New to forum and losing battle with CPAP

[eseedhouse]

But I don't like the thread title. Your *PAP is not your enemy and you don't need to fight it. Let it happen. No need to make it into a war. Who are you fighting? Yourself? Now that's a good way to mess yourself up.

[green wings]

Sometimes an expression is just that: an expression. The original poster seems to be working to solve the problems he's having with leaks.

I don't think "Let it happen" is an especially good slogan for xPAP users. True, some problems will go away on their own with time, but others require a change to be made.

I think that's the purpose of this forum: to help people sort out which kind of problem they have and to help them solve the ones that require a change.

But I don't like the thread title. Your *PAP is not your enemy and you don't need to fight it. Let it happen. No need to make it into a war. Who are you fighting? Yourself? Now that's a good way to mess yourself up.

[sleepkaos]

Thanks for all of the helpful advice!
Last night I cleaned the mask and went to sleep. Two hours later I was having trouble with the mask. I took it off and wiped my face and the mask and was able to go back to sleep for 4 more hours. I think that helped. I will order the wipes online and give those a try to see if they work even better.
There was still air escaping but it was minimized enough to sleep and not be completely awake. Most of the air escapes on the sides of the mask at my checks.

[Sleepster]

Thanks for all of the helpful advice!
Last night I cleaned the mask and went to sleep. Two hours later I was having trouble with the mask. I took it off and wiped my face and the mask and was able to go back to sleep for 4 more hours. I think that helped.

Getting the sleep we need makes a big difference in our lives. But if we're still having apneas they will disturb that sleep, and often we're unaware of it. This is why it's so important to use software to monitor the efficacy of our therapy.

Most of the air escapes on the sides of the mask at my checks.

That's a sign a poor-fitting mask. You may need to try several before finding one that works for you. When I was starting out there were times when I'd switch masks in the middle of night, or one mask one night and another on other nights. It's all part of the adaptation process. The important thing to be aware of is that all of this is temporary. Soon the human body adapts to the unfamiliar conditions and they become familiar. After that, it just becomes the new normal and we sleep like we used to sleep. Even better because we no longer have that obstructed airway problem.

[eseedhouse]

Sometimes an expression is just that: an expression.

But, in my opinion, it rarely is. Of course I might be wrong.

The original poster seems to be working to solve the problems he's having with leaks.

But I don't think of that as fighting, I think of it as adapting.

I don't think "Let it happen" is an especially good slogan for xPAP users. True, some problems will go away on their own with time, but others require a change to be made.

Change is often required, but having made an adjustment then "let it happen" and see how it goes. You might need to change something about your machine or it's settings. You might need to change the way you are approaching things. I think of it as a process of growth and adaption, not a battle. I think seeing it as a battle is an obstacle to success. Your machine shouldn't be your enemy, it should be your friend.

But that's my (perhaps not so) humble opinion. I could be wrong.

[johnthesleeper]

Just a newbie here, I can't even fall asleep with my mask on but since I'm awake most of the time, I'm pretty conscious of what is going on and in my case, I would always at first tighten my mask the least possible for comfort but as time goes by, the mask and your muscles loosen up and the pressure goes up which causes leaks to appear. I would try to get used to a tighter, uncomfortable fit right from the start. Good luck.

[Sleepster]

Just a newbie here, I can't even fall asleep with my mask on but since I'm awake most of the time, I'm pretty conscious of what is going on and in my case, I would always at first tighten my mask the least possible for comfort but as time goes by, the mask and your muscles loosen up and the pressure goes up which causes leaks to appear. I would try to get used to a tighter, uncomfortable fit right from the start. Good luck.

Thanks John, for sharing your experiences.

We were all newbies to CPAP therapy at some point. It helps us persevere when we understand that all of these mask issues are just a part of the adjustment period. You won't have to try to sleep under these conditions for the rest of your life. Soon you will adapt and you won't even know the mask is there. You will wake up, reach for it, and realize, yes, it's there. And you'll have to feel for the air jetting out of the exhalation ports to confirm that the machine is on.

The human body has the amazing capacity to adapt to new environments.

[DesertMax]

Hi Guys, I am not new to cpap but I am new to the board. I have been through 3 different machines and had 4 sleep studies over the course of the last 5 years and still no success. Every sleep tech I've worked with promised that every machine I was given would have the design capability to "prevent apnea events." None of them have done this! Is it possible for a machine to actually do this? At this point I just don't believe it.

[eseedhouse]

Every sleep tech I've worked with promised that every machine I was given would have the design capability to "prevent apnea events." None of them have done this! Is it possible for a machine to actually do this? At this point I just don't believe it.

Depends what you mean by "prevents". Do you mean all, some, or any?
A properly dialed in *PAP machine can lower most people's AHI to <=5 per hour. That's still 5 events per hour or one every 12 minutes. some people do get to an AHI level of zero. I am one of them on many nights.

Also depends on what you mean by "a machine". When they ventilate you at the hospital during an operation the machine does *all* your breathing for you. So there is a machine that can do that.

But it's not at all as simple as putting a mask on your face and blowing enough air through it.

[Sleepster]

Every sleep tech I've worked with promised that every machine I was given would have the design capability to "prevent apnea events." None of them have done this! Is it possible for a machine to actually do this? At this point I just don't believe it.

This claim is based on the relatively new ability of machines to "auto-adjust" the pressure. The machines have a flow meter, so they can measure how fast the air moves down the hose. It's faster when you breathe in, slower when you breathe out, so they construct a graph that looks somewhat like a sine wave in that it goes up and down. Analysis of the shapes shown in the graph can be used to predict an oncoming collapse of the airway. Basically, flow is restricted prior to collapse, and the machine raises the pressure in an attempt to prevent the collapse.

But not all events are caused by airway obstructions. Sometimes the brain just takes a holiday and forgets to tell the lungs to breathe. There is no way these events can be prevented.

Were you by any chance diagnosed with central sleep apnea? Or do you know if you developed central sleep apnea in response to CPAP therapy?