British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association

Hi again,

Yes thats the problem with apap machines they will compensate for mask leakage and up the pressure .
I have been to 19 on my old S8 apap with a mask leak and its bloody terrible to say the least ,so i can understand your frustration with it . I would'nt mess around with the settings on the machine because if you have topped it out at 15 you have effectively turned the apap into a cpap machine and what happens if you need 15 or higher or the mask leaks ????

Re-ahi per night - Your looking for under 5 ,

my figures most nights 0.1 - 0.9 ahi was 54 ahi before therapy so im doing mighty fine on cpap and they say that severe osa catergory respond the best to therapy .

Regards,

I too have seen 19/20 (I have an S9), it's like sticking your head out the car window on the motorway! I will put the settings back in a few days, just want to settle in, work out how best to sleep etc without the thing waking me up every 20 minutes. I think it probably needs more than 15, which is why the AHI isn't great yet, but I've got plenty of time to experiment without compromising the study.

Very jealous of your 0.1-0.9 ... will work on that!

I upgraded around a year ago to the S9 auto and have seen far greater results using it,
Before on my old S8 i did'nt really bother at all about the figures i judged it on my daytime sleepyness .

Im entering my 5th year on cpap now so its old hat really for for me although i have bad nights now and again we all do .

Just stick with it ,keep a positive outlook and think yourself lucky that you have been diagnosed and are getting a healthy nights sleep now .

Onwards and Upwards my friend .

Regards,

You need to be showing a consistent average of under 5 for your OSA to be considered correctly managed.

Before I got my S9, my S8 showed around 7-8 at 13 pressure and I went a-tinkering just like you did! It did me no good whatsoever ... and when I was given an S9 the AHIs immediately dropped to around 2.8.

I'm at 14 pressure and my AHIs vary from 0.5 (rare!) to a max of 3 so I'm a very happy bunny and am just starting my 13th year on CPAP.

Please put your levels back because although it's frustrating having the wind tunnel effect, without this data the clinic can't assess what you need on a regular basis. You're doing really well, because it isn't always easy to adjust to xPAP therapy but the benefits are well worth it, and you are able to manage OSA effectively for the rest of your life!

Think I've cracked it - 6.8 hours last night, AHI of 1.6 and a total of 2 Apnoeas in the whole night

I even managed to sleep on my side and my back.

Very very very happy.

Only problem is waking up every couple of hours with a dry mouth, but when I get my CPAP machine I can presumably buy a humidifier if it doesn't come with one.

I'm delighted for you! You'll be able to get a humidifier to suit your machine and that too will take care of the dry mouth. Sleep well!

I was diagnosed in April 2011. I started off with a Mirage Quattro and then later tried a mask with nasal pillows, which meant I could actually wear my specs to be able to see the display on the machine. However the nasal pillows kept blowing out so I ended up full circle with the MQ. Even after 10 months I am still not quite there, after various recalibrations of my machine and even getting the most up to date machine etc. Until somebody manages to solve the problems of masks moving and thus leaking when one moves around in one's sleep, it will never be 100%.

Nasal pillows arent really an option for me as I often can't breathe properly through my nose.

I'm sticking with the Quattro mask, I tried a Quattro FX again last night (the original mask I was given) just for comparison and didn't get on with it at all.

The Quattro is good but not perfect for me, my problem is a combination of a recessed lower jaw (I have quite a large overbite) and largeish cheekbones, so the mask effectively pivots on my cheekbones and I can struggle to get a seal at my nose & chin at the same time. The solution was just to have the mask quite tight, it's somewhat uncomfortable but I'm getting used to it. Ideally a custom fit mask would be the way forward for me, but that's a horrendously expensive option so I can't see me going down that road.

I'm new to this site , and only got diagnosed with severe sleep apnea saturday, the only problem i have with the mask is the bridge of my nose aches with the quattro,
The mask doesnt leak for me ,fortunately i worked in construction for years previously and had many face fit tests for my line of work, basically they show you how to put on a mask correctly, ie
pull the straps together at the top then at the bottom, never pull them 1 at a time as this can distort the mask
hope this helps
you never know there could be companys out there that would show you how to face fit for free

Can i just say thankyou to everyone for the information on here it has been great, woke up loads last night and was quite down thinking that i was doing something wrong , glad to know its the norm

I've got the hang of the Quattro now, I can even sleep on my back comfortably. Probably seems obvious but I've learned to adjust the position of the mask (not the straps) once I'm in the position I want to sleep in. It's just small adjustments to compensate for the way the shape of your face changes as you lie down, but it makes all the difference.

Last day of APAP today, got an appointment this afternoon to return it and get my CPAP machine ....

I originally had the Quattro FX, which looks like a normal oxygen mask and covers nose & mouth, but I had the same problem on the bridge of my nose. Now I have the Quattro which extends up to the forehead and takes a lot of the pressure from my nose. It's got an adjustable wheel to make sure it sits properly, works well for me.



http://www.resmed.com/us/products/mirag ... s&sec=true

I fiddled with that last night, and it seemed to work, not sure what pressure the s9 is at but i think its quite high as makes my cheeks blow out

Hi All,
this is my first go at posting, so please bear with me. I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea in Oct 2011 and wasn't due to get my varieble (?) machine til end of Dec, however due to a hospital stay - end Nov with trachoebronchitus I got it early. I too had/have a few probs with masks etc, I have a badly receeding lower jaw too. Tried several different masks (leakage) and now have settled on a mirage liberty full face one with the nose pillows. Finally got my adjusted (cpap machine for me with a air pressure of 18-19 and asked to try and lose 3st in weight , even tho due to other probs, I will need my machine for life. As i was gonna be home sick for 6 weeks over xmas and into January, I became a proud owner of a lakeland terrier puppy, and due mainly to walking (ambling) with him in local park/woods for about an hour or so twice daily, I have managed to lose 12lbs, my cpap nurse is very pleased as my machine air pressure is now reduced to 16.

I still get tired but am actually managing to stay awake in work now, much to the relief of my bosses, ( still stand to lose my job tho cos of it, keeping fingers crossed). Still have good/ bad nights and wake up feeling that i must have tried eating the sahara desert, my mouth so dry despite the humidifier. but at least my headaches have mainly gone , but blood pressure still v high,working on it
As I am now 52, and it seems that i have had osa for most of my life (unknowingly )due to my jaw problems....I have a lot of NORMAL sleep and living to catch up on perhaps now i might actually get to see a whole xmas day AWAKE
All I can say (although still very early days for me) to anyone just starting is yes its difficult, and has problems, but please dont give up on cpap, ...its saving my life!!

Thanks for posting Scooterchick! You've made great progress and deserved to feel pleased with yourself. And thank you for sharing your story so far ... it should help others in the same position. Do keep in touch!

Hi Everybody,

This is my first post - I was diagnosed with severe OSA about a month ago and started CPAP immediately. Compared to some of the experiences I am reading in this forum, I feel that I'm having a really easy time. I am using a ResMed S9 with a Quattro mask and I'm at the point where I feel I have the humidifier (which I've had for about two weeks) close to being right.

Around the end of last year, I must have looked really bad because several people, including my boss, have commented about how tired I looked and how I seemed to be dozing a lot of the time. I think I had been suffering from OSA for many years without really recognising it but, from the first night of CPAP, I noticed improvements and I am managing about 7 hours of sleep per night. Instead of needing to get up 5 or 6 times during the night, I am down to 1 or 2 at the most. Above all, I am starting to feel better - I can read documents at work without starting to doze and no longer drop off in front of the telly in the evening. My wife also says I am looking much less tired.

I have had problems (and sometimes still do) with getting the fit of the mask right and it feels tight when I first put it on. When the pressure ramps up, the mask feels much more comfortable and I have woken up in the morning on several occasions forgetting I was wearing it. Wiggling the mask around usually fixes any leaks but it is a bit hit and miss and I am still trying to get the pillow right. Overall, although it is still very early days, I seem to be very lucky so far and I am hopeful about feeling more benefits as time progresses.

Scooterchick - I hope you enjoy life with the Lakeland Terrier! I blame the demise of our Labrador and resulting reduction in exercise for my current rotund shape and worsening of OSA to the point where I had no choice but to seek medical help. The staff at the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle have been great but I look forward to the day when we have another dog and I am forced to take the walks I need!


Bill.