CPAPtalk.com

Welcome!
You will find so much good help here.
Tonight is night 71 for me and I am still learning to adjust. I have more bad nights than good. I was on a run for a few days where things were getting much better and now I am back to struggling with leaks, waking up multiple times a night and feeling like I am suffocating. I know the benefits of this therapy and no matter what, I am determined to make this work. My life depends on it.
Please stick around, be patient, post your questions and concerns. There is so much great advice here and so many people willing to share years of experience. The people here have helped make my journey easier and also to help me understand what I am going through. You definitely are not alone here.

I have a teleconference with a VA Medical Associate next week and we will discuss the next step for me. I'm not sure how it will go but I'm guessing I will be back in for another night at the sleep study clinic but this time with a full face cpap.

wegogirl wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 28, 2022 10:24 pm

I’m new since April and use dreamwear with nasal pillow insets. It was hard to relax and ease into feeling comfortable. I was told I could start using it for 3 or more hours while adjusting. It took a while but, I was determined to make it work. I’m traveling out of country in a month and looking for advice on traveling with a cpap….trying to avoid buying a small travel size.
While learning to relax and breath I also had nasal irritation that resolved using Vaseline and better adjustment.
I’m very happy with how it has helped me sleep better.

If you want, you can sit and watch TV, or sit and read while wearing the mask with your machine running, just as if you in bed trying to sleep, to try to get used to it.

When traveling via airplane with your CPAP, NEVER EVER, put it in checked luggage. ALWAYS CARRY ON. It is a medical devise; therefore, it does NOT count against carry-on luggage limits.
It is a good idea to get a medical devise luggage tag for the CPAP bag.
Also, make sure to carry a copy of your sleep study and your CPAP machine prescription with you while traveling, just in case anything happens, and you have to replace your equipment at the last minute. If you can, try to carry spare parts, (mask, hose, water chamber)

ykf7b0 wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 02, 2022 8:38 pm

I have a teleconference with a VA Medical Associate next week and we will discuss the next step for me. I'm not sure how it will go but I'm guessing I will be back in for another night at the sleep study clinic but this time with a full face cpap.

The VA has sent a CPAP machine and I made it a little over 1-hour last night. I'm having a tough time getting comfortable with it, but I will give it a go tonight and try again. I have another in house sleep study on Oct 24 and I want to get better used to this.

It is not uncommon to have trouble getting used to the mask. I only kept mine on for around one hour my first night. I managed around two hours the second night. It took me about a week to get to where I could keep it on all night long. My wife, on the other hand, took to it like gang busters. She kept it on all night long the first night and woke up saying she felt better than she had in a long time. It took me over a month before I noticed any difference in how I felt. The change was very gradual for me. After the first month of using the machine at night, I noticed I could sit and work the crossword puzzle in the news paper without falling asleep, and I could sit and read without falling asleep.

I rescheduled my Oct 24 appt for a sleep study with the cpap. I’m just not doing well with trying to sleep with it on my face so I gave myself more time by backing my appt up to Nov 15.

I'm still in Week 1 and struggling to adjust but wanted to say that I had that smothering feeling too.

I didn't realize at first there are nostril holes I'm supposed to align with. So yes, there may have actually been silicone blocking my nose!

There's a setting on my machine that reduces pressure on exhaling. I think it's called ESP? That made a huge difference, though now it makes a noise like Darth Vader as I breathe. Which is less annoying but still annoying.

I'm so sorry about the traumatic nasal injuries. That sounds awful. I really hope you can find something that works for you.

ykf7b0 wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 24, 2022 10:03 am

I rescheduled my Oct 24 appt for a sleep study with the cpap. I’m just not doing well with trying to sleep with it on my face so I gave myself more time by backing my appt up to Nov 15.

Maybe they can help with the mask issues while you're in the lab. Sometimes healthcare providers need to see the issue occurring in front of them before they take it seriously.

Please let us know how it goes.

KittyMom22 wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 25, 2022 8:37 am

I'm still in Week 1 and struggling to adjust but wanted to say that I had that smothering feeling too.

I didn't realize at first there are nostril holes I'm supposed to align with. So yes, there may have actually been silicone blocking my nose!

There's a setting on my machine that reduces pressure on exhaling. I think it's called ESP? That made a huge difference, though now it makes a noise like Darth Vader as I breathe. Which is less annoying but still annoying.

I'm so sorry about the traumatic nasal injuries. That sounds awful. I really hope you can find something that works for you.

Funny, last week when you mentioned you didn’t have holes lined up I went back to work on getting mine lined up properly. You helped me.

Later I realized part of my issue was a partially stuffy nose. I did however take out an older nasal cushion that seemed collapsed and worn.

Your experience helps others so I am grateful.

I have a Resmed app to check my progress with the cpap and I am curious as to what constitutes an event. I had the mask on for 1.46 hours last night and registered 6.1 events. I don’t think I even dozed while I had it on.

ykf7b0 wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 26, 2022 11:21 am

I had the mask on for 1.46 hours last night and registered 6.1 events. I don’t think I even dozed while I had it on.

The ResMed app, myAir, does not report the type of events. Try using OSCAR or sleepHQ.

Thanks. I looked it up online and the events recorded are either apnea’s or hypopneas’s. Either is for 10 seconds or more. This still seems inaccurate when I don’t even think I slept whatsoever.
It is also strange that the cpap is there to correct these issues. I have a long way to go I suppose.

I have another question if I may.? I see in the manual sent with my new cpap machine that an Exhale Relief Pressure is an option but it is not on my cpap machine’s drop down menu. Is it possible to download this feature onto the machine?

ykf7b0 wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 26, 2022 2:06 pm

I looked it up online and the events recorded are either apnea’s or hypopneas’s.

I'm not sure what you looked at. ResMed reports obstructive apneas, hypopneas and clear airway events. You need OSCAR or sleepHQ to really see what is happening. myAir is a good, quick tool to use after you have optimized and stabilized your CPAP therapy using one of the other tools.

ykf7b0 wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 26, 2022 2:14 pm

I see in the manual sent with my new cpap machine that an Exhale Relief Pressure is an option but it is not on my cpap machine’s drop down menu. Is it possible to download this feature onto the machine?

Exactly which model machine do you have? Put it in your equipment profile so people helping you can easily see it.

Find your machine on youtube. There are videos showing how to get into the clinician's menu to change the pressure settings and active the EPR feature.

ykf7b0 wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 26, 2022 2:06 pm

I have a long way to go I suppose.

I think you are getting there. Success is usually not overnight.

ykf7b0 wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 26, 2022 2:14 pm

I have another question if I may.? I see in the manual sent with my new cpap machine that an Exhale Relief Pressure is an option but it is not on my cpap machine’s drop down menu. Is it possible to download this feature onto the machine?

As other posters have suggested, you need to include your equipment in your profile.

If you happen to have the Resmed Airsense 11, you go to the home screen and tap and hold both of the upper icons. The one on the right says sleep view iirc and I forget the other. It will turn grey and you can change settings there. When done hit exit and it goes back to original appearance. While you are in there select "advanced view" so you can at least see more info on your main screen when you return to regular function.

You should put an SD card in there and start monitoring your data. The myair app is crap. If you really want help you need to figure out how to upload some of the data. Use a fake name if you want and use either SleepHQ or Oscar. Someone here has a link to show you how to use Oscar and plenty of videos on youtube on how to UL to Sleephq.

HTH