My first night and I have a problem – Can any one please help

Well last night was my second night using my Resmed machine.

As as suggested I reset the Resmed machine to CPAP mode , put my mask on and switched on the Resmed machine , within a few seconds the air pressure started to fill the mask up , but that continuing air pressure was just to intense and very over powering , which made the mask start to instantly leak air. I then adjusted the mask tighter to my face , but the high volume of air rushing into the mask still made the mask leak.

I switched off the Resmed machine and reset it back to its original settings , which were the same as the previous first night.

I refitted my mask and switched the Resmed machine back on . This time every thing seemed to be working as per the previous night . I made an effort not to move around or touch the mask and only slept on my right side . When first putting the mask on there were no apparent leaks .

Again the same thing happened as on the previous first night …..

About ½ an hour later I started to notice that there was an instant rush of increased air pressure into the mask which started making the mask to instantly leak air .

So I took off the mask and switch the machine off.

This time a new thing happened while taking the mask off , I felt several drops of water fall onto my face .

One difference between my first night ( May 31 ) was that on this night ( June 1 ) due to it being a very warm night I had the bedroom air conditioner running .

So my second night on my Resmed machine seems to have produce the similar Oscar results as my first night .

Any thoughts or suggestions please .


Zapper

Did you do the experiment with the straw? You have a mindset that huge volumes of air are being thrown at you, at very high pressures - this just isn't so. The machine can't generate enough pressure to blow up a balloon. I use the F20 mask with my ASV and pressures regularly go over 20 (up to around 24), but it doesn't blow the mask off my face.

If you find the pressure increase is disturbing, DO NOT take the mask off! Just place one hand lightly on the mask to settle it into position and check that the headgear is properly adjusted - it should be firm but not tight. Then go back to sleep. Taking the mask off (or turning the machine off) is a guaranteed way to wreck your therapy.

Please do the straw thing!

Respirator99 wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 01, 2023 9:00 pm

Did you do the experiment with the straw? You have a mindset that huge volumes of air are being thrown at you, at very high pressures - this just isn't so. The machine can't generate enough pressure to blow up a balloon. I use the F20 mask with my ASV and pressures regularly go over 20 (up to around 24), but it doesn't blow the mask off my face.

If you find the pressure increase is disturbing, DO NOT take the mask off! Just place one hand lightly on the mask to settle it into position and check that the headgear is properly adjusted - it should be firm but not tight. Then go back to sleep. Taking the mask off (or turning the machine off) is a guaranteed way to wreck your therapy.

Please do the straw thing!

Hi and thanks for the information / suggestions

Ive not yet done the straw thing , but I'm going to have a go . One thing I can't seem to understand is why on both nights of using the Resmed machine , the Oscar details showed nearly the same time frame for the air increase , ( see attached screen shot ) .

Zapper wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 01, 2023 5:36 pm

As as suggested I reset the Resmed machine to CPAP mode , put my mask on and switched on the Resmed machine , within a few seconds the air pressure started to fill the mask up , but that continuing air pressure was just to intense and very over powering

I believe you.
BUT, that means your fixed pressure setting was apparently not at the minimum you use when in APAP mode.
And while I agree that the max pressure is not objectively high, getting to feel that subjectively is something else.

Do the "straw thing". Then, set up your machine so that you're still in APAP mode, but make sure your maximum pressure is the same as your minumum, and both for one night, are no more than 7.2.

Do everything suggested by Respirator99.

Especially: do not remove your mask. Do not allow yourself to sleep without it. If you have to take a break from using the mask, get up, do something quiet and relaxing, and get back to bed when you're tired enough to want to sleep - with the mask on. Be very firm (and kind) about that: Bed time = CPAP therapy time. Mask off means getting out of bed. Your brain has to learn that sleeping without the mask is not an option. That's a hurdle for some of us, regardless of what the objective pressure is.

ozij wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 02, 2023 6:40 am

Zapper wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 01, 2023 5:36 pm

As as suggested I reset the Resmed machine to CPAP mode , put my mask on and switched on the Resmed machine , within a few seconds the air pressure started to fill the mask up , but that continuing air pressure was just to intense and very over powering

I believe you.
BUT, that means your fixed pressure setting was apparently not at the minimum you use when in APAP mode.
And while I agree that the max pressure is not objectively high, getting to feel that subjectively is something else.

Do the "straw thing". Then, set up your machine so that you're still in APAP mode, but make sure your maximum pressure is the same as your minumum, and both for one night, are no more than 7.2.

Do everything suggested by Respirator99.

Especially: do not remove your mask. Do not allow yourself to sleep without it. If you have to take a break from using the mask, get up, do something quiet and relaxing, and get back to bed when you're tired enough to want to sleep - with the mask on. Be very firm (and kind) about that: Bed time = CPAP therapy time. Mask off means getting out of bed. Your brain has to learn that sleeping without the mask is not an option. That's a hurdle for some of us, regardless of what the objective pressure is.

Thanks for the advice , first I did the ‘’ straw ‘’ thing and was surprised on how much little difference I could feel.

Then I set my Resmed machine settings to APAP mode , then set the maximum and minimum settings to 7.2 .

As advised I attempted not to remove the face mask and attempted to sleep while wearing the mask and I slept only on my side .

This time ( my third night ) according to the Oscar report I managed to sleep for 3 hours and 35 minuets . Towards the end of that 3 hours and 35 minuets time period , while still wearing the mask , I felt some air coming out of the mask edge and that air leaking continued and became very annoying , so I removed the mask and turned the Resmed machine off.

The thing I can’t quite understand is that according to the Oscar report ( I think ) there are no leaks shown towards the end ( 00:00 to 01:10 ) time period . But during that same time period I definitely felt the mask was leaking air to some extent , not large air leaks but a series of small air leaks that became annoying and noisy.

Any thoughts or suggestions please .


Zapper

Zapper wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 02, 2023 6:05 pm

The thing I can’t quite understand is that according to the Oscar report ( I think ) there are no leaks shown towards the end ( 00:00 to 01:10 ) time period . But during that same time period I definitely felt the mask was leaking air to some extent , not large air leaks but a series of small air leaks that became annoying and noisy.

Any thoughts or suggestions please .


Zapper

i see the leaks you're talking about. the green line is definitely there.

you may want to watch some mask fitting videos on you tube. be sure to put in the name of your mask in the search field and if there are more than one, watch them all.

good luck!

zonker wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 02, 2023 6:41 pm

Zapper wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 02, 2023 6:05 pm

The thing I can’t quite understand is that according to the Oscar report ( I think ) there are no leaks shown towards the end ( 00:00 to 01:10 ) time period . But during that same time period I definitely felt the mask was leaking air to some extent , not large air leaks but a series of small air leaks that became annoying and noisy.

Any thoughts or suggestions please .


Zapper

i see the leaks you're talking about. the green line is definitely there.

you may want to watch some mask fitting videos on you tube. be sure to put in the name of your mask in the search field and if there are more than one, watch them all.

good luck!

Thanks, I'm going to checkout some youtube videos on my Resmed AirFit F20 mask

Ive just had this thought .... My current Resmed AirFit F20 mask has a silicone cushion , I’m wondering if I change it to a Foam cushion , if that may improve things.


.

Zapper wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 02, 2023 6:05 pm

As advised I attempted not to remove the face mask and attempted to sleep while wearing the mask and I slept only on my side .

This time ( my third night ) according to the Oscar report I managed to sleep for 3 hours and 35 minuets . Towards the end of that 3 hours and 35 minuets time period , while still wearing the mask , I felt some air coming out of the mask edge and that air leaking continued and became very annoying , so I removed the mask and turned the Resmed machine off.

And then?
Did you get out of bed?
Did you continue sleeping without the mask?
And how did you feel?

Zapper wrote:The thing I can’t quite understand is that according to the Oscar report ( I think ) there are no leaks shown towards the end ( 00:00 to 01:10 ) time period

.

zonker wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 02, 2023 6:41 pm

i see the leaks you're talking about. the green line is definitely there.

So can I.

A number of things stand out to me in your last chart:

1. You seem to have slept through a large leak
2. You have a constant low leak -- which woke you up at a certain point
3. Looking at your flow and the flow limitations chart, your pressure needs seem to vary. Had the maximum pressure been higher, the machine would have raised it when the flow limitation started.
4. You "details" report that there was a small amount of snoring too.

You've still got three issues to handle:
Using the mask all night
Handling the leaks
Finding the correct therapeutic pressure.

It's great that you could use the mask so much longer this time.
Next time, put it back on after the break, and continue sleeping. Don't respond to the leak that wakes as a sign of "oh this all wrong " think of it as a call to troubleshooting: "OK, how do I make this better?"

Do your basic mask fitting in bed, lying down and then try to see what happens when you move about.
Also: do it when you're wide awake and relaxed, not just before you're going to sleep. You're trying to learn something new, it needs time and patience. Both of those are sorely lacking when we fall into bed at the end of the day and all we want is to fall asleep as quickly as possible.

ozij wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 02, 2023 9:05 pm

Zapper wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 02, 2023 6:05 pm

As advised I attempted not to remove the face mask and attempted to sleep while wearing the mask and I slept only on my side .

This time ( my third night ) according to the Oscar report I managed to sleep for 3 hours and 35 minuets . Towards the end of that 3 hours and 35 minuets time period , while still wearing the mask , I felt some air coming out of the mask edge and that air leaking continued and became very annoying , so I removed the mask and turned the Resmed machine off.

And then?
Did you get out of bed?
Did you continue sleeping without the mask?
And how did you feel?

Zapper wrote:The thing I can’t quite understand is that according to the Oscar report ( I think ) there are no leaks shown towards the end ( 00:00 to 01:10 ) time period

.

zonker wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 02, 2023 6:41 pm

i see the leaks you're talking about. the green line is definitely there.

So can I.

A number of things stand out to me in your last chart:

1. You seem to have slept through a large leak
2. You have a constant low leak -- which woke you up at a certain point
3. Looking at your flow and the flow limitations chart, your pressure needs seem to vary. Had the maximum pressure been higher, the machine would have raised it when the flow limitation started.
4. You "details" report that there was a small amount of snoring too.

You've still got three issues to handle:
Using the mask all night
Handling the leaks
Finding the correct therapeutic pressure.

It's great that you could use the mask so much longer this time.
Next time, put it back on after the break, and continue sleeping. Don't respond to the leak that wakes as a sign of "oh this all wrong " think of it as a call to troubleshooting: "OK, how do I make this better?"

Do your basic mask fitting in bed, lying down and then try to see what happens when you move about.
Also: do it when you're wide awake and relaxed, not just before you're going to sleep. You're trying to learn something new, it needs time and patience. Both of those are sorely lacking when we fall into bed at the end of the day and all we want is to fall asleep as quickly as possible.

Thanks again

Some really good suggestions and recommendations .

First , while wearing the face mask as far as I know I have never fallen to sleep , After feeling the mask leaks and removing the mask and switching off the Resmed machine , I have never gotten out of bed.

After permanently removing the face mask and switching of the Resmed machine , I feel that I may have at some time , fallen to sleep but I’m not 100 % sure if I did actually fall asleep and if so for how long .

I’m very happy that on this my third time ever using my Resmed machine and face mask , that Ive now been able to keep the mask on for a longer period than previously .


I’m now wondering for my next bed time tonight , whats the best way of finding the correct therapeutic pressure . So tonight I’m planning to reset my Resmed machine back to its original settings and hopefully think about what new pressure number settings I should now try .



.

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Wed May 31, 2023 9:50 pm

Your main job right now....learning to fall asleep with the mask and machine on and keep it on.

Learning to fall asleep with the mask and machine on
And keeping it on.

You haven't learned that yet.

ozij wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 02, 2023 11:05 pm

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Wed May 31, 2023 9:50 pm

Your main job right now....learning to fall asleep with the mask and machine on and keep it on.

Learning to fall asleep with the mask and machine on
And keeping it on.

You haven't learned that yet.

I'm going to try my best , I promise .


.

Zapper wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 02, 2023 9:04 pm

Ive just had this thought .... My current Resmed AirFit F20 mask has a silicone cushion , I’m wondering if I change it to a Foam cushion , if that may improve things.

It's worth a try. I found the foam F20 is more comfortable than the silicone, but the cushions only lasted 3 or 4 weeks before they split. The silicone lasts over a year.

But personally I think you need to learn to live with what you have. Frequently changing masks, pressures and other settings will only delay you getting comfortable with the therapy. You need to settle into a routine and accept that this is the way you're going to sleep if you want to be healthy for the rest of your life.

Respirator99 wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 03, 2023 12:34 am

Zapper wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 02, 2023 9:04 pm

Ive just had this thought .... My current Resmed AirFit F20 mask has a silicone cushion , I’m wondering if I change it to a Foam cushion , if that may improve things.

It's worth a try. I found the foam F20 is more comfortable than the silicone, but the cushions only lasted 3 or 4 weeks before they split. The silicone lasts over a year.

But personally I think you need to learn to live with what you have. Frequently changing masks, pressures and other settings will only delay you getting comfortable with the therapy. You need to settle into a routine and accept that this is the way you're going to sleep if you want to be healthy for the rest of your life.

Hi and thanks , how about this for a coincidence......



Ive just returned from a local Expat club and one of the Thai ladies there heard me talking to the guys about my sleep apnea. The Thai lady said that her now recently deceased husband had also been suffering from Sleep Apnea and she had a box of things that she going to throw away and she said that I could have them if I wanted . So Ive now got the box which contained........

1. Resmed DreamWear full face mask
2. BMC – N4 Nasal Mask
3. Resmed AirFit P30i Mask
4. Resmed AirFit N30i mask ( mask silicone has come off its holder )
4. Several pack of what look like mask cleaning wipes.
4. A un opened sealed box that has written on it …. Rescomf CPAP hose holder
5. An un opened sealed box that has written on it …. Rescomf Ventilation Disinfector.

My own mask is a Resmed AirFit F20 ( Medium )

All the masks are Medium size and seem to be in good condition and still in their original packets , but it looks like they had all been tested out .

I’m now going to wash and dry all the masks out , now what do I do


.


.

Zapper wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 02, 2023 11:36 pm

ozij wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 02, 2023 11:05 pm

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Wed May 31, 2023 9:50 pm

Your main job right now....learning to fall asleep with the mask and machine on and keep it on.

Learning to fall asleep with the mask and machine on
And keeping it on.

You haven't learned that yet.

I'm going to try my best , I promise .

You need to stop freaking out every time the pressure changes a tiny bit.

Adjust the mask with the 'mask fit'

Also, you may need to get a mask liner, like sold at padacheek.com, so that the inevitable leaks don't bother you!

palerider wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 03, 2023 11:02 am

Zapper wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 02, 2023 11:36 pm

ozij wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 02, 2023 11:05 pm

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Wed May 31, 2023 9:50 pm

Your main job right now....learning to fall asleep with the mask and machine on and keep it on.

Learning to fall asleep with the mask and machine on
And keeping it on.

You haven't learned that yet.

I'm going to try my best , I promise .

You need to stop freaking out every time the pressure changes a tiny bit.

Adjust the mask with the 'mask fit'

Also, you may need to get a mask liner, like sold at padacheek.com, so that the inevitable leaks don't bother you!

Yes I think you are spot on , I seem to be instantly over reacting every time my mask has a tiny leak.