RE: Hate my CPAP!
You are still adapting to the therapy, and for some of us, it takes longer than others. I think you may add 1-cm to your minimum pressure, but you should feel free to stay with current settings for a week before making any changes. Be assured at least half of the events you experienced last night will just go away on their own as you adapt. Dizziness may be the need to adapt to the higher pressure (inner ear), or just a bit of over-ventilation. Again, I would avoid changes and see if this is a continuing problem or not. Limiting maximum pressure to 11.0 may also be acceptable.
As you first go to bed, I notice you are using ramp, and this is causing you to breath deeply until the pressure catches up to your needs. Look at your flow chart and how large in amplitude the breathing is. I would increase the minimum ramp pressure so you are more comfortable and get the air you need as you first go to bed.
RE: Hate my CPAP!
I ramped because the pressure at 7 felt too hard to breathe against while I was still awake. Could I maybe just shorten the ramp time from 20 minutes to 5 minutes?
RE: Hate my CPAP!
Sure! A shorter ramp should help, but you could simply increase the minimum from 4 to 5 or 6 cm. It doesn't have to be full minimum pressure, just use what is comfortable and tolerable, and for the time you feel you need.
RE: Hate my CPAP!
Sleeprider: What about the Aflex setting? Might that be inducing some CAs?
RE: Hate my CPAP!
Individual response to A-Flex is really unpredictable. Some people, we really see better results without it, and in others it doesn't seem to make much difference. I actually think what is being marked as CA here, could be more obstructive. We would have to look closer at the flow rate line to pin it down. I rarely hesitate to ask for A-Flex or EPR to be turned off or down to eliminate it as a possibility. We have seen some people clear up events of all kinds remarkably by doing that. We have also had some try straight CPAP pressure to calm things down...in this case that would be 9.5-10.0. It's trial and error, and hopefully we find something that works and is comfortable.
RE: Hate my CPAP!
Ok, I don't know all the lingo. CA? Is that clear airway? I thought that was a good thing?
RE: Hate my CPAP!
Having a clear airway is good but having a clear airway event means that you stopped breathing for 10 or more seconds even though your airway was clear. it is just a different type of apnea and requires a different treatment. A few clear airway events or central apneas is nothing to be concerned about and CA events are no more alarming than OA events-just different.
Best Regards,
PaytonA
RE: Hate my CPAP!
Central apnea? That's where my brain doesn't tell my lungs to breathe, right? Oh great. Now I'm going to panic every time I go to sleep, because I know that happens when I'm awake too, but I notice and consciously take a breath. When I'm asleep I can't make myself do it.
RE: Hate my CPAP!
Don't panic; you will breathe again, and the recovery from a central is gentler than the gasping jolt from an obstructive.
And best of all, your machine will tell you what happened so that you can take corrective action.
RE: Hate my CPAP!
I struggled for a year or more. Because I was a mount breather, I was never given the option for a pillows mask. However, full-face masks never fit. I finally went to an ultra-light P10 and a piece of medical tape placed vertically to keep my mouth shut each night. That certainly worked more for me.
Regarding settings, I'm not sure many people are getting by with 5 or even 7 as any kind of inhale pressure. That's generalizing of course. As everyone has been saying, the data is everything. If you're feeling really tired during the day, something isn't working well either with pressure or air escaping.
Lastly, I hope you're being careful about alcohol use and not overdoing it on caffeine each day in an effort to survive the day. Try not to eat a lot within a few hours of bedtime -- of the wrong foods anyway.