[CPAP] xirokx - Therapy Thread

[xirokx]

A few questions to better understand what we are seeing. Your tidal volume is quite large, so I want to understand it better. I am 1.94m and 89kg, but your TV is more than twice mine. Not that it is a problem for an athlete or trumpet player, just something we do not normally see.

Are you on any medications?

What is your age, weight, and height?

Have you ever had your lung functions tested?

Any other medical details you think we need to know?

Oh, I thought my TV being high the other day was a humour. I do walk around 4-7km a day not sure if that makes a difference.

I only take Tofactinab as I have Ulcerative Colitis. I sleep with aligners in my mouth at the moment as getting my teeth straightened, I use Invisalign.

I am 42yrs old, 83kg and am 5ft 10"

No never had my lungs tested. Do you think I should? Is it something bad or wrong? 

Thanks

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Yes, you went the wrong way on the humidity setting. If it was already leaving water in the mask, you should have turned humidity down. Then go with Auto humidity at 1.

Or more drastic:

Try Off with no water in the humidifier tub. Make certain humidity is OFF to do this.

Thanks for that it helps me to understand that.

How do I set my machine to with Auto Humidity?

I will give Off with no water in the tub a try , should tube temp also be Off then? Also if I get to dry then shall I put water in tub and humidity at 1?

Thanks so much

[xirokx]

P.s. I do have a deviated septum so cannot breathe through my nose at all for which I am having a septorhinoplasty surgery next month...

[SarcasticDave94]

I believe the Auto and manual settings for the humidifier should be located near the humidity level.

[xirokx]

I believe the Auto and manual settings for the humidifier should be located near the humidity level.

Thanks I found it

You say 

"Then go with Auto humidity at 1"

My machine has auto humidity option or humidity starts from 1 but not Auto Humidity at 1...

Please clarify what you mean?

In the meantime for the last hour and 20mins, I napped and so tested having no water in tub, humidity off and tube temp off. I noticed after I woke up there was some condensation in the mask but no water.

Question, if with no water in the tub, and humidity and tube temp set to off , I then get condensation in my mask that turns to water droplets...what do I do then? I am assuming I would put tube temp to 15 the lowest setting and increase until there is no rainout. Along the way if I feel dry and there is no rainout then add humidity to 1. I'd my understanding correct?

Thanks so much

[SarcasticDave94]

As you say Auto humidity and choosing setting 1 aren't available together, then either choose Auto or 1. Trying to get you to the place where humidity is the minimum available.

However, since it sounds like condensation occurs with no water in the humidifier, you'll want to attempt to run the heated hose if possible. Wherever you start, keep increasing the temperature until the moisture stops being an issue.

[xirokx]

As you say Auto humidity and choosing setting 1 aren't available together, then either choose Auto or 1. Trying to get you to the place where humidity is the minimum available.

However, since it sounds like condensation occurs with no water in the humidifier, you'll want to attempt to run the heated hose if possible. Wherever you start, keep increasing the temperature until the moisture stops being an issue.

Last night I used the Cpap without water in the humidifier, humidity and tube temp off. 

I slept a little better, I got 5hrs before condensation became a problem so I kept humidity off and started tube temp from lowest setting 16 and still had condensation. I then dried everything off and started at tube temp 17 and humidity off with not water in tub and I still got condensation. 

I will keep increasing tube temp as you say until there is no condensation in the mask or hose. 

Please can you reassure me I am on the right path with this now? 

Also can you explain how condensation can occur without any water in the tub and humidity off? Is it the room temperature? My humidity meter in my bedroom tells me humidity is at 65%. 

I'm just grateful in the end I managed around 7hrs of usage with minimal fuss compared to the other night were it was 4hrs with maximum fuss. 

I'm also extremely terrified we may not find my balance point doing this ??? ...then what?

Thanks so much I feel extremely grateful to have you in my corner

[SarcasticDave94]

It does sound like you're getting closer to getting this addressed.

65% humidity in a room is slightly higher than what I know of as being ideal. 30-60% is that ideal range.

How the condensation is happening? You are probably in a cooler room than normal and then slightly higher humidity both are contributing.

What is the actual room temperature?

Maybe you'll want to go the opposite way in the heated hose. Start full hot and lower as needed. Might as well see if Max temperature helps or not.

[xirokx]

It does sound like you're getting closer to getting this addressed.

65% humidity in a room is slightly higher than what I know of as being ideal. 30-60% is that ideal range.

How the condensation is happening? You are probably in a cooler room than normal and then slightly higher humidity both are contributing.

What is the actual room temperature?

Maybe you'll want to go the opposite way in the heated hose. Start full hot and lower as needed. Might as well see if Max temperature helps or not.

Yes my room is just naturally a cooler room. It's not because I have windows open or fan or AC , nothing like that.

The actual room temp this room is 21 degrees Celsius 

Yes I think you're right about going the other way starting not and going cooler.

Last night I got condensation in the tube and mask. Whilst the tube temp can stop the condensation in the tube but what about the mask? 

So I did some further research, I'm getting into this now.

I was reading about exhaled air from my breathe and apparently some Cpap users say their breathe condenses in face mask causing water droplets after 3hrs of use and then the seal becomes weaker. How do I even work around that? 

Thanks for your support appreciate it

[xirokx]

See here

https://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread...lease-help

That I believe answers the condensation in the mask but doesn't provide me with a solution ?

[xirokx]

The last paragraph is telling but I don't know how to resolve it...

"The CPAP machine delivers a stream of pressurized air down the hose. The mask has one or more vents that constantly bleed a portion of that air to the environment. As you exhale, your exhaled air fills the mask and backs up the tube toward the CPAP machine. Before your next inhalation, though, the majority of the air you exhaled goes out the bleed port(s).

The bleed port(s) are sized and located to make sure a sufficient amount of that last exhalation is dumped before you (on average) inhale again. The amount of bleed air varies with the mask design. Big full face masks with a lot of volume have to bleed a larger volume of air to clear in time. Small nasal masks like a ‘Wisp’ don’t have much volume and have smaller bleed ports. Nasal masks with an extensive tube system like Dreamwear require a top-of-the-head bleed port as well as a mask bleed so that the whole thing is emptied in time.

This is why the CPAP machine has different settings for full face, nasal and pillows - each group has different volumes and thus has different bleed rates to clear that volume. If you set it wrong, the CPAP machine will miscalculate the leaks and tidal volumes because it’s using the wrong bleed numbers."