Difficulties continue

Thanks for all the help in previous posts. For a week or two there, I had some success, but things have been difficult lately (last three or four weeks). I began waking up, unable to breathe, and took the mask off. Sometimes I was able to put it back on in the midst of a nightly stupor, but sometimes I put the mask aside. Now, I have it on for about two hours (according to the readout) and I take it off and don't remember taking it off. That's how things have gone the last few days.

My sense is that my throat is closing, as it did before I started using the CPAP. I believe the CPAP was keeping my airwaves open for a time, but now it's not. Any suggestions? Right now the pressure is 6-16. I'm thinking of raising the pressure a little bit to see if that helps.

Thanks!

Mike

Yes, do raise the low end by 1-2 cm at least as you're not getting enough pressure to help. You haven't mentioned anything else like leaks etc., but see how more pressure works and get back. I imagine you'll want to raise it even more in time, but at least you'll get started now.

Do you have the software to check what is going on?
If, as you suspect, you airway is closing even partially, it should show up as either obstructive events or hypopnea events just before you take the mask off. Either would be treated with some increase in EPAP pressure.

Things seem to have become worse, not better. I go to sleep with the mask on and when I wake up, it is off and the readout shows that I have used it only for an hour or maybe two.

I saw my doctor and he said I was doing great for a couple of weeks and now that things are not going well I should just keep "fighting" until things improve again. He also is going to have the CPAP changed so that I am getting a constant pressure of 15, rather than the auto 6-16. Has anyone had any experience with these kinds of changes? Does it sound like something that is going to help?

Thanks!

Mike

michaeldwilson wrote:Things seem to have become worse, not better. I go to sleep with the mask on and when I wake up, it is off and the readout shows that I have used it only for an hour or maybe two.

I saw my doctor and he said I was doing great for a couple of weeks and now that things are not going well I should just keep "fighting" until things improve again. He also is going to have the CPAP changed so that I am getting a constant pressure of 15, rather than the auto 6-16. Has anyone had any experience with these kinds of changes? Does it sound like something that is going to help?

Thanks!

Mike

Get SleepyHead and shows us your data with your current settings.

After a number of weeks, with little or no sleep, my Doc put me on straight 14, instead of auto, so I could get some sleep. I did not use the ramp, and I think I actually got used to the mask, at that pressure. I knew how the mask needed to fit, without leaks. I have since fired him, and changed back to auto, with typically very good results, except for this week, with the stupid flu. I probably had it on straight for at least six weeks. Hope this helps. The tech guys can help with other stuff. I generally only speak to my own, limited experiences.

I turned ramp off pretty quickly, as the 4cm pressure was vaguely smothery when I was awake. I turned EPR to 3 and it was awful -- the mask pulsed against my face with each breath, and kept me awake, and woke me up if I fell asleep. So I turned EPR completely off and it's much better. I could see that the instant I fell asleep my pressure zoomed into the teens and never dropped below 1-1/2 or 12, so I raised my minimum pressure from 7cm to 11cm. I got my heated hose and immediately turned the temp down.

There is a lot of really sophisticated engineering that goes into an APAP, but the best thing about it is that each and every feature can be turned up, down, on or off. The goal is to sleep, and the only way to tell what settings are best for YOU to sleep is to experiment.

Thanks for all the replies. I actually have very limited control over what I can do with the machine. The doctor decides what to do and (apparently) the technician inserts the chip or card or whatever to adjust the various pressures of the machine. I will keep trying different things until it works better. Thanks again. Mike

michaeldwilson wrote:Thanks for all the replies. I actually have very limited control over what I can do with the machine. The doctor decides what to do and (apparently) the technician inserts the chip or card or whatever to adjust the various pressures of the machine. I will keep trying different things until it works better. Thanks again. Mike

well, should you decide you want to have more control, all you have to do is ask, and someone will point you where to get that super secret manual that the "technician" has, and then you'd know what buttons to push to make any changes you desire.... it's all just buttons that are there already... no rocket surgery or brain science needed!

Listen to PR - he knows what he's talking about. As do the rest of us (loads and loads who just haven't responded to your thread but who've taken charge of their therapy for years).

Why are you so afraid of your doctor - he's working for you, not the other way around! You're an adult, at liberty to do what you want with your body and the equipment you're paying for. Just as e.g. diabetics take care of their sugar daily, and many, many others who make it their business to do the same.

You want to get better, you have the means to do it, so take your life in your hands and do it. We can only help you if you let us.

Hello all,

Thanks again for the helpful advice. I have another question. I have woken up from time to time and felt had a difficult time drawing in a breath. I unplug the hose from the mask and it feels as if I can freely breathe in and out. Does this make sense? It would seem that it would be easier to draw in a breath if I'm getting pressure from the machine. It may be a little more difficult to breathe out, yes, but breathing in should be easier, should it not?

Thanks again,

Mike

Not if breathing is limited by a machine putting out too little air to 'feed' you. Once the mask is on, you breathe what the machine pressure declares, not what you normally would without it. Which is why we keep trying to tell you to raise the (*$)_*#W pressure. You can always reset it back for when you see the doctor, etc., but why suffer til then? Do you think we're all a bunch of cowboys telling you to break the law? I'm 71 yrs old for crying out loud and worked in teaching hospitals all my life.

Julie one can take a horse to water but one cannot make that horse drink the water!

You're absolutely right... and banging your head against a wall will only break your head. But...

michaeldwilson wrote:Thanks for all the replies. I actually have very limited control over what I can do with the machine. The doctor decides what to do and (apparently) the technician inserts the chip or card or whatever to adjust the various pressures of the machine. I will keep trying different things until it works better. Thanks again. Mike

Michael,

With all due respect, when you cede control to the doctor about not just pap therapy but health issues in general, you're setting yourself up for very bad outcomes. Just saying.

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