Just wanted to do a quick introduction and give you a background on how I got to where I am at in this new journey.
I have been reviewing a lot of information on this forum over the last few weeks and am so glad I landed here. Some great information and much more help that I had received from my sleep study center.
I was diagnosed with moderate apnea after a home study (insurance would not approve in lab). Without going into a lot of details, I did do an in lab titration test in early August. It seemed very rushed, very little explanation and was told at the end, "your pressure is 9, remember it and we will call you when you come pick up your cpap machine." They also said, that I should consider doing a test every 3 years or if my weight changed up or down by more than 10%. So I could tell right away, there was not going to be very much follow up. I know my ENT dr will follow up with me and is the one who sent me for the study, so may not be an issue, but still did not have a warm fuzzy feeling about the place.
I am a conscientious shopper, have a technical background and am a metrics geek. I could tell this relationship with them was not off on the the right start
Fast forward about two weeks, I get a call from them saying they have contacted my insurance and that I needed to schedule a time to come get the machine. I had already done some homework and knew that due to my high deductible and thankfully and hopefully will not come close to hitting this year, that I would be paying completely out of pocket for the cpap machine.
I arrived at the DME/sleep center to pick up a machine and am presented with the "brick" that they had selected for me. No questions about what I wanted, did I travel a lot (I do), what type of mask I would prefer (they had the same painful nasal mask that I used for the titration test). Once I started asking questions about other machines, I got the "they cost so much more", "insurance may not cover it" etc. Thankfully, my gut feeling took over, I politely said, no thanks before signing or agreeing to anything and left.
That same night, I found this site and began my education. I contacted my ENT dr who referred me to the sleep study and got a copy of my CPAP prescription and I ended up purchasing a ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet from one of the listed vendors for substantially less than the DME was going to charge me for the "brick" (with great insurance discount... right). I am using nasal pillows and did get a full mask for the times I may need it.
After reading a lot on this forum and a couple weeks of trial I am beginning to settle in to things. I am able to wear it all night and getting what I think is better sleep and hopefully on the right path. For the time being, I have settled on the following settings to see how they work longer term. My prescription pressure was 9 (although I am not too confident on that number based on how the titration study was done). My current settings are APAP mode, pressure 8 - 12, EPAP 3, no ramp and humidity at 4. I have tried ramp settings at various levels, but always had the feeling that I was not getting enough air. So turned it off and it seems better.
My main issue other than finding a good way to sleep on my side, is the first 5 - 10 minutes of start up. I have a hard time getting to a relaxed breathing pattern. Keep feeling like it is hard to breath. But only lasts a few minutes. I used to be a diver, so not an issue with having something on my face
Anyway, I have posted my charts below from last night and would welcome any feedback, tips, etc.
This is an awesome resource and I thank you in advance for setting it up.
George