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[Treatment] this isn't working for me.
#1
this isn't working for me.
So ten or so years ago my sleep monitor (spouse) decided she since she had chronic insomnia, she would dedicate her nights to monitoring my sleep pattern. She was concerned about my snoring and episodes of not breathing. I was convinced to get a sleep study which indicated I had moderate to severe sleep apnea. The sleep study itself was a nightmare that involved no sleeping while wired to the wall with a gazillion wires (no wireless in those days, study recorded on VHS tape) and someone watching me all night. No titration was done.  I subsequently went back to my ENT who had ordered the study and had a deviated septum surgically repaired, was put on a nasal steroid and after losing 25# of weight by going to hour long exercise boot camps 4-5 nights a week for a year, my sleep monitor was no longer concerned about my nighttime breathing. Here is the thing, I never had any of the hallmark complaints about sleep apnea. I never felt sleepy or tired during the day, I felt I could be active and alert all my waking hours, and sleeping felt great.

Ten years older now, I still felt great with no complaint of daytime sleepiness. Working almost full time at age 67, rowing with the local rowing club, coaching indoor and outdoor rowing year round after work. But the pesky weight has returned. I had another sleep study at the urging of my sleep monitor, now that medicare covers it, and again shows that I have sleep apnea with 28.9 AHI during the sleep study, O2 saturations were below 90% for a good portion of the time. I slept well for the sleep study this time, that is , until I was awakened for the titration. Once hooked up to the cpap, my next sleep came 30 minutes before the study was concluded.

So now since February 1, I have been using a Resmed Autoset 10 which I fought to get on the advice I received here. I have not slept well in three months. I completed the mandatory first 30 nights and the required revisit to my doctor. My prescription is 12 l/cm2 (based on 30 minutes of successful sleep) and I set at 9-14 on the machine. I changed it from the clinician setting of 4-20.  I have tried numerous masks, starting with N20 which only works for me if I tape my mouth shut. Likewise for nasal pillows - the one that includes a chin strap that is worthless. I am habitual nose breather since my broken nose at age 4. Damn metal dashboards in 1950s automobiles. At least I didn't go thorough the non-safety glass windshield. My go-to mask is the F20 medium which has the best success early in the night but always ends up with annoying leaks by 2 or 3 am. I've gone back to the F20 large I was issued at my sleep study, but its even worse and obviously the wrong size. I've tried a Mirage Liberty but it leaked terribly. My newest try, last night, was a Dreamwear full face masked which again worked well for about half the night.

So now, after using cpap faithfully for four months, I am tired all day and need a nap when I get home from work. Early in the morning when I am tired of PAP farts and air blowing in my eyes waking me up, I chuck the mask an sleep well for the remaining hour or two before getting up. It takes about half a day for the eye bags do disappear. No, everyone, I did not get stung by a bee. My AHI now usually stays below 5 or 6 and has been as low as 1.3.  Quality of life, though, is much better when untreated.
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#2
RE: this isn't working for me.
Usually if a pressure of 4 to 20 is set on the machine it means someone somewhere did not do their work properly as this is how it comes out of the factory.  If it is a compatible machine with Sleepyhead, post some charts and let us have a look and see what is going on in your sleep.  Sometimes the machine rising in pressure can disturb your sleep and you can end up more tired than before.
How to use sleepyhead is on some users posts at the bottom in their signatures, how to upload the charts etc.

Welcome to the Apneaboard.
I am NOT a doctor.  I try to help, but do not take what I say as medical advice.


Every journey, however large or small starts with the first step.

Sleep-well
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#3
RE: this isn't working for me.
See the link below  for how to organize and post sleepyhead data. Also, look at the mask primer. I use the F20 and it's the only of several I have used that does not leak into my eyes. That beeing said, we're all different and the mask fit can be the biggest challenge.
Download OSCAR

Organize Charts
Attaching Charts

Mask Primer
Soft Cervical Collar

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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#4
RE: this isn't working for me.
Like you, I was fit and fully asymptomatic (still run or cycle most days at moderate to high intensity).  The only thing that set off a sleep lab study was that I developed atrial fibrillation last summer.  The usual tests showed no heart disease or insufficiency, and my blood markers are all fine.  Sleep lab showed severe apnea.  I to this day never have to get up to pee at night, and I'm about to turn 66.  No headaches, sleepiness, narcolepsy, mood disorders, heart disorders or diseases...no naps...ever.  But I have apnea, and probably have had it for several years.

The people here will help you to get the most out of your machine, provided it's the right one for you.  FWIW, I now wake up groggier than I used to, and seem to be willing to fall asleep whenever I sit to watch TV....and this was never the case prior to CPAP.  Don't know if it's my heart medication to control the fibrillation or if it's just the new me under CPAP.  Thinking-about

I hope you get the help you need, but even if you get dialed in pretty sharply, I have seen few members here shouting eureka inside of a few days after the onset of treatment.  Most still complain of old, or even new, pains in the patoot that make their lives less than thrilling.
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#5
RE: this isn't working for me.
#1 " I never felt sleepy or tired during the day, I felt I could be active and alert all my waking hours, and sleeping felt great.
Quality of life, though, is much better when untreated".


Almost exactly the same for me, had I been aware of this site before I started out on my dismal Apnea journey I would have known what questions to ask, and understood what a line of bull dirt they were squirting at me.

I do sometimes fall asleep after lunch or in the evening, but nothing like the total exhaustion described by many on the site. I pointed out to the so called medics, that if they treated everyone who as we say "nodded off" after lunch, as having Sleep Apnea they would have a line of victims miles long.
I also said that I had no problem sleeping, ah they said, it is not a "proper sleep", whatever that means.

My alleged Apnea diagnosis came about during investigation of suspected epilepsy, subsequent investigation shows very little relationship between SLEEP Apnea and daytime epilepsy.
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#6
RE: this isn't working for me.
Hi srcpt and welcome to the forum, 

Go ahead and post some SleepyHead charts and you should then receive some very helpful input from the group. New cpap users experience widely varying initial results and it sometimes takes a while to get settled in. This forum is a rich source of help. Hang in there.

Stan
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#7
RE: this isn't working for me.
I have been able to improve on the mask leaks issue. Had a conversation with my supplier, and asked to try the memory foam version for the Resmed F20 mask. They don't carry it, but during the conversation she mentioned trying some sort of fabric liner that prevents the seal from warming up and getting too compliant during the night. Well she is sending out the product, but in the mean time, I've lowering the temperature on the heated tube to 70 degrees, and this has helped some.
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#8
RE: this isn't working for me.
Welcome to the forum srcpt! Glad you found us!

Do use the links in Melman's signature. All very helpful links and will guide you through to downloading and using SleepyHead. Once you are able to post screenshots you will get helpful advice on how to improve your xpap'ing. Best of luck!
APNEABOARD - A great place to be if you're a hosehead!!  Rolleyes  

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EVERY ACCOMPLISHMENT BEGINS WITH THE DECISION TO TRY!
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#9
RE: this isn't working for me.
Welcome to the forum srcpt
Hope to see you improving your sleep.

Welcome

Gerry
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