I switched from APAP to CPAP

Autopapdude wrote:

My numerical results - two nights good, one bad. Need to get more data for now, as I'm not getting consistency. Still feel tired though. Actually a bit more tired on CPAP than I was before. But there are so many variables, I feel I need to collect a little more data.

___

Hang in there Gary. It is difficult either way (apap or cpap). It will get better and stabilize after a while, which ever mode you decide works best for you. Ignore all the arguments, and do what is best for you. You're a good guy.

I appreciate your kind words.

To me the arguments are just folks who are so invested in their treatment, that they have a burning desire to share their success with others. So I take it on those terms. Group hug anyone?

Great numbers Katie, very well done to you. Make sure you reward yourself for how far you have come

I appreciate your kind words.

To me the arguments are just folks who are so invested in their treatment, that they have a burning desire to share their success with others. So I take it on those terms. Group hug anyone?

That is the way I intended it, Gary. People get passionate about OSA treatment, as it is very personal. It involves life and health directly,( literally a life versus death situation in many cases) so I think there is a certain amount of intensity regarding treatment, and that isn't bad. I wish some folks weren't looking to bite off a bit of someone's butt anytime one says something with which they disagree, as it is guaranteed to end up in a tit-for-tat fiesta. YES, I LOVE the apap, as it works well for me, and I am glad both you and Katie have the option to do well on cpap. I'd happily eat crow if it works for you two, and I want both of you to be healthy.

GaryG wrote:My numerical results - two nights good, one bad. Need to get more data for now, as I'm not getting consistency. Still feel tired though. Actually a bit more tired on CPAP than I was before. But there are so many variables, I feel I need to collect a little more data.

I hope the tiredness gets better soon, Gary. Yes, there are so many variables. I feel lucky that my OSA is pretty straight forward. Best to you.

Katie

Well, I really hope it works as well as it seems to be Katie. I hope you know I wasn't criticizing you.

Katie...I bet you're wishing you hadn't started this thread! Congratulations on your successes!

Autopapdude wrote:Well, I really hope it works as well as it seems to be Katie. I hope you know I wasn't criticizing you.

No, I never took it that way at all. We are all intensely committed to our treatment, and want it to work for everyone. And, if I was doing something that could potentially harm my therapy, I would want to be told.

SleepyT wrote:Katie...I bet you're wishing you hadn't started this thread! Congratulations on your successes!

Well, I'm not good at confrontation, so felt a little uncomfortable at 1st. Then I realized it's like family members fighting....done with love.

No, I never took it that way at all. We are all intensely committed to our treatment, and want it to work for everyone. And, if I was doing something that could potentially harm my therapy, I would want to be told.

You're NOT doing something harmful. Before autopaps existed, cpap was the only treatment, aside from some that don't work, for OSA. Besides, if you end up not liking the straight cpap, you can always go back to apap. So what you're doing is right--you're weighing treatment options to see which one is best for you. Both work, but one may work better--so it is win/win.

KatieW wrote:

Are you feeling better during the day?

Yes, though I didn't feel bad before, I feel more alert when I wake up, and less aerophagia during the day.

I'm curious....what was your sleep-study titrated pressure? Did you come up with a set pressure of 10 from the sleep study, or did you determine that from your APAP results?

My titrated pressure was 7. I don't think they used EPR, because it's not mentioned in the sleep study report. On Oct 17, I started on APAP at minimum 5, maximum 8. I gradually increased the minimum to 8.4 and maximum to 10, with EPR 2. Things were going pretty well, but I was still tweaking. Most nights my 95 centile was 9.8 and maximum was 10. I didn't want to go above maximum of 10, because I experienced painful aerophagia at 11. So that's how I came up with cpap of 10.

I'm also wondering, if you don't mind sharing, are the leaks bathroom trips or mask changes?

They are not bathroom trips. I think it may be mask discomfort or body discomfort from sleeping in one position too long, or being too hot or cold in the room, or cat activity, or outside noise. Once I'm awake, I re-adjust whatever is needed, and go back to sleep pretty easily. I used to wake up more frequently with the nasal pillows leaking or uncomfortable. Am now sleeping much longer with the Mirage SoftGel nasal mask. I just bought a Activa Lt on cpap.auction, and am looking forward to trying that too.

I have found with the Activa LT that it works better when the straps are not tight--about two fingers between the side straps. It may be the same way with the SoftGel since it uses the same headgear and frame. Also, sometimes the seal (even on the upper lip part) depends on how loose the top straps are. I've fiddled with the nose bridge adjustment dial too. I hope it works out well for you. I like it, although I do prefer the Headrest pillows mask, since it has almost no contact with the face. I seem to get the same results with either, and neither leaks for me. In January, I'm going to try on masks again and get another (different) one. A girl can never have too many masks!

I know that you came up with a pressure of 10 from the APAP results, which makes perfect sense to me, but since your sleep study titration was 7, it may be interesting down the road sometime to start bumping down from 10 and see if there's any difference in AHI and how you feel. But for now what you're doing seems to be working!

I'm using EPR of 2 right now. Pretty soon I'm going to go to 1 and then turn it off and see if there's any difference in results. I don't think I need it for comfort anymore, and it does lower my pressure that much on exhale.

I wish I had an APAP so I could try self-titration. Maybe someday. But I am grateful to have a machine that does give me some feedback. I'm feeling good, which is really all that matters.

I hope you'll keep letting us know what works and doesn't work. I've learned a lot from you, Katie! As several others have said, "You are a jewel!"

~ DreamOn

GaryG wrote:Group hug anyone?

....joining in on the group hug!

....joining in on the group hug!

Fine with me. I am really not so terrible.

I have found with the Activa LT that it works better when the straps are not tight--about two fingers between the side straps. It may be the same way with the SoftGel since it uses the same headgear and frame. Also, sometimes the seal (even on the upper lip part) depends on how loose the top straps are. I've fiddled with the nose bridge adjustment dial too. I hope it works out well for you. I like it, although I do prefer the Headrest pillows mask, since it has almost no contact with the face. I seem to get the same results with either, and neither leaks for me. In January, I'm going to try on masks again and get another (different) one. A girl can never have too many masks!

Thanks for the tip on the straps of the Activa Lt. The Mirage SoftGel seems to seal right on the skin, and although the straps don't have to be tight, they have to be stable, or I find it can shift when I turn on my side, perhaps because of the weight. I'm using the PapCap with it. I agree, that a girl can never have too many masks!

I know that you came up with a pressure of 10 from the APAP results, which makes perfect sense to me, but since your sleep study titration was 7, it may be interesting down the road sometime to start bumping down from 10 and see if there's any difference in AHI and how you feel. But for now what you're doing seems to be working!

Actually, I was thinking that I could reduce towards 9, but am in no hurry to do so.

I'm glad your therapy is going well for you, too. We all learn from each other, don't we? I am so grateful for this forum, it really has been my life-line.

Tonight we have a house guest, and he had his Elite II in his suitcase. I asked him if he had a data card, or checks the LED data. Turns out it's not Smart Card enabled....well, I fixed that!

I have found with the Activa LT that it works better when the straps are not tight--about two fingers between the side straps

Bingo! I agree completely. MOST masks work better when the straps aren't incredibly tight. People have a desire to make them tight, as they think that makes for the best seal. Not usually so--the mask should have some give, so it doesn't dig into your face. What I do with either a nasal mask or a nasal pillow is to put it on lying down, as that puts more tension on the straps, and I roll on my sleeping side. If the mask feels one to two fingers tight, then it is ideal. I usually go for one finger tight. A clue for this is when you get up in the morning, and whether or not you have major headgear imprints on your face. Usually if you do, it may be too tight. If it is imprint tight, that can cause leaks just as easily as when the mask is too loose.

Sometimes when I get all excited about something that has worked for me and then say things in public out loud about what 'all' or 'everyone' is doing and how 'all' and 'everyone' are responding to it, when it is mostly based on my personal experience, I find it helps if I later say something like "sorry, folks, I got a little overly enthusiastic and made some overly broad statements." That can be useful with medical topics, I think.

Some of us view these discussions as being on the same level as 'nobody buys American cars anymore' or 'everybody is getting a flat-screen TV.' Others of us view these discussions as serious med-speak in which nuance and specificity matter greatly. And it warms my heart that both approaches can exist in the same forum here and that people with both communication styles ALWAYS--oops, I mean 'usually,' or, uh, I guess, 'often,' or at least 'in my experience'--get along just fine here and treat one another with total respect.

I wasn't in on the original "discussion," so I guess I don't get to enjoy the group hug. RATS! But I thought I might come in and throw in my 2 cents at it, now that the dust has settled.

jeff

@carbonman--I consider any link posted by -SWS to be required reading, myself, and also for you, the leader of our hoserhood. We (or at least "I")expect you to be up on such things. ALWAYS!

@DoriC--I think LinkC and Autopapdude learned their lesson. Think you can let them out of 'time out' now?