I'm getting headaches

[Stu486]

Hello,

I've had my CPAP machine for almost 5 years, I have to wait another 3 months before I can get another one so my insurance will pay for it.

The therapist I was seeing left her job and the replacements where not helping me at all so I changed companies.  I went to the company with my dreamstation, the girl I saw wasn't sure what was going on with my machine so she went so see a more experienced therapist and that one reset my machine to the proper prescription and told me to try it for a week and then go seem again.  Things went very well for that week.  The issue is once I went back to see them, the girl I had an appointment with came to the waiting room, asked me for my data card from my machine and said she would call me in her office in a few minutes.

She called me in her office a while later, showed me my results for the week and said everything was fine.  She said there was this tandem thing they could do that would cost over $300 and I really should think about doing this as there would be a therapist following me for 2 or 3 weeks and would make sure my machine was working properly and I was getting good results.  I said I would think about it.

The thing is, when I got home the first night I tried it I woke up with a headache the next morning.  Like a pressure at the top of my head, I didn't think anything of it because I never get headaches and figured it would go away but the next morning when I woke up the headache was even worse.  I woke up during that night and I had a bad headache but managed to fall back to sleep and the next morning I new I would not be able to use that machine for another night. 

I called them back and it took 2 week to get another appointment.  I saw the girl who had reset my machine and explained to her what had happened and asked her to reset my machine like she had done before.  She did and I went back home and tried it again but I'm still getting headaches.

I called my doctor and I'm waiting for a scan but in the meantime I have to be able to use this machine so I'm hoping someone can help me with this.  I'm sure the scan is not going to show anything anyway. I also tried to rinse with Hydrasense for 3 days.  The first day I rinsed 4 times a day but that was a little much so I rinsed 3 times a day for the other 2 days and that didn't help.

The thing is, they're charging me over 80$ every time I go see them.

I have OSCAR 1.3.1 installed with all my data on it but I don't know what info you would need.

I'm aslo going to find an oximeter today to see what my oxigen levels are at night.

Thank you.

[OpalRose]

Stu486,
If you post a couple charts of the daily page in OSCAR, someone will gladly take a look and see what's going on with your therapy.  

Use the link in my signature line to help guide you on setting up and Organizing a chart. Post it here by using the Attachment Feature.
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...ganization

Also, it's a good idea to get a "recording" overnight oximeter, one that is compatible with OSCAR.   Many things can cause headaches, but at least rule out low oxygen levels.

One more thing... when you are ready to replace your Cpap, request the
ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet.  

http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...d_machines

[Crimson Nape]

Hi Stu486!  -  
Posting an OSCAR screenshot  -  Since you are not using an ASV or Bi-Level  CPAP, use the default Standard graph layout on the Daily screen.   The graphs are set in the order of importance, so there is no need to change their location.  To capture a screenshot in OSCAR, use the F12 key (on a Mac, Fn+F12).  Please see the links in my signature for additional information.

Headaches  -  I see you have a P10 listed.  The micropore exhaust mesh can become clogged in the presence of excessive humidity.  This is the Achilles heel of the P10.  Clogging the mesh will cause you to rebreathe your CO₂, which could be your problem.  One member here reported having a major problem with this.  If I remember correctly, she used either a sewing needle or a dental probe to enlarge some areas of the mesh.   This solved her problem.

Here is a link to a thread based on your problem:  ALERT regarding possible re-breathing issues with Resmed Airfit P10

Good luck!
- Red

[Gideon]

Welcome to the forum.

Please post 3 screenshots.
1. The current daily, assuming you have not changed the order
2. The daily they changed you to
3. The daily prior to them changing your settings
An oximeter is a good idea, one that will import into OSCAR
The order is
Events
Pressure
Leaks
Snore

Be sure to include the left sidebar without the calendar and without the piechart

[Stu486]

Hello,

First, thank you for the tip re. the ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet, I'll get that one.

If you could recommend a good Oximeter it would be appreciated, I went looking for one today and couldn't find one, I'm thinking I'll have to order it on-line.

I read the post regarding possible re-breathing issues with Resmed Airfit P10 and never really had that problem. I can feel the air coming out when I'm breathing so the vents are working. Even when I wake up in the night I fell it.

I think it's also worth nothing that this all started the day after I came back from the 2nd appointment with the new company.  I've that his machine for almost 5 years and didn't have problems this serious.

I was wondering if there's a way to reset this whole machine, the modem and the SD card.  I bought a spare SD card and copied the info to myy computer but haven't done anything yet.

Also, is there a log I can check to see when the modem was last accessed?

I've added the following screen shots.
Current Daily April 16, 2022
Daily they changed me to March 16, 2022
Daily prior to them changing my settings February 1, 2022

Thanks for all your help, it's appreciated.

[Gideon]

Stu,
2 of the 3 charts show obvious signs of a form of positional apnea. Because your charts are basically a month apart I cannot tell how consistent it is.
How often do you see clusters of obstructive events such as those at 01:30 16 Apr? Every day? No amount of pressure will fix these. Typically this is an indication that you are tucking your chin in toward your chest. This is a fairly common problem. The fix is to keep your neck fairly straight at night.
What is your pillow situation? Try 1 instead of 2 pillows, try a less firm pillow, a flatter pillow. If this doesn't work a soft cervical collar usually works, Read about it in the wiki (link in my signature)

Try Flex = 2. many have issues with Flex at 3.

Look at the bottom of the statistics page, that records setting changes. Post a copy of that here.

[Stu486]

Gideon,

I checked and see what you're referring to at 01:30 on 16 Apr.  I noticed that I often wind up sliding lower in my bed to the point where my head is no longer on my pillow which is above my head as opposed to my head being on it so I'll make sure to position myself so my neck is straighter.

I'll change to Flex 2 but as far as I know the setting has always been flex 3.

Does the heat and the humidity setting matter in this case?

I attached a screen shot of the statistics page.

I'm really thinking of resetting this whole system if it's possible.  Would that be something worth trying?

Thanks

[Gideon]

Flex 2, is a judgment call based on the experience of many other PR device users. See if you like it better, if so keep it, if not set it back to 3.
Heat and humidity are comfort features and are very personal. They influence apnea numbers by keeping you comfortable. The needs do vary by season and location (is it a humid location?)

No point in resetting the whole system.
I would like you to set your min = 8 as you in 2017/2018 had great success with that. Yes, it was a long ago time.

[Stu486]

I'll try Flex 2 and set Min to 8.  I will have to wait until tomorrow night or maybe the day after because I usually have to wait 3 or 4 day's for my headache to go away.

Thanks.

[DaveL]

Good to see you posting Stu486

The people helping you are incredible.

I'm Canadian too. Just west of Pearson airport....It took me a long while to get a reasonable sleep doc. And I found a DME supplier who helps a lot though their masks are expensive.

You're in good hands!