New to Sleep Apnea

[jcw1407]

Hi there, I'm James, 57 year old from Sydney and just diagnosed yesterday with sleep apnea. (lots of investigations leading up to a sleep study  ECG's, lung XRays, the works)

So my doctor informed me after a home sleep study my AHI is 41, but I stupidly didn't ask for a sleep report.  I go back to him in 6 weeks so I'll ask for it then.

I bumbled off down to Resmed and they fixed me up with a trial AirSense 10, with a variety of masks (all in the 30 range as I toss and turn like mad, so I wanted the tube connecting at the top)

They have bundled me onto a so called Comfort study for 30 days, so I'm not going to make any adjustments for a while.

Anyway, I had my first night with it last night, I haven't yet looked at in Oscar, but will get all that setup after work today.

So I have a few questions/observations about night 1.

I used the full face mask (F30i)  and it seemed to go OK, although for some reason about 4 in the morning it started leaking horribly and no amount of repositioning helped, I had to take it off and refit it.   Any tips to avoid that?

This morning the summary screen was full of green ticks

AHI - 5.1  (I am expecting I should be aiming to get lower than this)
Leak - 18 this seems too high?

Also there's a little bit of disappointment this morning, I still feel exhausted - if I get used to CPAP, how long should it be before I start feeling like I've had a restful sleep?

Thanks for helping this noob

[Heracles]

Hi,

For the mask, there are many things to consider.
1-Have it as loose as possible. The tighter the mask, the less margin it has to stay sealed when there is movement.
2-Ensure to clean it before each night. To clean up your face at the same time will help too
3-Ensure to start your therapy with a pressure that is not too far from the real minimum you need. If your start with the mask sealed at a pression of 5 and your minimum is more like 14, you may well end up with leaks as soon as the therapy kicks in.

About AHI, indeed 5.1 is still a little too high. I trust you will get better and in all cases, it is already way better than 41.

At 18, leaks are high. The CPAP can handle this and therapy is still effective. The CPAP can handle leaks up to around 20. Still, that is way too high to be considered as good. Leaks may very well wake you up, cause irritation / infection in your eyes and more.

As for how long before feeling better, there is no answer to that one. Your body may have been deprived of proper sleep for years. Cases where people start feeling better after 3 months are pretty common. In all cases, stick to your therapy and ask for all the help you need. It may be hard at first but once used to it, you will never want to go back.

Good luck with your therapy,