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New member, mask issues
#11
RE: New member, mask issues
Setting min Pressure = 7 will help with your flow limits. I would want to see those results before further changes are made.
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#12
RE: New member, mask issues
(07-21-2021, 05:31 PM)staceyburke Wrote: Your low pressure is the inhale pressure. 4 is the absolute lowest the machine can go. That is ok for a child but an adult needs more air. That may be the reason you took your mask off. 

4 would be like breathing through a straw. I need at least 9 or I’m pulling of my mask to get enough air. If your mask fits correctly, the min is all you can inhale. 

I would suggest 7 min. I think you will be much more comfortable.

As soon as I read this I realized that a few times I'd woken up feeling like I couldn't breathe. I will raise the pressure to 7. Thank you!

Archer--Yes, I am using the "for her" mask with the size small nasal pillows. As I bump my pressure up, it sounds like I might have to change that. Thank you for your help!
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#13
RE: New member, mask issues
Ok, bumped my pressure up to 7, and had the worst night since starting cpap.

Issues:  1. Woke up with condensation on my nose and mouth (I did not change the humidity)
            2. Severe dry mouth throughout the night
            3. Woke up often, often because my nose was so itchy. I have severe allergies and use flonase and loratadine daily. I think the pillows aggravate my allergies.


I've attached the Oscar data and would appreciate it if someone could take a look.
Thanks in advance.

   
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#14
RE: New member, mask issues
Let's see if my suggestion helps any. First things first though.

On OSCAR, let's redo the chart please. From the top down, try these 5: Events, Flow Rate, Pressure, Leaks, Flow Limit. There should also be an OSCAR setting that resets the charts to a more Standard view. I'm out of practice on OSCAR since my therapy is on hold, so please wait while others chip in on guidance.

My signature link "Standard OSCAR Chart Order" might assist as well.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#15
RE: New member, mask issues
I'd scrolled down and forgot to scroll back up before f12  Oops

When I went back to get another screen shot, I tried to resize the chart heights and messed it up completely. Can someone help me fix it?


   


It's dangerous to do computer work with a sleep deprived brain.
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#16
RE: New member, mask issues
Nvm, I figured it out, I'd zoomed way in. Here is the Oscar data for last night.

   


Thanks!
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#17
RE: New member, mask issues
(07-22-2021, 03:15 PM)Needsleepasap Wrote: Issues:  1. Woke up with condensation on my nose and mouth (I did not change the humidity)
            2. Severe dry mouth throughout the night
            3. Woke up often, often because my nose was so itchy. I have severe allergies and use flonase and loratadine daily. I think the pillows aggravate my allergies.

I'll let the experts talk about the Oscar data, but I do want to chime in on the three issues, since I had some challenges like that at the beginning, too.

Issues 1 and 2 are probably related.  You're probably opening your mouth and the humidified air is exiting, leaving behind condensation on your face, but causing your mouth to dry out horribly.  I solved that problem with a little mouth tape.  Others use a chin strap.  Some people say they've been able to train their tongue to close the flow at the roof of their mouth so the air doesn't come out even if their mouth opens...I'm not that skilled, so I resort to the tape.

Issue 3 - I would give it a couple more days to sort out the strap tightness and adjust to the higher pressure.  My husband is now very jealous of me in the morning - he wakes up with severe allergies every morning and I wake up happy as a clam because I was breathing filtered, humidified air all night long and the allergens didn't have a chance to work on me.  It wasn't that way at the beginning because I was still chafing my nose with the "for her" strap, but once I got the right combination of mask hardware, my mornings were very comfortable.

I did want to add another comment about the nasal pillows.  I have always thought that I had a large nose (I do, for a woman), but it turns out that I only need a small size pillow.  My nostril openings are way smaller than I realized, and the medium pillows would balloon out and leak outside my nose.  I figured it out when I watched a youtube video by LankyLefty.  He got waaaaaay too close to the camera  Unsure and showed that the pillow holes need to be just slightly smaller than your nostril openings, but they absolutely can't be larger.  That was the eureka moment for me.  I ran into the bathroom and got waaay too close to the mirror myself, and figured out which size I really needed.
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#18
RE: New member, mask issues
Good pointers from ArcherNeedsSleep

This may address the high maximum leak rate. The overall leak rate may not be that high, however. I think there's an edit to the leak rate chart Y axis that may redo this chart segment to be easier seen. Also consider adding a red line at 24 L/min on your leak graph as that literally represents ResMed's leak redline. Above that 24, I consider leaks severe.

You might need a bit more min pressure to combat the Obstructive events, but it could increase CA/Centrals. How do you feel after those sessions? Be critical in that answer, no generic "I'm ok".
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#19
RE: New member, mask issues
Archer--Thanks for all the great info. I think I will need some mouth tape because I had dry mouth again last night. I spent the evening watching leftylanky videos  Bug-eyed
I never did find the specific video you talked about, but decided to try the extra small nasal pillows. During the night I felt like it was working better, but I think my Oscar data doesn't agree. I can see that this is going to be complicated (and expensive!) to figure out.


At 7 a.m. I was woken up by the strong pressure in my nose. Even though I was awake, the pressure would not go down. It made my nasal passage burn. I had to turn the machine off and back on to get the pressure to go back down to 7. What causes that to happen?

Dave--I think I've fixed my Oscar graph , let me know if I didn't do it right. As far as how I'm feeling, I definitely don't feel ok. I wake up not feeling rested and I'm tired throughout the day. Thanks so much for your help.


   
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#20
RE: New member, mask issues
(07-23-2021, 03:45 PM)Needsleepasap Wrote: Archer--Thanks for all the great info. I think I will need some mouth tape because I had dry mouth again last night. I spent the evening watching leftylanky videos  Bug-eyed
I never did find the specific video you talked about, but decided to try the extra small nasal pillows. During the night I felt like it was working better, but I think my Oscar data doesn't agree. I can see that this is going to be complicated (and expensive!) to figure out.

At 7 a.m. I was woken up by the strong pressure in my nose. Even though I was awake, the pressure would not go down. It made my nasal passage burn. I had to turn the machine off and back on to get the pressure to go back down to 7. What causes that to happen?

The leaks with the flat tops all look like mouth leaks to me.  I think tape or a chin strap may be in your near future.  

The pressure may be spiking because of the mouth leaks - trying to overcome the loss of pressure.  I've also seen some comments that there are quirks with the autostart function, and you may want to turn it off if you're using it, just to see if that's the issue. 

For mouth tape, I use Cover Roll Stretch because it's really gentle on my skin and it doesn't fall off during the night.  If you search the forums for mouth tape, you'll probably find at least a dozen recommendations that you can look into as options.
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