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Problem with mask and EPR
#51
RE: Problem with mask and EPR
I know the sound you’re talking about. The exhale bothers me. My girlfriend has a sound machine that drowns it out completely. Some of the sounds are ocean waves, rain, distant thunderstorms and the like. I love it. Give it a try. You can find them if you google white noise machines
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#52
RE: Problem with mask and EPR
Here's the chart overview from last night:

[Image: 3-1-20-7-EPR-2.jpg]
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#53
RE: Problem with mask and EPR
FWIW on the ResMed F20 AirTouch foam cushions, some users have been using past the 30 days "recommended" replacement timing. Search AB on this.
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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#54
RE: Problem with mask and EPR
(03-02-2020, 01:06 PM)Osiris357 Wrote: I know the sound you’re talking about. The exhale bothers me. My girlfriend has a sound machine that drowns it out completely. Some of the sounds are ocean waves, rain, distant thunderstorms and the like. I love it. Give it a try. You can find them if you google white noise machines

I have a great sound/noise machine, actually. The problem with this whine noise is that it's kind of like a vibration whine, so it's right up at my ears/in my head (traveling through the mask, or the floor/bed/bedding, etc.) especially when I lay on my side. The volume that I'd have to turn the noise machine up to in order to mask it is so loud that it defeats the purpose. :/

So, I guess this sound isn't necessarily a defect, then....?
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#55
RE: Problem with mask and EPR
(03-02-2020, 01:18 PM)SarcasticDave94 Wrote: FWIW on the ResMed F20 AirTouch foam cushions, some users have been using past the 30 days "recommended" replacement timing. Search AB on this.

Yeah, I hear you. But, even so, it would be a lot of money for regular maintenance. I'll keep it in mind, but right now, I think I'm going to experiment with the nasal mask(s) and taping, since I find the nasal mask to be a bit more comfortable, and I already have this mask, and I also think that EPR might not be as bad. Need to keep experimenting.

What do people think of that chart? Especially the leaks, and the FL? (I just ran a "mask test" on my machine, and it said it was "OK," but it felt like it did last night, no discernible leaks, but look at all those leaks on the chart. Confusing....)
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#56
RE: Problem with mask and EPR
That’s not the sound I’m referring to. It’s a high pitched whine but it doesn’t travel through to the mask. I’m not sure what your sound is if it’s traveling to the mask. The only other noise I’ve heard from my machine is when the gasket for the humidifier got out of alignment and there was a loud squeak coming from it.
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#57
RE: Problem with mask and EPR
I admit to not rereading this whole thread but I've lost track of the problem. from the last screenshot your rdi is outstanding, leaks are almost nonexistent & 95% flow limitations is at 0.03%, which is negligible. many of us are probably envious of these numbers. is the problem (besides the whistle) just dry mouth? & this is with a ffm, right? because your leak rate is good. the only solutions I know are tape, collar, chinstrap, tongue suck & xylimelts. my lip leaks & dry mouth have been worsening lately so I had to increase the girth of my collar with some cut off sock tops. masks & leaks are the hardest part of all this. nothing for it but to each persist until we find what works.
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#58
RE: Problem with mask and EPR
(03-02-2020, 02:19 PM)Osiris357 Wrote: That’s not the sound I’m referring to. It’s a high pitched whine but it doesn’t travel through to the mask. I’m not sure what your sound is if it’s traveling to the mask. The only other noise I’ve heard from my machine is when the gasket for the humidifier got out of alignment and there was a loud squeak coming from it.

Hmm, yeah, it's tricky. We might be talking about the same noise, since I would describe it as a low level high pitched whine, that kind of wavers a little bit, meaning the pitch and intensity are not entirely consistent. As you spoke to, it does seem to change on inhale and exhale, and get loudest after exhale before the next inhale. 

BTW, I'm a musician, and my ears have always been highly attuned to sound changes/differences, so that might be a problem, too. I'm not really sure if it's literally traveling up to the mask, it just sort of seems like that. 

I can only test myself, since I'm alone, which means I can only test with the mask on and running, because with mask off, the sound of the air rushing through the hose would mask the sound! But with the mask on, I can hold the machine up to my ear and hear it louder. I honestly don't know why the sound feels like it reverberates through my pillow when my head/ear is down on it. It's kind of hard to explain/describe...ugh. Well, I guess I'll just try to learn to live with it, I guess. :/
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#59
RE: Problem with mask and EPR
(03-02-2020, 02:29 PM)sheepless Wrote: I admit to not rereading this whole thread but I've lost track of the problem. from the last screenshot your rdi is outstanding, leaks are almost nonexistent & 95% flow limitations is at 0.03%, which is negligible. many of us are probably envious of these numbers. is the problem (besides the whistle) just dry mouth? & this is with a ffm, right? because your leak rate is good. the only solutions I know are tape, collar, chinstrap, tongue suck & xylimelts. my lip leaks & dry mouth have been worsening lately so I had to increase the girth of my collar with some cut off sock tops. masks & leaks are the hardest part of all this. nothing for it but to each persist until we find what works.

Hi, sheepless. Thanks for chiming in! Yeah, the thread has meandered a bit. Originally it was about EPR and the ballooning effect with my Simplus mask, and yes, combating dry mouth. It's kind of morphed into a thread about EPR issues, as well as my personal battle against FL. The chart is with a nasal mask, which I am now trying since it doesn't have as many ballooning issues (so far).

If I may dig into this a little more with you (and anyone else who wants to chime in).... two things:

1. So, regarding the leaks, you're saying that all that blue at the bottom of that chart, implying basically that there were low level leaks the entire night, is nothing to be concerned about?

2. Regarding FL: I see what you mean that 95% at 0.03% is negligible, which leaves me a bit stumped. When I zoom in, I do see some flattening on inhale sometimes when it looks like I'm asleep, which indicates FL. But I'm honestly not sure if they are a problem. The crux of all of this is that, since my AHI/RDI is low (and was low on my home sleep test), I'm basically trying to figure out if FL are causing my bad sleep. Hence trying EPR and trying to work out those kinks. Right now I'm trying to gather more data, as in, more nights of charts, at different pressures and EPR levels. I'm going try upping EPR to 3, and raise pressure to 8 for a couple/few nights, and then maybe 9, if nothing else to get the data. FYI, I do have some previous experience with auto ranges, and the machine kept upping pressure because of FL, but I'm not sure the higher pressures were actually doing anything, other than maybe disturb my sleep even more. Hence experimenting at fixed pressures. From the looks of this chart, I don't necessarily need auto on and rising pressures, as the FL remain fairly low throughout. Am I seeing and thinking about this correctly so far?....
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#60
RE: Problem with mask and EPR
I'm no expert but fwiw:

1. I wish my leaks were as low as yours. your 2-4 is pretty much what one hopes for; peaked at less than 14, nowhere near the red line of 24. I thought I saw ffm in your profile and that made sense because your flow rate, at least at the scale shown, isn't suggestive of mouth leaking. might be worth zooming in on some leaks to see if flow is abbreviated below the zero line.

2. you may be very sensitive to flow limitations but they barely make the 95% column. as such my inclination is that while it's possible they're causing you problems, without more information I'd be inclined to look elsewhere.

the most noticeable thing I see in that screenshot is 2 mask offs. is that the problem or is it more about how you feel? awakenings suck but for context, I've been working my # of mask offs down over 3 years from a rough average of about 8 per night. still getting 3 or 4 but I now know my remaining sleep issue is something other than therapy related.
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