Tried sleeping without CPAP-humorous

I've been using CPAP, now, for over 3 months. I have mild SDB: AHI = 9.5 in first sleep study. My current therapy is a constant 9 cm. I use a nasal pillow interface, either the Aura or the Breeze, lately the Breeze, almost exclusively. My Daily Report from Encore Pro reveals AHI's less then 1.0, usually around 0.5. Snore Index is nil.

I went for a sleep study after dw informed me that I was gasping while sleeping, and I always snored badly, we knew.

Two nights ago, I decided to sleep without CPAP. I go to bed an hour or so before dw and leave a closet light on so she can see to get to bed. When she came to bed, she said, "Honey, there's something wrong with your 'device'. You are snoring and gasping." She didn't note that I wasn't wearing the interface.

So, there you go. I was right back where I had been before starting CPAP. So, I just reached up; took the Breeze off the bed post; slipped it on; started breathing; and my REMstar Pro II caught on and started blowing.

DW said, "Oh, I didn't know you weren't wearing it. That's okay, You don't have to. It's okay." But, it's not that bad, so I said, "No, it's okay. I don't mind." I still got in 7 hours of CPAP.

Now, how's that for a nice little bedtime story?

Jerry

Jerry, This is great. This just confirms to us newbies why we NEED to be 100% compliant. I guess it helps to reconfirm to yourself what things were like pre cpap also huh?

Jerry,

I empathize. This morning over breakfast my dw asks when I am going to go back to the machine that keeps me breathing. Says she is back to getting no sleep because I am back to stopping breathing on these other machines

So tonight I have to abandon my other toys & revert to the PB330 knightstar (which I like a lot anyway).

The reason I had been trying the others was because I obtained an unbranded nasal pillows mask that seems to me to be the most brilliant design - all soft headgear - the nasal units is on a swivel so flexes - feels feather weight on my nose - soo easy to adjust - this is mask heaven - and I like it so much I don't want to give it up but it comes with its own 6ft tube & thus won't connect to the PB330 - well not unless I drill a hole in the machine end & add a pressure sensor line inside.

So tonight it is either drill the now favoured mask's tube or revert to the awful f/f mask.

The odd thing about this mask is that I have seen nothing like it from any known supplier. I am wondering if it was a prototype that got abandoned. It came with the Tranquility BiLevel I obtained. That machine came from NYC & only has 400 odd hours on it. But I have to say the design of the soft headgear and the nasal unit is outstanding. With my other nasal pillows interfaces they all have hard plastic parts that cause problems of one sort or another. None of them have the nose gear part on a swivel & this are a PITB if the headgear moves. This one flexes with head movement.

Cheers

DSM

dsm
Can we have a picture of this mask?

DSM,

Are you saying that the interface is great but the machine it connects to is no good?

If so, why is that? Just curious how a machine designed to maintain a certain pressure wouldn't be able to if the mask or hose is not leaking? If it can't, it doesn't qualify as an xPAP, as I see it.

Jerry

The headger has become my miracle mask - the machine my wife wants me to revert to is my (to date) fav xPAP (PB330 Knighstar BiLevel).

This headgear has its own attached 6ft tube plus it is the normal diameter & not a reduced diam like the Breeze etc:. It cannot be detached at the mask end but the pod that holds the nasal pillows (which look just like breeze pillows) is mounted on a swivel that joins it to the hose. I don't know why they did it with an integrated hose this way - one of the reasons I think it was a prototype.

The Knightstar (as with all PB machines) as a dual tube - a pressure sensor line inside the normal air tube. At the machine end there is a hole in the air tube out which comes the air sensor tube which has its other end up at the mask. This bit that exits from the main Air tube can then be attached to the little pressure nozzle on the machine adjacent to the normal air outlet.

So to use this wonderful new mask with the PB330 I have to modify its air tube - this would involve drilling a hole in the hose close to its mounting socket at the machine end. It is all hard plastic - no rubber. Removing an air sensor line from one of my spare PB hoses, inserting it into the new masks air hose & probably sealing the machine end with silicone sealant.

Summary: The new nasal pillows mask is now my 'gotta have' mask. The machine needed to keep dw happy is the PB330 - the mask is integrated with its own 6' tube & to fit the PB330 needs some irreversible modifications.


*********

On another note. While using this mask with the BiPap Pro2 it became clear to me that it emits far greater leaked air through its leak hole than the breeze. The breeze is about 27 l/s at 15 cms. My guess is this one is about 38 l/s at 15 cms (my Ultra Mirage f/f mask is about 45 l/s at 15 cms).

Last night I modified the leak hole so that it looked the same dia as the Breeze hole. Not sure of the effect yet. One reason I reverted to the BiPap Pro2 was in the hope I could work out the fixed leak rate of this new mask but because of the troubles I have been having re Bipap's date / lack of access to the detailed data extracted / unable to get My Encore working with a reinstalled Encore Pro etc: I have not succeeded in that quest.

This new mask does blast air out & I am sure it doesn't need such a large exit hole. What I am not certain of at this moment is if the relationship of the air exit hole on a particular pillows mask is linked to the diameter of the airtube itself. What I do know is that this new mask expels a lot more fixed leak air than the Breeze which is why I modified the exit hole (believing the Breeze got that part right & also to limit the air blast my wife might get in the night).

******

Re a photo of this mask - will try to do so this week.

Cheers

DSM

PS

I am assuming everyone knows that all masks come with a little chart the details the fixed leak rate at any given cms setting.

The fixed leak rate is on all masks and is there to expel sufficient co2 to balance what is breathed in. Breathe air needs a co2 component (else we start hyper ventilating).

All modern machines attempt to work out what the fixed leak rate is then allow for it. Most newer Remstars try to do this dynamically. Some like my PB330 & the Resmed machines, allow you to select a mask on their menu & this is so the machine can adjust its data to the corresponding known leak rate for that mask.

The Resmed and PB330 do this differently though - The PB330 has 6 settings each numbered 1-6 and the PB330 manual states what the corresponding leakrate is for each of the 1-6 selections. The leak rate varies according to cms setting so these charts are look up charts - pick your mask, get its fixed leak rate for your titrated cms, select a number from 1-6 that most closely matches your mask's fixed leak rate.

So on the PB330 I select 2 (the manual says this setting is for a mask that has a leak rate of 25 l/s at 15 cms and that matches a Breeze being the closest to the Breeze chart at 15cms (27 l/s). Setting 6 matches a mask that has a fixed leak rate of 54 l/s at 15 cms.

The Resmeds are simpler. They ask you to pick the name of the mask & have all the table data for fixed leak rates stored in memory (but only for Resmed brand masks). If anyone uses a non Resmed mask, then need to know which Resmed mask most closely matches the fixed leak rate of the non-Resmed mask & choose this Resmed one.

I fear this may be a convoluted write up but it is not a simple topic - I will try to perfect a simpler way of explaining it.

One further comment All masks have a fixed leak rate measured in litres / second. All mask *can* have a potential accidental leak rate. The fixed leak rate varies according to the pressure in the air tube (should be obvious). If the machine knows the fixed leak rate built in by the designer, it can accurately tell what the accidental leak rate is & either sound an alarm or record this as the leak data for download.

Cheers

DSM

DSM-guest wrote:
...On another note. While using this mask with the BiPap Pro2 it became clear to me that it emits far greater leaked air through its leak hole than the breeze. The breeze is about 27 l/s at 15 cms. My guess is this one is about 38 l/s at 15 cms (my Ultra Mirage f/f mask is about 45 l/s at 15 cms).

So the 'miracle' mask comes with a BiPap Pro 2? Who makes that machine?

BTW, the Breeze 'vent flow' is 28 liters per *minute* at 15 cm of water pressure, according to the Breeze manual.

Jerry

DSM-guest wrote:So to use this wonderful new mask with the PB330 I have to modify its air tube - this would involve drilling a hole in the hose close to its mounting socket at the machine end. It is all hard plastic - no rubber. Removing an air sensor line from one of my spare PB hoses, inserting it into the new masks air hose & probably sealing the machine end with silicone sealant.

...or maybe just one good piece of DUCK TAPE ???

Jerry69 wrote:
<snip>
So the 'miracle' mask comes with a BiPap Pro 2? Who makes that machine?

BTW, the Breeze 'vent flow' is 28 liters per *minute* at 15 cm of water pressure, according to the Breeze manual.
<snip>

Jerry,

Thanks for the correction - am away from my manuals & going by memory
It is as you say litres / minute.

Re miracle mask - I thought I had said it came with a Tranquility BiLevel from NYC. Not with the BiPap - I used the BiPap in the hope I could measure the leak rate of the new mask. (me calling it a new mask is a misnomer - it is not 'brand new' - it is only new in the sense it came into my possession.).

Cheers DSM

PS that write up on the fixed leak rate of masks was not one of my best - am getting a lot of interruptions while trying to write it & that has messed up the quality of the info.

Anonymous wrote:

Jerry69 wrote:
<snip>
So the 'miracle' mask comes with a BiPap Pro 2? Who makes that machine?

BTW, the Breeze 'vent flow' is 28 liters per *minute* at 15 cm of water pressure, according to the Breeze manual.
<snip>

Jerry,

Thanks for the correction - am away from my manuals & going by memory
It is as you say litres / minute.

Re miracle mask - I thought I had said it came with a Tranquility BiLevel from NYC. Not with the BiPap - I used the BiPap in the hope I could measure the leak rate of the new mask. (me calling it a new mask is a misnomer - it is not 'brand new' - it is only new in the sense it came into my possession.).

Cheers DSM

PS that write up on the fixed leak rate of masks was not one of my best - am getting a lot of interruptions while trying to write it & that has messed up the quality of the info.

DSM, "Good interruptions or bad interruptions?" Who was the TV-series character who always asked that: "Good something or bad something?"

So, this 'Tranquility BiLevel from NYC' doesn't work, huh? What's wrong with it? I did an Internet search for "Tranquility Bilevel" and found this:
http://www.cpapplus.com/Machines/BiPAP/ ... Level.html Is this your machine? This one is made by Respironics.

Jerry

Jerry,

Yes I have that Tranquility (actually I have 3 ...
Tranquility Quest (straight CPAP)
Tranquility BiLevel
Tranquility AUTO

Got them to add to my museum of xPAP.

Originally made by Healthdyne but they got swallowed up by Respironics.


Last night I modified my nasal pillows mask to work with my PB330 & so am back in harmony with dw who once again got her own decent night's sleep again (no more noisy (to her) Respironics BiPap Pro2 or Tranquility BiLevel).

The only criticism I have of the Tranquility models is that they are heavy & tend to be noisy.

When opened up, they are well designed & very state-of-the art. The BiLevel & AUTO have both pressure sensor tubes & flow sensor tubes - the problem is their fans - these are aluminium whereas all newer machines now have smaller plastic encased fans.

The motor & fan in the tranquility models look like they will last forever but are heavy.

Cheers

DSM

The latest respironics Web site for their BiPAP is http://bipap.respironics.com/

Fortunately, my HME just picked up a few new ones with the Bi-Flex technology that seems to be working very well for me (3 setting).

Thanks for the information on the mask leaks and CO2 venting. I had a basic knowledge of this information, but you guys clearly have been doing some late night reading

Thanks!

dsm wrote:the Tranquility models is that they are heavy & tend to be noisy.

Amen to that! The first CPAP I used was a big old borrowed Tranquility Quest. Had to use a tiny screwdriver to change the pressure (which I just guessed at! LOL! )

For all its noise, I was sooooo glad to feel rested when I woke up in the mornings. I still have it tucked away in a place of honor for having gotten me started on good treatment.

Well, actually it's in a box in a dark closet...kept for "just in case."