Sorry you had a bad night, Sylvia. Comfort issues like you are describing are totally normal in the early days of adapting to CPAP, though.
Dry throat sounds like not enough humidity unless you had something else going on last night that wasn't typical (took allergy meds or something).
Do you know what setting you are using for expiratory pressure relief? Probably called C-Flex+ or something like that on your machine.
I started off with my treatment pressure at 7.0 and C-Flex+ at 2 when I first started CPAP this past winter. That was fine for a while, then suddenly one night I felt like I couldn't exhale against the pressure. The RT at my DME told me to increase C-Flex+ to 3. I did that, and it was lots more comfortable.
I needed the C-Flex+ at 3 for a while. I eventually lowered it back to 2 and then to 1.
I thought at first that the C-Flex+ settings were for 1, 2, or 3 cm decrease in exhale pressure, but they're not.
My understanding now is that C-Flex+ settings give around the same amount of decrease in exhale pressure (1.5-2 cm-ish), but that a setting of 1 makes the machine pressure return to the inhale pressure setting more quickly than a setting of 3 does. (If that's not right, I hope someone will explain it correctly.)
Re changing masks, yay nasal pillows!
If your DME has someone good at helping with mask fittings, you can make an appointment with them to try a different mask.
I just switched from a nasal mask (Wisp) to nasal pillows last month (AirFit P10 For Her).
I made an appointment with the respiratory therapist at my DME for a mask fitting. She helped me select the right size nasal pillows.
(Small for me; I was surprised, because I think of my nose as being on the large side. Maybe it is, but apparently the openings to my nostrils are a size Small.)
When I am wearing the nasal pillows, I can feel a tiny but definite rim of plastic that extends outside the edge of my nostril openings. (called "nares" in the plural. I had only ever heard that term used before in birdwatching.)
I also tried on the XSmall and the Medium pillows for comparison.
We also connected the mask to a CPAP machine set at my therapy pressure, and I lay down to get a feeling of what it was like to breathe through the nasal pillows.
I tried on the AirFit P10 "For Her". I think the difference is that the headgear is gray & purple rather than gray/blue and the kit comes with smaller nasal pillows sizes (XS, S, & M). I'm not sure if the headgear is a smaller size.
I love the headgear! It's so small and stretchy. I am wondering how long it will stay that way, but for now, it's really comfortable and easy to adjust.
I also tried on Nuance Pro nasal pillows. The pillows themselves felt softer to my nose than the ones with the P10, but the headgear didn't fit me very well, and the P10 is much lighter. The short section of hose that extends from the P10 nasal pillows feels downright flimsy, but the low total weight is a huge factor in comfort.
I actually brought the Nuance Pro home first (those gel nasal pillows are SO comfy), but because I couldn't seem to get the headgear adjusted to fit well, by night 3 the whole feeling had changed to not-so-comfy. I had an awful time with the velcro straps on the sides of the Nuance. They need to be adjusted just right to keep the pillows from rubbing the nostril openings. I just could not get them adjusted right. I might have kept trying if I hadn't known the P10 was there as the other option.
I read the reviews for the Nuance Pro in the Product Reviews section on this forum, and they have some really great reviews. They just didn't work for me.
Re the mouth breathing thing, I can see from my breathing flow rate graph in SleepyHead that I am leaking air from my lips at times during the night, but it never shows up as "large leak" so I've been ignoring it. (I don't really understand how it could NOT cause a large leak. Maybe it's just a tiny "puff"?)
I will probably try a chin strap at some point. I have been putting that off, because they look like they are one of those items that are really individual in what fits best and works best for each person.
(06-05-2016, 09:13 AM)SylviaT Wrote: So after the first night not falling asleep for over 3 hours and then two following nights of better sleep, but "other" issues, night 4 was a nightmare!!!!! I woke up twice with the feeling of choking. Dry throat and coughing like I had a cold! Finally took the whole dang thing off and went back to sleep. So needless to say I probably have a bad "grade" for last night with regards to how long I had CPAP Therapy.
Going to speak with the Medical Place tomorrow to see about trying a new mask and hopefully they will not budge when asking for a nasal mask/pillow! I'm not liking the full face one and I really don't think I sleep with my mouth open anyway.
On to night 5 with hopes for a better night sleep and more energy the next morning...........