[CPAP] New to CPAP / Opinion - Xraymason

[Xraymason]

Hi All!   

I was diagnosed a month or so ago and have been on the APAP journey for almost 2 weeks

I did a home sleep study (Philips) and it revealed an AHI of 111........Can you say "High!"?? 

I am currently on a Resmed Sense 11 and a Resmed Airtouch F20.  

My first night attempt was a Big Fat...NOPE!   I thought the dang thing was trying to kill me!
Luckily things got better rather quickly and after about 4 nights in,  I got my first 100 score on MyAIR and I am consistently in the high 90's with a number of 100's
(I know MyAir is somewhat......( insert comment here) but at least I know I'm in the game.

My current averages for this first few weeks are :   AHI - 6 ,  Pressure - 11,  Leak rate - 2.4.

Now to my thoughts...........   I honestly rather hate the whole process and don't really feel any better.   I realize that it can take time for some folks to really feel a difference and I am encouraged that my AHI has dropped so dramatically.   

I thought I would get some of your valued opinions and advise.   ( Any words of wisdom and encouragement will be met with great appreciation!)  

I have attached last nights screenshots from OSCAR.

Best,  X

[Phaleronic]

Hi Xraymason, welcome to the forum

I would suggest raising minimum pressure to 8cm, set EPR to 3 (it's on fulltime already), turn ramp off, and lower max pressure to 15.5cm. Also, are you using a flat pillow or are you propped up a bit?

[Xraymason]

I’m running a stacked 2 memory foam pillow setup and am a side sleeper.  I have noticed that I can’t sleep at all on my back with my setup. 

I’m definitely turning off the ramp and will try the other suggestions. 

X

[Dormeo]

Welcome! I'd say 6 sure beats 111, but let's see whether you can get down below 3 or so and, every bit as important, whether you can start feeling more rested during the day.

Are you OK with changing your settings yourself? If yes, look under "CPAP Setup Manuals" so you can get into the clinician menu on your machine. Then set your minimum to 7. You'll also want your EPR to be 3 instead of 2, and I'd recommend turning off the ramp while you're at it.

Your flow limitations are quite heavy. If they come from your nose, there's not much the machine can do about them, but if they originate further down in your airway, the EPR can help. EPR can also help with snores and hypopneas. Because your machine can't go lower than 4, you need your minimum pressure to be at least 7 to get the full benefit of your EPR of 3 all night long. (EPR drops your pressure when you exhale.) And if you turn the ramp off, the machine can try to help you right from the start of your night.

If you make these changes, let's see how it goes for at least a few nights before thinking about any other changes.

Questions: do you have a stuffy nose or some other problem with the passage of air through your nose? What kind of pillow(s) do you use? How do you usually sleep (sides/back/stomach; stretched out/curled up)?

A couple of other things. A few lucky souls take to CPAP immediately and wake up feeling great after their first night. Most of us find it takes longer to get used to the weird experience, discharge any sleep debt, and address issues ranging from mask fit to machine settings. So continue to be patient with the process.

One way to speed it up is to set up your machine during the day or evening outside your bedroom and use it while you read, watch TV, or do stuff on your devices. This helps you speed up the acclimation process. ("Outside the bedroom" is important so your brain will associate bed and sleep.)

To step back a little, you are doing your body a HUGE favor by reducing your risks of serious health problems. It's pretty amazing that a non-invasive treatment that involves no drugs can do so much good. Yes, it does take getting used to, and if you stick with it you will. So hang in there!

Keep us posted, would you?

[Xraymason]

My plan ( at least today…lol) is to definitely stick with it.    Thanks for all the info and suggestions. 

To answer your inquiries,   I normally sleep on my sides,  use 2 stacked memory foam pillows and kinda sleep both curled and stretched out.  
I will say that for the most part, my nose seems clear at night but that said,  I live in the hell of the Ohio Valley and it’s allergy central right now.  The tree pollen kills me!!!

I’ll make the adjustments and cross my fingers. 

Back when I have more / different info.  

X