Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here

[Sleeprider]

I learned that PS 6 generates CAs so I turned it down to 4, and I learned IPAP 10.5-11.3 is my sweet spot.

I'm glad it's all working out for you. You are a great example of patient empowerment. We cannot get effective treatment for this affliction without it.

By the way, you are the only person I know of besides me that has CA's induced by too high of a PS. I too cannot tolerate a PS much larger than 4.

I'll add that I also have increased CA events with higher pressure support settings. I accept a CAI of about 1.5 to 2.0 with my PS min 5.0 because it also greatly reduces RERA compared to lower PS. My OAI is near zero with the settings in my profile. I also have a DS560 auto CPAP that can consistently give me a AHI less than 1.0, with very few CA. However the RERA is at 3 to 5 times the rate as bilevel with PS 5.0.

We're all different and what works for someone else, or me might not be your best choice.

[Sleepster]

The purpose of this Success Stories thread is to provide support for those who are struggling to adapt to CPAP therapy. Research shows that peer support makes a significant contribution to success. In writing mine I don't want to discourage anyone by implying that it's taken me 3½ years to achieve success. I've been compliant the entire time and experienced a number of successes and improvements along the way. For me it's only when I look back at how I used to be just those few short years ago that I really see the magnitude of my improvement. I used to be on medication for anxiety and anger management. I've weened myself off that nasty stuff. I used to have to wear a night guard to keep from grinding my teeth. I used to pop advil like candy to treat my chronic headaches. I spent decades suffering from these maladies. It's so nice to have relief.

One thing I suffered from is that nagging and persistent tiredness. It had developed slowly over the decades and I had just gotten used to it as a part of being me. I'm noticing now, finally, that it's going away.

One contributing factor is that just six months ago I changed from a nasal mask to a full face mask. The mouth-leaking was interfering with my therapy and preventing me from sleeping well. The machines I used reported that my leak rate was acceptable, but looking at my leak graphs I noticed significant stretches of time where the leak rate was elevated. It may not have always reached what they officially call a large leak, but it was still large enough to possibly wake me out of a deep sleep and maybe even cause airway restriction. I don't know but I do know that the full face mask has removed those chunks of elevated leak rate from the graphs. And I also know that I'm feeling a lot better.

[James Krull]

New here.

I have been using CPAP since October 2014. I remember trying CPAP at a sleep test and even though I initially woke up when my mouth kept opening (remedied with a chin strap) and was woken up and put on the street at 5am, I felt so refreshed and alive.

I had spent the past 10 or so years feeling constantly fuzzy. I would go in to work and go through the motions, leaving anything important until tomorrow when hopefully I would feel sharper. Then, having got my CPAP machine, I was sleeping properly from Day 1 and feeling really powerful, alert and sharp. It was like getting my life back. TBH, I just couldn't believe it - I had thought my fuzziness was just part go becoming middle aged. The only change I have made since the sleep test is removing the 5 minute ramp time (when I found I was struggling for breath) and gone to zero ramp time. I still wear the chin strap, still use the nasal mask. I love my CPAP machine and couldn't imagine not having it.

[melancholykeith]

Hi Everyone, First post.
Was originally checked for sleep apnea back in 1999 but as it was conducted in a sleep lab and I had issues sleeping in strange beds; they could not say whether I had sleep apnea or not. Then in late 2013 I got tested at home at the insistance of my wife and it was found I was averaging 63 instances an hour of between 20-40 seconds.
I Bought a lightly used Resmed S9 Autoset (same machine I used from the sleep study clinic I went to). Bought it from second wind cpap and the same mask I was using from the sleep clinic (F&P Simplus full face) and my AHI has dropped to under 0.5 an hour.
Was dreading having to wear a mask every night but it has helped me so much over the time I have been wearing it.
Have changed masks to the Resmed Mirage Quattro as I find it easier to adjust and wear than the simplus.
In the end Yes it is going to take some getting used to and you will need to find the right combination of machine, mask and pillow but it will be worth it as you will be feeling so much better in the morning with the mask than without it.

[woodsman316]

Been on cpap for about 14 years. It made a great difference with my sleep and my energy level the first night I used it. After all these years of use, it's quite comfortable to sleep with. I have traveled with a machine both domestically and abroad with no issues. Keeping the equipment clean is the hardest part for me.
I spend more time then I would like washing the mask, hose, and humidifier tank but I know it's necessary and overall it's a small sacrifice for the benefits of the machine.
An older model of the Remstar Plus was my first machine. It was a bit noisy and my humidifier was a useless "cold water" type. After using the original machine about seven years, it stopped working. My insurance company replaced it with an identical used machine with quite a few hours on it. After using the replacement machine for about 4 years, I Bought a nearly new System One REMstar Plus with C-Flex with heated humidifier from Craig's List. What a difference in machines! It was much quieter and the c-flex function was absolutely great. Not to mention how much using a heated humidifier made a difference! I soon downloaded and began using SleepyHead software to monitor my sleep information. I recently came across a used Resmed S9 Elite with a H5i humidifier really cheap. I've been trying out the last several nights an am undecided which one I like the most. I've been buying my own machines and avoiding the insurance company because of extremely high deductibles. I've been able to function rather well between eBay and Craig's list!

[Damop]

I have only been using CPAP for 2 years, but it has made a big difference in my quality of sleep and has definitely reduced the fatigue I used to experience.

Recently, I noticed a smell when I was using the machine. As I also suffer from liver disease, I experienced my normal "sore tongue", which I get when I am exposed to VOC's.

I tried replacing the mask and hose - no improvement. Replacing the inlet filters also made no difference.

Finally, I went to my provider and asked if they could send the unit in for repair, and I described the smell which was causing a negative reaction, not just being simply unpleasant. I was told that, as long as the unit was delivering air, it was not broken.

I asked my husband what he thought of this problem. He suggested that, since I couldn't use the unit, we were looking at buying a replacement if we couldn't clean it, so why not disassemble it?

So that's what we did. I checked the blower and the blower housing with no results. Finally we found the culprit - the black sound-deadening foam underneath the blower housing. The Philips design has air moving past this, as the blower housing is not isolated from it.

This foam had a strong chemical smell. Washing it in mild detergent did nothing to make it smell less, so we think it was not mold.

Of course, Philips isn't allowed to sell replacement parts to the end user, and their repair center had already refused to deal with it. So my husband bought some closed-cell foam of the correct thickness, cut out a replacement pad (using the old pad as a template), and reassembled the unit.

It works fine! No smell at all. I am back to using my CPAP machine.

The only thing we can conclude is that the foam they are using begins to break down after a period of time - 2 years in this case.

Of course, this completely voids any warranty Philips might have provided, but the end result was worth it, in my opinion.

If anyone else has a unit with an odd chemical or rotten smell, it might be an internal foam component which is not chemically stable.

And, if you know someone who is technically savvy, they might be able to fabricate a replacement pad out of a stable foam.

According to my husband, the Philips unit we have isn't any harder to take apart than a desktop computer. No special tools are required - just a Torx screwdriver set.

Philips didn't use any sealing compounds during assembly, just mating surfaces with gaskets. If the person doing the repair is careful, none of these surfaces will be damaged and unit performance will not suffer.

[DeepBreathing]

G'day Damop, welcome to Apnea Board and thanks for that very interesting story. Good to hear you got your machine working properly again.

[Sleepster]

Of course, this completely voids any warranty Philips might have provided, but the end result was worth it, in my opinion.

After two years I doubt there's any warranty left. That's about how long my PRS1 lasted. It too had a nasty odor. I took it apart and found that every part of the air pathway was coated with a very thin film of greasy dust. The grease was rancid. I cleaned it and got rid of the odor but unfortunately the main board started to fail after that. I know others who have cleaned these machines with great success so you shoud have no problems.

[Krull]

Thanks to all for your success stories! I am a bit apprehensive about this, recently diagnosed and go for my titration study this Monday.

If you were in my shoes at this point again, any recommendations for success that you can share?

[DeepBreathing]

G'day Krull, welcome to the forum.

The main thing about the titration study is to relax and enjoy it. You don't need to do a thing - the technician does it all for you. All you have to do is turn up and get a good night's sleep.

If you haven't use a breathing mask (eg Scuba) before, this may feel a bit strange at first. Some masks are definitely more effective and comfortable than others, so don't be afraid to ask for a different mask if you're not comfortable. You might find that you wake up occasionally as the technician varies the pressures to find an optimum - this is normal.

Good luck!