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Newbie seeks CPap for Dummies help
#11
RE: Newbie seeks CPap for Dummies help
Carla, it takes many of us a month or more to aclimate to the machine. It is not normal to be aware of your breating pattern unless it's grossly abnormal. I would make a real effort to ignore your perception of a change. We can be exquisitly sensitive to things that are perfectly normal when we first start on the machine. There are some things you can change in the beginning- like EPR or A-flex, but I would recommend waiting at least two months befoe making any changes in your pressure. In fact in the beginning I recommend working closely with your prescriber. The best I can say to do is to study the basic users manual and clinical manual. You can google or ask on the forum about words asnd concepts yoy don't understand. The Wiki link at the top of the page is a good place to start. Beware of taking someone's opinion as fact. I used to think I knew a lot. Wear the mask 100% of sleep time and all would work out. Now I know good sleep hygiene and quality, restful sleep is just as important. Good luck. Relax into using the machine.
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#12
RE: Newbie seeks CPap for Dummies help
Hello again Carla, It's not unusual to try several different masks till you get the one that works best for you, so don't give up and be sure to ask your provider about different masks if you are having trouble with the one you are using now. Good luck to you and hang in there.
trish6hundred
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#13
RE: Newbie seeks CPap for Dummies help
Yeah, I think I went through a dozen or so masks before I found one I liked. Masks is one thing you cannot "settle" with. If it does not work, therapy won't work either. Kind of like having a BMW with flat tires. Yeah, it'll roll but.....
PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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#14
RE: Newbie seeks CPap for Dummies help
Carla,

With the machine off, you should be able to rotate the knob to the "Info" position. Then push the button to bring up the menu. Scroll down by rotating the knob until you come to "AHI". Push the button and tell us what you see there. You should have a 7-day average and a 30-day average.

There's really not much you can learn at this point that will help you. Your mask is bothering you, and that's normal. We have to try several masks before we find one that works for us. This is why your provider will be able to switch masks for you until you find one that works for you. If you don't like a nasal mask, try nasal pillows. I think they leak far less, and I found them to be much better for me.

You say you don't have a sleep doctor, but you must have had one. CPAP machines require a doctor's prescription.

The first thing you want to learn about is the pressure range your machine has been set to. Then we'll look at how much time you spend in high end of the range versus the low end. But before we can worry about that you need to find a mask that doesn't leak for you.
Sleepster

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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#15
RE: Newbie seeks CPap for Dummies help
What is causing the headaches? Low pressure?
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#16
RE: Newbie seeks CPap for Dummies help
(07-11-2012, 09:38 PM)Carla Wrote: What is causing the headaches? Low pressure?
I don,t know what causing the headaches it could be quite number of things and no point of guessing. A chinstrap can help if you find yourself mouth breathing and if air escape through the mask or mouth it would lower the pressure needed to splint the airways and render the therapy ineffective. For me sometimes get the headache when congested as it feel the sinuses blocked. I find sinus washes (Neilmed sinus rinse, Flo sinus washes) helps to relieve the symptoms together with drinking enough fluids to stay hydrated and OTC medication don,t work as it can cause rebound effect and make matters worse. Higher humidifier setting can bring it on but everyone is different.



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#17
RE: Newbie seeks CPap for Dummies help
I think I get my headaches come from mental concentration! The fatigue from OSA causes confusion and inability to concentrate. Thus I have, or rather had, to concentrate really hard on anything I was thinking about. It would cause headaches from the muscle tension in my forehead. And also in my neck and back.

I've had these headaches for about 28 years, and the neck aches started about 17 years ago. I've worn a night guard and taken amitryptylene for the headaches. I'm seeing those symptoms fading dramatically after only 8 months of CPAP therapy.

It's a miracle!

Zonk is right about the cause of the headaches. It doesn't matter the cause. What matters is the getting relief. Any way you can.
Sleepster

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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#18
RE: Newbie seeks CPap for Dummies help
To say you don't need to know the cause of the headache in order to treat it, is just not true.
There is no question in my mind that the most frequent cause of tension headaches, is lack of sleep, whether it is from OSA or just not going to bed on time. There just isn't any medication that can give you relief like sleep can, if the lack of sleep is what is causing your headaches.

As a pediatrician, this is particularly true with children, who need more sleep (9 to 10 hours) to function well. Most kids I see with headaches get better once we clean up their poor sleep hygiene.
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#19
RE: Newbie seeks CPap for Dummies help
(07-13-2012, 11:38 AM)BabyDoc Wrote: There just isn't any medication that can give you relief like sleep can, if the lack of sleep is what is causing your headaches.
What if the headaches are not sleep related , How do we find the cause in order to treat it?
Do we tell the patient to take a couple of Paracetamol, send the patient for a MRI scan to rule out any brain problem, prescribe stronger pain killers or even Prozac ..............and no wonder every other child on Ritalin these days. Dont-know

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#20
RE: Newbie seeks CPap for Dummies help
Medications like amitriptylene and therapies like good sleep hygiene help relieve the headaches.

Whether this reveals the cause or simply reveals the cure is a debate in semantics.

Psychotherapy also helps relieve muscular tension pain.

The cause of muscular tension pain is tension in the muscles. Something is causing us to repeatedly flex those muscles to the point that we make them ache. Whatever we can do to help relieve that pain is what the sufferer should be concerned with. Obsessing about the cause may only make the pain worse, hence the advice that the cause is not important.
Sleepster

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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