What's with this newbie data?

[HalfAsleep]

Fixed pressure of 8 with no EPR...



I slept long, but not remotely rested.

[jaswilliams]

Lots of CA’s hmm fixed pressure did not help

[Sleeprider]

Fixed pressure and no EPR did not make a difference here. Resume settings that make you the most comfortable. If after a month the central and hypopnea events do not diminish on their own, we will start coaching your towards ASV. Keep working on leaks and sleep hygiene. Remember that for some people, CPAP just is not the ideal therapy when central events are present. Hopefully, they are short duration, but they may diminish on their own as you adapt to the therapy. If not, there is ASV.

[HalfAsleep]

Fixed pressure and no EPR did not make a difference here.  Resume settings that make you the most comfortable.  If after a month the central and hypopnea events do not diminish on their own, we will start coaching your towards ASV.  Keep working on leaks and sleep hygiene.  Remember that for some people, CPAP just is not the ideal therapy when central events are present. Hopefully, they are short duration, but they may diminish on their own as you adapt to the therapy.  If not, there is ASV.

Thanks. I must say, I slept intensely with the settings like that, but it didn't make me feel rested in the morning.

I have my 30 day follow-up with the sleep center in about 2 weeks, so I'm thinking before I go for that it would be great to have another go with my stats. That way I'll be prepared to position myself with the doc if treatment kinda looks like it might be trending to non-CPAP territory.

Now, back to leaks...

[klmetex]

Do you think you could be mouth breathing or leaking from your mouth? Do you wake up with a dry mouth?

I am indeed leaking from my mouth, but I also have mask leakage per my unit. The second is easier to address than the first.

I have never used Nasal pillow, only FFM, F&P Simplus, Amara View. I mouth breathe but with a FFM it is no big deal other than the discomfort of cotton mouth. Have you considered trying a FFM or at least taping or something? Correct me if I am wrong but my understanding is that your nasal pillows do not cover your mouth. You are not getting good therapy with just nasal pillows and mouth breathing.

[HalfAsleep]

Do you think you could be mouth breathing or leaking from your mouth? Do you wake up with a dry mouth?

I am indeed leaking from my mouth, but I also have mask leakage per my unit. The second is easier to address than the first.

I have never used Nasal pillow, only FFM, F&P Simplus, Amara View. I mouth breathe but with a FFM it is no big deal other than the discomfort of cotton mouth. Have you considered trying a FFM or at least taping or something? Correct me if I am wrong but my understanding is that your nasal pillows do not cover your mouth. You are not getting good therapy with just nasal pillows and mouth breathing.

Right on. After last night, I’m gonna give up on the P10. It overhangs my upper lip, and then the pillows get leaky around the bottom. The headgear moves around quite a bit, too. On top of that, I’m not making headway on the mouth breathing; I can’t get a consistent fix.

FFM’s have a reputation for creating a lot of leaks, too, and I have damage in my face, so many models won’t work. But I suppose that’s true for everyone.

My DME is in revenge mode because I caught them out on trying to get me to sign for a used CPAP. Goodeeeeeeee..

[klmetex]

The machine doesn't know the difference between a mouth leak and a mask leak. I started of on F&P Simplus and always had problems with leaks blowing in my eyes which is bad. I tried various solutions to no avail and after a year I started getting funny looking spots on my nose bridge so I switched to an Amara View which I really like but it has leak issues as well. I think they all do unless you never move or open your mouth while sleeping. I didn't get my Amara View from my DME, I found what is called a "fit pack" which includes all sizes of cushions for $75 about a month before my Sleep Dr. visit. When she redid my prescrip. she specified the new mask so the DME never got a chance to jerk me around. Whatever you decide on you can usually find the sizing guides on the manufacturers web site in the instructions for the mask. Make sure the vent holes on your mask are in no way blocked.

[HalfAsleep]

The machine doesn't know the difference between a mouth leak and a mask leak. I started of on F&P Simplus and always had problems with leaks blowing in my eyes which is bad. I tried various solutions to no avail and after a year I started getting funny looking spots on my nose bridge so I switched to an Amara View which I really like but it has leak issues as well. I think they all do unless you never move or open your mouth while sleeping. I didn't get my Amara View from my DME, I found what is called a "fit pack" which includes all sizes of cushions for $75 about a month before my Sleep Dr. visit. When she redid my prescrip. she specified the new mask so the DME never got a chance to jerk me around. Whatever you decide on you can usually find the sizing guides on the manufacturers web site in the instructions for the mask. Make sure the vent holes on your mask are in no way blocked.

Thanks. The DME has found a whole new way to jerk me around..... It's called "run out the clock" or "do whatever it takes to make her go away..."  

I believe on the A10A it's possible to distinguish between a mouth leak and a mask leak, at least sort of. For a while there, I couldn't figure out how it could be that my mask wasn't leaking (smiley face) when air seemed to be pouring out from under it. I finally figured out that the lower part of the P10 overlaps my upper lips, and the lips open enough to shoot air out. So the leakiness was almost all mouth leak.

I'm going to do exactly what you did to end run the DME. Figure out exactly what I want whatever it takes, and then have the doc write it up.

I've ordered a Simplus and a F20 Touch. Thank goodness for credit cards. I hope one of them works.

[Spy Car]

Hey HalfAsleep,

The good people here will try to help make APAP/CPAP the least bad it can be, but from a low-expertize position informed mainly by my own experience (and actively reading the forum) my strong hunch is that you will eventually need an ASV.

Because they are expensive machines, you will first need to suffer through the failure of CPAP/APAP and then the failure of Bi-Level.

I'm walking the same path and am waiting for the arrival of my own ASV machine (any day now).

I saw a quote from Winston Churchill yesterday that said: If you're going through hell, keep going.

I suspect you will need to go through hell before you get the machine that my non-expert eyes see you will eventually need. Keep going.

Only smart and well-informed patients (or those with unusually good doctors) get what they need in cases like ours. I would not have, but for the education gained on this forum and self-advocacy. I see from other threads that you have that fighting spirit. You might need it.

BTW, as much as I love the minimalism of the P10 (and the brilliant exhaust feature), my results were consistently worse with P10s. Although I will give them one more try with the ASV.

Stay strong. Stay active here. You will get good advice on how to make (what I believe is an inevitable journey) as short and painless as possible.

Bill

[HalfAsleep]

Hey HalfAsleep,

The good people here will try to help make APAP/CPAP the least bad it can be, but from a low-expertize position informed mainly by my own experience (and actively reading the forum) my strong hunch is that you will eventually need an ASV.

Because they are expensive machines, you will first need to suffer through the failure of CPAP/APAP and then the failure of Bi-Level.

I'm walking the same path and am waiting for the arrival of my own ASV machine (any day now).

I saw a quote from Winston Churchill yesterday that said: If you're going through hell, keep going.

I suspect you will need to go through hell before you get the machine that my non-expert eyes see you will eventually need. Keep going.

Only smart and well-informed patients (or those with unusually good doctors) get what they need in cases like ours. I would not have, but for the education gained on this forum and self-advocacy. I see from other threads that you have that fighting spirit. You might need it.

BTW, as much as I love the minimalism of the P10 (and the brilliant exhaust feature),  my results were consistently worse with P10s. Although I will give them one more try with the ASV.

Stay strong. Stay active here. You will get good advice on how to make (what I believe is an inevitable journey) as short and painless as possible.

Bill

What a nice note, Bill!

I couldn't have made it on step 1 of this journey without the help of this board. Just knowing what to expect from the first DME visit saved me a lot of heartache.

I'm keeping my eyes open to learn new things so I can be fully armed if it looks like I might need a different machine.

They weren't even thinking I'd have a CPAP after I had my first sleep test....