Advice appreciated

[SarcasticDave94]

Great news, and sincere congraats oon success. Seems like it may have aarrived just in time for the holidays. May the breathing continue well. And an also sincere wish for great safe holidays with family.

[martyedb]

thank you, Dave, and I wish the same for all of you.

[SarcasticDave94]

sorry for the typos, apparently the keyboard has mind of its own...

[martyedb]

I can make typos, too.      My parents used to say,   " let's not let perfection get in the way of progress."

[martyedb]

Happy Christmas to everyone.!
A small update on my new Kingsbridge chin strap...I have used it now four nights...   still some clusters of OAs.     AHIs vary from  1 to 4.       Well, I did change to a looser sleep shirt and decreased tennis balls from 6   down to two.    So, I will add  four tennis balls back.    
My new SCCs   ...the two new ones that I ordered,   have still not arrived.   
The Kingsbridge chin strap is a unique design.    It's more like a snug cap,with two wide strips to go under the chin.     We had thought that a snug cap might work better than my resmed headgear, for holding the masks snugly and decreasing leaks.     We wonder if more straps,    more adjustments,   on the headgear might work better .     Or wider straps.       
Or--  more sizes.    

I've had this CPAP machine since I started therapy about three years ago.     I still use a size medium resmed    full face mask.     I have used an  Air Touch now,  with a Small  headgear, for most of  these three years.    The fit was never great.   I needed a size  medium  WIDE mask.     (My face is  not that weird,--but masks do not seem to come in this size.   )      For awhile, my strong husband was stretching my masks to make  them wider at my mouth.    This is not advised, of course, but it helped, when it worked.   Heating mask in oven to make it somewhat stretchable...is not advised.        And  I have lost more than twenty pounds since I started,  actually since April,   but the same kind of mask still works best of the ones I have tried.      I am again using a stretched wider resmed full face size medium Air Touch mask.

So, I am still not new to CPAP,   but still working ...slowly...toward EMPOWERMENT.   

No comments expected.     Enjoy your day!   

[martyedb]

So I've been using the Kingsbridge chin strap each night. I usually still get some clusters of OAs--two to four clusters/night, maybe. Do people usually wear this chin strap under or over a full-face mask? The first night I wore it under the mask, but I had leaks. So since then I have worn it over the mask. Fewer leaks.
We ordered cushions for my headgear straps from Pad-a-Cheek co. They arrived fast! And the strap marks on my face are much less! (Maybe they can figure out a way to put these cushions under the mask, too). I needed to readjust the straps, too, make the headgear bigger, and then the adjustment part is inside the padded tubing. I can still readjust, of course, it's just another step, or four more steps.
I feel a little anxious when I get all these accessories on my head and neck.
The tennis balls on my back are a little distracting, too.
We are still waiting for the larger soft cervical collars. I hope that eventually I will not need all these extra items.

In the meantime, breathing is still good.

I just now saw that the replies to my first post here went into my junk mailbox, sorry about that.

Thank you-thank you-thank you all for the welcome and the helpful advice !

There's nothing like having people to commiserate with who walk in your shoes, right?

Most of your advice zipped over my head, I don't see any SD card with the stuff the RT gave me, I do get a wireless report emailed to me each morning, so far my SLEEP SCORE hasn't been lower than 97, the number of episodes has been staying within a range of < 3 per hr. down from 34 per hr., there have been virtually no air leaks, but whether or not I'm having more REM sleep is unknown.

The RT told me yesterday to give it the full 90 days of the evaluation period, I still have been waking up feeling unrefreshed and by late morning I'm running on fumes, sad to say that naps aren't easy to come by for me, not sure why?

I have redness and skin irritation on the bridge of my nose from my face mask, it's not very comfortable, the RT told me to try a band-aid and antibiotic ointment since the skin actually is broken, doing that caused air leaks, I might need a different mask?

Once again, thanks for the friendly welcome ! Aloha ! ( I lived in Hawaii for a while ).

[martyedb]

I don't know how the above was referenced. There are still many things that I don't know about the forum as well as the sleep apnea.

[Sleeprider]

The post above was quoted by you from this location http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...#pid203712 You always have the option to deselect a quoted post.

Good luck with the SCC. I hope you get to play tennis or fetch with your tennis balls.

[SarcasticDave94]

I think the Knightsbridge goes on after mask. I have yet to get/use one. Need to wait on machine. But mask on then Dual Band seems to make sense. Doesn't matter what I think, whichever way gives you better results, run with it.

[martyedb]

You all are so right on all these things.

MyAir Resmed  reports  COMPLIANCE,    not how well I am doing.    My score last night was  100!    My dr. would think I am doing well.   AHI   6.1   (OK--not so great.)   More than 9 hours use...   used all night.      But I had  MANY   OAs,   in just a few clusters.        The longest OA was  67 seconds.     I can't even hold my  breath that long.   


For last night I even tried increasing EPAP and IPAP.    It didn't help,   since these OA s   are positional...in clusters.     

I am still using my  two inch corflex  SCC and  Knightsbridge chinstrap.     Actually, these are comfortable.      I slept.     Still using six tennis balls on my back.     

One of the new, larger  soft cervical collars came yesterday.     3 1/2 inch height.    It's big.    I  will trim off some  and try that for tonight, if the smaller one doesn't come today.   They were ordered at the same time, but  were shipped in separate packages.     

I think that I am understanding much of what you have been telling me.    I will continue with the journey.   

Thank you for  the suggestions and information for me and everyone else.    I am trying to learn some from the challenges of others.