New with questions - paintbynumber's thread

[paintbynumber]

Hello all,

34 year old female, recently diagnosed; had at home study & in lab titration study. I will share some of those results below. Not using a DME. I ordered the Resmed Aircurve 10 VAuto Bilevel based on my dr's rx. I've only tried using it three nights so far. First night used rx settings on auto and (not on purpose) took it off after an hour of sleep. Second night tried a different mask and couldn't get to sleep at all with it so gave up. Third night reset to factory settings and on auto and using mask from the first night, only slept with it for one hour before taking it off, again not on purpose and while half asleep.

Question regarding rx: he gave me a min and max ipap epap etc. but recommended spontaneous mode.. which as far as I can tell in settings and through research is just two set numbers one for ipap and one for epap but no max/min. So.. should I be using Auto mode or S mode? and if using S do I just use the numbers he gave for min/max? Sorry if that's confusing.

I uploaded my third night's try of one hour to sleepyhead. Will include those results. That was on factory settings and auto mode.

For now I'm just trying to figure out how to keep the mask on all night.. and figure out the right settings to use. I would appreciate any and all advice. Thanks!

[Pugsy]

Welcome to the forum.

Exactly what settings were on the RX?

You can't take S mode fixed bilevel settings and use those as a min epap and max ipap setting. Doesn't work that way.

Actually for now since you are having trouble sleeping and keeping the mask on...and you had a titration sleep study....I would start with whatever the RX says and once you can keep the mask on and you can sleep and show some results then we look at it and decided if you want to try auto mode what settings might be a good starting point.

You have to sleep and keep the mask on for more than an hour first...then we worry about adjusting the settings if they need to be adjusted and maybe make use of auto mode.

[paintbynumber]

https://imgur.com/xte0eag

https://imgur.com/eKaDaJj

https://imgur.com/NayRhWd

https://imgur.com/ou4eftX

https://imgur.com/W1At48m

https://imgur.com/5G6K6bJ

https://imgur.com/O4JWSw0

[paintbynumber]

That's probably way too much information but I figured it couldn't hurt.

Thanks for the welcome!

The rx says: Auto Bilevel: epap min 17, ps min 4, max ipap 25, spont. mode

"You can't take S mode fixed bilevel settings and use those as a min epap and max ipap setting. Doesn't work that way."

I was actually trying to ask the opposite! He gave max and min settings but also recommended to use fixed s mode?

[Pugsy]

The RX is an auto adjusting RX...
so Auto bilevel mode
Minimum EPAP 17
PS of 4
Maximum IPAP of 25
when you start out the pressures will be 17 epap and 21 ipap (difference of 4 cm PS) but if need be the machine can go up to 25 IPAP and if it does it will drag epap up with it...and the difference will always be 4 cm.
There's really not a spontaneous mode available at those settings.
S mode is spontaneous mode and the pressures won't/can't vary...so you would have 17 EPAP and 21 IPAP all night long. Spontaneous mode is a fixed bilevel pressure mode on this machine.

Your pressure needs are high and there's not much room to roam around anyway but you might as well set it as prescribed.

Exactly which mask are you using?

Have you tried using the mask and machine while awake (watching TV or reading a book) just to get the brain used to the mask and machine? It will help.

Approx half of your AHI on the diagnostic part of the sleep study was central apneas...so we will watch the centrals and see if they are still a problem with this machine. Sometimes this kind of machine will resolve the central issues and sometimes it won't.

[Pugsy]

I see while I was composing you filled out your equipment profile...so I now know the mask name.
I am familiar with that mask...it's super comfy but also super easy to pull off and not realize it and do it while asleep and not wake up.
Your brain probably wants it gone just because it's there even if you don't have any real problems with it.
Maybe tape those little straps to your cheek with some scotch tape so that hopefully if your brain tells your hands to get that darn thing off your nose when the mask gets pulled off the discomfort from the scotch tape pulling on the skin will wake you up enough so you won't continue removing the mask.

[paintbynumber]

Thanks so much for your replies! Your explanation helped a lot. I will try wearing it before actually going to sleep. I will also try taping it like you said. I’m also waiting to get a full face mask to try out.