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+--- Thread: Question: How to cure exhale forced by CPAP machine? (/Thread-Question-How-to-cure-exhale-forced-by-CPAP-machine)
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Question: How to cure exhale forced by CPAP machine? - Spunky8 - 01-12-2017
Hello:
I'm a relatively new member. My prior post asked about CPAP machine recommendations and, as I result, I purchased the Resmed Airsense Auto cpap machine and the Resmed Swift FX nasal mask.
I just completed my third night of usage. The first two nights proceeded excellently, much to my happy surprise. I experienced a problem, however, last night. The problem is that, in the middle of my sleep, the pressure from the machine repeatedly forced me to exhale through my mouth.
Finally, I woke up and noted the machine had not been set to a nasal mask; I changed the machine to "nasal mask," returned to sleep, found that the forced air expulsion had been relieved, but it did occur a couple more times.
I'd appreciate any suggestions as to the following:
1. Is there some revision i should make to the machine to minimize or avoid the problem? I don't know how to revise that.
2. The machine references two potentially applicable mask settings, "pillow" and "nasal." The Resmed site references the Swift FX as being a "nasal pillow." So which setting it appropriate? (As I said, I changed the adjustment last night to "nasal"---is "pillow" a more appropriate setting.
Thanks to all. I must say cpap therapy is really great. I feel better already, much to my amazement.
RE: Question: How to cure exhale forced by CPAP machine? - Sleeprider - 01-12-2017
You are experiencing a mouth leak. It's a common occurrence, and eventually you will become more accustomed to the pressure and be able to prevent it by keeping your tongue in place against the roof of your mouth. It happens to me sometimes, so it is not the machine, but an actual form of leak. What are your pressure settings and EPR?
RE: Question: How to cure exhale forced by CPAP machine? - OpalRose - 01-12-2017
It may not be the mask, but the pressure settings on your machine.
Also, it's very helpful if your fill out your profile.
Order the Clinicians manual here.
http://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-pressure/change-cpap-pressure-settings-adjusting-your-machine-with-a-clinician-setup-manual
Also, download #SleepyHead software and let us know what your pressure settings are.
You can post a screenshot here. Follow the tutorials in this post.
RE: Question: How to cure exhale forced by CPAP machine? - Spunky8 - 01-12-2017
Thanks very much for responding.
I don't know my pressure settings, nor do I know how to change them. I've just used "auto" and, until the episodes I described l occurred last night, I had no similar difficulty on the prior two nights of usage, my first two nights.
On the first two nights, I noticed that if I voluntarily opened my mouth, air would gently burst out. Last night, however, I repeatedly had not choice in the matter: The air would just force itself out. This was helped when I adjusted the mask setting on the machine to "nasal."
RE: Question: How to cure exhale forced by CPAP machine? - Crimson Nape - 01-12-2017
To answer your question about the mask setting; Yours is a Nasal mask. A nasal mask covers the complete outside of the nose whereas a nasal pillow (P10) will only touch the front of your nose above the upper lip.
RE: Question: How to cure exhale forced by CPAP machine? - Sleeprider - 01-12-2017
Download #Sleepyhead. This free program will graph your therapy showing what pressures occur, and if higher pressure correlates to leaks. It will also show the effectiveness of your treatment and what pressures are needed to resolve different breathing events.
I think you will very quickly see the pressure that causes a problem, and maybe we can help you with that.
RE: Question: How to cure exhale forced by CPAP machine? - Spunky8 - 01-12-2017
I've filled out my profile. However, I've not been able to succeed in registering for Sleepyhead. On each occasion when I've tried to enter the requisite information to complete the registration, the form is kicked back for reasons I don't understand. i use a Mac.
RE: Question: How to cure exhale forced by CPAP machine? - Spunky8 - 01-12-2017
(01-12-2017, 06:20 PM)Spunky8 Wrote: I've filled out my profile. However, I've not been able to succeed in registering for Sleepyhead. On each occasion when I've tried to enter the requisite information to complete the registration, the form is kicked back for reasons I don't understand. i use a Mac.
I've now figured out how to check the pressure settings on my machine. They show a Max. of 20 and a Min. of 4.
It seems to me that the 20 pressure setting may be too high, so I'm thinking of dialing it down to 19 or even 18. Also, I've set the mask adjustment on the machine to indicate "pillow," as opposed to "nasal."
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks.
RE: Question: How to cure exhale forced by CPAP machine? - OpalRose - 01-12-2017
Your machine is set at the default of 4cm minimum and 20cm max, which is not optimal.
Do you know the 90% pressure reading?
Until we can see some data from #SleepyHead, I recommend setting the minimum pressure
to 7cm and the maximum setting to 15. This is still a wide range, but a start.
Set the EPR to 3 if you have issues with exhaling against pressure.
These changes should help with your comfort level.
I'm not understanding the problem you are having with downloading #SleepyHead and using a mac,
so will let someone else address that.
RE: Question: How to cure exhale forced by CPAP machine? - Sleeprider - 01-12-2017
On your machine, you can look at my therapy, and see the average and 90% pressure. It would help to know that. If they are not visible, we can help you change your settings from Essential to Plus. You really need to get a copy of the setup manual. Just follow directions at the top of this page.