CPAPtalk.com

What were your "prescribed" settings?
Did you have an in lab sleep study where they hooked you up to mask and machine to figure out the optimal pressure?
Or did they just give you APAP machine set to the factory defaults of 4 minimum and 20 maximum and let the machine sort it out?
Sometimes that works out for people with lower pressure needs but not so great for those with higher pressure needs.

You should use whatever pressure is proven to work for you...that includes comfort and reduction in those apnea events.

Do you have a copy of your RX where it says what pressure to use?

And BTW...even the in lab titration sleep studies don't always get the "optimal" pressure. Mine was way off for REM stage sleep but I didn't get but 6 minutes of REM sleep during my titration study...can't really blame them for being off.

Whatever the prescribed settings are....AFlex is unavailable until 6 cm starting point. It's in the manuals.
If your RX calls for AFlex or CFlex...and 4 cm starting point...it won't work that way..it can't. You either have 4 cm starting point with no Flex relief or you use at least 6 cm and have Flex available.

The prescribed settings in your case and many others is the sign of a lazy doc.
A minimum setting of 4 is as low as the machine is capable of and for most will feel like you are suffocating, and a maximum pressure of 20 is as high as the machine will go, but will seldom get there for most of us.

There may be three kinds of PAP users. Those that follow the edict of GOD ( the doc) and often quit therapy or continue suffering with ineffective therapy since most docs never check for effective results but only compliance. Those who find this site or others like it and take control of their own therapy. And those who complain to the doc who just checks for compliance and teslls them they are doing fine, keep up the good work, even when they are not.

You are at the crossroads now. Will you download the SleepyHead Software, already mentioned, so you can monitor your results and take control. Or will you allow a disinterested DME of doc control you questionable results.

I was lucky enough to find this group while I was waiting for my sleep test and knew exactly what I wanted before I got my results. I have never been back to the doc that ordered my sleep test and have had precious little advice from any doc, that helped me with my sleep apnea. Most of my knowledge and help was gained from groups like this one and Pugsy is one of the most helpful individuals I have encountered in my quest to deal with sleep apnea.

Several of the gentlemen on this group may seem a little crass (only because they are) but they are also very knowledgeable and if you can ignore or laugh at their brand of humor, they can provide a ton of great advice.

Lauperfan, I just posted to your other thread, but this response is for your mask and breathing difficulty. As a mouth breather, I cannot use a nasal or pillow mask. I use a full-face mask and it doesn't matter if I breathe with my mouth or my nose. Many of us here have tried many masks in an effort to find THE ONE that works or fits right; until we find the right mask, we have a mighty struggle. Along with that is getting the proper size mask and adjustment of the headgear. I'm using the AirFit F10, a FF mask with minimal headgear compared to most FF masks.

That choking/gasping/not able to breathe feeling. I dealt with that by wearing it during the day while watching tv or reading or doing anything but sleeping. It's an adjustment to how you breathe. You might also be trying to breathe with it. That's what I did. I kept trying to get my breathing to sync up with the machine. Big mistake. It's kind of like learning to ride a bike. Put it on, put something on tv to watch or grab something to read, then turn it on and breathe normal. It will come to feel natural very quickly. Im three months in and at this point, I dont even feel the air blowing. My first week? Total hellacious torture. I almost quit. But, I came here several people jumped in to tell me everything I was dealing with was normal and how to deal with it. Pugsy is the expert on pressures, but I would think with a 4 as your minimum, you should be able to exhale fairly easily. Mine is a 6 which people here will say is really low. And I struggled to exhale against it at first. But, like I said, I sat there with it on and watched tv and read or whatever and got used to it.