Newbie Here - 1 month in

I just started therapy a month ago using ResMed AirSense 11, with humidifier, heated hose, and the mask is an AirFit F30i. While I did see an instant improvement in how I felt after my first night of therapy, my results have been wildly all over the place. A few nights I slept fine with it and got high sleep scores on the app, other nights.. well not so great.
All the features such as ramp, humidity and hose temperature are set to auto, and I have very little trouble falling asleep with the mask on. However, the past 4 nights, I keep waking up within 1 to 3 hours feeling like I am suffocating and end up removing the mask and going back to sleep. If I try to turn the machine off, this causes a very real negative pressure that is most unpleasant. I don’t know if I should try switching to the nasal pillows, but new mask are an expensive gamble if it doesn’t help.
I really want this therapy to work more reliably for me, because before I started it, I was falling asleep at work and dead tired all the time.
Anyway, thanks in advance for any tips and suggestions.

Look at the Stickies and download Oscar, then post results for a few nights using Imgur.com (hosting site) because the forum's postings are full right now. People will help interpret for you and make any suggestions they think are worth trying. Please stay in this thread, plse don't incorporate the calendar in Oscar graphs, just follow the info there. Almost any old SD card will work.

Can’t help with Oscar divination or other technical details, there are plenty here who understand them and can offer help in that regard.

Concerning your upset over recent difficulties. We all go through it, even at 2.5+ years in I still have some nights I want to toss the bloody thing across the room.

So, consider this first:

1. CPAP is a process such that even those with years of use will have bad nights, weeks, months
2. A bad night or few bad nights, does not mean more bad nights
3. Don’t get too frustrated, I know it is easy to do but we tend to overanalyze things that are temporal
4. Only change one thing at a time
5. Continue to ask questions here and there are many who can help

Hang in there. You are now in a maze of twisty little passages all alike. Things will work, then not. Things that did not work, may now work. Give yourself time.

Thanks for the replies. Last night went a little better although I stayed up later than I should playing a new game I had downloaded. At some point I woke up due to a mask leak, then tightened the straps a little and waited for the machine to realize I was no longer sleeping and reduce pressure. I think my maximum pressure is 15, and that is really quiet a blast in the face.
I did try the Oscar program once soon after getting the CPAP, so will try to get some data off my SD card this weekend and post the results.

I don't like that sudden loss of pressure when the machine is turned off and I hate to take the mask off with the air still blowing, so I have worked out a smooth way to turn it off and rip the mask off at the same time.

I don't believe it's a "negative pressure" that will suck the air out of your lungs, but it kind of feels that way. The "good part" of that sensation is that it always wakes me immediately if the power goes off during the night.

Not to be Mr Ugly, but nobody can help much until you post some OSCAR data.

clownbell wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 15, 2022 5:16 pm

Not to be Mr Ugly, but nobody can help much until you post some OSCAR data.

op says-"I did try the Oscar program once soon after getting the CPAP, so will try to get some data off my SD card this weekend and post the results."

Starfield83 wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 14, 2022 2:09 pm

If I try to turn the machine off, this causes a very real negative pressure that is most unpleasant. [...]
Anyway, thanks in advance for any tips and suggestions.

Do not, repeat not, turn off your machine when your mask is still on.

ozij wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 15, 2022 11:04 pm

Starfield83 wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 14, 2022 2:09 pm

If I try to turn the machine off, this causes a very real negative pressure that is most unpleasant. [...]
Anyway, thanks in advance for any tips and suggestions.

Do not, repeat not, turn off your machine when your mask is still on.

Wait.....what? I never heard anything about this.

I usually hold my breath when I am reaching to turn it off.

When I get up in the night to pee I leave the mask off and just disconnect the mask hose from the heated hose.

Arent the vents supposed to cut down on some of the unpleasantry?

ozij wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 15, 2022 11:04 pm

Starfield83 wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 14, 2022 2:09 pm

If I try to turn the machine off, this causes a very real negative pressure that is most unpleasant. [...]
Anyway, thanks in advance for any tips and suggestions.

Do not, repeat not, turn off your machine when your mask is still on.

Is there any reason why you wouldn't consider using Auto Off on your AirSense 11?
That way you can take your mask off under pressure and the machine then automatically shuts down 3 or 4 seconds after you remove your mask.
Just curious. I only shut my machine off once with the mask still on- won't be doing that again.

Brad S wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 16, 2022 11:23 am

ozij wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 15, 2022 11:04 pm

Starfield83 wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 14, 2022 2:09 pm

If I try to turn the machine off, this causes a very real negative pressure that is most unpleasant. [...]
Anyway, thanks in advance for any tips and suggestions.

Do not, repeat not, turn off your machine when your mask is still on.

Is there any reason why you wouldn't consider using Auto Off on your AirSense 11?
That way you can take your mask off under pressure and the machine then automatically shuts down 3 or 4 seconds after you remove your mask.
Just curious. I only shut my machine off once with the mask still on- won't be doing that again.

Its not bad if you hold your breath first.

Auto start, and auto stop are just personal preferences.

Starfield83 wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 14, 2022 2:09 pm

. . .
a very real negative pressure
. . .

Only an illusion, due to sudden reduced pressure while you are
expending effort to counter the higher pressure.
It is easy to mistake it for suction--anyone can feel it at first.
Eventually it can become a minor nuisance or less.

Below is my current OSCAR data:

DAILY: https://gyazo.com/c392d5efc6897219c751d45826847b51
OVERVIEW: https://gyazo.com/2762cccec7da99c081ba5ded955b3365
STATISTICS: https://gyazo.com/654d66301626f2f9745fb3131ed740b6

Please let me know if any other info is helpful, thank you.

Starfield83 wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 18, 2022 9:21 am

Below is my current OSCAR data:

DAILY: https://gyazo.com/c392d5efc6897219c751d45826847b51
OVERVIEW: https://gyazo.com/2762cccec7da99c081ba5ded955b3365
STATISTICS: https://gyazo.com/654d66301626f2f9745fb3131ed740b6

Please let me know if any other info is helpful, thank you.

I still cant read these well at all and can not tell if you have an EPR setting turned on? set for ramp only at 2cm?

Am wondering if something like that would help with leaks?

(these are questions, not statements, as I try to follow along)