New User - First Night - Not Sure On What I am Doing

Thanks for the post.



Stevoreno
Biloxi, Mississippi
09/30/07

By all means, ask to see and try on as many masks as you can at your titration before selecting one to wear for the night. You know you do okay w/the mask you've been using the last 5 years, here's your chance to try some others FREE.

There is surgery they can do for a deviated septum. And it "might" be one worth considering. But, beyond JUST the deviated septum I'd sure do a lot of reading on any other type of "correction"!!!! (And then most likely refuse it!) The septum surgery doesn't cure sleep apnea, but it can make it easier to nose breathe day or night and even might allow your pressure to be lowered some.

I was in chat last night and someone told me to be sure that the sleep lab is accredited by the AASM? and to insist that a RPSGT? perform the test. Is that important? Would surgery to correct my deviated septum help me breath easier at night or would my left nostril still stop up at times?

My mouth does open up at least once each night; I wake up; my tongue and throat are as dry as the desert; I drink some water and try going back to sleep. If I could tolerate a full face mask would that be better for me or not when my mouth opens up?

Have you ever used a full face mask? With a full face mask and a CPAP machine with a high setting; mine is 16; will a full face mask aggravate my ear drums more than a nasal mask? When I'm tested with a machine will the lab start me off on a machine with the setting that my old machine has; 16; or will they start lower and work their way up the chart just to confirm that I need to remain at 16 or not? Thanks for posting.



Stevoreno
Biloxi, Mississippi
09/30/07

How's it going, Cancun9?

Di

Stevoreno wrote:I was in chat last night and someone told me to be sure that the sleep lab is accredited by the AASM? and to insist that a RPSGT? perform the test. Is that important? Would surgery to correct my deviated septum help me breath easier at night or would my left nostril still stop up at times?

Have you ever used a full face mask? With a full face mask and a CPAP machine with a high setting; mine is 16; will a full face mask aggravate my ear drums more than a nasal mask? When I'm tested with a machine will the lab start me off on a machine with the setting that my old machine has; 16; or will they start lower and work their way up the chart just to confirm that I need to remain at 16 or not? Thanks for posting.

The odds for deviated septum surgery successfully making it easier for you to nose breathe day or night are good, assuming you have a good, experienced ENT who concurs the deviation is enough to warrant it.

I've never used a full face mask tho I'm playing w/following the good advice here and trying to find one that works for me on those nights when I'm really congested or have a bad cold.

I think your concern about a higher pressure and your ears is legitimate. Whether a full face mask would help or hinder, that I don't know. One would almost think that it "might" since the air pressure wouldn't be as direct into your nares and sinuses. On the other hand .... I just don't know the answer to that.

I would think that the sleep lab would start out at a pressure LOWER than your current 16 cms, but probably NOT as low as the 4 or 5 cms they usually start the "virgin" titration patient out at. I'd ask. I would think a starting pressure of 8 cms would be a good pressure to start at for someone w/a previous pressure of 16 cms. It saves time during your sleep to not start the ramping so low as w/"virgin" titration patients.

Moby wrote:How's it going, Cancun9?

Di

I am still having a little trouble with sleeping with the mask. I am not sure it is the noise, or pressure in my nose, or the tube around my pillow, or a combination of all the above. I lay there wide awake and cannot sleep with it on, and I took it off last night after 30 minutes.

I know some say you need to take baby steps, and I am working it.

Cancun9 wrote:I also have this part that I have no idea what it is for. It is a clear plastic tube, about three inches long, with plastic black, round stoppers on each end. Any ideas?

Those black stoppers are for inserting in the PB420E's pressure tube when you wash it. The hose that works with a PB420E looks like this:



On no account should you get water into that pressure tube. Be sure to connect the hose's pressure tubte to the nipple in the machine, just to the left of where the hose connects (the near side in the picture is what connects to the machine).


And the small plastic tube between those stoppers - that's to keep them together. Much easier not to loose those two little black things when you keep them connected to the small tube.

You mention being bothered by the tube around your pillow - have you tried hanging the tube (hose) from a hook in the wall above your head? The hose dangling from above never snags on the pillow - I find it much much better that way.

I threaded the hose through a scrunchy (kind of elastic used by gilrs for their pony tails), tied a shoe lace through the scrunchy, created a loop in the shoe lace, and hang it on the hook With the shoe lace long you and make the hook rather high too.

You'll find Puritan Bennett's technical support here http://solvitcenter.puritanbennett.com/afmmain.aspx - it has many useful faqs, and a link to the manual dowload here:
http://solvitcenter.puritanbennett.com/ ... %20(C).pdf

Did you recieve a humidifier? In addition to adding humidity, The PB humidifier acts as an excellent noise buffer.

And, as I have recently discovered when sleeping away from home: placing the machine beneath the level of your head, closer to the floor, makes some of the noise go away.

Good luck
O.

_________________

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): hose

Thanks! I never figured i was for securing the ends for cleaning. The book had no mention of it, or I overlooked that part...I will re-read it.

I do have the humidifier for it. I will give it a try tonight.

Thanks.,
C9

Thanks! I never figured i was for securing the ends for cleaning. The book had no mention of it, or I overlooked that part...I will re-read it.

I do have the humidifier for it. I will give it a try tonight.

Slinky wrote:

Stevoreno wrote:I was in chat last night and someone told me to be sure that the sleep lab is accredited by the AASM? and to insist that a RPSGT? perform the test. Is that important? Would surgery to correct my deviated septum help me breath easier at night or would my left nostril still stop up at times?

Have you ever used a full face mask? With a full face mask and a CPAP machine with a high setting; mine is 16; will a full face mask aggravate my ear drums more than a nasal mask? When I'm tested with a machine will the lab start me off on a machine with the setting that my old machine has; 16; or will they start lower and work their way up the chart just to confirm that I need to remain at 16 or not? Thanks for posting.

The odds for deviated septum surgery successfully making it easier for you to nose breathe day or night are good, assuming you have a good, experienced ENT who concurs the deviation is enough to warrant it.

I've never used a full face mask tho I'm playing w/following the good advice here and trying to find one that works for me on those nights when I'm really congested or have a bad cold.

I think your concern about a higher pressure and your ears is legitimate. Whether a full face mask would help or hinder, that I don't know. One would almost think that it "might" since the air pressure wouldn't be as direct into your nares and sinuses. On the other hand .... I just don't know the answer to that.

I would think that the sleep lab would start out at a pressure LOWER than your current 16 cms, but probably NOT as low as the 4 or 5 cms they usually start the "virgin" titration patient out at. I'd ask. I would think a starting pressure of 8 cms would be a good pressure to start at for someone w/a previous pressure of 16 cms. It saves time during your sleep to not start the ramping so low as w/"virgin" titration patients.

I finally wore it last night, and actually fell asleep with it. I did wake up at 1am, however, as the mask was digging a little below my nose on my upper lip, and I took it off and went back to bed. But it is a start.....

Good going! Keep at it.

Cancun9 wrote:I finally wore it last night, and actually fell asleep with it. I did wake up at 1am, however, as the mask was digging a little below my nose on my upper lip, and I took it off and went back to bed. But it is a start.....

.....................................................................................................

Yay!!!!!!!!

Now to get those mask jinxes fixed!

How are you going with the humidifier?

Di

[quote="Moby"]

.....................................................................................................

Yay!!!!!!!!

Now to get those mask jinxes fixed!

How are you going with the humidifier?

Di

[quote="Cancun9"][quote="Moby"]

.....................................................................................................

Yay!!!!!!!!

Now to get those mask jinxes fixed!

How are you going with the humidifier?

Di