Oxygen level much too low during night. Another sleep study

My Doctor just called and told me that I would need to do another sleep study because while on the cpap machine, my oxygen levels are much too low during the night. He mentioned that I probably need to go on a bipap machine. I'm so upset. I finally felt like I was making progress after several weeks of stomach bloat. I was feeling good. Do you know...is there a huge difference between the 2 machines? Will I still be able to wear just the nose mask and not the full? Are they louder? Will I have to endure more pressure because of my oxygen levels? I was on a 15, but since the stomach bloat, he put me on a bi-level setting between 6 and 15. I thought I was doing great. Should I be scared. He said that my levels are not near as bad as before my first sleep study, but they still dip pretty low. The thought of psyching myself up to do another study is taking my breath away. Any thoughts?

Push for a bipap auto. I love mine I went from auto cpap to bipap auto. It is a much more comfortable machine. They are no more loud. The display is a bit more dramatic to watch on the machine. And they cost about twice as much if you were buying out of pocket. If you have good insurance it is a nice upgrade. It will help with your bloating issue since the pressure during exhale can be almost unnoticeable.

Yes, you can still wear your nose mask. Lots of people on the bilevel machines using them or the nasal pillow masks.

dlr0212 wrote:he put me on a bi-level setting between 6 and 15.

This really wasn't a bilevel setting on your current machine. Instead is it a minimum pressure of 6 starting out the night and going to 15 but that starting pressure of 6 probably wasn't doing the greatest of jobs of preventing the apnea events so they want to titrate you on a bilevel machine in hopes to find a combination of inhale and exhale pressures that will do a better job at preventing the apnea events and not cause so much discomfort for you.

if you could stand straight cpap at 15. i think you'll find bi-level much easier.