5 years on cpap, no improvement. getting desperate for some help.

[kc210]

Your flow limits are high when you have mask leaks. That can cause waking you up. So fixing leaks is a good thing to work on.

yeh but when i didn't have leaks i had the same issue, i actually loosened the mask to try and fix the problem in a long list of things i've tried which is why i have the leaks now.

[staceyburke]

Maybe this will help.

http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php/Mask_Primer

[Sleeprider]

The heated tube setting is automatic when detected. I definitely agree with Dave on turning off Ramp, especially with the low pressure. I think you should turn EPR from 3 to 2 because you rarely ever get to a pressure of 7.0. With the lower limit of the machine being 4.0, your minimum pressure should be 6.0 with EPR 2. The biggest problem is a mask leak that is persistent and disruptive to your sleep.

[kc210]

The heated tube setting is automatic when detected.  I definitely agree with Dave on turning off Ramp, especially with the low pressure.  I think you should turn EPR from 3 to 2 because you rarely ever get to a pressure of 7.0.  With the lower limit of the machine being 4.0, your minimum pressure should be 6.0 with EPR 2.  The biggest problem is a mask leak that is persistent and disruptive to your sleep.

i had already gotten supplies for my old machine when i got this one. i think the automatic heated you are talking about is the one that clicks in, they told me to just take my regular tube that has the normal rubber end and use that one. it attaches fine, but it doesnt click in like the connection on the back or the tutorials ive watched on it.

yeh i changed the ramp to 15 mins and took a nap, the experience was probably worse i was in and out of sleep rolling around the whole time, pretty miserable. i can def tell this machine is better, just can't quite get it working for me.

i'll change the epr tonight and tighten the straps a bit.

thanks for the suggestions everyone, i'm feeling pretty hopeless about the whole thing atm. but i'll keep trying.

[Sleeprider]

kc, you will be fine. you have a great machine, and we just need to calm the leaks and get some realistic settings in place. I hate to say "trust me", but please do.

[kc210]

ok leaks are gone, ramp is off, epr is 2 and had probably worst night yet. this stuff is just strange. still throwing mask off about 4 hours in, and then my post mask-less sleep is pretty terrible where before it was fine, perhaps the therapy is working well and then going back to nothing is making the difference more pronounced. i don't know. i'm so tired where before i could get up after taking the mask off sometimes, eyes are tired, throat is extremely dry. just laying in bed another 6 hours. max pressure seems to have risen with these changes also. before i could at least feel the positive effects of the 4 hours. not sure if that's good or bad. should i change the epr to 1 or off or do something else?

[sheepless]

looking again at the 8/4/20 screenshot in post #15, I see plm. plm or not, whatever is causing that pattern is disrupting your sleep. does that pattern show up often? does it come and go throughout the night? I wonder about the first 40 minutes of the flow rate in the 9/19/20 chart in post #36. is that pattern present?

[kc210]

looking again at the 8/4/20 screenshot in post #15, I see plm.  plm or not, whatever is causing that pattern is disrupting your sleep. does that pattern show up often?  does it come and go throughout the night?  I wonder about the first 40 minutes of the flow rate in the 9/19/20 chart in post #36.  is that pattern present?

that pattern seems to be almost continuous when zoomed in, and the 9/19/20 pattern of the first 40 minutes seems to be in pretty much every night.

[sheepless]

well, I'm pretty well convinced plm is disturbing your sleep. sorry if I'm repeating: pap won't help & quite likely causes as many arousals & awakenings in response to plm as the plm itself. best to check with your doc; plm treatment seems to require a fair amount of trial & error.