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Hi...first time posting here...

I had a sleep study done Aug. 04. I tried many masks due to continuous leaking, and finally gave up the entire CPAP thing in Dec. I spent half the night waking up with leaks, adjusting the mask, etc. It wasn't worth it.

Life only got worse, as my apnea got worse, and I finally decided to go to an ENT a few weeks ago. He wanted to do the full shabang of surgery...septoplasty, UPPP...I opted for the septoplasty only; but that's another thread...

My pressure is 18, which is very high! I have the Activa mask, and I tell you, no matter how I move, it doesn't leak, even at that high pressure! But since the septoplasty, I am getting blown away at 18, so the ENT prescribed a 12. The machine's not been adjusted yet, but don't you think 18 to a 12 is a BIG change?

I'm going in for another study (titration) so I guess I'll find out soon enough.

Forgot to log in...that's me above.

Anonymous wrote:...since the septoplasty, I am getting blown away at 18, so the ENT prescribed a 12. The machine's not been adjusted yet, but don't you think 18 to a 12 is a BIG change?

I'm going in for another study (titration) so I guess I'll find out soon enough.

Yes.

I think the only way to tell what you need now is another titration study; otherwise, it can't be anything but a guess. And unfortunately when you're dealing with OSA, guessing just won't do the trick.

[quote="Anonymous"]Hi...first time posting here...

I had a sleep study done Aug. 04. I tried many masks due to continuous leaking, and finally gave up the entire CPAP thing in Dec. I spent half the night waking up with leaks, adjusting the mask, etc. It wasn't worth it.

Life only got worse, as my apnea got worse, and I finally decided to go to an ENT a few weeks ago. He wanted to do the full shabang of surgery...septoplasty, UPPP...I opted for the septoplasty only; but that's another thread...

My pressure is 18, which is very high! I have the Activa mask, and I tell you, no matter how I move, it doesn't leak, even at that high pressure! But since the septoplasty, I am getting blown away at 18, so the ENT prescribed a 12. The machine's not been adjusted yet, but don't you think 18 to a 12 is a BIG change?

I'm going in for another study (titration) so I guess I'll find out soon enough.

About the septoplasty. How do you tell if one is needed? I have nasal stuffiness when I use a nasal mask. Does an ENT look into your nose and see smaller than normal nasal passages? Funny, because my husband mentioned this the other night...that if my nose was clearer, the mask might not leak because the air would be pushed into my nose instead of out the sides of the mask (making loud noises...if I was deaf, this treatment would work)

newbie2005 wrote:About the septoplasty. How do you tell if one is needed? I have nasal stuffiness when I use a nasal mask. Does an ENT look into your nose and see smaller than normal nasal passages? Funny, because my husband mentioned this the other night...that if my nose was clearer, the mask might not leak because the air would be pushed into my nose instead of out the sides of the mask (making loud noises...if I was deaf, this treatment would work)

Yes, you need an ENT for the nose and a pulmonary specialist for pulmanary stuff and they definitely do NOT cross over.

But the ENT sure as heck BETTER do MORE than just glancing up your nose. If they do, ...leave immediately and go to someone else.

They need to AT LEAST check all through there with a fiber optic scope, all the way back down to your throat, and should do something like a cat scan. If they suggest a dog scan, you might also want to consider a different ENT.....

The machine's not been adjusted yet, but don't you think 18 to a 12 is a BIG change?

I'm going in for another study (titration) so I guess I'll find out soon enough.

Yes, that's a very big change, indeed. Especially for a doctor to just pull out of a hat. I'd be thankful to get to use 12 instead of 18 though, even if 12 wasn't enough!

The new titration is an excellent idea - the sooner, the better, given that the doctor is just making a pressure guess now.

Might have been helpful had he ordered a trial on autopap while you're waiting for the PSG titration. Would give additional nights of data from sleeping at home to be considered....could be helpful, especially if the titration night doesn't go well for any reason.

newbie2005 wrote:About the septoplasty. How do you tell if one is needed? I have nasal stuffiness when I use a nasal mask. Does an ENT look into your nose and see smaller than normal nasal passages? Funny, because my husband mentioned this the other night...that if my nose was clearer, the mask might not leak because the air would be pushed into my nose instead of out the sides of the mask (making loud noises...if I was deaf, this treatment would work)

(by the way, I was the "anonymous" person above who posted without logging in)

What you said makes perfect sense, and was also my own experience. That's why I decided to go to an ENT; to find out if there was something going on in my nose which would make a nasal mask actually work for me.
He said I had a deviated septum, and ordered a CT scan to prove it.

I have to tell you, though, that pushing an 18 pressure through my nose after surgery was NOT pleasant or easy. In fact, I am only 2 weeks out of surgery and my nose is still very sore. I have a lot of sinus pressure (which I didn't have before), but the mask I'm using is working well. I don't know if that's due to the surgery or just finding a wonderful mask (Activa Mirage).

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

rested gal wrote:
Might have been helpful had he ordered a trial on autopap while you're waiting for the PSG titration. Would give additional nights of data from sleeping at home to be considered....could be helpful, especially if the titration night doesn't go well for any reason.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean; can you please explain? I use a REMstar plus with C-Flex & heated humidity.

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): resmed, C-FLEX, Titration, CPAP

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): respironics, C-FLEX, Titration, CPAP