Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here

[don't_like_cpap]

Well lets see, other than nodding off every time I sat down, my biggest concern was driving. I've always loved being on the road but being tired all the time was taking my enjoyment out of it. Then came a few near hits, I'd be driving along with the flow and out of nowhere came the scream from my wife to stop. Although my eyes were wide open and I was watching the road, it seemed as if what was happening in front of me didn't get registered to my brain to compensate for. The last time, traffic went from 110 kph to 0 in a very short space in time. My wife once again let out her scream and I only avoided a rear end collision by swinging on to the gravel shoulder, beside the car I had been following. The car behind mine barely made it to a stop where I had been, it was an experience I don't want to repeat but my wife's next words said it all, "were you sleeping or something" I guess she was right. I started wearing my CPAP the day of my test, well actually, during my test. I was fitted roughly during it in order to complete it as I was in the severe range. Life is wonderful when you can wake up in the morning and actually enjoy the ability to smell the Roses, at 58 my mind feels as though I'm about 28 again and my love of driving is back where it was then as well. I have never liked wearing my mask but I never lay down in bed without it either, life is too precious to waste even a second, thus I never leave home without it if I think there's even a small possibility I won't be home to sleep.

My wife has now been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea and her constant complaint for the last two years to our Dr. has been "she is tired of being tired" I feel it's a good description for a Dr. to pick up on but if we hadn't insisted on her being tested, well you get the idea. Now if we can just find a mask that fits correctly, she can be happy to be awake as well

Here's to being awake

[Jack Mason]

I appreciate the input from members of this forum. Last night was my first night with my new S9 AutoSet. Sleep 8 hours without batting and eye. I did have a 12 hour work day yesterday but it was still the best nights sleep since my S8 broke about 10 days ago.
I downloaded the Resmed software and took a look at my numbers this morning. Something I had never done with the old machine.

Apena index 1.2
Hyppopnea Index .7
AHI 1.9
Pressure Median 10.8 95%: 13.9 Max 15.4

I think I'm going to enjoy the S9. Now it will be interesting to search this forum and learn how to understand the info I'm getting and to use it to my advantage.

Jack

[SuperSleeper]

Thanks everyone for your recent contributions to this thread. It is undoubtedly very encouraging to new members to read your success stories here and how you overcame obstacles in your therapy.

Sure glad Zonk suggested this thread several months ago!

[dfhudson53]

I've only been on my S9 Auto-set for about three weeks now, but it's been a pretty positive experience so far. Based on my sleep study (or, as I usually refer to it, my lack-of-sleep study), they set me at a constant pressure of 9 cm, as that seemed to work OK in the sleep lab. In real life, however, it didn't work well enough - my AHI was still over 20 (down substantially from 88 in the study, but still . . . ). After about a week they changed me to Auto mode, and the machine has been operating around 17 cm most of the time. But my AHI is down under 0.5, nearly zero, so I guess the machine is doing its job.

It has taken a bit of getting used to, though - it takes a bit of tweaking and experimentation to find what works best. I use a nasal mask, and I need a chin strap with it, to keep my mouth closed. I had a few nights where the chin strap would come off in the middle of the night - not helpful. I tried tightening it up, in the hope that that would keep it in place. Nope, it got worse! The right answer was to make it just a bit looser - it still did its job, but it didn't slide off my head in the night. On the other hand, at high pressures, I was getting a fair amount of leakage from the mask. It was fine when I went to sleep, but later in the night (when the pressure went up) it would leak, causing loud whistling noises. The solution to that one ( so far) has been to tighten the straps a bit more - they seem a little too tight at first (although not uncomfortable) but that prevents leakage later on.

One other observation, FWIW. Before getting the machine, I used to sleep sitting up in a chair a lot of the time - it just seemed easier, somehow, and we have a couple of nice, comfy chairs with high backs. About a week ago I had trouble getting to sleep with the machine, so I got up and moved to my favorite chair, but I took the machine along. I slept about 6 hours in that chair with the CPAP machine. The interesting thing - when I looked at the data for that night, the S9 only went up to a pressure of about 12 cm, and stayed there, compared to about 17 or so normally (lying down). So sitting up does tend to reduce (but not eliminate) my OSA.

I pull the memory card and check on my sleep stats every couple of days, and I find it helpful to see what does (or does not) impact my sleep patterns. After I get settled into a consistent routine, I probably won't check that often, but at the moment, I find it very helpful (or at least, reassuring).

[CHanlon]

It has taken a bit of getting used to, though - it takes a bit of tweaking and experimentation to find what works best. I use a nasal mask, and I need a chin strap with it, to keep my mouth closed. I had a few nights where the chin strap would come off in the middle of the night - not helpful. I tried tightening it up, in the hope that that would keep it in place. Nope, it got worse! The right answer was to make it just a bit looser - it still did its job, but it didn't slide off my head in the night. On the other hand, at high pressures, I was getting a fair amount of leakage from the mask. It was fine when I went to sleep, but later in the night (when the pressure went up) it would leak, causing loud whistling noises. The solution to that one ( so far) has been to tighten the straps a bit more - they seem a little too tight at first (although not uncomfortable) but that prevents leakage later on.

Yeah, mask fitting sometimes is a little counter-intuitive. Tighter isn't always better.

If you continue to have leak issues, you might want to try a different mask. If you like the nasal masks (I do) I've found great success with the ResMed Mirage Activa LT... which tends to highlight that counter-intuitiveness I mentioned. The cushion for it balloons, and the seal is a silicon "flap" along the surface that contacts your face. This inflates with the air pressure from your machine and seals it to your skin... so the looser you can adjust the straps (within reason, obviously) the better it seals. When my machine is off, the mask is actually very loose.

One other observation, FWIW. Before getting the machine, I used to sleep sitting up in a chair a lot of the time - it just seemed easier, somehow, and we have a couple of nice, comfy chairs with high backs. About a week ago I had trouble getting to sleep with the machine, so I got up and moved to my favorite chair, but I took the machine along. I slept about 6 hours in that chair with the CPAP machine. The interesting thing - when I looked at the data for that night, the S9 only went up to a pressure of about 12 cm, and stayed there, compared to about 17 or so normally (lying down). So sitting up does tend to reduce (but not eliminate) my OSA.

Yeah, that's pretty common - anything you can do to reduce the blockage of your airway can change the results. Even changing pillows, or elevating the head of your bed.

I pull the memory card and check on my sleep stats every couple of days, and I find it helpful to see what does (or does not) impact my sleep patterns. After I get settled into a consistent routine, I probably won't check that often, but at the moment, I find it very helpful (or at least, reassuring).

For the first 6 months or so I checked mine pretty much daily. Now I pull it once a week just to maintain the high density Flow data.

[Dawei]

they set me at a constant pressure of 9 cm, as that seemed to work OK in the sleep lab. In real life, however, it didn't work well enough - my AHI was still over 20 (down substantially from 88 in the study, but still . . . ). After about a week they changed me to Auto mode, and the machine has been operating around 17 cm most of the time.

Sounds like we both had a recent sleep lab titration that proved to be inaccurate (too low), df. My golden number was supposed to be 13cm which was said to have gotten my AHI to zero, but apneas continued after my machine was set to this pressure. Doc couldn't understand why. After checking with the lab tech, he verified that my sleeping position during the titration sleep-over was the same as when I am at home. The only idea he had was to do another sleep study. I said no thanks and instead suggested trying an AutoSet on loan and he agreed. The AutoSet showed that I needed around 18 cm. The significantly improved results using the AutoSet allowed me to suggest I get one permanently, and he wrote a Rx for it. Until reading your story, I had the impression that I might be the only one whose titration results were so off the mark.

[dfhudson53]

Dawei -

I don't know why a pressure of 9 seemed to work reasonably well (for a couple of hours) in the sleep study, but it didn't work worth a darn at home. On AUTO mode, I am rarely any lower than about 12, and not for long. Most of the time I'm in the 15 to 18 range, but that seems to work well for me. I suspect that sleep studies, detailed and sophisticated as they may be, are an artificial environment - they provide a lot of good information, but they are not the same as "real life". Everyone is a bit different, but I'd guess we're not all that unusual, having rather different results at home from what was indicated in the sleep study.

Doug

[CHanlon]

[quote='dfhudson53' pid='13552' dateline='1340726959'] Until reading your story, I had the impression that I might be the only one whose titration results were so off the mark.

Mine would have been too, had I not been fore - armed with data from an APAP. My titration study said 14 when I'd been running a 95th percentile of 17 for 3 months.

[Dawei]

That's interesting, CHanlon. So, I'm definitely not the only one whose sleep lab titration pressure findings were too low. So, you presented your APAP printout to the doc when he/she was telling you the pressure setting shown by your lab titration? How did that go with the doc? Did you have to argue?

[BabyDoc]

It makes sense that people may need lower pressures in a sleep lab where they may not be able to achieve the same level of sleep as they do at home. In my case, I hardly slept in the sleep lab. I only slept for the last 2 hours and that left no time for the titration study. Had there been time, it is doubtful that the results would have been meaningful. I made the argument with my sleep physician, that returning to the lab for a titration study would not only be cruel punishment for me, but it was unlikely to give the needed pressures for relieving my OSA at home. My sleep doc bought the argument and ordered me an AutoPap machine.