My CPAP Treatment Journey

Yesterday I got the new Philips Dreamware mask to try. All I can say is woohoo! This is my new mask. For me it's wonderful not having anything hanging off my face or sticking in my nose. Much less fussing with it throughout the night to feel I'm breathing correctly, 0 fussing and repositioning of the hose. So awesome.

Still fighting a bad cold, yet managed to record the best night since I started. AHI of .7 for my first sleep cycle, the first time I've even approached that. I'm also feeling some hints of energy upon waking up, which is exciting.

http://imgur.com/TLJyLvi

Don't forget to change your equipment profile to reflect the change in primary mask.

While the DreamWear isn't going to be for everyone (no mask ever is) there seems to be a lot more people who are happy with it than there are unhappy people..
Glad it seems to be one that will make your cpap therapy better and easier to manage.
The mask journey can be the most critical part of making this therapy a success or not.
Congratulations on a successful night.

How is the vent for noise/blasting your spouse etc? I really like the P10 for the vent design, but like you, I find that I do end up fussing with the hose.

WindCpap wrote:How is the vent for noise/blasting your spouse etc? I really like the P10 for the vent design, but like you, I find that I do end up fussing with the hose.

If that's important to you I'll record a little video comparing it and upload it in the next couple of days. The vent is much smaller and right on the tip of the nose piece.

Actually, it would be really useful to me if you could get your wife involved in an experiment. Put the P10 mask on and cuddle with her. See how close you can get without the air bothering her (by blowing on her head or neck). Then try with the Dreamwear. Try both at 9 cmH2O if you could. I would be really grateful.

WindCpap wrote:Put the P10 mask on and cuddle with her. See how close you can get without the air bothering her (by blowing on her head or neck). Then try with the Dreamwear.

Should we be spooning or should I be facing her?

She'll laugh like crazy when I tell her why I'm doing this. I'll let you know.

Spooning preferred. I think my wife will laugh just as loud if I tell her about it. If I am looking to optimize comfort, my Wife's comfort is just as important.

So last night I woke up with what caused my user name, and which I had so hoped was due to apnea and would now be a thing of the past since I should be getting plenty of oxygen using CPAP - I woke up feeling like my heart was leaping out of my chest and yelled out. I don't know exactly when it happened. Definitely had my mask on and all was working.

I looked at my results this morning to see if maybe there was a period where I was having a major apnea event or my pressure maxed out but I don't see a thing, the maximum pressure I hit was 9.74 out of a possible 13. Posting in case the more advanced eyes see anything of note. I suppose my next step is wearing some type of heart monitor for extended periods, but it's frustrating because it happens so rarely it will be hard to catch it. I guess that's a good thing though!

http://imgur.com/AI04fWS

HJ -- haven't read your entire thread but seem to remember you are in good health. With your AHI and leaks under control, do you think these occasional events may be caused by a unsettling dream or nightmare? Just a thought.

Lucyhere wrote:HJ -- haven't read your entire thread but seem to remember you are in good health. With your AHI and leaks under control, do you think these occasional events may be caused by a unsettling dream or nightmare? Just a thought.

I have considered it and it's possible and I hope that's the case, but since I am experiencing physical sensations in my heart I can't just write it off. I wrote off years of other sleep issues to stress, that I now realize were very serious and had a very real physical basis in the forum of severe sleep apnea. So I need to make sure I'm not writing off something that needs to be looked at, as stress.

Did it happen right prior to the break in therapy around 5:00 AM?
I don't see anything on the report either.
Did you zoom in on the time frame and look at the flow rate up close?

Did you happen to think to take your pulse rate when you first woke up?

Pugsy wrote:Did it happen right prior to the break in therapy around 5:00 AM?

Best guess is it was not then, and that the 5 AM event is the alarm going off, which happens at 4:55 AM and again at 5:00 AM. In fact, I'm not sure what that 5 AM break represents, because I didn't get out of bed then. I vaguely remember reaching over to turn off the alarm clock and then realizing I had actually turned off cpap machine, I then turned it back on. That would jive with the break only lasting 43 seconds.

I don't see anything on the report either.
Did you zoom in on the time frame and look at the flow rate up close?

Just the 43 second break.

That aside, what would I be looking for on the flow rate?

Did you happen to think to take your pulse rate when you first woke up?

No. The event caught me by surprise, I thought they were going to be a thing of the past now that I'm on cpap. Now that's it's happened again I need to get a little flashlight and pad of paper so I can force myself to note the time when it happens again. Any other suggestions for things to check when it happens? BP? Pulse rate?

Thank you Pugsy.

Only thing I can think of is check BP, pulse and/or turn the machine off immediately so we know exactly when it happened just in case there might be something on the software reports.
Pulse would be my first thing to check but if you happen to have one of those BP monitors that does the pulse at the same time it would be nice.

It may be totally unrelated to your sleep apnea issues. Might want to talk to the doctor about one of those heart monitors that are worn long term to maybe catch it...and even if not able to catch it... it would be good to know if there was something maybe going on or not that wasn't causing you to wake up in a panic like that.
Not everything that can be wrong with us can be blamed on sleep apnea no matter how much it might mimic sleep apnea symptoms.

I get these at times as well.
I spent almost a year thinking I was having nightmares or something. I went to my doctor about it,
and I have something called PVC. Basically, my heart flutters/skips beats. My doctor put me on a
Beta Blocker, and it rarely happens now. He also told me I should give up coffee .
I just could not do it, but I did stop brewing it so strong, and went from 2 + cups to one or one and a half.
Good luck!

Callysta wrote:I get these at times as well.
I spent almost a year thinking I was having nightmares or something. I went to my doctor about it,
and I have something called PVC. Basically, my heart flutters/skips beats. My doctor put me on a
Beta Blocker, and it rarely happens now. He also told me I should give up coffee .
I just could not do it, but I did stop brewing it so strong, and went from 2 + cups to one or one and a half.
Good luck!

Thanks Callysta. In your case, did it happen only when sleeping, or also while awake?