Bear's CPAP thread

[NRA_Bear]

So, last night (finally!) was the first time I was able to take my S8 Elite II for a test drive. That is, after waiting 6 days for Apria to get the nasal mask to my house... which was supposed to be an overnight deal. Anyways, I digress. The first time I was on CPAP was for my split-night study on 2/17 where they determined that my best match was 15 cm. I don't remember all of the numbers and I was too dense to get a copy of my PSG, but I know the two important ones were 120 events per hour and a minimum oxygen saturation of 56%. I did pretty well with the mask at the hospital, except that it turned my left eye into a desert.

Last night didn't seem to go as well as it did during the study, but I'm sure practice will make it much better. I woke up a couple of times because my attempts to mouth breathe turned my passage into a wind tunnel and I tossed and turned a bit because of the new weight sensation on my face. When I woke up this morning, these are the numbers I got from the machine's LCD:
Usage: 9:00 hours
Leak: 0.18L/s
AHI: 16.2
AI: 2.8
HI: 13.4

I know all of the numbers are a bit high, but hopefully I'll be more successful at keeping my yapper shut tonight . I think my mask was a bit too high on my face as well, so hopefully I'll get a better fit tonight. How do my numbers compare to y'alls first times? I believe my equipment will show up in the signature when I post this, but if not, I've got a ResMed S8 Elite II with H3i humidifier and ResMed Active LT mask.

~ Bear

[mhurley3]

Hey NRA_Bear, I'd say you did very well for your first night! For one thing you apparently used it for 9 hours, which is remarkable. Your AHI went from 120 to 16, which also isn't bad for your first try. I'd say the numbers are very acceptable for your first night. You haven't even started tweaking things yet. By comparison, during my sleep study I had an AHI of 80 and during my first few nights my AHI was 18. Since then (about 4 months) my AHI has slowly fallen until now it is under 2. Your job now is to continue your therapy every night and figure out how to optimize things for your situation. This board can help you with that.

Good luck!

[jnk]

So, last night (finally!) was the first time I was able to take my S8 Elite II for a test drive. That is, after waiting 6 days for Apria to get the nasal mask to my house... which was supposed to be an overnight deal. Anyways, I digress. The first time I was on CPAP was for my split-night study on 2/17 where they determined that my best match was 15 cm. I don't remember all of the numbers and I was too dense to get a copy of my PSG, but I know the two important ones were 120 events per hour and a minimum oxygen saturation of 56%. I did pretty well with the mask at the hospital, except that it turned my left eye into a desert.

Last night didn't seem to go as well as it did during the study, but I'm sure practice will make it much better. I woke up a couple of times because my attempts to mouth breathe turned my passage into a wind tunnel and I tossed and turned a bit because of the new weight sensation on my face. When I woke up this morning, these are the numbers I got from the machine's LCD:
Usage: 9:00 hours
Leak: 0.18L/s
AHI: 16.2
AI: 2.8
HI: 13.4

I know all of the numbers are a bit high, but hopefully I'll be more successful at keeping my yapper shut tonight . I think my mask was a bit too high on my face as well, so hopefully I'll get a better fit tonight. How do my numbers compare to y'alls first times? I believe my equipment will show up in the signature when I post this, but if not, I've got a ResMed S8 Elite II with H3i humidifier and ResMed Active LT mask.

~ Bear

Nine hours? Better than me my first night!

A chin strap can help you keep your mouth shut.

If that doesn't work, it might be full-face mask time.

Or some here have tricks they use to keep their mouth shut, involving everything from tape to denture strips, believe it or not.

But a chin strap might be the first step.

Nice machine!

You found this forum, so you are already doing better than most. Study the stuff you get when you click the yellow lightbulb at the top of this page. Ask questions.

Welcome!

jeff

[NRA_Bear]

Thanks for the warm welcome! I've spent the past several days browsing the forum and reading what's in the "Our Wisdom" section, just figured I'd chime in with a post for conversations sake and document how another hosehead is doing. My scrip called for a chin strap, but the DME didn't order it and I'm not terribly upset by their oversight. I have a bad enough time with my head sweating while sleeping without wrapping it in a strap. I've read the pros and cons of taping, FF masks, nasal pillows, etc., but I think I'm just going to stick with trying to train my tongue to block airflow for now. It's great to know that there's such a great support forum for this condition out there!

~ Bear

[glfredrick]

My wife got busy and made me a few accessories that help a lot. First, she crocheted a hose cover, which both insulates (stops condensation from the humidifier from forming into droplets called "rain out" here on the board) and makes the hose less noisy and plastic-like. Then, she made me a custom fleece cover for the lower head straps. There are side-strap pads available for sale (very nice products) but I wanted something that also protected the back of my neck, as I was tending to get a few rub spots there (I'm borderline allergic to rubber products and the constant contact got to be a problem). The fleece wraps each side strap, goes all the way around the back, and fastens with small sewing snaps after it wraps. Works very well, and cost almost nothing. Both help with comfort issues.

She then modified a memory foam pillow for me with an electric knife. We carved out both sides to make room for the mask (I side-sleep) and that alone has made a world of difference. She also padded the back of the pillow to a "just right" height for the width of my shoulders. I could kiss her for that (um... in fact, I did, a lot. ).

I do sleep with a full-face mask (quatro) as I've had life-long issues with sufficient air passage through the sinuses. I'm looking to add a chin strap to my lower headgear straps to help keep my mouth closed (I too am looking to train my body to breath through the nose more during sleep).

I average about 5.5 hours a night in sleep with the machine. That isn't because that's all I use the machine -- that's because that's all I'm in bed! If you're getting 9 hours, good for you. My AHI has dropped to between 0.9 and 1.4 over a year of use, which is really good. I'm now doing better physically after the 5.5 hours of sleep than I was before with 8 or more hours. When I'm out, I'm OUT. Roll-overs are a bit complicated compared to BM (before mask ) in that I have to twist the hose, point it in another direction, get the headgear fixed so it doesn't make my ear or neck go to sleep, and fix the pillow just right -- then BAM -- I'm out again.

When I reported my data to my provider, they were amazed. It seems that most of their customers don't get what I'm getting, and many just leave the machine in the closet after the novelty wears off. Me? Can't sleep without it. Next venture is setting up my machine for camping this summer... Everyone in the campground will be happy...

[SharkBait]

Thanks for the warm welcome! I've spent the past several days browsing the forum and reading what's in the "Our Wisdom" section, just figured I'd chime in with a post for conversations sake and document how another hosehead is doing. My scrip called for a chin strap, but the DME didn't order it and I'm not terribly upset by their oversight. I have a bad enough time with my head sweating while sleeping without wrapping it in a strap. I've read the pros and cons of taping, FF masks, nasal pillows, etc., but I think I'm just going to stick with trying to train my tongue to block airflow for now. It's great to know that there's such a great support forum for this condition out there!

~ Bear

Remember, a lot of sweating while sleeping is your body fighting to breathe thru apnea events.

Great first night. 9 hours is certainly to be commended!!! The other numbers will fall in line...

[NRA_Bear]

My wife got busy and made me a few accessories that help a lot. First, she crocheted a hose cover, which both insulates (stops condensation from the humidifier from forming into droplets called "rain out" here on the board) and makes the hose less noisy and plastic-like. Then, she made me a custom fleece cover for the lower head straps. There are side-strap pads available for sale (very nice products) but I wanted something that also protected the back of my neck, as I was tending to get a few rub spots there (I'm borderline allergic to rubber products and the constant contact got to be a problem). The fleece wraps each side strap, goes all the way around the back, and fastens with small sewing snaps after it wraps. Works very well, and cost almost nothing. Both help with comfort issues.

She then modified a memory foam pillow for me with an electric knife. We carved out both sides to make room for the mask (I side-sleep) and that alone has made a world of difference. She also padded the back of the pillow to a "just right" height for the width of my shoulders. I could kiss her for that (um... in fact, I did, a lot. ).

Those are some good ideas, might have to beg my wife to do the same . All of my numbers went down last night with the exception of the leak rate, which increased pretty significantly. I'm not sure how well I did controlling mouth leaks last night considering that I woke up drooling this morning. I've got to say that the nasal mask isn't all that friendly on the mustache though. It must be rubbing the hair the wrong way or something because it's been irritating me all day. Here's what last night turned up:

Usage: 7:45 hours
Leak: 0.32L/s
AHI: 10.2
AI: 2.0
HI: 8.2

Thanks for all of the encouragement!

[jnk]

My wife got busy and made me a few accessories that help a lot. First, she crocheted a hose cover, which both insulates (stops condensation from the humidifier from forming into droplets called "rain out" here on the board) and makes the hose less noisy and plastic-like. Then, she made me a custom fleece cover for the lower head straps. There are side-strap pads available for sale (very nice products) but I wanted something that also protected the back of my neck, as I was tending to get a few rub spots there (I'm borderline allergic to rubber products and the constant contact got to be a problem). The fleece wraps each side strap, goes all the way around the back, and fastens with small sewing snaps after it wraps. Works very well, and cost almost nothing. Both help with comfort issues.

She then modified a memory foam pillow for me with an electric knife. We carved out both sides to make room for the mask (I side-sleep) and that alone has made a world of difference. She also padded the back of the pillow to a "just right" height for the width of my shoulders. I could kiss her for that (um... in fact, I did, a lot. ).

Those are some good ideas, might have to beg my wife to do the same . All of my numbers went down last night with the exception of the leak rate, which increased pretty significantly. I'm not sure how well I did controlling mouth leaks last night considering that I woke up drooling this morning. I've got to say that the nasal mask isn't all that friendly on the mustache though. It must be rubbing the hair the wrong way or something because it's been irritating me all day. Here's what last night turned up:

Usage: 7:45 hours
Leak: 0.32L/s
AHI: 10.2
AI: 2.0
HI: 8.2

Thanks for all of the encouragement!

Your leaks may be significant enough to begin to compromise the validity of your AI and AHI numbers. If your machine has your mask entered into it so that it is subtracting your masks intended vent rate, you are almost at the limit (0.4) of the machine's ability to compensate. You may need to seriously consider full-face or find a way to keep the lips shut to maximize the effectiveness of your PAP therapy.

[Bookbear]

NRA_Bear, I see that your use a ResMed machine (as I do). Keep in mind that ResMed's machines score hypopneas rather aggressively. What other machines may pass, the ResMed counts. So don't be overly concerned if your hypopneas seem a lot higher than your apneas. As long as the AHI is 5 or below, it is considered 'normal'. You dun good for your first night! And the mask is, I firmly believe, THE deciding factor in cpap success. Don't hesitate to try other masks (or other types of masks, full face, nasal, nasal pillow, hybrid. Each has its advantages and quirks, and once you find one that truly works for you, you should see those numbers come down even further. Since you side sleep, you might try a mask that has a narrow profile, such as the Breeze, ADAM Circuit, or the Aura/Headrest. Less to get pushed out of alignment when you lay on your side.
https://www.cpap.com/simple-find-cpap-p ... illow.html

Good luck, and keep coming back... the people here are very helpful and you will find a wealth of information and support.

[ozij]

Welcome, NA_Bear.
That was a very good point by SharkBait: For many of us, night sweats simply stop once our sleep apnea is under control.

The first masks I used irritated my skin tremendously - till I found instructions to soak any mask before its first use for 30 or 60 minutes in soapy water; soaking it, even after a couple of nights' use helped a lot. Some masks now carry instructions not to soak them, and if that's the case with your mask - see if you can soak only the part that touches your skin (moustache) or try at least to wash the it very very very thoroughly.

I have never managed to control my mouth when I sleep. I'll have nights when it won't drop open - but then other's will come when I mouthleak terribly, so I've resigned myself to using tape.

Good luck, and I hope you'll hang around.
O.

[NRA_Bear]

Thanks for the wealth of information! I know I've got the 30-day option of shopping around for masks, but I really like the super-suction of that Activa LT and I'm willing to give it some more time to see if we can't come to some kind of agreement on leaks. Last night I gave the mask a good washing with soap and warm water and also wiped around my nose with a Stridex pad. I definitely had an easier time getting the mask to seat properly after that, so I'll probably keep with that routine. I went to bed with cluster headaches last night and woke up at 2am drenched in sweat. The combination of sweat and humidifier managed to soak the pads on my mask and I woke up to a bubbling leak. I also got a wet foot when I pulled the tube off of the machine and hung it up. I was a little out of it, so I don't remember all of the numbers, but the leak rate was 0.20L/s and my AHI was 17.0. After drying the mask, popping some aspirin, and turning the humidifier down from 2.5 to 2, I went at it again and the numbers this morning looked a bit more promising.

Usage: 7:26 hours
Leak: 0.18L/s
AHI: 11.7
AI: 2.8
HI: 8.9

I believe the machine took the average over the entire night (before and after the break), so from 2:15 on I think I did better than the first night. I actually had enough energy this morning to hop on the elliptical machine for 20 minutes, double the 10 minutes I did yesterday. I'm 315lbs. (down from 337lbs when I went in for my first OSA consultation), so I consider that a pretty decent length of time. If y'all don't mind, I think I'll keep updating this thread with my progress so that new hoseheads can gauge how they're doing compared with others.

[tattooyu]

I actually had enough energy this morning to hop on the elliptical machine for 20 minutes, double the 10 minutes I did yesterday. I'm 315lbs. (down from 337lbs when I went in for my first OSA consultation), so I consider that a pretty decent length of time. If y'all don't mind, I think I'll keep updating this thread with my progress so that new hoseheads can gauge how they're doing compared with others.

Way to go NRA_Bear. Losing weight is one of the hardest things to do. My wife lost 80 lbs. a couple of years ago and has kept it off (Weight Watchers) for the most part +/- a few pounds. Take it slow, ease into exercise and it'll come off. The slower it comes off, the more likely it will stay off.

[NRA_Bear]

I actually had enough energy this morning to hop on the elliptical machine for 20 minutes, double the 10 minutes I did yesterday. I'm 315lbs. (down from 337lbs when I went in for my first OSA consultation), so I consider that a pretty decent length of time. If y'all don't mind, I think I'll keep updating this thread with my progress so that new hoseheads can gauge how they're doing compared with others.

Way to go NRA_Bear. Losing weight is one of the hardest things to do. My wife lost 80 lbs. a couple of years ago and has kept it off (Weight Watchers) for the most part +/- a few pounds. Take it slow, ease into exercise and it'll come off. The slower it comes off, the more likely it will stay off.

Keeping it off's always been the hardest part for me. Back in '04 I went on Atkins and dropped from 320lbs to 230lbs in 5.5 months. I met a girl (who is now my wife) and stopped watching what I ate and for the past year or so I've been back above 300. The doctor threatened to put me on blood pressure medicine at my last check-up at the beginning of February if I didn't lose weight and get my pressure down (170/93). So, I've been back on Atkins since then and I've got to go see him again on Monday (eek!). I keep telling myself that I'll go off Atkins around 250lbs and go on a more sensible diet to prevent what happened last time.

Back to CPAP, I managed to send my numbers all over the place last night. I woke up at 1:30am with a cluster headache and a soaked mask from my sweat, took the mask off to go dry it and immediately fell back asleep... without the mask. I woke up at 2:50am because I had an event and was oh crap! I still managed to get over 7 hours on the machine though, so I didn't mess up too bad. My AI's down, so that's good, but the leak rate was way high. Here's what the week has looked like so far:

Date Usage Leak AHI AI HI
----------------------------------------------------------------
3/9 | 9:00 | .18L/s | 16.2 | 2.8 | 13.4
3/10 | 7:45 | .32L/s | 10.2 | 2.0 | 8.2
3/11 | 7:26 | .18L/s | 11.7 | 2.8 | 8.9
3/12 | 7:16 | .34L/s | 13.4 | 1.5 | 11.9

I went across the street to the DME and picked up at chin strap for $0.66 (10% copay) to see if I can't get that leak rate down. I think I'm doing pretty well with keeping my mouth shut because it's not dry in the morning, but I did wake up once last night to the wind tunnel.

[NRA_Bear]

So, I gave the chinstrap a test drive last night and the numbers are looking a little better. I still woke up a couple of times with a much smaller mouth leak, but I'm going to keep trying to train my tongue. One day I'll get that leak rate down!

Date |Usage | Leak | AHI | AI | HI
----------------------------------------------------------------
3/9 | 9:00 | .18L/s | 16.2 | 2.8 | 13.4
3/10 | 7:45 | .32L/s | 10.2 | 2.0 | 8.2
3/11 | 7:26 | .18L/s | 11.7 | 2.8 | 8.9
3/12 | 7:16 | .34L/s | 13.4 | 1.5 | 11.9
3/13 | 7:56 | .12L/s | 9.8 | 1.3 | 8.5

[NRA_Bear]

Ah yes, another night, another data set. The numbers also include a 2.5 hour nap I took yesterday out of boredom (nasty weather down here).

Date |Usage | Leak | AHI | AI | HI
----------------------------------------------------------------
3/9 | 9:00 | .18L/s | 16.2 | 2.8 | 13.4
3/10 | 7:45 | .32L/s | 10.2 | 2.0 | 8.2
3/11 | 7:26 | .18L/s | 11.7 | 2.8 | 8.9
3/12 | 7:16 | .34L/s | 13.4 | 1.5 | 11.9
3/13 | 7:56 | .12L/s | 9.8 | 1.3 | 8.5
3/14 | 10:47 | .12L/s | 7.9 | 1.4 | 6.5