[CPAP] Excited! Getting new (to me) cpap machine today after 20 years!

[Walla Walla]

That sleeprider guy is pretty good!

[MikeBear]

Ok, I think I'm just spinning my wheels here, and I can't seem to make any better headway all by myself. I'm going to post a typical weeks worth of screenshots, and please let me know if you see anything I can't see. I no longer believe that it's JUST leaks here and there that have been causing issues. Something else is going on, and I just can't see it. Changes consist of upping or lowering pressure, and changing EPR. What sucks the most, is that in the 20 years I was on my old brick cpap machine, I have NO data from it to tell me whats been going on. It was set on a straight 7 cm H20, and I didn't go to any lengths to contain leaks, wear chin strap, anything. I always thought things could be better, BUT, there were some real good days. Rare, but they were there. All subjective I know... Oh yeah, my average day to day oxygen saturation while I'm awake averages at least around 94%-95%~ I have no idea what it is while I'm sleeping. Also, any higher pressures, and IF I tape my mouth shut, I get very bad aerophagia. I will not tape my mouth shut anymore. I do pretty good using the "Scunci around the lips" deal, without bad aerophagia.

[Walla Walla]

Don't worry about your leak rate. For some reason the P10 mask reads high on some Resmed machines. If you look you'll notice that the leak readings show 8.40 med average. That probably should be zero. I think it's reading 8.40 too high. Your numbers otherwise look good.

[Sleeprider]

I agree with this. We have seen it several times on the forum, and when the leak line displays as a consistently low baseline, I assume that is effectively the zero leak. Unless there is a leak somewhere in the circuit it should otherwise be zero. It has no effect on your therapy and is imperceptible to the user. In terms of events, CA seems to be most of it, and can be ignored if you're comfortable, or use a bit less EPR if you're not.

[MikeBear]

I agree with this.  We have seen it several times on the forum, and when the leak line displays as a consistently low baseline, I assume that is effectively the zero leak.  Unless there is a leak somewhere in the circuit it should otherwise be zero.  It has no effect on your therapy and is imperceptible to the user.  In terms of events, CA seems to be most of it, and can be ignored if you're comfortable, or use a bit less EPR if you're not.

Ok, thanks!

As for the centrals, it's my belief that the majority of them are "phony" (for lack of a better word), or just something unique to me because of the surgery I've had done many years ago. The Septoplasty & turbinate reduction followed by the UPPP surgery kind of messed things up for me, and even 20 years later, I still deal with a touchy throat that tends to feel like there's something "stuck on the wall" and makes me clear my throat frequently, or have to have a sugar-free cough drop in my mouth all night to melt SLOWLY. Otherwise it sometimes causes enough irritation that I am clearing my throat so much I can't sleep. Also, with uvula, adenoids, tonsils (tonsils removed age 6, the rest age 40), et al all missing, air pumping into my nose no longer is guided straight DOWN my windpipe, but wants to come out into my mouth. Including just day to day breathing. So I've been concentrating on holding the tongue forward and my mouth closed, etc.

Also, I've been aware for years now that I tend to frequently find myself unconsciously holding my breath even during the day when wide awake, almost as if I actually FORGET to breath! Wow, now saying all that makes me wonder if I really have true central apnea...

As for EPR, I've decided I'm going to change back to 8 - 12, and turn EPR off for a while and see what happens. I'm much more used to this machine now, and I think I can handle it. It's pretty much the only thing left to do.

[MikeBear]

I agree with this.  We have seen it several times on the forum, and when the leak line displays as a consistently low baseline, I assume that is effectively the zero leak.  Unless there is a leak somewhere in the circuit it should otherwise be zero.  It has no effect on your therapy and is imperceptible to the user.  In terms of events, CA seems to be most of it, and can be ignored if you're comfortable, or use a bit less EPR if you're not.

If this is a quirk that sometimes happens with a particular cpap machine, does that mean other masks that I try might also tend to have the same issue of showing a higher leak baseline than normal?

[Walla Walla]

MikeBear, I've had several masks that I've tried on the Resmed machines. The ResMed P10 is the only mask that has ever read high on the leak rate that I have seen.

[MikeBear]

This cpap business is CRAZY! Check out my latest chart. I had NO events this time for almost 3.5 hours, yet I was clearly asleep (I finally figured out how to read the 'asleep' breathing in Flow Rate). I have noticed that after I do awake at night and go to the bathroom (which is usually a minimum of 3:30am), after I come back, I tend to have the MOST events after that point. I'm not sure why that is as of yet. Hopefully I'll get to the point where I don't need to get up even once per night.

I do intend on eventually moving my minimum pressure back UP to 10, but I'm fighting gastritis right now with a course of Nexium after my bout of Aerophagia that I got when I hadn't yet figured out a successful way to keep my mouth shut with the Airfit P10 and higher pressures.

Even though I've been on cpap therapy for 20 years, it STILL has taken me since the end of December to this past week~ to get issues ironed out and settled with the Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset machine compared to my old brick machine. It's THAT different!

[SarcasticDave94]

Not speaking from experience on older style CPAP machines, regardless, I can certainly appreciate the major changes in machine technology and updated design features. I started in 2015 on an older RemStar CPAP until I failed compliance. In early '17 I was issued a DreamStation BiPAP. Huge difference in sound and design.

It can take some longer to adjust to CPAP machines than others, despite the fact you were PAP-ing for a while before this new machine. Why? Sorry to say I have no answer.

OK that few seconds of deep thinking has triggered my coffee alarm...

[Walla Walla]

Try and track your sleep position before you get up for your break and than after. It might just be your changing your sleep position after your short break. It's may be worth looking at.