Yippeeee!!!

[shelley123]

Hi everyone,

If you read my previous thread 'Please Help', you will know that I am a newbie and was having problems with the CPAP. Last night, I finally feel I have mastered the art of CPAP therapy.

I had recently been given an APAP machine by my sleep tech. I thought I was onto a winner as auto must surely be better than fixed and for the first few nights it was great. However, things changed rapidly. I kept experiencing mask leaks that led to the machine giving huge amounts of air, thus I kept ripping it off. I only managed a few hrs sleep and that was broken. It badly dried my mouth and I hated it. I called the clinic and thay swapped it back to a CPAP and last night I had a great sleep. By trial and error, I have found the perfect way to use and tolerate the machine for over five hours and this morning I feel very energised.

Here is my top tips (they work for me but everyone is different)

1. I use a CPAP and I prefer this to the APAP (unusual I know)
2. I use the humidifier set at 2.5
3. I put on some lip salve before putting on the mask
4. I wear my hair in a high pony tail and this stops the mask straps from 'riding up' on my head (sorry guys)
5. I've gone from 3 (yes 3) pillows to 2 (needed 3 because of SA symptoms before treatment
6. I have read all the excellent help and advice on these pages (thanks to all who have contributed)

I know I will still come across various hiccuops along the way and will prob be asking for advice from time to time but overall I feel so much better for being on CPAP treatment. I can now be a mum to my kids and not a zombie who falls asleep at any given moment!!!

Thanks for reading

Shelley xxx

[James @ Intus]

Well done Shelley and thanks for sharing.

The sheer simplicity of a fixed pressure can indeed help some. But that's often also a sign of not so clever APAP settings or capabilities.

When you have a less intelligent Auto-CPAP / APAP or no educated settings (left default for example) it can indeed happen that a small dislodging of the mask causes the machine to ramp up the pressure creating a vicious circle leading to the user getting uncomfortable and waking up. This can often be avoided by putting a cap on the upper pressure, a bit higher than a fixed pressure would have been, as well as enabling fast airway stable response speed if the machine has such a feature (like the Sandman).

But of course, if the CPAP suits you and the pressure is so it tackles amost all events, then that's absolutely brilliant of course. Enjoy your day!

[GrumpyBiker]

I used to have leakage issues with my Remstar m-series APAP until I tweaked the settings away from default. Having used the machine for some time I had a 90% pressure of 15.9 - so I tweaked the top pressure to 17. This still required tight straps which were uncomfortable at 4, so I upped the base pressure to 10.5 to hold the mask off my face a bit at startup. This has led to a AHI that wanders up and down between 3 and 5. I have yet to determine why there is this variation - I would really like to get the AHI below 3 and keep it there.

I think I will discuss my yweaked settings with the clinic when I go to see them next year. Possibly.

Andy

[dravidio]

That sounds promising Shelley. Unfortunately I do not have enough hair to put into a pony tail. Good to hear you are making progress. Since getting a heated hose - I am doing better but still getting dry mouth even with a humidifier setting of 9/10. However condensation in the mask is no longer a problem.

I will try some lip balm. I can manage to sort out mask leaks by adjusting the straps and my sleeping position and keep the mask pretty loose. I use a full face nasal gel....

[taswulf]

I looked at my F & P machine this morning.
I've had a total of 672 hours of unbroken sleep since starting CPAP therapy.
Averaging 8.2 hours per night. Fan "bloody "tastic.
Had to get up twice this week to take our dog our for a wee break.
I noticed when I got back into bed & set up again it took a while to get comfortable with the pressure & flow rate.
My theory on this is that because my lungs were filled with warm humid air, going outside into the cold night air causes a dramatic change in temperature and once you start the warm air flow again it takes the body a while to adjust.

Paul

[Debs79]

well done you!!! i have long hair and have to put it up as well to stop the straps moving.
im still trying to master my cpap! but im sure i will get there like yourself
x

[threewheelweave]

Great Feed-back!

Hi Shelley123

Great positive post full of really helpful feed-back - just what others may need!

What type of lip balm are you using?

I have the humidifier but prefer not to use it as it makes a "hot guy" run hotter with the air warmed up as well. I've even used the ice cubes to cool the air down so I suffer a little with dry lips / morning cough from the dryness so I'll try the lip balm to see if it helps me also! TOP TIP - THANKS!

All you need now is an extension to the hours run on the CPAP and you'll be flying (Without Wings! ). I'm averaging 8.5hrs per night and it really makes the difference!

Thanks again - cheers

TWW
UK

[shelley123]

Hi threewheelweave,

Thanks for your reply. I use a Lipsyl (think that's how it's spelt. Can't check, I'm at work) It really helps and if you get a good make and pay that little it extra, it lasts a lot longer.

What would we do without this forum? I am going to suggest to my sleep clinic that they give out the forum address to all newbie cpap users.

Love Shelley x

[James @ Intus]

What would we do without this forum? I am going to suggest to my sleep clinic that they give out the forum address to all newbie cpap users.

To use an Americanism, that would be awesome.

We wil be handing out hundreds of Pur Sleep samples with stickers referring to the forums at the BSS meeting later this month so hopefully there will be an influx of forum newbies you experts can assist.

[Alleycat]

Shelly
Well done you. Everyone is different and it can take time to find what best suits you.

Grumpy biker- I wouldn't worry about the variation in your AHI from 3-5, this is perfectly normal and everyone including those without OSA has an AHI of upto 5, its a normal part of sleep.
xx