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Machine: ResMed AirSense 10 Elite Mask Type: Full face mask Mask Make & Model: Philips Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask Humidifier: unsure CPAP Pressure: 11 CPAP Software: OSCAR
First post here! I was recently diagnosed with a severe form of complex sleep apnea. I had a test machine for about a month. Had a lot of trouble getting used to it, but in the last week or so, was finally getting some good results (a few nights at the end of the trial with only 3-4 AHI average - great considering it was 35 when I went in for the first sleep test).
On Monday of this week, I got my own machine - it's a ResMed AirSense 10 Elite (same as the trial machine) with a nasal pillows mask (which worked best for me during the trial - tried the full face mask and hated it). Oddly, I'm having some trouble adjusting to this new machine. I'm not generally a mouth breather when I sleep, and that wasn't an issue with the old machine / old nasal pillows mask. But suddenly, I'm waking up several times a night, having been blasted awake by air rushing out of my mouth (according to my partner), and my mouth is extremely dry because of it. I've tried messing with the humidity settings to offset the dryness, but it's not really making a difference (weirdly, this machine seems to draw much more water than the previous one - likely unrelated).
Has anyone else experienced this? What has changed? I really don't want to have to wear a chin strap at night, if possible, but if this keeps up, my partner may kill me. Possibly related to this, my AHI is up from where it was - an average of 7-8 since I got the new machine on Monday...
Any advice? I'm happy to provide more spec info if needed. I don't have an SD card reader yet, so haven't started using a diagnostic app, but will do so in the coming weeks. Thanks!
I hate chinstraps, and remove them in my sleep. Soft drugstore cervical collar are both too hot and too mushy. However, I’ve had very good results so far with “The Eliminator Sleep Pillow”. It’s a relatively firm, wedge-shaped collar that goes under your chin, and has a strap that goes around the back of your neck.
Peter, we have a lot of members that also have complex sleep apnea. Your fixed pressure CPAP machine is not really designed to treat the central apnea component of complex apnea, but some people do pretty good with a lower steady CPAP pressure. I frequently say, complex apnea is consistently inconsistent, so the efficacy of your treatment with CPAP is not a certain thing, and if your apnea resumes showing a lot of central events, you will likely need to move to an Adaptive Servo Ventilator (ASV) which is specifically intended for complex sleep apnea.
You can download the free OSCAR program at the top of this page, and a SD card reader is inexpensive and widely available. As far as leaks, there are many options, rangig from training yourself to maintain tongue position, to taping, or using a soft cervical collar or even a cloth or pillow between your shoulder and jaw to encourage the jaw to stay shut. I'm not a fan of chin straps as they really apply pressure in the wrong direction to be helpful.
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.
It would be very useful to see a copy of your sleep study - the charts and tables as well as the written summary. If the central component of your mixed apnea is at all high then you're almost certainly on the wrong machine. As Sleeprider said, complex apnea is consistently inconsistent, so while you might get good results sometimes they are very hard to maintain.
You'll get all sorts of advice about overcoming your mouth breathing / mouth leakage but in my personal view the real answer is to get a full-face mask. Then you won't have to bother with chin straps, tapes, collars and all the rest.
As Sleeprider also said, please get hold of OSCAR and post some of your daily pages for us to review. Please ensure the dailies are formatted exactly as per the instructions linked below.
Machine: ResMed AirSense 10 Elite Mask Type: Full face mask Mask Make & Model: Philips Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask Humidifier: unsure CPAP Pressure: 11 CPAP Software: OSCAR
Thanks for the replies and feedback! Once I get that SD card reader, I'll send my results for some analysis.
In the meantime, I appreciate the thoughts about ways to stop opening my mouth at night. I think part of it is an ongoing nasal congestion issue, which I'm getting diagnostic tests for. Hopefully once that's solved, life with the nasal pillows machine will be easier. I take your point about the full face mask, DeepBreathing, but I just couldn't stomach it during the test period. It felt like so much air was being swirled around / forced into me. I really do prefer the nasal pillows mask. Perhaps I'll look into taping and/or the sleep pillow! Thanks again, and more soon!
09-02-2019, 11:34 AM (This post was last modified: 09-02-2019, 11:42 AM by ragtopcircus.
Edit Reason: Clarity
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RE: New machine and some hiccups
FWIW, I am currently getting my best results by using a collar WITH the full face mask.
Full face eliminates the pressure difference that makes it difficult to keep my mouth closed, but I’m still trying to train myself to keep it shut and use the “tongue suck”.
I’ve also been using a “Woody Knows” nasal dilator with the FF, since it makes me feel congested too.
I still hope to be able to transition to nasal only (with collar) for both airflow and comfort, but for now I’m using FF as training wheels. I’ve been able to bring my AHI down from 69 to 2 in just a few days, so even though I don’t like FF, I can’t argue with the numbers.
Machine: ResMed AirSense 10 Elite Mask Type: Full face mask Mask Make & Model: Philips Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask Humidifier: unsure CPAP Pressure: 11 CPAP Software: OSCAR
Sorry for the delay. I finally got an SD card reader and have attached my results from last night's sleep here. Could you let me know if I'm doing this right?
Update is that, overall, the machine might be getting better. My overall AHI is down from when I first purchased it (on average, 5-6 range), it's less loud (the supplier said it might be loud for the first couple of weeks - something to do with the air regulator?), and my partner isn't noticing that I'm opening my mouth at night as much. I must not be, because I haven't been waking up with a bone-dry mouth the past couple of days.
Based on my machine data results, how's it all looking? Thanks!
Machine: ResMed AirSense 10 Elite Mask Type: Full face mask Mask Make & Model: Philips Respironics DreamWear Full Face Mask Humidifier: unsure CPAP Pressure: 11 CPAP Software: OSCAR
