a little over a week on cpap

I'm about 10 days on cpap. I'm still tired and making up for lost sleep. I sleep for 10 to 12 to sometimes 14 hours. I've tried waking up after 8 hours thinking I was oversleeping, but that leaves me completely exhausted the next day. Still tired throughout the day, but seem to be getting better. Waking up and becoming awake still takes some time.

My numbers are okay.

Average leak rate less than 1.0, usually around .3 or .4 or the night
AI is usually 0, but has been .3 at one point
HI is usually under 4, averaging about 3 or less
AHI is usually under 4 as well

Head tingling and facial numbness has lessened if not disappeared. Occasionally, the forehead rest from my mask presses on a nerve in my forehead and causes it to tingle the next day. I've been trying to sleep with a pad underneath to help. The GERD has been controlled with otc prilosec and seems to be getting better. Blood pressure seems to be better. I don't seem to get as many palpitations. My anxiety has lessened a little bit as well. Brain fog is still there, as well as exhaustion.

I'm looking forward to continuing to improve and feel better. I see my neurologist on wednesday and my pcp on friday. I'm currently not working, on fmla and std, but it might be ending soon, depending on the doctor's reports. Hopefully, I can adjust to be able to work.

vaderboi, that's sounding very good. You've had (still do) a lot of "healing" to do. Good for you for using CPAP so well! I think your neurologist and primary doctor will both be very pleased at how well you're doing your part of the job!

Hope you keep seeing improvements as the journey continues!

Average leak rate less than 1.0, usually around .3 or .4 or the night

is this the LED leak rate?

what mask is in the menu?

what pressure?

You are doing great, keep it up.
The pad on the headrest should help, but be careful you don't "overpad" and mess up the fit.

I'm not sure if you had palpitations before starting CPAP...but I know that it can make them go away. No palpatiations here for over a month now, and no angina either.

As you start to make up the sleep deficit, you will feel better and better....

jules wrote:

Average leak rate less than 1.0, usually around .3 or .4 or the night

is this the LED leak rate?

what mask is in the menu?

what pressure?

Very important questions.

Your machine is Resmed, your mask is a Resmed, with the mask identified properly, your leak rate should be close to zero.

O.

Good luck in your recovery It's nice to read a post on where someone is really trying You don't know how much this is helping me

ozij wrote:

jules wrote:

Average leak rate less than 1.0, usually around .3 or .4 or the night

is this the LED leak rate?

what mask is in the menu?

what pressure?

Very important questions.

Your machine is Resmed, your mask is a Resmed, with the mask identified properly, your leak rate should be close to zero.

O.

yes -

an LED leak rate of 1 is, well -------- BAD NEWS

no matter what mask is in the menu most likely -- this is a FFM too so it won't be mouth leaks but mask leaks or mask being taken off

ozij wrote:

jules wrote:

Average leak rate less than 1.0, usually around .3 or .4 or the night

is this the LED leak rate?

what mask is in the menu?

what pressure?

Very important questions.

Your machine is Resmed, your mask is a Resmed, with the mask identified properly, your leak rate should be close to zero.

O.

it's normally around .3 or less. the last few days, it's been 0. there were some early on days where I was still adjusting to the mask I think and not realizing that I should adjust it while laying down. Initially, I just kept the fit that the tech put me on, and then I realized I could adjust it. Took me a night or two to realize that.

.3 translates to 18 which means that 5 % of the night your leak rate exceeded the built in mask leak rate (same mask I assume) by 18 l/min - that is kind of high

Good point from both ozij and jules about keeping an eye on leak rate.

I understand the concern with leak rate, but considering the progress vaderboi is making under pretty difficult circumstances (the tendency of the mask's forehead support to irritate the injured nerve) I'd personally not worry much, if I were him, about trying to achieve a leak rate of zero right now.

As long as the ResMed's leak rate was not getting above 0.4 during the most recent nights, I think he's doing extremely well at getting comfortable with treatment during his first week along and using his machine. No doubt the leak rate was higher during his first couple of days, while he was trying to get the mask to fit in a way that wouldn't aggravate the nerve in his forehead.

vaderboi's forehead pain makes it a little more difficult for him to get it all going right. Perhaps his DME would let him try a Liberty nasal pillows FF mask. That has no forehead support, so if that mask (or the Hybrid, perhaps) would work for him, that would get rid of a forehead support completely, yet still be a "Full Face" mask.