New dreamstation apap user feeling fatigue

[SarcasticDave94]

Hello all,  Just remembered that my snoring is when breathing out.  Also found out from a pft test that I have problems breathing out due to lung disease.   Maybe this is part of my problem?   Can the machine still help with that or is it just something I have to live with.   What I do is lie on my side to lessen the snoring.

Thanks,

Rich.

May I ask which lung disease would this be? I'm assuming PFT is a Pulmonary Function Test. I just had my 3rd for tracking COPD. FWIW COPD is working OK with my ASV, but I had to get an ASV due to predominantly Central Apnea. I am classified as having Complex or Mixed Apneas. ASV works wonders in my case.

[Ockrocket]

I seem to recall having read somewhere on this forum that the recommendation is to turn off the Snore setting in Sleepyhead if using a Dreamstation.. something to do with it not assessing the data accurately with regard to actual snoring/not snoring.

You can download a snore recording app to your phone that will monitor and record snoring levels when you place your phone next to you on the bedside table while sleeping.... but be aware, it sometimes also interprets hoons in loud cars, or noisy trucks going past outside, as snoring as well.   

Now when my wife wakes me up and tells me I'm snoring I say "It wasn't me, it was that truck that just went by." 

But for the most part the app gives a good standard of information, and you can listen to the actual snore recordings at any point.. listening at the peaks can be surprising when you hear what you sound like while asleep. 

[DanGagner]

I'm no expert but that wide a range seems like it wouldn't work. I'd do 9-13 or 9-15 ??

[Walla Walla]

I seem to recall having read somewhere on this forum that the recommendation is to turn off the Snore setting in Sleepyhead if using a Dreamstation.. something to do with it not assessing the data accurately with regard to actual snoring/not snoring.

You can download a snore recording app to your phone that will monitor and record snoring levels when you place your phone next to you on the bedside table while sleeping.... but be aware, it sometimes also interprets hoons in loud cars, or noisy trucks going past outside, as snoring as well.   

Now when my wife wakes me up and tells me I'm snoring I say "It wasn't me, it was that truck that just went by." 

But for the most part the app gives a good standard of information, and you can listen to the actual snore recordings at any point.. listening at the peaks can be surprising when you hear what you sound like while asleep. 

There is two snore events on the Dreamstation. Why I have no idea. Anyway the one a lot of people turn off is the VS2. It seems to pick up extra noise besides snores.

[richac]

Hmm,  not even sure what lung disease I have.  Yes i had a pulmonary function test.  I just know i could barely blow out anything compared to what I breathed in.   What is AVS?   They just gave me an inhaler to use every 4 hours.  I have a Dr appointment in a couple weeks guess I will ask them.

I just keep waking up at the same darn times every day.   almost exactly at 12:30 am,  around 2:30 am,  And then around 6:30 am.  and then by that time I have trouble going back to sleep.  I have trouble sleeping as it is.   I don't know how to stop this.  This was my issue even before the cpap.  I live in a noisy house and I think its family when they go to the bathroom.   I try to use these disposable foam earplugs guess its not helping.  Are there better earplugs I could use?

I also have a loud fan blowing  to drown out noise,  would that affect the snore app?  Does the dreamstation detect sound?  Maybe I should just video myself.

I upped the min pressure to 8 last night.  I will lower the max to 15, don't think its gone over that.  think max  it went was about 14.   Been using the aflex setting.

I sleep on my sides cause I have prostate problems when I sleep on my back makes me gotta get up to go to bathroom.  I use floxmax pills but they don't work that great.  But the times I've woken up last night I didn't have to use bathroom, I think I'm just getting woken up, or my brain has been programmed to keep waking up at those times.

I also side sleep to alleviate snoring.  I try to sleep on edge of pillow, but it seems I get leak problems when the pressure starts blowing around 11.5 so I've been putting the mask on tighter.

Thanks for all the advice.

[Sleeprider]

The snore events are mostly VS2 which can be turned off in Sleepyhead. It reduces clutter, and there is not much we know to do with the VS2 anyway.

If you feel that you don't have enough time to fully exhale a breath, that is something that can be fixed in bilevel by adjusting Ti min, Ti max and the trigger and cycle sensitivity. Your FEV1 FVC ratio results are something you can discuss with your doctor. Your inspiratory/expiratory times are not normal with a shorter expiratory time than expiratory, and this result in Sleepyhead on your CPAP is probably related to your pulmonary function tests. Again, adjustable with some bileveld, and you should ensure that your doctor knows which ones can help you if you need it. I think if your doctor intervenes, then the waiting time is a myth.

[richac]

The snore events are mostly VS2 which can be turned off in Sleepyhead.  It reduces clutter, and there is not much we know to do with the VS2 anyway.

If you feel that you don't have enough time to fully exhale a breath, that is something that can be fixed in bilevel by adjusting Ti min, Ti max and the trigger and cycle sensitivity.  Your FEV1 FVC ratio results are something you can discuss with your doctor.  Your inspiratory/expiratory times are not normal with a shorter expiratory time than expiratory, and this result in Sleepyhead on your CPAP is probably related to your pulmonary function tests.  Again, adjustable with some bileveld, and you should ensure that your doctor knows which ones can help you if you need it.  I think if your doctor intervenes, then the waiting time is a myth.

So is a bilevel machine a diff type of machine?  So are you saying I should tell my doctor I might need that type of machine instead of the apap?

You know I was worried about this problem before I got this machine,  but it seems noone takes it seriously.

[Sleeprider]

Your doctor is aware of what your pulmonary needs are.  If he has familiarity with PAP therapy, then he also knows the applications for bilevel in COPD. Bilevel can significantly drop pressure during expiration to make it easier to exhale. It can give pressure support during inhale to make it easier to breathe and fully ventilate.  It is the ability to ventilate that makes bilevel so valuable.  In your case, you may not be trying to merely prevent obstructive apnea, but to facilitate a full inhale and exhale of air to keep CO2 levels lower. COPD by itself is a qualifier under Medicare and most insurance for bilevel.  Rather than try to explain this, let's see what Resmed has to say about it.

You can share this information with your doctor, and even point to the settings and ask him to prescribe accordingly. The ideal machine for bilevel without backup rate would be the Resmed Aircurve 10 Vauto.

[SarcasticDave94]

Sleeprider has it right, in your case, a BPAP or bi-level will provide better therapy for you. The added settings will help customize the timing to assist in your inhale and exhale timing needs.

ASV equals Adaptive Servo Ventilator, a higher level device than BPAP or CPAP. It is similar, but it is considered a ventilator. The ASV I have is used to combat Complex Apnea, also known as Mixed Apnea. It does not interfere with my COPD at this time.

[richac]

Interesting,  I will talk with my doctor about it.  Not sure they know anything about cpap machines but I'll see what they say.

I actually had a resmed auto machine almost a year ago,  but I had problems with it.  Because I would take so long to breath out it would start pulsing air before i had a chance to inhale and was driving me nuts cause it was shaking the mask all over my face.  I believed something was wrong with the machine, cause the one the DME gave me before that stopped recording AHI's unless I kept unplugging and replugging it in the wall. Which I learned to do from other users online.

    The doctor had me bring my machine to sleep lab for a titration saying it was probably a bad mask fit, but the sleep lab said they had nothing to do with my personal machine and hooked me up to their fancy lab machine which of course had no shaking on my face.  They changed my mask to an amara view but after I used it at home for a week,  I still had the shaking all over my face but on top of that I started getting sores under my nostrils.  So I went back to the simplus ffm.

I started asking around online and some people told me that the resmed machine I had used diff FOT algorithm (forced oscillation technique) for detecting central apneas, then the dreamstation. And they said I might be better off with a dreamstation and so it took  me a year after quitting the resmed, changing doctors,   to finally get one.  Months waiting for appointments trying to explain the problem of diff air waves and fot pulses while they looked at me like I was an alien.  But sure enough the guys online were right,  this dream station does not start shaking on my face when I take too long to exhale.  Whether using aflex or cflex so i'm quite happy about that.

But I'm disappointed that I still feel so dizzy and I'm still waking up alot after a week of using it.   I have doctors appointment in mid April, still hoping this machine will help me by then,  but if not I will tell them what I've learned here about bipap machine being better for me since I have lung disease problems and weak long shaky exhales.  I just feel like its gonna be another long tribulation and them thinking i'm nuts and having to fight for it.

Thank you very much for the advice thought I greatly appreciate it.

Rich.