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Newbie questions, and too much effort to breathe?
#1
Newbie questions, and too much effort to breathe?
I have only been using my cpap for a week now, and I've noticed the following, apparently common issues. After the first night my chest and stomach were sore (unused muscles I think) but is it normal to feel really tired after using the cpap? I slept from 11pm to 8am with the mask, then from 8am to llam without it. I am getting used to all the hookup (a Resmed airfit p10) but my nose is sore. Straps are not too tight and I am deciding between the small and the medium nasal pillows, but what can I do so the bottom of my nostril doesn't feel so sore? Also noticed my left eyelid seemed a lot droopier than I remembered--is that normal or did I get air in it? Not so bad in past couple of days. Since I am not flip-flopping around all night, therefore not getting up for the bathroom, and sleeping soundly I guess, any chance I might have a nighttime accident? I am not ready for depends!!! The water chamber holds 13oz--does it have to be filled all the way each night, or would 10oz or 8oz be enough? I'm thinking of having a bottled water by the bed or if needed for travel. What would happen if I went somewhere and did not take the cpap with me for sleeping? I usually sleep better away from home anyhow as mattresses are firmer, no traffic noise or pets or night-owl husband/son to disturb me. Would I just revert to my former patterns--snoring and all? I've always been a very shallow breather and sometimes it just feels like it is too much effort to breathe-both with and without the cpap. Sometimes I say "I'm just too tired to breathe" but I find myself having to remind myself to breathe in and out sometimes. Does anyone else have that problem? Not sure how long I actually hold my breath, but it's a few seconds at least. Will the cpap be any help if I am sound asleep and decide I don't feel like breathing? I hope my autonomous system takes over.. :thanks
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#2
RE: Newbie questions, and too much effort to breathe?
(06-26-2014, 06:29 PM)Rosanne Wrote: Since I am not flip-flopping around all night, therefore not getting up for the bathroom, and sleeping soundly I guess, any chance I might have a nighttime accident? I am not ready for depends!!!

... paragraphs are good things. Smile

one of the side effects of sleep apnea is increased pee generation.

you go to sleep, you stop breathing, your o2 levels drop, your brain goes "oh, crap, we're strangling!" and goes into panic mode, your heart speeds up to try and get more o2 to the brain, your blood pressure spikes, your body goes into panic mode, you gasp for breath like a fish out of water, and you start getting o2 again and things settle down.... sometimes multiple times a minute.

during all THIS fun, your kidneys get the message "hey, the blood pressure is too high, let's remove water from the bloodstream... and, voila! you have to pee.

break that cycle, and guess what, you don't have to pee as much.

it's a shame that doctors don't tell their patients sh*t about this whole thing.
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#3
RE: Newbie questions, and too much effort to breathe?
(06-26-2014, 06:29 PM)Rosanne Wrote: What would happen if I went somewhere and did not take the cpap with me for sleeping?

Not sure how long I actually hold my breath, but it's a few seconds at least. Will the cpap be any help if I am sound asleep and decide I don't feel like breathing? I hope my autonomous system takes over.. :thanks
Welcome to the forum, Rosanne
CPAP goes wherever I go, apnea takes no holidays or days off
I don,t sleep or nap without my PAP, people here are nuts about PAP Coffee
CPAP is the most important thing in my life, more important than my beloved wife, If I don,t get good night sleep, cannot look after her or myself

If you hold your breath for 10 seconds or more, the machine scored it as an apnea (providing 'Sleep Quality' set to 'ON')
The job of the machine is to blow air at prescribed pressure to keep the the airways open so you can breathe on your own
But if the airways already open and you,re not breathing on your own, indicate central sleep apnea (not obstructive apnea), the machine score an apnea either obstructive apnea or central apnea and display the data on the screen and the software

You can use either SleepyHead or/and ResScan to see whats going on during the night
Download link http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Forum-P...-and-Links
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#4
RE: Newbie questions, and too much effort to breathe?
(06-26-2014, 07:07 PM)zonk Wrote: If you hold your breath for 10 seconds or more, the machine scored it as an apnea (providing 'Sleep Quality' set to 'ON')

a minor correction, the Sleep Quality setting controls *ONLY* what is displayed when you hit the 'i' button to show the 'sleep quality' lcd display, if set to 'usage' then all you see is the hours used, if set to 'on', you get the ahi, smileyfrownyface, and usage hours.

full data is written to the SD card in either case, and you can get full data on the LCD by going into the extended report screen (hold down the i and double checkmark button till the dislplay changes)
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#5
RE: Newbie questions, and too much effort to breathe?
Hi Rosanne,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
If I have to travel, my CPAP machine goes with me.
You might try wearing your mask and using your machine during the evening as you read or watch tv; this will help you to get used to this new way of sleeping.
Hang in there for more suggestions and best of luck to you with your CPAP therapy.
trish6hundred
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#6
RE: Newbie questions, and too much effort to breathe?
(06-26-2014, 06:29 PM)Rosanne Wrote: I am getting used to all the hookup (a Resmed airfit p10) but my nose is sore.
People using nasal pillows recommend HPA Lanolin cream fro sore noses


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#7
RE: Newbie questions, and too much effort to breathe?
(06-26-2014, 06:29 PM)Rosanne Wrote: I have only been using my cpap for a week now, and I've noticed the following, apparently common issues. After the first night my chest and stomach were sore (unused muscles I think) but is it normal to feel really tired after using the cpap? I slept from 11pm to 8am with the mask, then from 8am to llam without it. I am getting used to all the hookup (a Resmed airfit p10) but my nose is sore. Straps are not too tight and I am deciding between the small and the medium nasal pillows, but what can I do so the bottom of my nostril doesn't feel so sore? Also noticed my left eyelid seemed a lot droopier than I remembered--is that normal or did I get air in it? Not so bad in past couple of days. Since I am not flip-flopping around all night, therefore not getting up for the bathroom, and sleeping soundly I guess, any chance I might have a nighttime accident? I am not ready for depends!!! The water chamber holds 13oz--does it have to be filled all the way each night, or would 10oz or 8oz be enough? I'm thinking of having a bottled water by the bed or if needed for travel. What would happen if I went somewhere and did not take the cpap with me for sleeping? I usually sleep better away from home anyhow as mattresses are firmer, no traffic noise or pets or night-owl husband/son to disturb me. Would I just revert to my former patterns--snoring and all? I've always been a very shallow breather and sometimes it just feels like it is too much effort to breathe-both with and without the cpap. Sometimes I say "I'm just too tired to breathe" but I find myself having to remind myself to breathe in and out sometimes. Does anyone else have that problem? Not sure how long I actually hold my breath, but it's a few seconds at least. Will the cpap be any help if I am sound asleep and decide I don't feel like breathing? I hope my autonomous system takes over.. :thanks

Hi Roseanne, you certainly have posed a number of interesting questions.
I have a similar problem. I forget to breathe at times which causes my 02 sat to drop. My remedy is to exercise daily. On my treadmill I walk 1km+ per day, giving me a total of around 8km per week. This seems to work. Please don't ever sleep without your machine unless it's sitting up in a comfortable chair. Your tiredness may not be due to CPAP. Ordinarily CPAP will assist in overcoming fatigue. Since you are using a nasal pillows mask, there should be no problem with your eyes. A little anti-septic cream smeared on the sealing faces of the pillows will ease discomfort. Most use the medium pillows for best seal, few use small. Use the one that expands you nostrils somewhat. With your humidifier, take note of the amount of water used on one night, from this you can estimate how long a fill to the level line, will last. About bathroom visits...you system produces a protein when you are asleep that prevents the production of urine, so if you have to go to the bathroom, you are, or have been, awake. So don't worry.
There are chemo sensors in your aorta and at your carotids which monitor bi-carbonate in your blood. If, when asleep the level of blood CO2 rises, blood oxygen levels have fallen so these sensors send a signal to your brain to wake you up. It's your body's protection against suffocation. Hope this is of some help.
[Image: signature.png]Keep on breathin'
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#8
RE: Newbie questions, and too much effort to breathe?
FYI, from S9 clinical manual, page #9 (the manual is available via Email from here http://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-pr...tup-manual
S9 setup pictures and video http://www.apneaboard.com/resmed-s9-cpap-setup

Sleep quality
Designed to promote compliance, the Sleep Quality indicator allows the patient to actively engage in their own therapy by identifying leak, usage and AHI information. This information can be set to:
•• Usage—where only usage hours are displayed
•• On—where usage, leak and AHI information are displayed.

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#9
RE: Newbie questions, and too much effort to breathe?
(06-26-2014, 06:29 PM)Rosanne Wrote: After the first night my chest and stomach were sore (unused muscles I think) but is it normal to feel really tired after using the cpap?

It happened to me and lots of other people, too. It takes us a while to adapt to the mask and hose. Meanwhile it interferes with our sleep. It's a temporary condition. When it subsides you will find yourself getting a higher quality of sleep than before you had a CPAP machine.

Think of it this way. You are in recovery from the monstrous situation of having to wake yourself up every few minutes to breathe. This was happening to you even though you have little or no memory of it. Now your body has to adjust to being able to breathe, along with adjusting to the presence of the mask and hose.

Quote:I slept from 11pm to 8am with the mask, then from 8am to llam without it.

That's a huge mistake. You are interfering with the adaptation process when you sleep without the mask. Don't ever do it.

Here are the three most important aspects of CPAP therapy, in order of importance.

1. Compliance (wear the mask when you sleep, every time, all the time).
2. Leaks (get your leak rate under control).
3. AHI (get your AHI under control).

Quote:but what can I do so the bottom of my nostril doesn't feel so sore?

Look in the baby aisle of the drug store for the salve that nursing mothers use on sore nipples. Put a dab in each nostril with a q-tip before bed. Your nostrils will toughen up in no time.

Quote:Will the cpap be any help if I am sound asleep and decide I don't feel like breathing?

It takes a more advanced type of CPAP machine to treat that affliction, known as central sleep apnea. If that's been happening to you they would have seen it during your sleep study.
Sleepster

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#10
RE: Newbie questions, and too much effort to breathe?
(06-26-2014, 08:15 PM)zonk Wrote: FYI, from S9 clinical manual, page #9 (the manual is available via Email from here http://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-pr...tup-manual
S9 setup pictures and video http://www.apneaboard.com/resmed-s9-cpap-setup

Sleep quality
Designed to promote compliance, the Sleep Quality indicator allows the patient to actively engage in their own therapy by identifying leak, usage and AHI information. This information can be set to:
•• Usage—where only usage hours are displayed
•• On—where usage, leak and AHI information are displayed.

you *do* realize that you just said *exactly* what I said, right?

the 'sleep quality' setting affects the 'sleep quality' display when you hit the 'i' button. what you quoted says "displayed" not "recorded", as further evidence. Smile

other places to see it... page 15 of the elite/autoset clinicians manual, pg 22 of the vpap auto/st/s, pg 19 of the vpap adapt, pg 26 of the st-a
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