Newbie here! Have a couple questions...

Julie wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 02, 2019 8:00 am

As a 50 yr cat owner (of many) and a long ago allergy 'patient' who's since got control of that problem, I find it almost childish for someone to say they can't take care of the cat hair (cover the pillow until bedtime with something and clean your face well), and/or keep the cat out. You need to be responsible for things and not expect magic from others.

How did that go again???... oh yeah:

Julie wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 28, 2019 10:53 am

Really? So unnecessarily mean.

kittyk4y wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 02, 2019 10:09 pm

jimbud wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 02, 2019 6:02 pm

kittyk4y wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 02, 2019 2:06 pm

I'm not sure if I'm using EPR. How do I check?

Exhale Pressure Relief
EPR is in the clinical menu.
Press and hold the Dial and the rectangular button with the house on it for ten seconds to enter the clinical menu.
Then turn the dial to EPR.
Then push dial to highlight the EPR level.
Then turn the dial to the level you wish to try.
Then push the dial to set the pressure.

Good luck,
JPB

Thanks! I'll try that out tonight.

bjhunt01 wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 02, 2019 6:39 pm

kittyk4y: Welcome from one newbie to another. I too am a cat lover and have had them all my life - always sleep on the bed with me. I don't have one now so I don't know what it would do to the CPAP. However, I do have Texas allergies all year long and this year rather than suffer even more I deeply researched air purifiers and have one running in my bedroom. I got through March, a bad season here, with a lot less misery! One with a HEPA filter is good for getting the pet hair and dander out of the air so I'd put it close to the bed on kitty's side.

Re: masks - I started in September last year and am on my 9th mask. I understand it is common to go through many to find the right one for you. For me it's been a little more difficult as I have narrow nostrils that collapse, allergies, the deviated septum, and am a mouth breather and having trouble keeping it closed internally - tongue drop - even with tape, Scuncis, cervical neck brace thingy, just understanding all there is to settings, breathing, etc. All of which is to say, as you start out if you find something's not working, keep on keepin on til you find one that does. It's great you got here as that can help and I wish I'd gotten here sooner!

Don't be discouraged by the various personalities. The same ones that are out in the "real" world are here too. The bottom line though is that in here everyone IS trying to help even if they don't "type tactfully!"

Thanks for the air purifier idea! Any recommendations on a brand or anything? It might help my snuggly one's seasonal allergies too... she gets quite the snot rockets going in the spring. Blech.

Thank you too for the reassurance on the masks. My DME store that I use (because I work for the hospital so its easier, plus they take my insurance and I hit my out of pocket max for the year already... so free supplies for the rest of the year!) just basically shoved the N20 at me and said "this is the best mask!" with no explanation or anything. I'll probably be switching to an online supplier at the start of next year, at least until I hit my OOP max again. They also only allow mask returns in the first 30 days of USE of the CPAP, and only allow one mask swap during that time. If you switch on your own, you're "stuck" with the mask (and I saw the online suppliers usually give you 30 days per MASK to test it out).

I bought the Oransi Max https://www.oransi.com/c/air-purifiers. I did a LOT of research. It's as overwhelming as learning about this stuff here! I like it because it has several filters including charcoal. It does have that ozone thingy but you can turn it off. It may not be the best for you depending on the size of your environment and how well a job it does, where you live, and what you want it to do. So research. Dyson who I thought would be amazing doesn't really clean the air well. There are sites to explore that rate different ones and tell you why they rate. I began seeing common themes that helped my decision. This took me hours and hours just to understand how they work and what criteria to look for, etc.

Gosh don't get me started on Masks! I started on September 9 with the usual "no help" from dr. or dme - just hand you the stuff. So found the online ones. I am on mask 9. There are online sites that don't require a prescription so that you don't have to go through the big argument of "well your prescription only allows you one a year". Argh. And there are others that require the prescription but you can order most of their masks (cpap.com is what I've been using) to try out and return in 30 days. Just be sure you are purchasing a mask that indicates you are getting the free insurance to return in 30 days. They've been awesome. I SHOULD try to use my Medicare but honestly I don't have the time or patience until I finally find the right mask, then I will use it. My local DME was a disaster which is why I went to online. This forum is the best and you can get so much information that doctors and DME's don't know and therefore don't tell you. They probably think they are doing a good job because they never hear from us after awhile. It's because we gave up on them and started using online providers and using the information on forums like these.

I have cats too, and I have no problems with cat hair. During the day, my mask stays in a drawer of the cabinet next to my bed. When I am ready to put it on, I run a baby wipe all over the cushion to clear it of any cat hair. On the rare occasion that I miss one, it is quickly noticed, and I use another baby wipe. Once the mask is on, there is no hair inside the mask. The air is coming through the machine which is in an open drawer AND has a filter and cover.

There is no need to remove the cat. Many of us do quite well with cats and dogs. You just have to find the system that works well for you.

There's my graph from the 30th. Here's one of a 7 hour night as well, just for comparison's sake:

kittyk4y wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 02, 2019 11:24 pm

screenshot-20190702-151234.png

There's my graph from the 30th. Here's one of a 7 hour night as well, just for comparison's sake:

screenshot-20190703-003542.png

Your graphs look great nothing you can do about the few CA's they will and have diminished as you get used to sleeping with the mask or get a more comfortable mask good job by the way you have exhale pressure relief on

dieselgal wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 02, 2019 11:01 am

It's been a long time since I have checked into the board which generally means that my CPAP has settled in with me.

Hi dieselgal - good to see you!

zonker wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 02, 2019 10:56 am

Midwest_non_sleeper wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 02, 2019 7:28 am

...this is going to sound bad to some people, but as far as the cat is concerned, I would remove it from the room for now. At least until you can get the CPAP situation figured out. If the cat hair is causing a problem of sleep, then it's time to remove the source of that problem. The cat will be fine sleeping without you for awhile, you however, will not be fine with terrible sleep.

See, told you it would sound bad.

not as bad as julie!

No, NO Julie loves cats. It is just an other way she loves them...
Cats should not be a problem they sure help you to fall asleep.

kittyk4y wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 01, 2019 5:01 pm

I've been struggling to meet the 30% usage ... a deviated septum .. cat hair ... air swallowing .. skin irritation .. mask straps issues . suffocating

You mean you are just a normal person, didn't you ?

May be don't swallow the cat. Humans are generally not as good as cats regurgitating hair balls.
Skin irritation, check out pedacheek or make your own.
Suffocating, not a good idea...
Air swallowing is known as the "aerophagia Monster". Be ware this forum likes to send him around. Don't keep him. He sure is a nasty one, no comparison with Julie what so ever.

kittyk4y wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 01, 2019 5:01 pm

as required by my insurance

This is the most insane abuse of insurance power !?! They should be sued like the "So Kleen".
Some people have severe sleep apnea and no day time sleep problems. Some how they are able to rest and recover. They may not reach over 100 years but live happily, before, after all.

We have 4 young cats, under 4 years and you don't kick them out of the bedroom for long, not all night at least. It's bad enough when you want some "Personal space" and you shoo them out for other reasons... They've already shredded the carpet under the bedroom door so it's a lost cause - but I'd like to keep the door in one piece. They're allowed in the bedroom when one of us is in the room, otherwise it's off limits during the day. They are respectful of the closed door, so long as no one's in the room for them to spy on.


2. To avoid cat hairs in the mask, "they are sometimes unavoidable" I wipe it with a baby-wipe.. Set the mask on my face... if I somehow missed a hair "and you can feel it swirling around tickling your nose" I'll lift the mask away from my face once or twise and wipe around inside the mask and on my face to get ride of the pest. After that I'm usually fine. Once the mask is cleared and on my face, I have no issues with pet hair. Our cats regularly sleep where ever they can get to and it's not an issue. One of our kitties falls asleep on my chest right in front of my face. I think she likes the exhaust air gently blowing in her face, I like the added weight on my chest. I sleep with a weighted blanket and I won't turn down an extra 11lbs of warm purring fur.


I've got 2 hepa air cleaners for our house that run all the time. The ones I'm using now are the Conway AP-1512HH

https://www.amazon.com/Coway-AP-1512HH- ... 8NLRG?th=1

Air Filter Replacements...

https://www.amazon.com/VEVA-Including-C ... 7NAAGX6AA1


Get the generic replacement filters and you'll spend about as much for two filters and 8 charcoal filters as you do for one and 2 of the name brand ones. HEPA is HEPA, it ether is or it isn't, I don't think they're legally able to say it's HEPA if it doesn't meet HEPA standards.

What I do, is I leave one of the air filters in our bedroom on full blast during the day. When it's time to sleep you can turn it down to medium, which is quite silent... if you like the noise of the unit on full blast... leave it as is. Its like a white noise generator if that's your cup of tea.

After about a month you can check the pre-filter and have your first "OMG!!!!" moment as you see the crap your not breathing into your lungs when your home. With our cats when I clean the pre-filter, it looks like the lint catcher in our cloths dryer some days, especially when our long hairs are shedding.



3. If your having issues with swallowing air, that can be an issue of position your sleeping... years and years ago when I first started CPAP I found I had really bad problems if I slept on my right side... which was my favorite position to sleep before CPAP... not quite as bad if I slept on my left side, and almost no problems if I slept on my back... This however was with normal CPAP set fixed pressure around 13.6 all night.

You can work with exhalation relife as others have mentioned and this can help a lot with air swallowing issues. After years and years of CPAP use, I don't generally have an issue with aerophagia anymore... and my bilevel will hang around in the low 20's pressure wise for good chunks of the night. Though I start off at 11

The air swallowing issue may be something you'll "outgrow" like me, as you get more time with your machine... or maybe something you can adjust by tweaking some settings to find the best option for you. My air swallowing issues for the most part vanished as soon as I got an APAP that allowed me to start off with a pressure around 10 or 11 instead of 13.6 or more all night long. Going forward you may find you still have issues with aerophagia and may need to move to a bilevel machine that can give you an even greater difference between inhale and exhale pressure then what normal APAP's can offer. My mom is an example of this, she still doesn't tolerate higher pressures very well even with APAP.

4. The skin issues with the mask, is something else you might "outgrow" with time... but you can try things to help right now. Mask liners you can buy or make from worn t-shirts can help a lot with painful spots on like the bridge of your nose or overall. Rule out any allergies, to things like soaps you may be using to clean your mask, then just do your best to get your mask fitted as gently as you can wile still getting a good seal. Some people like to crank down hard on the headgear thinking a mask has to be tight to fit well with no leaks... you wind up with painful indentations on your face from the mask and sometimes a poor seal as well.

Keep letting us know how things are going. Lots of experiences on this forum... some can be rather blunt but I think it's all meant well.

Restwell,

Gryphon

zoocrew's cat is phenomenal ... and gryphon too has breath taking-ly beautiful kitty shots but ...

*I* miss Julie's cat avatar.

Somehow all of Julie's posts "gelled" better for *me* ... with the cat.


Cats are so great, so soft and beautiful ... right before they rip you apart with their claws for their own entertainment.

I love cats.

Julie, please consider bringing back the cat?

esel wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 03, 2019 7:11 am

zonker wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 02, 2019 10:56 am

Midwest_non_sleeper wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 02, 2019 7:28 am

...this is going to sound bad to some people, but as far as the cat is concerned, I would remove it from the room for now. At least until you can get the CPAP situation figured out. If the cat hair is causing a problem of sleep, then it's time to remove the source of that problem. The cat will be fine sleeping without you for awhile, you however, will not be fine with terrible sleep.

See, told you it would sound bad.

not as bad as julie!

No, NO Julie loves cats. It is just an other way she loves them...
Cats should not be a problem they sure help you to fall asleep.

kittyk4y wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 01, 2019 5:01 pm

I've been struggling to meet the 30% usage ... a deviated septum .. cat hair ... air swallowing .. skin irritation .. mask straps issues . suffocating

You mean you are just a normal person, didn't you ?

May be don't swallow the cat. Humans are generally not as good as cats regurgitating hair balls.
Skin irritation, check out pedacheek or make your own.
Suffocating, not a good idea...
Air swallowing is known as the "aerophagia Monster". Be ware this forum likes to send him around. Don't keep him. He sure is a nasty one, no comparison with Julie what so ever.

kittyk4y wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 01, 2019 5:01 pm

as required by my insurance

This is the most insane abuse of insurance power !?! They should be sued like the "So Kleen".
Some people have severe sleep apnea and no day time sleep problems. Some how they are able to rest and recover. They may not reach over 100 years but live happily, before, after all.

<waves hi to esel>

"don't swallow the cat" ... you're the best esel.

Here you go!

She was Squeak...

Beautiful Julie ~~~

~~~through some unknown magic the posting id and avatar seem to become something different than the sum of of their parts.

Thank you for bringing Squeak's beautiful picture.

kittyk4y: How's it been going the past few nights?

bjhunt01 wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 04, 2019 10:06 pm

kittyk4y: How's it been going the past few nights?

I've taken a break until I get my new mask (tomorrow!). However, I did find out the aerophagia thing is definitely ME, not the CPAP. I'm having issues with it without using the CPAP... Not nearly as bad, obviously, but still annoying (and painful!).

Another question for you guys: would it screw anything up if I adjusted the time on my machine? I work evenings/nights, so my sleep time normally goes past the noon reset time. I realize it would show anything past noon for the next night, but my sleep schedule changes depending on what shift I'm working, so sometimes I'll be sleeping from 6a-2p, other times it'll be 2p-10p. I know that's not great sleep hygiene, but it's what I've always done, and it works for me. I thought of just changing it by 12 hours so noon on the machine is midnight real time, that way my "nights" are tracked properly.

I do not know of any reason you can't change times.
Probably should remind us that you have when you post charts.
It's your machine do what you want.
Experimenting is how you will end up with the best therapy possible.
Once the good people on here get you lined out of course.
JPB