Todays the big day [First night with Cpap]

[Broomstick]

Should the auto ramp ramp up while fully awake and sitting up?

It rose to 6 - 6.9 before long and stayed there. Now its at 10.

Stupid machine. The higher you put it, the more eratic my breathing is gonna be. I absolutely can NOT not think about my breathing when I'm hearing myself in the machine. And anytime I have to think about breathing, I can't do it right.

Edit: 10 seems to be the magic number. That's where it stayed the longest and still is at.

Edit: 10 feels nice though. I would totally be OK with starting off at this pressure.

Edit: Exhaling is no longer a problem. I just can't develope a normal breathing rhythm where I'm not constantly trying to take deep breaths (and being disappointed that they are not as deep as I'm expecting them to be.

[Crimson Nape]

Broomstick,
Our breathing patterns are very erratic while awake and become rhythmic while asleep. The CPAP doesn't know if you're asleep or awake, it just analyzes your flow patterns and tries to adjust to accommodate for any abnormalities.

You could also be having Flow Limitations that cause a Resmed to move to a higher pressure in an attempt to this condition.   If you haven't tried EPR (I didn't look back on your previous posts), you may want to try setting it to a setting of 3 to see if this abates the pressure rise.  Just remember to increase the CPAP's pressure range by the EPR value your use.  An example, based off of your profile; Currently 5-15 no EPR. If you set the EPR to 3, increase your range to 8-18. . . actually for this test you can just increase the starting pressure to 8 and forget the upper one for now.  If using the Ramp feature, its pressure is independent of your treatment pressure.  You can set its value up to the lowest pressure value entered in the treatment range.  If pressure variability is bothering you, you may wish to set the ramp pressure to your treatment's starting pressure and select a time limit to allow the onset of sleep before the pressure starts increasing.

I hope this may help.

[Broomstick]

Broomstick,
Our breathing patterns are very erratic while awake and become rhythmic while asleep. The CPAP doesn't know if you're asleep or awake, it just analyzes your flow patterns and tries to adjust to accommodate for any abnormalities.

You could also be having Flow Limitations that cause a Resmed to move to a higher pressure in an attempt to this condition.   If you haven't tried EPR (I didn't look back on your previous posts), you may want to try setting it to a setting of 3 to see if this abates the pressure rise.  Just remember to increase the CPAP's pressure range by the EPR value your use.  An example, based off of your profile; Currently 5-15 no EPR. If you set the EPR to 3, increase your range to 8-18. . . actually for this test you can just increase the starting pressure to 8 and forget the upper one for now.  If using the Ramp feature, its pressure is independent of your treatment pressure.  You can set its value up to the lowest pressure value entered in the treatment range.  If pressure variability is bothering you, you may wish to set the ramp pressure to your treatment's starting pressure and select a time limit to allow the onset of sleep before the pressure starts increasing.

I hope this may help.

I'm at the default 2 EPR and am 100% fine with it. 

I want to set the low pressure to 10 being that:

1. This machine is gonna raise it to that anyway
 
2. My apnea is severe enough that I just know anything under 10 is not gonna fix it anyway. (5-15 was only prescribed because I never slept during the titration and they have no idea what I need. 

3. I often have a hard time breathing laying down anyway and need any boost I can get. 

4. I seem to be doing extremely well at this pressure and the machine has consistently kept me there.

[Broomstick]

My big problem is I still need more practice before I can actually sleep with this thing.

I wish I coud carry this machine around with me because I would wear it the entire day just to get used to it..

Edit. On back now and pressure has climbed to 14+ (dipping to 13s but never hitting 15).

I told you I have a problem breathing on my back. Somethimes I'm OK, sometimes not.

I'm breathing enough with the machine, but am certainly not comfortable. I think a lot of it is all in my mind. Like I feel a weight on my chest regardless of whether I can actually breathe or not. Though if I don't think about it (extremely hard) there's not much of a problem. Should be alright if that happens in sleep mode because I won't be aware, which would only make problems worse.

Sitting up now. This machine climbs fast but takes forever to come back down. 12.4 now.

Edit. 12.5 now. Come on stupid machine. I'm sittin' upright and breathing better than ever.

[Crimson Nape]

I wish I could carry this machine around with me because I would wear it the entire day just to get used to it.

Now that would be a Youtube moment.  .  .  .  I can just envision you going through the Drive-thru at McDonalds.

I'm sure someone has already recommended using it as you watch TV, read, or ponder a particle's rate of acceleration while entering a black hole.

Over time your body will adapt to your new sleeping attire, especially if you firmly believe that failure is NOT an option.

Hang in there!

[Broomstick]

I was hoping you would say they do have a portable one. Like belt pack portable.

Since I'm using the full face mask, I would have to ask McDonald's to kindly put it in an IV. 


But yeah, I used it the other day at the computer (different room). I thought that was enough practice, but it wasn't.

I know that a lot of people can put this on and go right to bed from day 1 but not me. I am a problem patient. Perhaps because I'm low in openness. 

Today is a significant day though because I'm starting to have some consistency at a comfortable pressure. Perhaps I'll get lucky tonight...I mean in the bedroom...I mean tonight might be my first time... I mean... I'll just shut up now...

[Crimson Nape]

Not to put rain on your parade, but it took me almost a year to adapt to the feeling of using a CPAP.  Now, I can fall asleep just about anywhere with it on. Each person's tolerance to change is different. If you accept that fact and know it is possible to adapt, then it should come easier to see light at the end of the tunnel.  It is all to easy to give up.  The high dropout rate is one of the main reasons insurance companies have a compliance period.

[Big Guy]

Don't give up and keep at it. Wearing the mask I mean. 

[Sleeprider]

I was hoping you would say they do have a portable one. Like belt pack portable.

i used to work with EPA and one of the respiration protection devices I used was a Powered Air Purifying Respirator PAPR.  It's like a CPAP on a belt using a HEPA filtered air source.  I once used it for Halloween and used it to inflate a white haz mat suit to look like the Sta Puft Marshmallow man on Ghostbusters.  I think you'd like it, but children were terrified.

[Broomstick]

I tried. Lord all mighty did I try.

I think I kept almost sleeping, or getting micro sleeps, before getting waked up by this thing.

Before you say the pressure was too high, it automatically puts me at 11-12 when I lay down. It's harder for me to breathe laying down. Anyone else??. I welcome the pressure and it doesn't bother me too much at that level. Still feel like I can't take really deep breaths at that level while laying down though.

I am not over weight, bit I don't get it. Overweight = weight crushing airway. That has nothing to do with airway muscles relaxing. (Like maybe everyone's relaxes a little anyway, but it's ultimately a heavy weight causing the obstruction. What makes you think a little air is gonna overpower all that weight?) I feel like my airway gets crushed laying down too and that it has nothing to do with muscles relaxing. Like doesn't the diaphragm just get tired of struggling to breathe like that?

I feel like I can't take a good satisfying deep breath with this pressure and laying down. I can slip a few in there every so often, but not most of the time. Maybe the pressure makes me more aware of my breathing that I just don't notice without it.

But if I'm going to be laying down with this mask blocking my breathing, the lowest pressures aren't enough. Like I need 10 or higher just to compensate for the mask blocking by nose/mouth. I'll breathe better with NO mask than a mask that's only putting out 4, 5, 6, cm.