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Newbie - 5 days in
#1
Newbie - 5 days in
Hello everyone,

First post.

Diagnosed with sleep apnea. During the sleep study I stopped breathing 49 times a hour on average.

I now have a resmed s9 auto that the doctor has prescribed a pressure of from 5 to 9 to start. Using a FFM and have no issues with the comfort.

It is now that I believe that I am not having any apnea events, per Sleepy Head, I am waking up constantly throughout the night and I don't understand why. Previously I used to sleep through the night, not aware of the apnea. Go figure.

So I need a little advice and sympathy.

I am posting a Sleep Head screen shot from last night. Hopefully that will provide some information for those more experienced. I don't understand all what I see here, but slowly figuring it out.

I would appreciate some feedback.

Thank you



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#2
RE: Newbie - 5 days in
Well, do you notice anything on these awakenings? Maybe the mask is leaking and blowing air onto your face?
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#3
RE: Newbie - 5 days in
(08-13-2013, 02:06 PM)eviltim Wrote: Well, do you notice anything on these awakenings? Maybe the mask is leaking and blowing air onto your face?

No I don't notice anything. I am not tangled up in the hose, my mask feels fine. The mask could be leaking, but I am just not aware of it.

Kind of frustrating in that the process seems to treat the apnea but now causes another issue. I know this all takes time, but I am trying to get to the "I wake up and feel well rested" part as soon as I can and want to correct any issues that can be corrected. I also know that a lot of this is out of my control. I just have to work with what I have.
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#4
RE: Newbie - 5 days in
Hi remltr,

You're still having some apnea events but your AHI is controlled (at least from that one night's data). Anything less than 5 for AHI is considered good. With time and practice, I think you can get that number down some more.

The first thing that stands out to me is that your machine is plateauing at the 9.0 pressure setting several times. If this trend continues, your doctor will probably want to raise your upper pressure limit.

Your max leak for the night is bordering on unacceptable, but the median leak is still good. Check your mask and make sure not to over-tighten. Tightening increases leaks, contrary to most people's instincts.

The number of times you're waking up now is probably much less than the number of times you were waking up before. The thing with apnea is that it causes arousals (potentially dozens of times an hour) in order to restore structure to the airway, but we don't remember those arousals. Thus we "think" we've been sleeping all night, but in reality we got next to no sleep at all. I don't know what's waking you up now... could be leaks, could be getting used to the machine... but it is normal to awaken a few times a night especially at the end of a REM cycle.

Were there any other things noted in your sleep study which could be contributing to arousals? Any leg movements?
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#5
RE: Newbie - 5 days in
Hi remltr,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
It takes time to get used to CPAP therapy and the mask is the hardest part of it all.
I'm just curious, did you get a full-face mask, (FFM,) because of mouth breathing?
FFMs can be very proned to leaks, so if you find that you're having trouble with the mask you're using, don't be shy about asking to try different ones.
Just stick with it ,hang in there for more responses to your post and best of luck with your CPAP therapy..
trish6hundred
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#6
RE: Newbie - 5 days in
I did just adjust the mask a little tighter last night around the jaw line and loosened it around the head and noticed no leaks while awake, had some the previous nights though before tightening. Leg movements were mentioned in the study. I use FFM because I am a mouth breather (allergies/stuffy sinuses).

Living alone does not help with observations of the issues. I need to hire a spouse for a couple weeks who doesn't sleep at night and get some feedback. Wink

I have a follow up appt with the doctor in two days, got them to move it up 2 weeks. Maybe it will help sort some of this out quicker.

Thanks for the info and encouragement.
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#7
RE: Newbie - 5 days in
Sounds like you need a few weeks to get used to the machine.
Your brain may just me waking up with "what's this damn thing doing on my FACE??!!"
If your AHI is good then you are doing a stellar job!

Keep up the good work and keep capturing that data!

Cheers!

=^.^=
"With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable." - Thomas Foxwell Buxton

Cool
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