4 years with Cpap, still struggling
Re: 4 years with Cpap, still struggling
wow, it worked... here are the two other days...
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| Mask: Mirage Quattro™ Full Face CPAP Mask with Headgear |
| Additional Comments: Respironics RemStar Auto M Series wA/C Flex |
Re: 4 years with Cpap, still struggling
That's a lot of apneas and hypopneas ... no wonder you're not feeling well.
Did the RT suggest any changes?
How well did you tolerate the increase in pressure?
I can't look back far enough now ... did you try nasal pillows and/or a hybrid mask? With nasal pillows it's possible you won't breathe through your mouth once you get adequate pressure in the nose, but some people just can't get there. The thing is as long as your mouth is open you are likely to suffer aerophagia to one degree or another. If you can get your anatomy to keep your mouth closed it's less likely (but by no means impossible) that air will travel to your belly.
I suffer from a small amount of aerophagia despite not being a mouth breather, but I do think it's relatively small.
You said with aflex you feel the mask "bouncing" on your phase. That suggests to me that maybe the straps are a little too tight and thus there's a bigger difference between inhale and exhale pressure from the mask (vs from the machine). Of course mask tightness is the one area of xPAP therapy that is truly all art, no science!
Best of luck!
Did the RT suggest any changes?
How well did you tolerate the increase in pressure?
I can't look back far enough now ... did you try nasal pillows and/or a hybrid mask? With nasal pillows it's possible you won't breathe through your mouth once you get adequate pressure in the nose, but some people just can't get there. The thing is as long as your mouth is open you are likely to suffer aerophagia to one degree or another. If you can get your anatomy to keep your mouth closed it's less likely (but by no means impossible) that air will travel to your belly.
I suffer from a small amount of aerophagia despite not being a mouth breather, but I do think it's relatively small.
You said with aflex you feel the mask "bouncing" on your phase. That suggests to me that maybe the straps are a little too tight and thus there's a bigger difference between inhale and exhale pressure from the mask (vs from the machine). Of course mask tightness is the one area of xPAP therapy that is truly all art, no science!
Best of luck!
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Sleep loss is a terrible thing. People get grumpy, short-tempered, etc. That happens here even among the generally friendly. Try not to take it personally.
Re: 4 years with Cpap, still struggling
Thx for the feedback. I think the RT forgot to change anything after she checked the functioning of my machine ( which she said was Ok ...one good thing) although she agreed that I need an up in pressure. Kinda funny she forgot...or maybe she knew I was doing it myself. I have increased to 8-11 now for this week.
Not sure how to read these graphs etc, but it seems there are more Hypopnea than OA's..is that fair to say? I still am not clear on what a Hypopnea is. She mentioned something about "shallow breathing", but maybe it's a partial obstruction?
The first yeat I had the Swift pillow mask. Kinda a lost year. Pressure Rx after sleep study was 6-16. Mouth popped open every night and the dryout would wake me up. Tried a chin strap...swallowed air etc. Finally got a full face mask.
Does swallowing air go hand in hand with mouth opening during sleep? I am not a mouth breather by day, but my jaw opens after sleep sets in.
She also said I was a complicated case because of my PLM problem too.
Got a referral to see the sleep Dr again, but probably take several moths to get back in.
Not sure how to read these graphs etc, but it seems there are more Hypopnea than OA's..is that fair to say? I still am not clear on what a Hypopnea is. She mentioned something about "shallow breathing", but maybe it's a partial obstruction?
The first yeat I had the Swift pillow mask. Kinda a lost year. Pressure Rx after sleep study was 6-16. Mouth popped open every night and the dryout would wake me up. Tried a chin strap...swallowed air etc. Finally got a full face mask.
Does swallowing air go hand in hand with mouth opening during sleep? I am not a mouth breather by day, but my jaw opens after sleep sets in.
She also said I was a complicated case because of my PLM problem too.
Got a referral to see the sleep Dr again, but probably take several moths to get back in.
_________________
| Mask: Mirage Quattro™ Full Face CPAP Mask with Headgear |
| Additional Comments: Respironics RemStar Auto M Series wA/C Flex |