom and put my mask back on and turned on the ramp button, major panic attack, for some reason felt so warm and the air inhaling so warm, of course pulled it off and tears ensued. left it off for the rest of the night.

Last night, went through bed time routine, prongs in, again felt warm and overheating but had thought ahead and brought a cold flannel, tried to lay and relax, almost felt that I couldnt sleep although no naps during day so exhausted, and usually I am asleep within minutes, I felt that I hadnt slept at all and was `worried` of being awake as the pressure hit 13 so hit the ramp button back to four and the heat.... just overwhelmed me and of course off it came panic and tears ensued. Only managed to keep it on 1hour, I didnt think I had slept but my husband assured me he had heard me snoring. To me I feel a complete failure, anxiety level is off the scale and whilst I know am putting myself under awful pressure I cant seem to stop thinking about it. I am unsure what wakens me but I know I was gritting my teeth on the exhale.

I know it is early days and perseverance is the word, I just feel so alone ...

Thank you
Barbara

[cflame1]

ok... is the humidifier turned on or not?

and what is the actual name of your mask? FYI... prongs go all the way into your nose, pillows sit on the edge of your nose

[barbara8912]

Hi

The humidifier was set to number 2 and I apologise they are pillows just checked respironics optilite, both mask and machine on loan to help me get used to them.

[mayondair]

Hello, and welcome! You will get lots of help and support here. Please fill in your equipment profile in text so that we are better able to help you. It sounds like you need to get used to the mask for starters. Try wearing it while reading or watching TV, turn on the machine when you feel comfy and relaxed. Do this during the day, not bedtime. What is your humidifier set on? If it's to warm, turn it down a notch. Humidity is a very individual thing, you just need to experiment a bit and find what is best for you. A lot here have had a rough start, don't worry we will help you sort it all out. Kathy

[OutaSync]

Barbara, you are not alone. Lots of people are here to help, and because we have members from all over the world, you can get help 24/7.

It sounds as though the ramp starting at 4 is what is causing your anxiety/heat. Most of us can hardly breathe at a pressure of 4. What is your prescribed pressure? Do you know how to raise you ramp starting pressure to, say 6 or 7? If your prescribed pressure is uner 10, you may find that you don't need the ramp after a few days.

[pap4life]

Hi.. could you go up to your profile and fill in some about your equipment. It gives us a better idea of that you have/using and maybe help with suggestions.

you say that it is a loaner CPAP, but I think you mean it is an APAP,(CPAP is sort of a generic name) as you said the pressure went up to 13. What is the min. pressure set at?. From your post the Max is set at 13. WOW, jumping from the ramp of 4 all the way to 13 is enough to overwhelm a seasoned pro. I would suggest turning the humidifier off (keep it filled with water though)( that way the air is blowing across the water but it is not heated, (called passover humidification)or at least just up to 1. Higher humidifier numbers work good for the winter when its dry but in the summer, even with the ac on, most areas have a higher humidity and the need for humidification remains fairly low.

My suggestion with the ramp... don;t use it.. if you start overwhelming from the higher pressure just turn the machine off and then back on and it will start again at the lower pressure, which may not be all the way down to 4. A pressure of 4 makes most of us feel like we are sufficating. Since you are new to the CPAP world, the pressure changes are going to be troublesome for awhile anyway.

[barbara8912]

hi, outasync

Unfortunately my pressure is 13 and needs to be raised as I am still snoring and still have apnea at this level, they just felt I needed a machine soonest and I have only been able to sleep 149 mins which allowed them to get to level 13 in the sleep clinic. I need to relax and feel somewhat reassured I am not alone and not going mad, it seems this will take a wee while to get used to and I do need to stop being so hard on myself.

thanks
barbara

[cflame1]

and if you're feeling that the humidifier is too hot... try setting it lower or not turning it on. If you still have water in it but don't turn it on, you should still get some humidity.

[archangle]

Does your machine look like this?



First, be sure to remove the humidifier chamber before you move the machine. Getting water into the blower part of the machine can ruin it.

Try putting your machine on and sitting in a recliner or somewhere reading or watching TV during the day. Don't even try to go to sleep, but don't fight a nap if it happens. The idea is to wear the machine for a while when you're awake.

Put the mask on and start the machine. Don't use the ramp unless you absolutely have to. If you feel you can't breathe, open your mouth and try to breathe. You'll either feel air gushing through or you'll be able to breathe in through the mouth. Either way, it should help you convince yourself you're getting air. It may take a few tries to get used to the reflexes needed to do this.

You may find it's more comfortable without the humidifier turned on.

The idea is to get your body and brain used to CPAP. Don't stress out about going to sleep. You're just trying to get some CPAP exercise and exposure. Write down the times you're doing "waking CPAP" to help your doctor interpret the results later.

When you're sleeping and wake up and can't stand the CPAP, get up, go watch some TV or do something else. Don't go back to bed until you're ready to put the mask on again. If you can't stand the thought of wearing the mask, don't go back to bed. If you put the mask on and can't sleep, just lie there awake and breathing through the CPAP.

If you get a claustrophobic feeling, purse your lips and let some air blow out your mouth as you consciously breathe in and out. Hopefully, this will help you convince yourself that you are getting air. Try keeping your mouth closed and consciously inhale and exhale deeply feeling the air come in and out. You might also try lifting the mask off your nose just a bit and feel the air gushing out.

I think humidity also sometimes adds to the suffocating feeling. Try turning the humidity down or off entirely until you get over the panic attacks.

[nudave]

Hi Barbara,

Welcome to cpaptalk.com! I'm a newb to the CPAP world (just started Monday 7/11) too. Feel free to follow my topic in my signature, I post what I do to make me the most comfortable and what gives me enthusiasm to continue therapy. Right now its a competition between me and THE machine...

My suggestion would also be to wear the mask while awake as well, it will help conform you to the feeling off the air and hopefully assist you with the panic attacks. I also have taken off the mask during my first week of therapy after waking up. My hope is that once I become comfortable with my setup, I will either sleep through the arousals or just hit the ramp button and fall asleep again.

There are many people here, and they all help in one way or another. You may want to take some suggestions, and others just shrug off. The most important part is do what feels right to you! Don't get frustrated!

[BleepingBeauty]

Welcome aboard, Barbara. Two issues to mention:

One, a starting pressure of 4 makes most of us feel like we're suffocating. If that doesn't make you feel claustrophobic, I don't know what will. I'd raise the starting ramp pressure, if it were me, to at least 6 or 7cms, and let the ramp go for only as long as it takes you to fall asleep. If you're out within 15 minutes, don't set the ramp for more than 20. The faster you get to your titrated pressure of 13, the better.

And two, you're using a nasal mask, and your husband says you're snoring. That probably means you're breathing through your mouth, negating the therapy. Either do something to stop the mouth-breathing (use a chinstrap or tape your mouth shut at night), or try a different mask (a full-face one, that covers your nose and your mouth, so you can't lose your therapy air to the bedroom).

Hang in there.

[Roger2]

Hi Barbara,

I have only been on a cpap since June 18th and can empathize with your problem as I too am experiencing similar problems. I also dislike the warm air from the humidifier and have it turned off. Since I sleep with a 4 lt oxygen flow into the cpap and my oxygen concentrator has a humidifier on it I don’t really need the one on the cpap. If I take it with me on the road I would then need to use it to keep my mouth from drying out.

Once I get to sleep I have no problem of waking up prematurely but there is a great problem of getting to sleep. No matter how much I try to convince myself that this thing covering my mouth and nose I am still aware of this mask on which seems to keep me awake.

My primary care physician gave me a fairly large prescription for sleeping pills which I have used about 80 percent of the time during the last month. Those work exceedingly well but can also present other serious problems if you get to where you can’t sleep without them. Lots of exercise seems to help in that regard, at least it did last night.

I see your pressure is 13 which seems kind of high as mine is set at 9 which is not bad so I have my ramp speed set to 1. It seems like using the machine through the day as some have already advised would help get used to your setting and hopefully allow you to sleep more easily with it.

Feeling alone is not good, is there a local support group you can call upon in your area of residence? Good support can be a critical matter when people get those “alone” feelings, especially when taking on something new.

Roger

[RipVW]

Hello & Welcome, barbara8912! Glad you found this forum—SO much useful info and everyone here is so willing to help!
You're lucky to have found this forum as you begin CPAP—took me almost year before I found this place and, with the help of folks here, got my CPAP therapy working as it should. It does take time to get everything tweaked and working at its best, so patience is key as one begins CPAP.

"You are getting sleepy . . ."

[barbara8912]

Thank you people for your warmth and support. Just to clarify a few things. Yes that is a picture of the machine I am using, it is also fitted with a humidifier. As to `loaner`, this machine is being loaned to me to see how I get on with the use of it, so as for changing the settings up from 4 I have no knowledge as such the technician from the home care company set them as per Drs request. I have been told that it needs to be higher than 13 as during my sleep study I was still snoring and had apnea but did not stay asleep long enough for machine to register high enough.

I will take all your suggestions on board and try to keep a positive mental attitude...

thanks again
Barbara

[rested gal]

Barbara, welcome to the forum.

If your machine says "A-Flex" on top and says "Philips Respironics" on the front side, it is the one archangle posted a picture of.

In your Control Panel, Profile, Edit Equipment list, here's where you can find it in the list -- alphabetically with the PR System One machines: