New to CPAP

Panchali wrote:Installed Sleepyhead. I only have a frew boxes that show up, nothing like what's posted on this website. All the lines are straight except usages which is all over the place. Everything looks perfect according to it.

So the machine is getting unplugged and in September or October when the weather changes I'll give it another go. I've had enough of air in my face, mask blowing apart, headaches, and the other complaints I came here to get solved. It's something different every night. And I tried one of those mask liners. It was terrible. Didn't even make 5 min on the machine

For all the people on this forum I guess I expected more suggestions and support.Thank you to those who took the time to answer me with help and support. I suppose this is all my own fault for not buying right away and using a trial machine. All these issues started when I got the new machine because the monthly trial was AMAZING!

I'll be closing my account now as I did not find the answers I needed to continue. Best of luck to everyone in their sleep.

Panchali, please don't throw in the towel just yet. I can sense your frustration, but people here are trying to help you, so try to be patient. I know you're disappointed because the machine you purchased has not provided the wonderful results you had from your trial machine. Your S9 Elite is an outstanding CPAP machine, but you need to just work with it a bit.

Since your mask is giving you fits right now, and since changing masks is a relatively inexpensive adjustment (compared to a new machine), why not try a different mask? I use an Opus 360 nasal pillow mask, and I love it. It's very lightweight and unobtrusive (as xPAP masks go). It was suggested to me by Cherylgirl, and she was spot on for selecting a mask that works well for my situation. I move from side to side while sleeping, and the mask swivels without coming off. The nasal pillows are also very comfortable. As a result, I have very few leaks.

As Pugsy mentioned, your dry mouth is probably being caused by you breathing through your mouth while sleeping, and this is probably circumventing your therapy to a certain extent as well. Therefore, you probably need a chin strap. I use one, a cheap Sunset model that fastens with Velcro, and it works just fine for me. I put it on first, and then my mask.

As for your settings, mine are somewhat similar to yours. I have my S9 humidifier set to 80ºF, but my EPR is set to 3.5. My S9 is in CPAP mode, and my pressure is set to 13 cm. I have the ramp set for 15 minutes. I live in the humid Hotlanta area, and this configuration is working well for me. I have experienced no rainouts, and last night I slept for 8.5 hours straight with an AHI of 5. This is coming from a guy who was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea (AHI=64) and who NEVER slept that long prior to CPAP therapy. I was lucky to get four hours of sleep, and it wasn't good, uninterrupted sleep. You can probably get similar or better results yourself. JUST DON'T GIVE UP !!

Since you know that your CPAP therapy was working for you for that trail month, for the sake of your health, stick with it. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Also, be patient with those who are tying to help you. If your post gets buried, bump it to the top of the list, or ask again. Sometimes the timing of your post has everything to do with the number of useful responses you receive, especially since none of us control who is online and who is in the mood or position to reply.

The bottom line: DON'T GIVE UP !! YOU CAN DO THIS !!

I'm in your corner, and so are a lot of other people. Let's do this together.

Bruce

Panchali wrote:Installed Sleepyhead. I only have a frew boxes that show up, nothing like what's posted on this website. All the lines are straight except usages which is all over the place. Everything looks perfect according to it.

You may need to go into the clinician's menu and change "Sleep Quality" to "on." Sometimes an idiot DME will set it to "off."

Panchali wrote:So the machine is getting unplugged and in September or October when the weather changes I'll give it another go. I've had enough of air in my face, mask blowing apart, headaches, and the other complaints I came here to get solved. It's something different every night. And I tried one of those mask liners. It was terrible. Didn't even make 5 min on the machine

For all the people on this forum I guess I expected more suggestions and support.Thank you to those who took the time to answer me with help and support. I suppose this is all my own fault for not buying right away and using a trial machine. All these issues started when I got the new machine because the monthly trial was AMAZING!

I'll be closing my account now as I did not find the answers I needed to continue. Best of luck to everyone in their sleep.

Sorry we wasted a whole week of your time trying to help you save your life.

Panchali wrote:Well after 2 hrs I'm awake again and searching for more answers. This time I woke up unable to breath or swallow because my mouth was open and dry. I had to get out of bed for water.
...
I think I'm about to put it all back in the beatiful travel case and cut my losses.

Hi Panchali,

You are welcome to put your machine away and try again in a few months if you wish. It's your body, and your call. But it's not going to get easier then, and you'll still have to adjust. Or you could persevere and keep solving problems now, and enjoy the extra few months of health and good sleep sooner. You know what it's like when it works, and that makes you luckier than many who are first starting out.

Either way, I'm going to give some suggestions. Even if you've decided to throw in the towel, maybe they can help someone else.

If you wake up with an open/dry mouth, your therapy is not working. At the hospital where I got my sleep study, they start all patients with nasal pillows AND a chin strap (unless you specifically request otherwise). Nasal pillows because they are so light and comfortable, and the chin strap because until proven otherwise, they assume you will open your mouth at night. I am madly in love with my equipment right now, and sleeping fantastically. It took me MONTHS to get here.

So, here we go:

1.) You need a chinstrap. I suggest the "deluxe" one that cpap.com sells, but you can also buy them on amazon.com. They're cheap. This will probably help a great deal.
2.) Your cushion is probably in need of replacement. Noise and leaks are a sure sign. New cushions can be found online at cpap.com and ebay. They are also not expensive, but they're the single most important part of this therapy.
3.) In the meantime, boiling cushions sometimes "revives" them for a bit. Search this forum for instructions. The important point is to use distilled water!
4.) If Sleepyhead shows straight lines, it probably does not actually have data. I don't understand what you mean by Sleepyhead says "everything is perfect." If you can post a screenshot of what it shows, we can help. I suspect the person who posted above about some of your data collection being disabled is correct.
5.) I think you should try a new mask, probably nasal pillows. I suggest Swift FX/Bella or Aloha. Someone might have one they're willing to loan or sell you for cheap (or give to you), just say the word. This kind of mask does not have the same leak challenges as a nasal or full face mask. Lots of people love their nasal/ff masks, but for people who are driven crazy by leaks, they can be very frustrating.

Good luck, and all the best.

Panchali, I tried to respond to your PM, but the reply feature is turned off in your account. Anyway, glad to see that you're going to keep at it with your CPAP therapy. Good for you! If I can be of any help, please let me know. Take care.

I just now noticed that the machine shown in the profile is the S9 Escape.
Where did we get it that OP was using an ELite? Maybe that was the month long trial machine or something.
Anyhow if she comes back the S9 Escape doesn't offer any data other than hours of use and that is why SleepyHead only showed usage.