Now I am snoring on the new machine

Some of you read my post about my experience at the sleep lab. Well last night I was at work and had our company had a rather large fire to deal with until about 2am. As you can imagine I was quite tired after that ordeal because it wasn't until about 3 am before I was completely ready to go to bed. This night at the fire station I did not get any complaints about snoring but I know for sure that I did. I felt very similar to the way I did prior to starting to use CPAP (woke up feeling like someone had been sitting on my chest at night, throat & sinus tenderness, slight headache when i woke up). Also I woke up a few times during that period of rest. I called Lincare my provider for CPAP and they told me that my range is set for 10-20 on this Virtuoso machine. When I explained my experience to the Lincare staff I was told that I should crank my humidifier all the way up. Well I could probably tolerate doing so on my R8 however this Virtuoso machine has a separate humidifier and the air gets quite hot and I find that uncomfortable. They told me that the time period I will have this machine is 2 weeks to figure out what is going on with me. Does anyone have advice for me?

First, the Virtuoso is an old machine. It doesn't use the modern technology of current apaps so you've already got that working against you.
Second, what is the make and model of your mask? I would suspect since they gave you an old machine, they probably gave you a lousy mask too. If you're using a nasal mask and not a full face mask, maybe, like many of us, your mouth drops open while you're asleep. This would enable you to snore. I have that same problem so I use tape. But if you have a full face mask that covers both nose and mouth, then I would suspect your snoring is the result of inadequate pressure. The odd thing is, with your apap set at 10-20, theoretically you shouldn't have to be concerned with inadequate pressure. Which leads me back to the first point: the Virtuoso doesn't have all the sensing capabilities of modern apaps and it may not be responding to your breathing patterns and raising the pressure when you need it. I'd suggest you tell them to take back their machine and give you a different one. Depending on the make and model of your mask, many people here will have suggestions for proper fitting, or suggestions for a different mask.

froger25 wrote: I was quite tired after that ordeal because it wasn't until about 3 am before I was completely ready to go to bed.

Nothing really wrong in what guest told you, but you should also know that exhaustion can contribute to a restless night, with many apneas. Your's seems to have been a very exhausting night.

I hope others are better.

O.

froger25,

I too was on a (volunteer) fire department quite a few years ago so I can relate to quite a bit of what you go through. As you are aware, depending on what was burning and how much smoke you may have inhaled can add to the headaches, sinus tenderness, chest pains, etc.
As far as your therapy, I agree with the other posters that your machine is antiquated.....but the most important element is your mask. If you don't have a full face mask, I would suggest the ResMed Ultra Mirage Full Face mask. If you're used to wearing an air pack, this one should be a "piece-of-cake". They're comfortable and will keep you from losing air through your mouth (if you're currently using a nasal mask).

Best wishes and keep us informed as to your progress.

Den