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This whole first week, I have pretty much felt the same. For the most part, normal crappy. But, after 6 hours and 42 minutes of sleep, I think I feel different today. Not a huge difference, but different. Have I had a breakthrough? I hope so!
When I looked at myself in the mirror after rising, nose looked as jacked as ever. It was pushed back into my head, crooked, and I saw a bunch of lines that weren't there when I went to sleep. But it didn't hurt as much as it had this past week. That was nice.
My AHI was under 1. Less CA's than lately; one OA just before I got out of bed. A couple RERA's, still not understanding those, I'll look it up again later.
The best news of all was that I slept longer than I normally do and felt decent when I got up. Let's Go!
I don't know what you're doing to get the mask so tight it is uncomfortable, but it should not be necessary to use tight straps that put this kind of pressure on your face. The P10 is a relatively inexpensive mask if you want to go on your own, and it's pretty hard to make it too tight. Using a larger cushion helps.
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The crazy thing is, I'm not putting it on tight at all lately. I would say the last 4 days have been rather loose. Since the last days of the F30i I've experimented with levels of tightness, and the masks keep passing the leak tests. No leaks. Lately, when I put it on, I'm thinking there's no way this is going to work, but I try it anyway. It passes. When I take it off when I get up, it's still like suctioned cupped onto my face. I'm starting to think I just have a perfect shaped face for these masks and can get away with barely putting it on.
I just took my first nap with the mask, laid down at 8:30 am and slept about 90 minutes. When I started to awaken, it felt looser than normal. I expected to see leaks when I put in the sd card. Still no leaks, but I checked the mirror and nose is crooked. It must be me turning my face into the pillow that's doing it. I must be getting used to it as the pain is less. In the last few days, I've taken a picture to document my nose. I'm not sure if I can post that or if you really even want to see my stupid face. LOL
Believe me, the mask is not tight at all. The last several nights when going to sleep, the mask has been very comfortable—no problem at all. I enjoy that time before sleep lately.
I just completed my fifth month of therapy. I feel a lot better than when I started for sure. The help and guidance I have received on this forum are largely responsible.
I had some mask issues in the early months, but I have come a long way with that. Currently, I am using the F&P Solo and the Bleep Eclipse.
For the first several months I was typically on APAP and had narrowed my pressure from 10 cmH20 to 12 cmH20. About a month ago I started experimenting with CPAP mode. I have to say that I have been sleeping better as of late. I started at a fixed rate of 11 cmH20 and slowly decreased the pressure every few days. I had some centrals and was told to keep reducing the pressure until I got a balance between the centrals and the obstructives. As I came down in pressure, I was shocked at how much less was working in CPAP mode as opposed to APAP mode. I typically had several centrals and 0 obstructives at the start. So, I kept lowering the pressure now and then. I have been hovering around 8 cmH20 for a few weeks. I went down to 7.6 one night and had a few events, so I returned to 8 cmH20.
When I was on APAP I woke up several times a night. For the last 2 to 3 weeks on CPAP, I have slept well through the night, typically getting up once in the middle. I hope to one night sleep through the night, but for now, getting up once is much better than my every hour or so a few months back.
Here are the last three nights of Oscar, I would love any suggestions or advice!
Last night I had a few more centrals than I normally do, I woke up after a few hours and then went back to sleep for several more. I feel okay this morning, but not as good as some. I might blame my pillow, I usually use a flat softer pillow lately. Last night I thought I would return to my CPAP pillow with the cutout for the mask. The last few days I felt like the mask was getting pushed into my face. (Left side sleeper 99.9% of the time)
Machine: Lowenstein Luisa Mask Type: Full face mask Mask Make & Model: Resmed Quattro FX Humidifier: separate F&P humidifier CPAP Pressure: Epap 4-20 PS 4-20; "auto" rate CPAP Software: Not using software
Other Comments: Using 45 degree angle upper body wedge (36"x36") and 4.5"soft cervical collar; 500 assured tidal vol
5 hours ago (This post was last modified: 5 hours ago by Jay51.)
RE: hwnboy therapy thread
This is just a thought. It doesn't look like you have that many CA's. They seem to be situated near the end of your sleep towards the morning also. This could be from transitioning back and forth between sleep and awake at that particular time. Also, your new pillow could have been a bit different (had a different feeling) and caused some of these CA's.
The way to tell for sure is to establish a trend with both pillows IMO.
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Thanks for your feedback! I do experience some sleep-wake junk (SWJ) occasionally, and I think you're spot on with your observation. I'll also start tracking which pillow I use each night to see if any patterns emerge. Thank you!
