edit: here are my latest screen shots, leaks r better!

SleepingUgly wrote:Have you tried a Hyrbid?

Hi there! How are you feeling since your surgery? I hope you will breath better when everything heals up!


I have tried two different hybrids, and failed with those too..


Thank you for your reply!

Those leaks are really are substantial. If you tape, then I wonder what's happening to make the Opus leak so much? I move around so much in my sleep that I had to also secure the headgear so it didn't move and cause a leak. I had a Swift LT and an Opus but the opus moved around on more for some reason, so I gave it to my daughter. Have you used some of the fixes others on the forum have invented to secure yours?

The liberty "hybrid" leaked on the face piece no matter what I did. I don't think my Innomed hybrid shell touches my face next to (beside) my nose, just on my upper lip. I really had to work hard trying different combinations of shells and pillows on the Innomed hybrid(it should come with three cushions and three sizes of pillows but I have heard stories of DMEs taking parts out of the box). Once I found the right combination, zero leaks, every night, unless I moved it off my face purposefully. If you tried the Innomed hybrid did the DME give you all the parts?

I remember reading somewhere on the forum that there is a mask that molds to the face after hot water is applied. I can't remember the name though...

Good luck. I hope you get it figured out.

r

Those leaks are really are substantial. If you tape, then I wonder what's happening to make the Opus leak so much? I move around so much in my sleep that I had to also secure the headgear so it didn't move and cause a leak. I had a Swift LT and an Opus but the opus moved around on more for some reason, so I gave it to my daughter. Have you used some of the fixes others on the forum have invented to secure yours?

The liberty "hybrid" leaked on the face piece no matter what I did. I don't think my Innomed hybrid shell touches my face next to (beside) my nose, just on my upper lip. I really had to work hard trying different combinations of shells and pillows on the Innomed hybrid(it should come with three shells and three sizes of pillows but I have heard stories of DMEs taking parts out of the box). Once I found the right combination, zero leaks, every night, unless I moved it off my face purposefully. If you tried the Innomed hybrid did the DME give you all the parts?

I remember reading somewhere on the forum that there is a mask that molds to the face after hot water is applied. I can't remember the name though...

Good luck. I hope you get it figured out.

Sometimes my husband hears a big whooshing sound so I think maybe my nose pillows get dislodged, he has only
caught me sleeping a few times in twenty years.. maybe I should get a nanny cam : )
My headgear is secured with my pony tail.
I got all the parts from the liberty and tried all size nasal pillows, and there is another brand of hyrbrid tried that too.. Maybe I should
zoom over to australia and get one of those molded masks! Too bad they just cant send you the mold and you send it back!
okay, be back later! thanks for all your help, would love any more tips! This is my project to get this therapy to work!

In another thread someone said that the Comfort Gel nasal can be molded with hot water.

Rebecca R wrote:I remember reading somewhere on the forum that there is a mask that molds to the face after hot water is applied. I can't remember the name though...

I think Rebecca's referring to the Original ComfortGel nasal mask, which could be molded using hot water. There's a newer version called ComfortGel Blue: https://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... dgear.html. Under "Important Tips," it states:

"DO NOT BOIL CUSHION. 'Blue' Gel Technology is engineered to conform to facial features without the need to boil the cushion. Unlike the Original ComfortGel Nasal CPAP mask, the ComfortGel Blue cushion cannot be boiled."

That mask doesn't seem to get very good reviews overall.

Elena, your problem may be a combination of both mask leaks and mouth leaks. Maybe there's a "Lab Rat Fix" here that may solve the problem, by stabilizing the nasal pillows: viewtopic.php?t=15104 (scroll down on that page to view tips for your specific mask). And try a tiny dab of Lansinoh lanolin (made for nursing mothers) on the outside of your nares. It may take a little time, but you should be able to pinpoint the source of the leaks without too much difficulty. If your mouth is completely sealed with tape and you're still having the large leaks, then leaks must be coming from your nasal pillows/cushion. You may want to try both a chin strap and mouth-taping at the same time too. Also, make sure to check your hoses (small and large) for holes, and check all connections.

You mentioned earlier, "I tape my mouth, and put a tiny slit in the middle about a quarter inch so I can cough without blowing the tape off." I know that you have problems with coughing often, but I'm wondering if that quarter-inch slit in the tape may be enough to allow a lot of air to escape (perhaps while you are deep asleep). I've never tried mouth-taping, so I have no idea.

I know that you've tried various full-face and hybrid masks, and the total face mask too. Now that you can see your data, perhaps you should try those again (if you still have them). Fiddle with them for a few days each, adjusting straps in various ways, tighter or looser, trying different cushion sizes, etc. It could be that your leak rate is actually less with those than with the nasal pillows mask. Just be sure to change the Mask setting (pillows, full face, etc.) on the S9 machine if you switch mask types, so it will accurately report your leak rate.

I'd work on getting the leaks under control and then consider some pressure changes. (Lower pressure may help with the leaks too.) Your leaks are probably driving your pressure up. My thinking is along the same lines as Wulfman and KatieW. I was thinking you could start at a set CPAP pressure of 9 or 10. See what the centrals look like there. If you're having obstructive apneas at that pressure, then start raising the pressure gradually until they're no longer a problem. It's possible that you're one of those people who are more sensitive to the pressure changes of APAP. You may find you sleep better using CPAP at a set pressure. The leaks may be arousing you too. I think you'll figure it out!

Can anyone weigh in here as to whether Elena's central apneas seem "excessive"? She had a 4 centrals during her (non-CPAP) sleep study, but she slept such a short duration (just over 1 hour!) during the study that I don't think it provides very reliable information. She had a lot of arousals during the study. I'm thinking that the centrals on her charts may be induced by CPAP pressure or caused by frequent arousals, but it's difficult to say. There may be something that needs to be looked into healthwise too. But it may be that her number of centrals are within the realm of "normal"? I'm not used to seeing anything like that in my charts. I sleep about 8 hours, and I only have 1 to 4 centrals during the entire night myself, and sometimes zero. Just wondering what you more experienced members think of that....

SleepingUgly wrote:In another thread someone said that the Comfort Gel nasal can be molded with hot water.

I think that's the one I read about too. However I hadn't read this:

DreamOn wrote: I think Rebecca's referring to the Original ComfortGel nasal mask, which could be molded using hot water. There's a newer version called ComfortGel Blue: https://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... dgear.html. Under "Important Tips," it states:

"DO NOT BOIL CUSHION. 'Blue' Gel Technology is engineered to conform to facial features without the need to boil the cushion. Unlike the Original ComfortGel Nasal CPAP mask, the ComfortGel Blue cushion cannot be boiled."

thanks for the tip on the soft gel mask S.U..
I might try one of those, I know you dont boil them now with the other info here.
I do have a full life face mask left over, all the others I returned, the fulllife leaked too,
but I can try that again, and maybe I can tape my nose pillows to my face, and try the tape with no tiny hole in it..
So... number one, I figure out the leaks and fix them.
number two, see where I am then
number three, up the pressure a little each night and check the graphs for results the next day..
Even without being on the cpap in my sleep study I had a lot of arousals in sixty six minutes. I dont know what causes those, but maybe
THOSE cause me to be such an ultra light sleeper.
Thanks for the tips dreamon youre such a dream!
I went and bought a neti pot today, so I will try that, I sure have lots of stuff to work on, and I know Im going to make this work with
your help! THANK YOU ALL!
p.s. I dont know anything about centrals, but I do know I forget to breath a lot during the day, and at night, that is why I turned
in my system one a flex because it was sending pressure pulses at me when I forgot to breath when I was awake.. maybe I do it
sleeping too.. maybe those are some of the centrals?

Okay! I tried everything last night!
I bought a neti pot and used that, but it didnt really do anything, it didnt reduce the swelling or whatever makes it hard to breath thru my nose..
Used two prescription nasal sprays one is steroid, doubled the doses.. still ran out of my nose on left side, but I keep trying..
Changed the pressure on my machine and moved it up.
Made a chin strap out of my hose cover to stop the leaks.
I didnt sleep that long because, I dont know, I am disturbed while I am sleeping with the pressure? I dont know..
I have no obstructive events! yahoo!
I think I got the leaks down a little more, but I see there are two peaks.. they dont seem to coincide with the centrals that much.
I have no idea why those centrals pop up?
It took me a LONG time to go to sleep, which is typical with me, and then when I finally do fall asleep, something happens the first minute.

So, any tips of what I should do now? Thanks!
Here is a graph and a stat page from last night. I really want to get this to work, and I seem to be having trouble, even though my AHI numbers
are great, Im not feeling so great and not sleeping well with the machine. I also put the EPR at one last night.

Maybe I'm repeating what you already know, a high humidity makes your nose to get obstructed. How High? It depends of each one, me I can't set my System One more than 2, once I mistakenly did and I woke up with a severe blockage.

The steroid sprays don't decongest the sinuses right away, it takes several days to make the swollen to go away. That even if you double the dose. I know that because I use Nasacord most of the time once a day and on winter time twice a day. Three specialist had told me the steroid sprays have no secondary effect because it's a topical dose and very low. If you have sinus allergies you need to fix it, once you will fix it you will see a difference in your numbers.

All the best

Rosie

Hi Rosie,
thanks so very much for your reply!

I dont have my humidfier attached to my machine right now, its pretty darn dry where we are now.

I do use the nasal sprays, but they have not been working. I think I might go and see if there is something obstructing
my nose, it showed an obstruction on my thermograph, but I havent really seen a specialist about that yet.

Maybe since its so hard to breath thru my nose, and I use nasal pillows, Im having a hard time, I dont know..

Perhaps tonight I should drag out my full life mask and tape it above my eyes where it leaks so badly.

thank you so very much for your help. Im getting pretty frustrated, and using the machine less and less every night..

I have a question...

Does an apap stop central apneas? I have a few, and they only last about 11 seconds, does the machine stop them before they go longer?

I am now going to set my machine at seven to fifteen to see if I have any obstructives, and if I do I will raise it back to 8.8 to 15.

It was set at 5 to 19, and there is no way I would ever go to 19 without a leak, looks like I hang around ten to thirteen..

thanks!

I just want to get rid of those little pesky centrals so my graphs are close to perfect!

elena88 wrote:I have a question...

Does an apap stop central apneas? I have a few, and they only last about 11 seconds, does the machine stop them before they go longer?

No, Elena, a regular CPAP or APAP machine cannot treat central apneas at all. Central apneas are not caused by airway obstruction, but rather brain signaling -- possibly due to the way carbon dioxide is being regulated. Centrals cannot be "cleared" with air pressure, the way an obstructive apnea can. When the S9 Autoset machine senses an apnea, it tests to see if your airway is clear (central apnea) or obstructed. If there is an airway obstruction, then it responds with pressure to clear it. If the machine determines that the airway is not obstructed (meaning it was a central apnea) it ignores it, since pressure would do no good.

A few centrals occur in "normal" individuals, even those who do not have sleep apnea, particularly when falling asleep. Centrals can be caused by changes in sleep stages. They can be caused by arousals. They can sometimes be induced by CPAP pressure itself in some people. Some medications can cause them -- opiates and some meds for depression, for example. Or they may be caused by health issues, such as COPD (lung), heart problems, or central nervous system disorders.

I don't know if the number of centrals you're having are a concern. That's why I asked that question of the forum in my last reply. (Nobody has offered their opinion regarding that, thus far.)

I am working on a reply to your latest chart right now. I'll post that here shortly.... Don't worry. It may take some time, but you'll get it all figured out.

THANK YOU DREAM ON!

I was wondering if the machine was trying to stop the few centrals because they all seemed to be so close in seconds..

I have been thinking about this..

Can the machine think you are having centrals when you are just late in taking a breath? Like lets say you exhale, but you are lazy in taking
a breath for ten seconds or so, could the machine think you are having a central, and actually you are just taking too long to inhale?

thanks so very much for your support and help!

elena88 wrote:Can the machine think you are having centrals when you are just late in taking a breath? Like lets say you exhale, but you are lazy in taking a breath for ten seconds or so, could the machine think you are having a central, and actually you are just taking too long to inhale?

I believe the answer is "yes" (someone correct me if I'm wrong here). What you describe (taking more than 10 seconds to complete the breath) sounds like it IS a central apnea to me. The brain is not getting the message through that it's time to breathe.

I occasionally realize that I "wasn't breathing" during the night. There's never any feeling of panic for me and I don't sense any obstruction. It just suddenly occurs to me, "Oh, I was just not breathing there. Time to take a breath." I've had that show up as a central apnea on the machine. In my case, my central apneas seem to be within the normal range. I only have one or two total most nights (over a period of eight hours), and sometimes none at all.

If that occurs too often, then it should be looked into. You mentioned that you do that during the daytime too. I would definitely discuss this with your doctor.

Thank you so much Dreamon!

elena88 wrote:
Can the machine think you are having centrals when you are just late in taking a breath? Like lets say you exhale, but you are lazy in taking a breath for ten seconds or so, could the machine think you are having a central, and actually you are just taking too long to inhale?
I believe the answer is "yes" (someone correct me if I'm wrong here). What you describe (taking more than 10 seconds to complete the breath) sounds like it IS a central apnea to me. The brain is not getting the message through that it's time to breath.

I occasionally realize that I "wasn't breathing" during the night. There's never any feeling of panic for me and I don't sense any obstruction. It just suddenly occurs to me, "Oh, I was just not breathing there. Time to take a breath." I've had that show up as a central apnea on the machine. In my case, my central apneas seem to be within the normal range. I only have one or two most nights, and sometimes none at all.

If that occurs too often, then it should be looked into. You mentioned that you do that during the daytime too. I would definitely discuss this with your doctor

I will bet those really arent central apneas at all, I bet that is just my lazy breathing! That is why the system one a flex kept sending pressure pulses
at me, it all makes sense now! It would be impossible to have a central apnea while you are awake, so this is something different I bet.
Thank you so much dreamon!