Newb Brisbane Hose Head

[BigWillyAus]

Hi, peoples willy from Brisbane.

Well I have just joined the Hose Heads as of last night and would just like to say hi and a bit of a ramble if your bored and want a read from a newb.

I guess in a way I am going to try and blog my journey and will probably need some help along the way and this looks like a good place to get it.

About a year ago I found a real Doctor the type that spends time with you (hot as well) and not just churning people out the door anyway cutting it short we told a few stories about snoring and picking up in our younger days and thus she decided to send me to a sleep clinic for testing.

Well like most, it was horrid little sleep etc but they managed to pull some data from a short period of sleep the report came in as:

• Moderate obstructive sleep apnea when lateral, severe in REM sleep causing SPO2 Saturations of 81%
  
• Absence of supine sleep is likely to have underestimated the severity of OSA
  
• Snoring
  

I have snored all my life since a kid, so bad I lost girlfriends and sure came close to shattering glass and knocking houses off their foundations.

I then had an overnight titration test it also was bloody terrible I tried a few different pillows bloody painful and a nose mask, also ended up with a blocked nose and on waking I thought walking out of the joint no way can I put up with this crap it was like they were trying to torture me and blow my brains out.

Next thing I got a letter saying they had sent a prescription to their favoured supplier as well as my doctor something I wasn't impressed about but anyway I guess that's how they get their kickbacks , about the same time I lost a family member so things all went on a back burner.

Anyway a year passed it was always in the back of my mind and I headed off to a Rugby League grand final in Sydney night before I was having chat to mate at his place and he told me he was on a cpap machine we talked about it at great length told him about the crap fight I thought it was and he said come in and put my nasal mask on then he turned on his unit and said lay down, wow I was impressed I laid there for 30 mins with this mask on I could turn my head without that bloody hose in the way and his phillips unit didnt feel like it was creating a vortex in my brain or blowing my head off he just said afterwards that I probably had had a bad experience and with the right gear I should be fine.

So after getting back for the last week I had been feeling crook bit of a virus that's going around coughing etc probably off the plane and terrible headaches Monday I was dropping into a butcher and noticed a Cpap place had set up shop a few doors down and decided to go in and have a look.

Now the guy is obviously a sales man running the shop but we had a bit of a chat he showed me the prices and units and differences and I was on my way I went into the butcher then came back and told him to set me an appointment for the following day and I would send in my results that I had.

So yesterday I went in with the wife and he spent about an hour and a half with us explaining my results what they meant what should change offered me a trial unit and I was like na we will just purchase right here now as if I trial it I may just walk away buying it will guilt me into using and trying harder I went with the Phillips but he said I could change to the Resmed in a week and trial that if I wanted but was sure I would be happy with the Phillips unit, in seven days I go back and will review it all and also try a full mask for another week just in case also showed me the Dream Mapper software and also said there was other software out on the net that will give me more info obviously sleepy head.

Whilst my prescription said a cpap I ended up going the Auto cost more and he didn't push it on me but I didn't want to keep adjusting etc or asking them to do so seems a pain in the ass I was also told by my mate with an Auto I shouldn't need to go in for titrations as much made life easier when he renewed his unit.

Anyway last night I set it up turned it on and after about 30mins I must it have fallen asleep woke about 1am had a drink and a pee but my nose was blocking so had some Otravin and that sorted it out for last night will have a play with the humidity and see if that helps I think nose blocking will be the main problem as I have allergies.

Went back to bed and to sleep quite quickly, defiantly like the ramp feature at the moment excellent for a newb.

The Dreamweaver nasal was awesome, well I think it is lol better then the pillows I tried on my titration as my nose was only a little sore hopefully it only gets better from this point on.

I woke with no headache a lot more alert still felt a bit tired today but I did feel a lot better than I have over the last week can't wait for this virus to go as well I am thinking I should see a marked difference.

Only one night so far so won't bother putting any graphs etc up but fingers crossed it only gets better from here, but this is what sleepyhead said when I loaded it up:

The last time you used your Philips Respironics Auto CPAP...
was last night (on Tuesday, October 11, 2016)
You had an AHI of 1.37, which is considered reasonably good
Your machine was on for 8 hours, 2 minutes and 20 seconds.
You had no major mask leaks (maximum was 7.00 L/min).
Your pressure was under 10.8cmH2O for 95% of the time.

Sorry for the ramble lol it could have been longer :-)

[MitchS]

Hello Willy. Welcome to the forum.

Sleep studies are notorious for being horrid. Congratulations on a good first night. Good luck with your treatment.

Sleep well,
Mitch

[Ockrocket]

Welcome to the group...

The journey begins.

[trish6hundred]

Hi BigWillyAus,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
I wish you good luck as you begin your CPAP journey.
CONGRATULATIONS! on your first night, keep up the good work.
Hang in there for more responses to your post.

[BigWillyAus]

everyone for your comments.

OK last night I felt a lot better about things I was a little apprehensive the night before and quite honestly last night I had a bit if dread thinking if I will wake etc.

Now I did wake a couple of times this was due to coughing (due to the virus) but went back to sleep quite quick and I feel I am getting use to this nasal pillow quite quick fingers crossed no pain at all this morning.

I also had a blocked nose last night and did dome research on youtube and massaged my lymph nodes this seemed to work I think or maybe it was just a mind thing lol but my nose wasn't as blocked could have been better though.

I didn't use any nasal sprays (wanted to see how I would fair without them) but will need to find something natural I think I do use steroids for my hayfever etc but don't really want to and you can't use otravin for longer than a few days without side effects so need to find other alternatives.

Now I have also been a side sleeper most my life but found last night sleeping on my back more comfortable for the first time ever I can remember and my nose didn't seem to want to restrict.

I did wake mouth breathing though so not sure how much I did of that last night and well my results are a little worse than the night before, may try the otravin and sleep on my side tonight and see if that drops my AHI down again if it does I will start looking for something a little more natural.

Early days but by the sleep I had last night I am quite happy so far.

I am actually starting to feel like getting back into study and work :-)

[BigWillyAus]

Thought I would just chuck this in as well:

The last time you used your Philips Respironics Auto CPAP...
was last night (on Wednesday, October 12, 2016)
You had an AHI of 3.04, which is considered technically "treated"
You machine was on for 7 hours, 33 minutes and 54 seconds.
You had no major mask leaks (maximum was 5.00 L/min).
Your pressure was under 11cmH2O for 95% of the time.

[OpalRose]

Your profile states that your machine is set at 4-20. It may be a good idea to consider narrowing that range. A lot of folk feel "air starved" with a minimum pressure of 4. With a 95% reading of around 11cm, a minimum setting of 4 is just too far away for the apap to reach where it needs to go in a timely manner.

I would move the minimum pressure to at least 7cm. The maximum doesn't matter right now, it can always be lowered.

For comfort, you can also enable the flex setting (exhale relief pressure). I would set it to 2.

When you get a few more days in, we can help you post some data and take a look at it.

If you don't already have the clinicians manual for your machine, order it here.
http://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-pr...tup-manual

[BigWillyAus]

Thanks Rose will have a look at those settings see how I go.

[holden4th]

Hello Big Willy, a Gold Coaster here saying G'day and good to see you on the forum. You won't regret it.

Opal Rose is right, you need to set your minimum pressure to a higher value. With a 95% of 11 I'd try 9 and see how that goes. The advice about the EPR setting, Philips calls it A Flex, is also important.

I have the previous model to the Dreamstation but they do a very similar job.

I also have the Dreamwear mask. One of the issues for newbies to the mask is to have it too tight under your nostrils. You want it slightly loose to avoid any soreness developing and to lessen the chance of leaks.

Keep us posted and also show us some of your Sleepyhead images.

Best wishes with the therapy.

Mouth breathing can be a problem. I've solved it by using a soft cervical collar to keep my jaw closed. You can get them in any big pharmacy chain for about 12-15 bucks.

[BigWillyAus]

Hi Holden, thanks for that seen a couple of Aussies on the forum always a good thing

I pushed the pressure up to seven last night but my nose was blocking quite bad hadn't used a steroid or clearing spray for two days so will use some Otravin on the same settings see what sleepy head shows after that as just to get a bit of a baseline with using medication and not.

Funny you should say 9 holden, was looking at sleepyhead and it seems whenever the unit hits that number it looks like a bit of a sweet spot and I get little or no events but when it decides to drop off the events start lining up again then it heads back to about 9 and hits that sweet spot again.

I must say though I am already feeling much better still a bit tied in the afternoons but quite alert in the mornings and that no headache is just bloody awsome.

Will probbaly put up a screenshot in the next day or two still decifering it all.