Newbie here

Hi everyone,

I am just starting my CPAP in the last few days. I have an auto titrated machine set to be between 5 & 15. It is an ResMed Air Sense 10 with a nasal mask that fits under the nose. My problem is the mask produces air when I have it on but not very much & I can hardly breathe. I am wearing the mask correctly I know but I am hardly getting any air to come out unless I remove the mask from my nose, then the machine goes up to 10 or so. When I replace the mask it goes back to 5 & I can't hardly breathe. It is horrible & IF I can even leave it on for 4 hours as I am supposed to at this stage, I can't really sleep well if at all & I wake up air deprived with bad headache & higher blood pressure & feel absolutely horrible. Is this normal or do you think I need a higher setting. I haven't seen my doctor yet & the RT says give it time but it is hard when I am air deprived. Any thoughts are appreciated. Darlene

Certainly trying it at 7 for a couple of nights won't hurt = come back to this thread please with results. Also, go to Profile in your member page and fill in the model (not just brand) of your machine and which mask you have so all can see them for future use (they'll appear under your notes in future).

REDKBRECH wrote: ↑

Sun May 24, 2020 8:05 pm

Hi everyone,

I am just starting my CPAP in the last few days.

hello darlene and welcome to the zoo!

sorry you are having such a hard time. but that is why we are here.

the experts will be happy to help. but gonna need more info from you. we are all different and need to take a different approach to cpap therapy.

here are some things to do to get you started-

go to your profile and fill in your equipment. this will then appear at the bottom of each of your posts, as it does on mine below.

please see the links i have below. the newbie thread will get you started.

also, download the free software, oscar, which i show in the other link.

once we can see your individual data from oscar, then specific advice can be given

i suspect that your machine isn't set up correctly for you. but we'll know more as we proceed.

good luck!

I can't change any settings that I know of. I am set at between 5 & 15. I had a home sleep study so I guess I have a range of settings & I can't increase them on my own. I am going to change masks on Thursday to the Res Med nasal mask which fits over the whole nose, not sure what the number is though. I just don't know if my machine has an issue. So frustrated. Darlene

I have clicked on the Oscar Link & put the website on my home screen on my phone but not sure what to do or click on next. Need more instruction on this. Thanks.

REDKBRECH wrote: ↑

Sun May 24, 2020 10:29 pm

I can't change any settings that I know of. I am set at between 5 & 15. I had a home sleep study so I guess I have a range of settings & I can't increase them on my own. I am going to change masks on Thursday to the Res Med nasal mask which fits over the whole nose, not sure what the number is though. I just don't know if my machine has an issue. So frustrated. Darlene

No, your machine doesn't have an issue - it's just that your minimum pressure is set too low. Many people have a feeling of air starvation at low pressure and you need to increase the min to around 7 or so (at a guess). To change the pressure you have two options: 1) Ask your doctor, or 2) get hold of the clinical manual for your machine and follow the instructions there. https://www.resmed.com.au/hubfs/downloa ... ac-eng.pdf

REDKBRECH wrote: ↑

Sun May 24, 2020 10:38 pm

I have clicked on the Oscar Link & put the website on my home screen on my phone but not sure what to do or click on next. Need more instruction on this. Thanks.

Oscar doesn't work like that - it's not a phone app but a program which needs to run on a "proper" computer (Windows, Mac or Linux). It doesn't work on phones or iPads etc.

Download the program from here: https://www.sleepfiles.com/OSCAR/

Installation instructions: http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... stallation

User manual: http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php/OSCAR_Help

I suggest you use the second option given to change your minimum pressure setting of 5 to a slightly higher one rather than asking your doctor at this time - it's something we all do routinely to help with therapy and unfortunately too many doctors are not familiar with how the machines work, only telling the dealers (where you get your machine) to set it to machine default parameters, but those are usually not sufficient to do the job.

Thank you so much for those suggestions & information. I will see my RT Thursday to try a new mask as well. Hoping all this improves soon.

REDKBRECH wrote: ↑

Sun May 24, 2020 10:29 pm

I can't change any settings that I know of.

you can by getting ahold of the clinicians manual. this is NOT the manual that comes with your machine. pls go here to get a copy-

https://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap- ... tup-manual

your minimum pressure of 5 is too low, which is why you need to change your pressure.

oh! and the oscar software doesn't run on a phone. you need to use a desk top or laptop.

good luck!

Okay my therapist changed the air pressure to read 7-15 range. Is this a better range for a newbie with auto settings? It is a little better but still not great. Is 8 or 9 too much?

You won't know until you've tried it for a few nights (not just one) to see results. There is NO specified or average number for newbies... everyone's different. I also strongly suggest you learn how to tweak your pressures yourself as the rest of us do. It's your therapy, and having to run to the doctor (or tech etc) every time you want to try something for a few days is not the way to go.

Thank you I appreciate your advice/suggestions.

What is a good setting so one doesn't feel air starved when putting on my mask. My settings on my autoset are 7-15. Can I get more air if it is set to 10 -15 or is that too much? I don't feel much air blowing when awake & putting on my mask.

REDKBRECH wrote: ↑

Thu May 28, 2020 8:57 pm

What is a good setting so one doesn't feel air starved when putting on my mask. My settings on my autoset are 7-15. Can I get more air if it is set to 10 -15 or is that too much? I don't feel much air blowing when awake & putting on my mask.

we are each of us different. there is NO one blanket settings that does right for all of us. i'm currently at a minimum of 17.8 and a max of 20. but that means NOTHING in regards to what would work for you.

we need to see charts created by the oscar software. that way, the experts here can see what events you have that combine to make your ahi. without that data, the only thing that can be offered is a guess. and that does no one any good.

if you can get oscar on a desktop or laptop, either apple or windows, then you can gather data. if not, i don't know what we can do.

good luck!