Suffocating Feeling?

[FatSleeper15]

Been using my machine now for about 80 days, my follow-up appt with sleep doc went well, said all was fine, A+ patient. Anyway, lately, maybe last week or 2, I've been waking up some nights feeling out of breath or something? I wake up and end up taking the hose off my mask, covering the hose so it's not blowing everywhere/noisy, and just kinda catch my breath? Not sure how to describe it. Doesn't happen every night either. Any ideas?

The other thing I can't figure out, is if I look at my data in OSCAR, I feel like I should be able to see these times when for maybe 20-30s I have my hose disconnected and my thumb over it, you'd think the flow rate should just show a flat line or I'd be able to easily see something in one of the many charts available to view. Any pointers on what I'd want to look for indicating the machine is on but there's no breathing since I've got my thumb over the hose so no flow less whatever is leaking out the elbow vent holes?

Finally, in reviewing daily charts, I came across this from a few days ago... what am I looking at? Did I really quit breathing for 10 minutes? Or is this perhaps maybe an example of when I took my hose off to "catch my breath" for what I thought was 20-30 seconds which was actually like 10 minutes?

[SarcasticDave94]

The time of about 10 minutes you focused on was likely your mask off hose blocking session. I don't think you'd be posting today if you actually didn't breathe 10 minutes.

It might be easier for you to just stop the machine when you have to catch your breath. That just stops the session and stops showing activity instead of adding false misleading data.

Now on to the actual problem, why do you need to catch your breath? That's what really needs resolved. Let's look at the data again, looking at flow limit. OK, you need to post same data but with FL included. To fit several charts on one screenshot, shrink the height of each some by click and drag the separation border between charts, squashing them down a bit. Find link on chart organization and post New OSCAR chart(s). Other better data readers may follow-up, telling you other OSCAR data, follow theirs if different than mine.

You have "Something" disrupting sleep and/or breathing or you'd not need to stop therapy and catch a breath, seeming to be a few seconds but is actually several minutes.

[FatSleeper15]

That's kinda what I figured, 10 minutes seems like I'd be dead... As far as FL data, there's no plot for flow limitation, just event flags of it. I assume relevant to looking at flow would be minute vent, tidal volume, resp rate, and flow rate plots? Attached is from last night, when I know I took my hose off my mask and put my thumb over the hose...problem is I don't know what time I did that at. May have to consciously try and remember to look at the clock if I do it again tonight...

Also want to mention that my DS is set to A-flex (not off or C-flex) and the flex setting is at 3, which should provide the highest amount of relief when exhaling according to my manuals. The vent holes in the elbow of my tube to my mask aren't blocked, and I don't sleep with covers over my head.

Thanks!

[SarcasticDave94]

Wong machine brand, sorry about that, in regards to FL chart. I'll look a bit more to see if something comes out. Others that are much better at charts will post in a bit.

[Osiris357]

Sounds like you’re having a panic attack.

[SarcasticDave94]

It could be your base setting of 9 with A Flex of 3, making base exhale a 6 may be a bit low for what your body needs. You could consider bumping 9 to 10, and see if you feel different, if it lessens the need to get a breather being the goal.

[OpalRose]

Also want to mention that my DS is set to A-flex (not off or C-flex) and the flex setting is at 3, which should provide the highest amount of relief when exhaling according to my manuals. The vent holes in the elbow of my tube to my mask aren't blocked, and I don't sleep with covers over my head.
Thanks!

As someone who has used a Respironics machine for 5+ years now, I’m going to suggest that you set the Flex to 2 instead of 3.  This may make breathing in general feel a bit more natural.

A setting of Flex 3 has been known to make you feel like your breathing is being cut off.  Flex is not the same as using EPR on a ResMed machine.  When I used a Flex setting at 3, it felt as if my exhale was being cut short and would force me to inhale before I was ready.  A Flex setting of 2 or even 1 may work better for you. Try it, you have nothing to lose.

[Sleeprider]

I agree with Rose that Flex at 3 has not worked well with me. What I see leading up to an event is a flagged flow limit just as large amplitude recovery breathing begins. If you're willing, it would be interesting to focus on the 2-minutes leading to that event. What I see is a slowly diminishing flow rate from 4:12 to 4:15. Breathing rate seems to be increasing. There is a pause at 4:15:30 and an obvious arousal with recovery breathing, or what you describe as a panic attack. I'm prety sure you took off the mask but the leak rate was suppressed, probably because you were holding the mask under the covers to suppress the noise. So this was not detected as a mask off. At some point you put the mask back on and we see what I suspect is a more normal respiratory flow from 4:29. I think the panic attach was from prolonged shallow, and perhaps rapid breathing that began sometime before this chart starts. As much as this kind of event sucks, it probably has less to do with CPAP than you think.

[FatSleeper15]

Thanks for the replies so far. If it's a panic attack, I'm definitely not aware of it? I don't think I've ever had one, awake or asleep... I'm not having any ridiculous dreams? I do feel like sometimes the machines trying too early to shove air back in me when I'm not done exhaling every once in a while. I'll try bumping the flex down from 3 to 2 and see what happens. Attached is a zoom in just before the event. Just to be clear, you think the black area on flow rate chart where it's saying BND (breathing not detected) is when I've got my finger over my hose while I'm "catching a breath"?

[SarcasticDave94]

Correct as far as I can tell FatSleeper15. That segment is most likely to be your disconnected mask time when you've took a breather.