Two new, unrelated questions :)

ciounoi · Post by **ciounoi** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 4:52 pm

Hi everybody-

I have two MORE questions.

1. I usually sleep on my side or my back (usually go to sleep on my side and wake up on my back). If I try to go on my side with my ultra mirage FF, however, it seems to play some havoc with the temperature of the air. The air in the hose goes from relatively comfortable to quite cold as soon as I'm on my side, and warms up again when I'm on my back. My humidifier setting is currently on 3 out of a 5 maximum. I'm loathe to turn it much higher than that because I feel like I can't breathe with heavy, moist air.

2. I am still attempting to be less acutely aware of everything on my face and how quickly/slowly I'm breathing, but I'm getting better! However, the last few nights I've been on the bipap I have felt myself drift off and then I wake up a few seconds later feeling like I'm suffocating. Is this an indication that something's wrong, or that I'm just still getting used to it? Or none of the above?

Help would be appreciated! Thanks!

Grace

ciounoi · Post by **ciounoi** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 8:29 pm

Please? I don't have anyone else to ask.

nightjar · Post by **nightjar** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 9:06 pm

ciounoi wrote:The air in the hose goes from relatively comfortable to quite cold as soon as I'm on my side, and warms up again when I'm on my back.

That's a conundrum, for sure. At least I've never experienced that. Unless . . . unless its that the exhaust bothers you somehow when you're on your side and not on your back. But that's not really the hose temp. Maybe someone else will have an idea.

ciounoi wrote:the last few nights I've been on the bipap I have felt myself drift off and then I wake up a few seconds later feeling like I'm suffocating. Is this an indication that something's wrong, or that I'm just still getting used to it? Or none of the above?

I wonder if that has to do with the ramp setting. Do you know what pressure you're starting out at relative to your inhalation pressure? And how long the ramp time is?

Of course, if you're not using the ramp feature, those questions won't matter. I just wondered if the regular pressure might be startling you when it kicks in.

Also, I can't tell exactly which machine that is. But if it's a BiPAP Auto, another question would be if you're using it as an Auto or as a straight BiPAP.

(By the way, I just "graduated" to BiPAP about four weeks ago, and it really is different. I've got a "classic" BiPAP Auto with BiFlex, and for now I'm using it as a straight BiPAP.)

Good luck with it, Grace.

nath

One Tired Puppy · Post by **One Tired Puppy** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 9:14 pm

ciounoi wrote:Hi everybody-

I have two MORE questions.

1. I usually sleep on my side or my back (usually go to sleep on my side and wake up on my back). If I try to go on my side with my ultra mirage FF, however, it seems to play some havoc with the temperature of the air. The air in the hose goes from relatively comfortable to quite cold as soon as I'm on my side, and warms up again when I'm on my back. My humidifier setting is currently on 3 out of a 5 maximum. I'm loathe to turn it much higher than that because I feel like I can't breathe with heavy, moist air.

2. I am still attempting to be less acutely aware of everything on my face and how quickly/slowly I'm breathing, but I'm getting better! However, the last few nights I've been on the bipap I have felt myself drift off and then I wake up a few seconds later feeling like I'm suffocating. Is this an indication that something's wrong, or that I'm just still getting used to it? Or none of the above?

Help would be appreciated! Thanks!

Grace,

I sleep on my right side first, then during the night I may go the the left side or to my back and then back to my right side. I usually only go to my back when the arthritis in my legs is very bad.

I wear a ffm (quattro pro). At first it took some getting used to. Now, I find it easier, but some nights are better than others, as far as leaks go. I am adjusting my straps during the night and covering my eyes with a light weight scarf. Some nights leaks aren't bad. I find if I position my face into the pillow the mask doesn't leak. It takes adjusting every now then. I seem to have less leaks when lying on my back. I prefer to lie on my side as much as possibe.

If you feel like you are suffocating, maybe your pressure is too low. If it is below 7 or 8 cm it may need to go to at least 8 cm to get enough air. After you have been on one pressure for some time you do get used to it and you don't notice the air as much as you did at first. That is normal.

As for the temperature. I find if I keep the humidifier low it is less likely to have rainout. If it is too cold, raise the humidifier a little. If it is too warm, lower the humidifier a bit. If your room is cold, use a snuggle cover on your hose.

I realize I am all over the place but I can only tell you what I have experienced. I do believe time and perseverance is what leads to success in anything, including adapting to cpap therapy.

A night at a time...

Anne

Grace

Quinda · Post by **Quinda** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 9:22 pm

I know when I was first starting out with my first CPAP I tried to use the ramp up feature and found I felt like I was suffocating at any pressure below 10 cm, at that time my pressure was 12 cm ... so the suffocating feeling might be from a low pressure if you're using the ramp up feature.

I honestly don't know why you would experience the tempurature differences from different sleeping ppsitions ... I use a ffm Mirage Quattro and when I'm on my back I get a cold feeling on my left cheek, but I think it is due to the exhaust ports drawing air up the side of my face as it vents ...

nightjar · Post by **nightjar** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 9:57 pm

Quinda wrote:I know when I was first starting out with my first CPAP I tried to use the ramp up feature and found I felt like I was suffocating at any pressure below 10 cm, at that time my pressure was 12 cm ... so the suffocating feeling might be from a low pressure if you're using the ramp up feature.

That's a good point, Quinda. And Anne mentions something about low pressure, too.

When I had my last titration study, they started me out at 5cm. Why, I don't know, especially since I'd been at 10cm for years. I just couldn't breath right. Fortunately, things got better in the double-digit range, and really good at the 14 / 11 bi-level setting.

I've got the starting ramp pressure on my BiPAP set at 10cm, which is what my CPAP had been set at for so long. And the ramp time is just five minutes. I could probably do without the ramp at all, come to think of it. . . .

nath

turbosnore · Post by **turbosnore** » Wed Nov 19, 2008 11:49 pm

Have you checked that the hose doesn't bend too sharply, especially when you turn?

LoQ · Post by **LoQ** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 12:17 am

turbosnore wrote:Have you checked that the hose doesn't bend too sharply, especially when you turn?

Yeah, there's where my thoughts went, too. I have the same thing happen sometimes because when I sleep on my left side, it tends to pull the hose a bit further than when sleeping on my right side or resting on my back. And what happens then (on my left side) is that it is sometimes just enough pressure to disengage the humidifer from the unit so that the heat is turned off. Poor engineering, but whadaya gonna do?

Concerning the suffocation problem, I always feel like I'm suffocating unless I use a breathe right strip.

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 12:52 am

Sounds to me like you have a sinus problem. When you lay on your side the fluid or mucosa in the sinuses drains to one side and you can breathe
out one side of your nose, when you roll to the supine or back position that fluid moves the other direction and blocks off the air passages.

Increasing humidifier temperature would make that worse adding more moisture to the mucosa and if too much causing turbinate tissues to swell closing off air flow where you become congested.

I suggest:

1. Turning down your humidifier, you can never turn it up high enough to warm the air, attempting to use it
to warm the incoming air causes too much moisture to be released leading to rainout. if enough rainout develops
and hits you in the face it will feel like hail hitting and wake you up. Look for a hose cover or heated hose,
and/or turn the room temp up.
2. Nasal congestion, suggest seeing an ENT and explain to them you have positional congestion and they will give
you an exam looking for abnormal growths or polyps in your nasal passage.
3. Suggest obtaining a Neilmed kit with a neti-pot for a rhino rinse and using that before bed at least 2-3 times
per week, doing it nightly is fine. If you take a shower before bed, you don't have to do that if you clear your nose
but the rhino rinse will flush out any allergens leading to nasal congestion. Do not use any OTC nasal sprays
unless it says on the bottle saline only.

Actual condition is called Vasomotor Rhinitis

http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/stuffyNose.cfm

In the early stages of these disorders, nasal stuffiness is temporary and reversible. It usually improves when the primary cause is corrected. However, if the condition persists, the blood vessels lose their capacity to constrict, much like varicose veins. When the patient lies down on one side, the lower side becomes congested, which interferes with sleep. It is helpful to sleep with the head of the bed elevated two to four inches. Surgery is another option that can provide dramatic and long-time relief.

Two new, unrelated questions :)

Two new, unrelated questions :)

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