no sleep ..even with medicine

I use a Mirage Quattro and find that it makes a difference. There are still good nights and bad nights though. I am tracking my SpO2 dilligently as well. I find that one gets caught between a rock and a hard place here... taking sleep meds depresses breathing generally as does taking any narcotic painkillers for arthritis, etc. For me this causes more arousals during the night and less REM sleep I believe. I am finding that I need a lot more sleep than I used to ... used to function well on 5-6 hours of sleep and now 8 hours barely does it for me and generally I require about 10 hours of sleep to be well rested and invigorated for the following day. And it takes me forever to get awake and 'going' these days as well.

My bladder seems to be working overtime.

Are you suggesting that Johnny can't decide things for himself ? Just kidding, know what you mean and don't generally disagree, but when someone who manages to sound so authoritative and medically knowledgable approaches a newbie to PM him, and we're aware of how weird his advice could possibly be to that newbie, I just wanted to be sure at least a warning was given.

Ooops. I missed that. Let me just say that in speaking with my sleep doc, GP, pulmonologist, etc., they were all impressed by my general knowledge of my condition and circumstances; were generally amenable to me playing with my APAP range to find my sweet spot; dissected the data I have been gathering from my S9 and oximeter; agreed with my suggestion that I am not going to fix my issues without supplemental O2 at night; agreed with my suggestion that there may be even something further in play in my situation that simply my lungs being compromised; etc.

And where do you suppose that I learned all of this stuff? Not from a book. Not from an MD. ON THIS FORUM by following threads with advice and experiences of others. All must be taken with a grain of salt, needless to say, but unless you have the faith to follow along and educate yourself and become your own best advocate you will likely never find your 'magic bullet' for your condition.

Last night I succeeded in convincing my best friend that a fairly static SpO2 of 86-88% through the night was close, but no cigar. My target, after reading all of the articles referenced on here and the experience of others, is a static 95% through the night and I am working as hard as I am able to get there, understanding that even when I reach my "magic bullet" that my body still requires additional care as to the efficacy and interaction of my medications now that my liver is working well again and that the final task will be in getting my body back into its normal rhythm... which may be the most difficult task of all (just read all the posts from those that have AHI=0, etc., and are still dead tired during the day). I'm a gittin' there but it takes some solid effort and tenacity (sorta like a pit bull hung off your neck).

kb1 wrote:... Since i have had my cpap (just over a week) i have a very hard time falling asleep .. when i do get to sleep ..i wake up without the mask on. ... wondering how long i should wait before telling the doc the medicine he gave me is working like a sugar pill..?

Last question first: I would talk with your doctor right away. It either works or it does not. In my own experience some medicine works for some people but has no impact on others. I personally use the generic of Remeron. It is an off-label use, since this anti-depressant is known to cause sleepiness. But it does not seem to interfere with sleep and even seems to help increase my REM sleep.

But I also agree with other posters who note you might want to try a full face mask. Though a nasal mask might have worked in the sleep lab, let's face it ... Who sleeps well in sleep lab anyway? I also use the Quattro FFM. Others use the Innomed Hybrid. And you will see a smattering of other masks used.

Do keep us posted. While we do not offer medical advice, we offer our own experience. It is then for you and your doctor to decide if our experiences match your situation. But by offering our experience we help you guide the discussion toward anwsers that might work for you.