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[CPAP] Newbie questions about nasal mask
#1
Newbie questions about nasal mask
Hi all! I received some kind welcome messages and responses yesterday. Thank you Smile

Had my first go at the CPAP last night (I did not wear one during my sleep study, so this really was the FIRST go!). I noticed a couple of problems and I'm wondering if they're just typical newbie problems or if I should call my supply provider to try other options. I love the feel of the nose mask, it's really unobtrusive, so I hope I don't have to switch.

1. When the machine is running, I feel like air and drool build up a lot in my mouth, which of course has to stay closed. It's rather uncomfortable, but not unbearable....but then, I didn't sleep with it for the whole night my first try either Thinking-about

2. I kept experiencing the sensation of needing to yawn, or needing to take a really big breath that I couldn't quite catch through my nose. I'm on Autoset right now (pressure range 5-15) so the machine is supposed to match what I need at any given time. I couldn't tell if I really wasn't getting enough air, or if it was just psychosomatic, or possibly a reaction to breathing only through my nose (which I had stopped doing due to the apnea episodes). The thing I noticed most happened when I would drift off. The pressure would ramp up when my airways closed, and this would wake me up with a start (obviously, since I"m not used to it yet) but when I would wake up, I would feel the urge to take a couple more BIG breaths. It was almost the same feeling I used to get when I would wake from an apnea episode not breathing, except I know the machine was working because I could feel it.

Is this just a sensation that I'm feeling because I'm not used to it yet? Or am I really not getting enough air (hard to see how that's possible on an Autoset machine). I tried dialing down the A-Flex so the pressure was more continuous; helped very slightly, but at that point I was so awake that I gave up for the night anyway.

Thanks for any insights. You guys are great.
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#2
RE: Newbie questions about nasal mask
Welcome to the forum.

Is your machine Philips Respironics or a Resmed machine. The term Autoset is usually used for the Resmed auto CPAPs. I am assuming that yours is a Philips machine.

I forgot to look but it sounds like you are using a nasal pillows mask. The mouth filling with air is caused by not isolating the mouth with your tongue and will end up as a mouth leak. The tonguen eeds to seal against the roof of your mouth towards the back in order to eliminate this problem. A chin strap may help. There are other people that can give you some more hints to prevent this. I never could accomplish it even with a chin strap so I had to take other measures.

I see 2 potential problems for your needing more of a breath. Many people find it suffocating at a pressure of 4 or 5. This can be avoided by setting your minimum pressure a little higher-maybe 7. another potential problem is if the ramp feature is set to On and the ramp start pressure is set to 4 which seems to be the factory default. Some people use the ramp feature and some do not. It is a comfort feature designed to start you at a lower pressure and ramp up to your minimum and seems to often be set for a 45 minute duration. In your case that would keep you at too low a pressure for at least 45 minutes. The easiest thing to do at this point is to turn the ramp off by turning the ramp time to 0.

If you have not already done so, it would be a good idea to download the clinician manual for your machine. There is a link at the top of each page that will direct you.

Best Regards,

PaytonA

Admin Note:
PaytonA passed away in September 2017
Click HERE to read his Memorial Thread

~ Rest in Peace ~
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#3
RE: Newbie questions about nasal mask
(11-18-2014, 12:16 PM)rdavis Wrote: Is this just a sensation that I'm feeling because I'm not used to it yet?

Yes. Keep in mind that all the CPAP machine does is spin a little fan that blows air down the hose. It's not enough to help you breathe, it's just enough to keep your upper airway from collapsing. You still have to do all the breathing with your diaphragm.

As you adapt to CPAP therapy the things that bother you will stop bothering you. Just be patient. The most important thing is to make a commitment to use the machine every time you sleep, all the time you're sleeping. Do not allow yourself the option of sleeping without the machine. That will interfere with the adaptation process. It's like taking one step forward and two steps back.

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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#4
RE: Newbie questions about nasal mask
Im lucky as I took to CPAP like a duck to water, but still had to get comfortable with it.
From my limited experience I can safely say the more I use it the more comfortable I get with it, and the best advice I can give is to never give up and don't sleep without it hooked up. The rewards are amazing, and nothing in life that was ever really worth having, ever came easily.

Good luck
Failure is NOT an option.
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#5
RE: Newbie questions about nasal mask
Payton is right, my start pressure is 7 and it was much better for me and I did not get the feeling of being smothered
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#6
RE: Newbie questions about nasal mask
Thanks for the advice everyone! I've considered downloading the clinician's manual and resetting the pressure on my own. Has anyone ever had problems with their doctor (or their insurance provider....) giving them trouble for this? I am in a trial period with my new CPAP where it's on an automatic setting to measure my pressures every night so the doctor can figure out what to set it on permanently. The machine automatically transmits each night's activity to the CPAP equipment provider, and they give it to the doctor, so they will know right away if I have made changes that weren't authorized by the doctor. The insurance provider has all kinds of rules and regulations about how the CPAP must be used during these 3 months for them to pay for it permanently....due to all these factors, I'm afraid to meddle with it myself...but my doctor won't be back in the office until Monday and meanwhile, I have attempted to use the CPAP for several hours in a row at night and just spend hours jerking awake every minute or so gasping. I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. :/ Thanks for all the advice.
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#7
RE: Newbie questions about nasal mask
(11-20-2014, 10:08 PM)rdavis Wrote: I've considered downloading the clinician's manual and resetting the pressure on my own.

What changes would you make, and why?

Quote:Has anyone ever had problems with their doctor (or their insurance provider....) giving them trouble for this? I am in a trial period with my new CPAP where it's on an automatic setting to measure my pressures every night so the doctor can figure out what to set it on permanently.

It's important to leave it alone so a trend can be established. Sometimes people want to change their settings on a daily basis and all it does is make it impossible to interpret what's going on.

I suggest you download and install SleepyHead. This will give you the education you need to be able to communicate effectively with your doctor. Then you can make informed decisions about your therapy settings.


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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#8
RE: Newbie questions about nasal mask
Sorry, Sleepster, I guess I wasn't very clear in my last comment Smile I was responding to the commenters who said that my lowest setting (5) is a setting that some users experience as being too suffocating, and that I should see if I could up my lower setting a bit. I agree with you that it would certainly be a bad idea to go changing it every day!

So far, I've been unable to sleep with it at all, as every time I doze off I startle awake feeling like I need to take a big breath. I called the CPAP supply provider about it to ask if it was normal, and she said that it's typical for new users not to sleep very long for the first few nights. I couldn't seem to get her to understand that it's not a question of not being able to STAY asleep very long....it's a question of not being able to GO to sleep because my body jerks out of a doze needing air every few minutes. It's not much different than jerking awake from the apnea :/
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#9
RE: Newbie questions about nasal mask
Call your doc if you dont want to raise the min yourself. Just tell him or her you not getting enough air on that min pressure and doc will raise it. They want you compliant and smothering you with a min that most folks feel smothery with isnt something a Doc will lock you into and refuse to raise. Your probably not getting enough air on 5 to be comfortable. The more EPR you set the worse it will make it feel.

When I was on compliance period I had to have them raise the min twice. Could have done it myself. Insurance at least medicare by their words could care less if you do as long as your compliant and its help you.

My Doc could care less either once he figured out I knew what i was doing and could set it myself.

Only one that said I couldnt was the DME. Thats because they get to bill a crazy amount of money to insurance for the min and half it takes to set it. There is a reason they take the clinical manual out of the box when giving you the machine and it has nothing to do with your health.

They left mine in because 1. My DME thought a PRS1 550 was the latest model and wasnt even aware of the sixty series. 2. I told and showed him I already could get into the clinical secret settings and do whatever I wanted and I wanted the clinical manual too.

I didnt set my own while on that compliance period simply out of respect for the DME guy cuz he would get me anything I needed. Even give me some stuff for nothing that worked with my machine he had laying around so figured I owned him that much.
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