New Cpap user and need advice

I am a new cpap user and use the full face mask since I breathe through my mouth when I sleep. I have been using the machine for about 2 weeks now and have no problem with sleeping with the mask on. One of my problems so far is that the pressure does not seem anywhere near what it did at the sleep study. It is set at 13 and does not seem to do much, as I don't feel the air or the pressure when I have the mask on like I did at the sleep study. I have tried to use the ramp to see if I noticed a difference from where it starts at a 6 and goes up to 13 and I see/feel no difference in the pressure. I have been so much more tired since starting the cpap machine than I was before. Also I feel more depressed now since starting to use the cpap. That may be because I had such high hopes it would work and it hasn't been working for me. Does anyone have any advice they could share or has this also happened to others? I have an appointment tomorrow to take the machine in to make sure it is working properly. Thanks in advance for any help.

You should be able to tell the difference beween a pressure of 6 and 13. Maybe your machine is not working right. Do you have the software to see what is happening?

They did not give me any software to the machine. It is a new ResMed machine. All I got from the company was the manuals that go with it.

lizzymay wrote: I have been using the machine for about 2 weeks now and have no problem with sleeping with the mask on. ... I have been so much more tired since starting the cpap machine than I was before. Also I feel more depressed now since starting to use the cpap. That may be because I had such high hopes it would work and it hasn't been working for me. Does anyone have any advice they could share or has this also happened to others?

Yes, it has happened to others. There's nothing natural about sleeping with a six foot hose attached to your nose. And it takes many of us a while before we fully adapt to the machine and start sleeping "well".

It's extremely important to have realistic expectations about xPAP therapy---particularly at the beginning. You are only two weeks into therapy. And that's not very long. Judging by the comments made on this board, most new CPAPers take several weeks to several months to start feeling better in some way. Some folks take longer---as in many months---to start feeling better. A few folks tend to feel worse (as in MUCH, MUCH worse) on CPAP for several weeks to several months before starting to feel better. A few unlucky ones never really feel much better but keep plugging away using the machine night after night because they know what the repeated nightly onslaughts of O2 desats and respiratory related arousals will do to their bodies.

And the initial "feeling better" can be pretty subtle for many folks. Because most people don't simply wake up one morning saying, "WOW!! Everything's GREAT now!

For myself? The first four months of xPAP were hell for me: I had a severe crash and burn in terms of daytime functioning and the worst case of daytime sleepiness I'd ever experienced in my life combined with the onset of a particularly nasty bout of insomnia. During those four months, I felt substantially worse that I'd ever felt pre-CPAP---as in 100 times worse. But by the end of the third month, I had gotten to the point where I knew the insomnia was the real problem and the insomnia was what I needed to focus on. So month four was the start of my war on the insomnia. By the end of month four, there were glimmers that my BiPAP might finally be doing me some good: The first subtle change was that I was waking up with much less pain in my hands and feet. The insomnia battle was long and drawn out, however, with a lot of two steps forward, and one step back. Aerophagia and severely chapped lips caused by the BiPAP remained a problem as did sensory stimuli from the BiPAP machine. But I kept plugging away at it. About 5 1/2 to 6 months after the war on insomnia started, I finally felt like I was beginning to get a handle on it. And it was at that point---about 9 1/2 to 10 months after starting xPAP therapy---that I finally started feeling as good as I had felt pre-CPAP on a daily basis. And that on the GOOD days, I felt BETTER than I'd felt on the GOOD days pre-CPAP. Now? I'm right at 11 months into therapy. And now (finally) an average day with the BiPAP feels better than an average day pre-CPAP did. I still have issues and problems to deal with. But finally, I can legitimately say that I can tell a positive difference and that sleeping with the BiPAP is doing me some good---both in terms of eliminating the apnea (for the most part) and in terms of how I feel each day.

I don't tell you this tale to discourage you, but rather to let you know that you really are NOT ALONE in feeling worse now that you've started CPAP. And do keep this in mind: I am an outlier and most people don't go through the long and difficult adjustment period that I've had.

But it takes time to get to where you feel better with the hose than without: Time to get used to the hose, sure. But it also takes time for your body to repair the damage that's been done by the years of untreated OSA. And it takes time to for your body to accept that the new way of sleeping is not going away. And it takes time for your body to learn to ignore all the irritating and distracting stimuli coming from the machine. For some folks, it takes time to learn to sleep comfortably without tossing and turning all night---when their bodies quit the tossing and turning, they develop sore muscles and joints from staying in one position all night. But most of all, it simply takes time to work through your particular set of issues. And it will take however much time it takes.

lizzymay wrote: One of my problems so far is that the pressure does not seem anywhere near what it did at the sleep study. It is set at 13 and does not seem to do much, as I don't feel the air or the pressure when I have the mask on like I did at the sleep study. I have tried to use the ramp to see if I noticed a difference from where it starts at a 6 and goes up to 13 and I see/feel no difference in the pressure.

You are wise to take your machine in to have it checked out. But it won't surprise me if they don't find anything wrong with it. One of the first signs that your body is really adjusting to dealing with the mask is that you quit noticing that hurricane of air that was so overwhelming to most of us on our first titration study.

Does anyone have any advice they could share or has this also happened to others? I have an appointment tomorrow to take the machine in to make sure it is working properly. Thanks in advance for any help.

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Guest wrote:They did not give me any software to the machine. It is a new ResMed machine. All I got from the company was the manuals that go with it.

They won't give you a clue to how to get your hands on the software. But we will

Find a post by a user named Uncle_Bob. He keeps the link to the ResScan software in his signature. (ResScan is the authorized software for your machine.)

NOTE: If your Resmed S9 has the word Escape written on it, it will only show you the most minimal of data even with the ResScan software. The Resmed S9 Escape will only show the hours you used the machine---it records no additional data. The Resmed Auto Escape does record a bit of data (the pressure and an unbroken down AHI, if I recall corrrectly), but it does NOT record any leak data.

Can you tell us which S9 you have?

I updated my profile with the type a machine I have. I have the Escape Auto so I do not know how much data I will be able to get from the software that you had mentioned.

If you have the S9 Autoset you have a fully data capable machine and should get summary and detailed data when using Rescan software.

I updated my profile with the type a machine I have. I have the Escape Auto so I do not know how much data I will be able to get from the software that you had mentioned.

Lizzy, there's a difference between an AUTOSET and an ESCAPE AUTO. You say one thing, and your signature says another--this will be confusing for people who respond to your questions. I know this is all a bit fussy, but see if you can correct your signature to match EXCATLY the machine you have. It will help us help you.

The Escape Auto has some limited data, unfortunately it DOESN't have leak info, which would be really helpful in your case if you want to try a different mask and see if you REALLY do mouth breathe when the pressure is correct. If you would like to try going back for a better machine, check out the links below to my blog and look for a post called "Help, I'm Stuck with a Brick!". The bottom line is that you needed an auto machine but the DME foisted the lowest, cheapest auto on you instead of giving you a fully capable auto that could be most helpful to you. They were more concerned with their profit than your care.

You will be able to at least see your AHI data with the screen on the machine or the software, and that will at least tell you if the machine is working for you or not. It may be that you have simply grown used to the pressure and that's why you don't really notice it anymore, but it's a good idea to ask the DME to check it in case it is a problem.

How do we know if our machine has 'bi level' capability?

lizzymay wrote:Also I feel more depressed now since starting to use the cpap. That may be because I had such high hopes it would work and it hasn't been working for me.

I too had high hopes...I expected to be feeling completely better the morning after I started. Obviously that didn't happen and that's when I joined this forum, and obviously why you're joining as well.

You're on the right track by getting this therapy and in the right direction by posting here, so really there's no need to add depression to the difficulties you're already having. You're in the right place and you'll be able to work through it, there's a lot of folks here with a ton of great knowledge. So, just hang in there and look forward toward getting things right, and you will.