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I vividly remember that first night. After struggling with undiagnosed apnea I was eager for something...anything to relieve me of fatigue, headaches, interrupted sleep, and foggy brain. I welcomed the possibilities that this therapy might provide.
I hope, as uncertain as you feel right now, that you will remain positive that cpap/APAP is the best step forward. It is a journey with a steep learning curve and lots of mask trials LOL
Welcome to apneaboard! There are so many here that understand your journey. You can do this!
Thanks. So far to be a fairly pleasant experience. Havent had problems breathing and the hose is long enough that I can roll over freely. Im a side sleeper and the mask is comfortable.
Ill download sleepyhead in the morning and try to figure out how to post my results.
My friend gave me the best possible advice: breathe with the machine, not against it. So when there are times that I am struggling, I do that. And I always give myself a few minutes to quiet down a slow my breathing before putting my mask on..
Well my first night was refreshing! I slept with the mask on all night.
Initially the air felt excessive, I figured out about 1am that that was due to my mask not sealing...rookie mistake. I used the mask seal function and adjusted my straps for a more snug fit. After doing this the air from the machone really quieted down and it was much more pleasant.
About 4am I increased the humidity level from 2 to 3 as I was feeling a little dried out. I will likely increase that to 4 tonight, as I woke up still feeling a little dry.
I will download Sleepyhead on my laptop in a little while and post some numbers.
(03-31-2019, 09:53 PM)ramphil2019 . - Wrote: I don't know how this will help, but here's what I did the first time I met my sleep doctor:
1. I pretended not to know anything about sleep apnea. So I asked her. She explained this and the CPAP treatment in detail, like I was six years old.
2. I didn't tell her I already bought a CPAP machine. I got the result of my sleep study before I met her, then shopped and bought a Resmed Airsense 10.
3. I asked which is better, a manual CPAP or an auto-CPAP. She preferred for me the Auto-CPAP and she listed the potential suppliers.
4. Only then did I tell her I already had one. She approved of my choice which was a Resmed Airsense 10.
3. Then I surprised her (mildly, I think) with a summary of Sleepyhead for a week's worth of data on paper.
4. She pointed out that the initial results were good and that I should continue faithfully.
5. Then she said that I should lose weight and exercise, since there is a possibility of pressure increasing if my weight would also increase.
6. She advised that the CPAP treatment should not be an excuse to be complacent, given the newfound benefits it provides.
7. I asked when is my next appointment and she said in 6 months time.
8. I asked if there were any food or activities that would "contra-indicate" with the CPAP treatment. She said, don't smoke and or drink too much. Good diet and exercise.
I realized later I was being a dick. But she was a pro, with lots of capital letter initials after her name, so it was good.
Good luck!
May I ask Ramphil2019 where/how you purchased the Resmed Airsense 10 ? Did you need a RX?
These are my results from my first 3 nights on CPAP. Any advice on settings I may want to change? I believe I have my Large Leaks problem fixed...but my Clear Airways number is still high.
This looks quite good for the starting therapy. At 8-16 with EPR 2, you have very low obstructive rates of less than 1 per hour, and intermittent flow limitation. The CA event rate is reasonable, and expected for someone just starting therapy. These are most likely sleep disruptions, change of position, etc. and are likely all around the minimum 10 seconds in duration to be flagged. They are not a concern. You learned to control leaks after the first night, and further improved the second and third nights.
At this point, there is nothing I would change. You don't need the full range of pressure, and your 95% maximum pressure is around 12 cm. So the machine is responding appropriately to events and your median pressure is within 1-cm of your minimum pressure setting. Looks great, and the CA events will diminish in time.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
If you mouth breathe your mouth will probably dry out no matter how high you turn up the humidity. You might get rain out if you turn it up to high. If you get rain out you can raise the hose above your head or you can gat a heated hose.