NewlyDiagnosed therapy thread

[NewlyDiagnosed]

I tried the Dreamport system tonight, and was initially very happy because I was able to get it working easily and thought that there were no leaks, based on report from 30 minutes wear while awake.  When I tried to sleep, I wasn't able to because there was so much noise, which I believe was coming from the "mask."  I gave up after about 90 minutes and took the things off.  I am baffled by the report on the machine - 1:48 hours, 6.6 events/hour, 11L/min leak.  I know that this information may not be useful, and plan to download Oscar tomorrow and start using it, but I am wondering how I had any apnea events if I was not asleep, and I wonder how I had any leaking.  and I'm hoping that there's a way to reduce the noise because I don't think I'll be able to sleep with it.

I took the opportunity to go back to sleeping flat on my back, after having used an uncomfortable wedge pillow since my diagnosis.  I will have to get the wedge now because I'm pretty sure that it improved the apnea.

[G. Szabo]

..., but I am wondering how I had any apnea events if I was not asleep, and I wonder how I had any leaking.  and I'm hoping that there's a way to reduce the noise because I don't think I'll be able to sleep with it.

I took the opportunity to go back to sleeping flat on my back, after having used an uncomfortable wedge pillow since my diagnosis.  I will have to get the wedge now because I'm pretty sure that it improved the apnea.

Sometimes, you do not realize that you are sleeping occasionally.

Sleeping on your side is much better than sleeping on your back with a wedge pillow.

[NewlyDiagnosed]

Thank you for the response. I think that you are right, and I must have dozed sometimes - but did I then have immediate apnea events despite the CPAP machine?

I know that side sleeping is better for apnea, but I can't do it comfortably. I've read about sleep position on the forum. Most of the posts are about how to "enforce" side sleeping by preventing rolling onto the back. This isn't my problem, if I go to sleep on my side I will stay there, but wake up because my hip hurts or I'm otherwise uncomfortable. When I sleep flat on my back, I sleep through the night without moving at all and wake up in the same position. On my side, I put a pillow under my head and another one between my knees, and these help, but there is eventually pressure on my hip, and I also feel that my spine is misaligned in that position.

I am completely exhausted this morning, much worse than usual.

[Expat31]

Hi, 

What we need from you are your Oscar graphs. 

The key ones we need are:-

1. Events
   
2. Flow rate
   
3. Pressure
   
4. Leak rate
   
5. Flow limitations
   

Please eliminate the calendar and pie charts for better visibility. 

For detailed graph organising, please see here. 

Thanks

[NewlyDiagnosed]

Thank you! I downloaded Oscar this morning, but ran into an unexpected problem. None of my 3 laptops (different generations of Lenovo Thinkpads) have SD slots. So I just ordered a reader to be delivered tomorrow. I wasn't intending to try to use the machine tonight, anyway, because I have a very early work thing tomorrow and can't afford another night of poor sleep.

I'm also going to email Bleep to ask about the apparent leaks. The port filters on my mask look a bit askew and I'm wondering if they are fitting properly.

Thank you so much for the detailed instructions, and the links. I'm new at this and it is daunting and overwhelming.

[Dormeo]

Are you using the Eclipse "halo" system, with magnets for attachment, or the original system, with the plastic click-on dreamports? I tried the halo system but found it to be noisy and went back to the original system, which I find to be very quiet.

[NewlyDiagnosed]

I'm using the original Dreamport system, which I chose only because it's lighter than the newer system. Glad to hear that I made the right choice! I've already received a reply from the founder of Bleep Sleep, and I think that I may not have connected the ports to the mask correctly. He offered to do a video, which I will take him up on. Very impressed with this company!

[Dormeo]

I'm so glad you heard from Stuart. He may have explained that you can check whether you've got everything snapped correctly by putting your hand across the end of the tube and blowing out through your nose. You should meet with resistance and hear nothing.

Another tip: as you anchor each port correctly, it will make 4 clicks -- though they may sometimes happen so close together that you can't quite distinguish them.

Be sure that the prongs are between the bumps, and be sure the bumps are facing outward (away from your face).

When I realize I haven't quite gotten everything snapped in, I will gently grasp the prongs and push up. I do this both to the prongs between the bumps and to the prongs closest to my face. Sometimes it also helps to push gently on the little plastic loop right next to the prongs between the bumps.

Good luck! If it's any encouragement, once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to get everything snapped into place quite quickly.

[NewlyDiagnosed]

Thank you, Dormeo! I watched all the videos and read the material that came with the system, but I hadn't picked up those points. Very helpful!

[Deborah K.]

I use and love the Bleep DreamPorts!  They are a little fiddly to use at first but are wonderful.  As to reports of events, if you are hooked up to your machine it will report how you are breathing, whether awake or asleep.  Lots of people breathe weirdly when awake, but their breathing generally settles down once asleep.  So it's not surprising that events were reported.  Also, you may have been sleeping for some of that time.