(07-27-2014, 10:37 PM)doublestack1 Wrote: During my sleep study 7+ years ago they never hooked me up to a CPAP. Just sent data (brain sensors, etc) to my doctor who then prescribed the CPAP. Tried it for a short time and sent it back to the service company.
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Will report back in a week. Machine should arrive Tuesday. Return from a business trip Wednesday night. Will try to set it up and wear Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sat nights. Will let you know Sunday afternoon
Hi doublestack1,
If you try the machine on its default settings (Min Pressure 4 and Max Pressure 20), it is not unlikely that you may be uncomfortable with such a low minimum pressure.
The first few days or weeks it will seem like you are having to work too hard to exhale, of course, because we are breathing against pressure. But if it also feels like you are needing to work a little too hard to inhale, I would suggest increasing the Min Pressure to 5 or 6 or 7 as soon as you like.
And if the higher Min Pressure does not seem to have made it any easier to inhale an adequate amount of air, I would suggest raising EPR by however much the Min Pressure was raised. The cycling back and forth between the lower exhale pressure versus the higher inhale pressure can take a little getting used to, but it actually makes it easier to get enough air, after we become used to it a little.
I also suggest starting with EPR enabled "Full Time" and set to 1. EPR is commonly considered a comfort feature, which the user is free to adjust for best comfort. (Enabled Full Time means all night, not just during the Ramp period.)
Also, it would probably be very helpful to watch TV or read for a few hours the first few days and maybe not even attempt to wear the mask at night (depending on how well things went when watching TV or whatever).
The idea here is it may take a while to ease yourself into becoming comfortable and able to sleep during the therapy.
If swallowing air becomes a painful problem or if dizziness or hearing problems or visual problems occur because the pressure is adjusting itself higher than is comfortable, it may be more important at first to limit the Max Pressure setting to something which is more bearable, and as we adapt to therapy usually everything gets easier and the pressure limits can be gradually re-adjusted based on what we see using SleepyHead or ResScan to look at the data which the machine has recorded for us.
Most people have somewhat of a hard time at first. Also, most often, several masks will need to be tried for a week or so each, before one or two are found which work reasonably well for us. (If buying supplies on line, some suppliers offer mask satisfaction insurance which would allow us to return the mask for a refund if it does not work well for us, but the 30-day time to return it may start when the mask is purchased or shipped rather than when it is received, and the mask may need to be received back at the supplier before the trial period is over, so be sure to read the fine print to understand the requirements.)
The most important thing is not to give up. It gradually gets easier as we become accustomed to the therapy.
Take care,
-- Vaughn
The Advisory Member group provides advice and suggestions to Apnea Board administrators and staff on matters concerning Apnea Board operation and administrative policies. Membership in the Advisory Member group should not be understood as in any way implying medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.