Tired of being tired

I am so sensitive to caffeine now that I actually. I had two strong cups and can't sit still.

See attached photo. Not sure if too small for my face or I just look weird haha!

https://ibb.co/thzMVtR

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Mon May 06, 2019 7:41 pm

You need to understand what a 95% number is....
It's NOT where you spent 95 % of the night...
the definition is.... where the pressure was at OR BELOW for 95% of the night. The "or below" part is critical to the definition.
People often don't understand it or forget that part...but it is critical to the definition.

Thank you so much for that clarification! 15 months in and somehow I did not realize that!

One of my best days in terms of how I felt followed a night when the AHI was 10.4...go figure that one.
AHI of 1 something doesn't qualify for high at all. I don't even give anything a sideways glance until I consistently see AHI over 2 and then it's usually not much of a look.

What is your goal here? Is it a nice perfect math score on a test or is it sleeping good and feeling good?
Best numbers in the world on that math score won't guarantee that you feel them. Been there and done that myself.

Full face masks are a whole different animal IMHO. Sorry, I have no real experience with them or potential sizing issues.
I have a bad neck and the lower straps that almost all full face masks need to use pretty much really screws up my neck and I get bad neck pain and headaches from the neck because of that lower back strap. For that reason I simply never have put any effort into using any full face masks and since I haven't really ever needed one...I just haven't bothered learning much about how to use one.

I did give the DreamWear full face mask a trial just to see if I could even sleep with it and it was really the only one that I could even sleep with and not have immediate neck pain with. I kept it just in case I ever really needed a full face mask but so far...coming on 10 years using cpap I have never had to use a full face mask because of nose issues. Yesterday I mailed out my personal DreamWear to someone that needs it...I won't ever use it and it's just being wasted sitting in my stash drawer.

So sorry...I am not much help with anything about full face masks. No real experience to draw upon and no way in hell would I even try one with a forehead piece.

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Thu May 09, 2019 7:53 am

One of my best days in terms of how I felt followed a night when the AHI was 10.4...go figure that one.
AHI of 1 something doesn't qualify for high at all. I don't even give anything a sideways glance until I consistently see AHI over 2 and then it's usually not much of a look.

What is your goal here? Is it a nice perfect math score on a test or is it sleeping good and feeling good?
Best numbers in the world on that math score won't guarantee that you feel them. Been there and done that myself.

I'm trying to perfect my cpap use! I love my cpap. I even told my manager how happy I am that I have been using it for two months, she probably thinks it's weird but has commented that my work performance has been awesome lately and to keep it up. Being good at my job means I can work from home more and spend more time with my kid

so I noticed my AHI is higher with the full face mask! what gives? Am I a mouth breather and I don't know it?

Also, my sleep study report is ready. The office won't give me a copy until I come in and review it with the doctor...I was like you really can't give me a copy of the report before the appointment? she is like are you a sleep doctor? I am like no but that is my sleep study and my report. I am really peeved by that to be honest and don't see why they had to be so rude about it. She asked me what day and time is my appointment and said ok on this day and time you will have your report.
So looks like I will have the report on wednesday. I strongly suspect with my low AHI he is just going to tell me to go on a diet.



screenshot from last night

Some people need more minimum pressure when they use a full face mask than when they use a nasal mask.
Has nothing to do with mouth breathing or not....I think that the full face mask and its lower back strap and how it attaches tends to pull the jaw back just a little and alters the airway position just a little. Maybe not much but just enough to make it so people need more pressure to hold the airway open and not let the apnea events happen.

It doesn't happen to everyone but it happens to enough people that I think it's fairly common. I know some people who need 2 or 3 cm more minimum when using a full face mask than they might need with a nasal mask.
Try a 9 cm minimum and see what happens.

In all honesty, I think your experience with cpap is much like djams therapy thread: You have a significant combination of mask and mouth leaks. Between the two it’s hard to identify the real culprit and you’re spinning your wheels. Djams didn’t get his mouth fully figured out until he got the mask problem totally resolved. Personal opinion here, you should try the bleep mask out, using the guarantee the online stores offer to isolate what’s the real problem. If the mask is eliminated as the culprit, and the high leaks still keep wrecking your graph...well then it’s mouth leak. Fix that with tape. At least with the bleep you are targeting a chance at no leak or at the very least understanding what your mouth is doing to you. Bad reoccurring mouth leaks can be worse than snore arousals to the brain. I mean they can wake you up like apnea does all the time. That can explain why your ahi is always pretty low, but you feel like crap. Your pizza loving brain is bolting awake every minute from mouth leaks, but you don’t really know it. And your cpap unit ain’t accounting for it cause it can’t track up eeg. Treat it like a science experiment and remove all the variables that can jackup the night:
Don’t drink caffeine for 12 hours before sleep cause the half-life is long on getting out of the system.
Get the bleep.
Put the bleep on right so it ain’t leaking.
Get the kid out of the bed and anything else that’s living.
Sleep by yourself while this experiment is going on.
Go to bed.
Check your data.
Still see leak? Still feel tired?
Repeat all of the above again but tape your mouth off (Ask djams for advice on taping to get it right).
Check your data.
Still see leak? Still feel tired?
Adjust pressure if necessary, after showing Pugsy your data and
Repeat again.

I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea and excessive daytime sleepiness that is probably due to the sleep apnea. Doctor said it's my choice if i want a cpap machine or dental appliance. He said if I get the machine through insurance my usage will be watched and if i dont use it my machine will be taken back? Is this typical? Should I get a machine through insurance now that i have the diagnosis?

Snapshots from report below:

The insurance companies want you to use the machine they purchase for you. If you don't use it, it is a waste of their money. Most insurance companies use the same compliance requirements as Medicare. You must use the machine at least four hours a night for 20 out of 30 days. This needs to be done during any continuous 30 day period during your first 90 days of using the machine. You will normally have an appointment with your doctor to verify this happened within the first 90 days of usage. Once you fulfill the initial usage requirement, your insurance company may or may not continue to monitor your usage. Most insurance companies purchase the machines using a rent to own plan (normally 13 months), a few purchase the machine outright at the beginning, and some have a continuous rental program. Only your insurance company can tell you what sort of purchasing plan they use. Many DME have a reputation for lying to their customers. Don't rely on the DME to tell you what your insurance does or does not cover.

Okie bipap wrote: ↑

Wed May 15, 2019 5:06 pm

The insurance companies want you to use the machine they purchase for you. If you don't use it, it is a waste of their money. Most insurance companies use the same compliance requirements as Medicare. You must use the machine at least four hours a night for 20 out of 30 days. This needs to be done during any continuous 30 day period during your first 90 days of using the machine. You will normally have an appointment with your doctor to verify this happened within the first 90 days of usage. Once you fulfill the initial usage requirement, your insurance company may or may not continue to monitor your usage. Most insurance companies purchase the machines using a rent to own plan (normally 13 months), a few purchase the machine outright at the beginning, and some have a continuous rental program. Only your insurance company can tell you what sort of purchasing plan they use. Many DME have a reputation for lying to their customers. Don't rely on the DME to tell you what your insurance does or does not cover.

Am I better off sticking to self pay?

Depends on your insurance coverage. Under Medicare, we would have paid less than $20 a month for 13 months for each of our machines. The price for each of our machines is over $1700 each and we would have paid less than $260 for each of them. You will need to make a comparison of what it will cost to purchase out of pocket versus what it will cost using your insurance. If you have a high deductable, you may be better off purchasing a good, used machine from a place such as Second Wind, or some some members of the forum often sell low hour used machines here on the forum.

Okie bipap wrote: ↑

Wed May 15, 2019 5:17 pm

Depends on your insurance coverage. Under Medicare, we would have paid less than $20 a month for 13 months for each of our machines. The price for each of our machines is over $1700 each and we would have paid less than $260 for each of them. You will need to make a comparison of what it will cost to purchase out of pocket versus what it will cost using your insurance. If you have a high deductable, you may be better off purchasing a good, used machine from a place such as Second Wind, or some some members of the forum often sell low hour used machines here on the forum.

I do have a deductible which I fully met in network. (all 4k )