Newbie needs HELP !!

[tomnewman]

i have had my CPAP machine for about 2 weeks, don't seem to be getting much benefit from it yet. Pressure is 12. Should I raise the pressure , or should I change it to the CPAP-check mode, which I believe is some type of auto mode, I have the full mask on tight as hell, and according the machine info screen it says that I am at 1.3 AHI, and only shows 1 day of actual data ?? Is that because i took the card out today for the first time and loaded it into my computer under sleepmapper. com ?? I am still waking up sick continually all night ?? Help !! Do I need a more extensive software to use with the sd card ??

[trish6hundred]

Hi tomnewman,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
CPAP therapy takes some getting used to but it does get better as your body gets used to this new way of sleeping.
When you say that you are waking up sick, does it feel like you are swallowing air and do you feel bloated 'till you berp or fart?
Just trying to help you get to the bottom of this so you can move on.
Hang in there for more answers to your questions and best of luck to you with your CPAP therapy and don't give up.

[zonk]

Do I need a more extensive software to use with the sd card ??

http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...e-software

[tomnewman]

Hi tomnewman,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
CPAP therapy takes some getting used to but it does get better as your body gets used to this new way of sleeping.
When you say that you are waking up sick, does it feel like you are swallowing air and do you feel bloated 'till you berp or fart?
Just trying to help you get to the bottom of this so you can move on.
Hang in there for more answers to your questions and best of luck to you with your CPAP therapy and don't give up.

I wake up with the same moderate headache, little nausea, and little bloated needing to burp, pretty all the same symptoms before I got the machine, and of course extremely tired !!

[trish6hundred]

Hi Tom,
There is a thread here on the board called "aerophagia," (Swallowing air,) that you might want to take a look at, you may find some helpful information in it.
Good luck to you and hang in there.

[DeepBreathing]

G'day tomnewman, welcome to the forum.

As Trish said, CPAP isn't always an overnight miracle - in fact for most of us there's a period of going backwards before things get better. You're learning to sleep and breathe in a totally different way with a firehose and a plastic alien strapped to your face! You've probably had apnea for years, and the damage won't be reversed in one night or even one month. But it does get better with time, and it really is worth sticking with the program.

In relation to your pressure, we can't really answer that without some detailed information. And of course, we're not medical professionals, so any advice or suggestions you receive here must be taken in that light. We can give you the benefit of our own experience and that's all. Having said that, can you tell us if you had a sleep study and what the results were? What was your untreated AHI, and if you had a titration study what were the recommended pressures? Also, do you know if you had obstructive or central apneas, and what the mix was?

Your AHI of 1.3 is really good - anything under 5 is regarded as satisfactory. Above 5 is mild apnea.

Your headache may still be a hangover from apnea, but it might also be because you have your mask headgear too tight. It's not necessary to have it "tight as hell". In fact that's probably counterproductive. The masks are designed to work with just a comfortable tension on the headgear. The hardest part is to get a mask that is comfortable and doesn't leak. Most of us have tried many masks trying to achieve that elusive goal. Don't be afraid to try different masks until you get one which is comfortable, doesn't leak, and doesn't need to be too tight.

I've found that leaks can be just as disruptive as apnea - they can blow in your eyes or make farting noises against your face and disturb your bed partner. And of course if you're dealing with all that you're not getting a sound sleep.

The bloated feeling is called aerophagia. I've never experienced it but it seems to be pretty common. There are a lot of discussions about it in this forum.

I don't have your particular machine or software so I can't comment on your data issues. Most of us here use Sleepyhead (follow the link that Zonk posted). It's pretty easy to use and gives very good graphs and charts so you can track your progress. It's developed by a bloke here in Australia who distributes it for free. Give the guy a donation if you find it useful.

You've had a rough start to your CPAP journey, but it really does get better. Some people take longer than others - there's no way of knowing. But it really is worth the effort and in the long term you will feel very much better.

[JimZZZ]

We can give you the benefit of our own experience and that's all. Having said that, can you tell us if you had a sleep study and what the results were? What was your untreated AHI, and if you had a titration study what were the recommended pressures? Also, do you know if you had obstructive or central apneas, and what the mix was?

Welcome to the struggle Tomnewman. I have quoted DeepBreathing above to encourage you to post as much information about your situation as possible. You will find folks here who have experienced pretty much the same symptoms you have and they will be glad to share their solutions. But first they have to know what you're dealing with.

We all start out with high expectations of an immediate improvement and a subsequent dose of reality when we encounter a difficult adjustment period. Your best friend is information about your situation and knowledge about equipment and techniques. Aggressively use your sleep doctor, DME clinician and this forum to learn and apply solutions. That's what I have learned in my four months of therapy.

[Bama Rambler]

i have had my CPAP machine for about 2 weeks, don't seem to be getting much benefit from it yet. Pressure is 12. Should I raise the pressure , or should I change it to the CPAP-check mode, which I believe is some type of auto mode, I have the full mask on tight as hell, and according the machine info screen it says that I am at 1.3 AHI, and only shows 1 day of actual data ?? Is that because i took the card out today for the first time and loaded it into my computer under sleepmapper. com ?? I am still waking up sick continually all night ?? Help !! Do I need a more extensive software to use with the sd card ??

SleepMapper is pretty useless. I would recommend that you use SleepyHead instead. That way you can look at the graphs and tell if the data shows any odd or unusual things going on. It will also keep the data you download to it.

[robysue]

i have had my CPAP machine for about 2 weeks, don't seem to be getting much benefit from it yet. Pressure is 12. Should I raise the pressure , or should I change it to the CPAP-check mode, which I believe is some type of auto mode,

and

and according the machine info screen it says that I am at 1.3 AHI, and only shows 1 day of actual data ??

First things first: An AHI = 1.3 is very, very good. And it's way, way too early to start thinking about adjusting the pressure setting on the machine. You still are working on learning how to sleep with the equipment.

Next:

I have the full mask on tight as hell,

No mask should need to be "tight as hell" to stop the leaks.

What kind of full face mask are you using? You need to review the fitting instructions carefully. Chances are you can loosen those straps quite a bit (they need to be comfortably snug, which is not really very tight for the mask seal to work properly. As a bonus, you'll be much more comfortable, and that will allow you to sleep more soundly.

and according the machine info screen it says that I am at 1.3 AHI, and only shows 1 day of actual data ?? Is that because i took the card out today for the first time and loaded it into my computer under sleepmapper. com ??

Taking the card out to load the data into sleepmapper will NOT affect the data that is recorded. If the card is not in the machine when you use it, placing the card back into the machine will cause the machine to write the on-board data to your SD card. Since you are using a PR Pro, the on-board data includes all the usage data, the ahi data, and the leak data. It contains all the detailed data recorded in the last month or so, but it does not contain the so-called "wave flow" data, but it's not a issue if you are missing some wave flow data here and there: Neither the DME nor the sleep doc is likely to want to look at the wave flow data anyway.

Your machine's LCD data is updated at noon GMT each day, regardless of what time zone you are living in. The LCD data should include a 1-day AHI, a 7-day AHI, and a 30-day AHI.

I am still waking up sick continually all night ?? Help !!

My guess is that you're sick with worry and discomfort. Lots of newbies wake up a lot when they first start PAPing---there's a lot to learn in order to comfortably sleep with a six foot hose attached to your nose, and some of us take a lot longer than 2 weeks to sort it out.

Mask comfort is critically important in getting to where you can sleep comfortably all night instead of waking up. And you are wearing your mask too tight.

And lots of newbies wake up a lot from anxiety: They turn over in bed and wake up for fear the mask has sprung a leak. Or they wake up each time they need to turn over because they have not learned how to turn over in bed without getting tangled in the hose. But eventually we all sort it out and learn the skills we need for actually sleeping with the alien on our face. It will get better.

And if it doesn't get better in the next couple of weeks, then a call to the doc is in order.

Do I need a more extensive software to use with the sd card ??

SleepyHead is what most of us use around here. It will work with your machine. Or there's Encore, which is the software designed by Philips Resprionics, that works with your machine. Links to both can be found in the Private area of the forum if you are logged in.

[Matthew Vader]

Hi,

It will take you a few weeks to adjust to the machine, hang in there and your issues persist please contact your doctor asap!