DanM

Excellent news! I'm glad to hear you are experiencing some improvement in your symptoms. And you may be correct about your tank running out of water and experiencing a blast of dry air. Keep us posted!

Hi ReservedRaspberryOtter2502. I agree with BrainsNeedSleep that you may be going through an adjustment period with your sleep architecture, and if things do not get better, you should get back to your doc. If you have done some looking around on the Forum, you have probably noticed people talking about machine data and downloads. Your home care equipment provider and/or physician should be able to download data from your machine to see if there are any early issues (mask leak, persistent respiratory events, etc.). Hope this helps, and please let us know how you are doing!

Hi BrainsNeedSleep. The process is mention above about monitoring for 30 days and then going to a fixed pressure is only for specific machines that are set to that particular mode. An APAP machine stays in automatic mode all of the time and will adjust pressures as needed. APAP never automatically changes to a fixed pressure. Glad you find the C-Flex option helpful! I have found C-Flex/A-Flex and other similar functions helpful for improving comfort as well.

I agree! Keep up the good work, and see if your brain fog improves with time. If, after a couple of more weeks, you are still feeling this same lack of alertness, I encourage you to talk to your physician. Now that you think the sleep apnea is under control, there may be other factors causing you to feel the way you describe (medication, other health conditions, etc.). You physician will likely also monitor your compliance, and that data should alert him or her to whether there are other breathing issues going on. Keep us posted on your progress, and best wishes!

Hi @DiligentChocolateSprarrow1989. Have you tried setting your humidifier to an even higher level? You can turn it up until you find the right level that helps prevent dryness. If you experience too much moisture in the mask or tubing, you may have to go back down on the setting. I have rarely encountered a patient who believes he or she sleeps with their mouth open, but it is actually fairly common. I have known patients who have used a room humidifier in addition to the PAP device humidifier to help alleviate dryness. Finally, you may want to have your humidifier checked to make sure it is functioning properly if continued adjustment does not provide additional moisture. Hope this helps!

Hi Eric, While we cannot provide official medical advice on the Forum, I can provide some general information that may be helpful. When in the Auto trial mode with the settings you mention, the device will monitor your breathing (for 30 days on this model, I think) and adjust the pressure to meet your needs. It appears your minimum pressure is now set to 6 cm and max is set to 11 cm. The machine should operate within that pressure range, and then determine the best fixed pressure based on your breathing. The max setting and how high it can be may depend on your own medical history/respiratory issues and whether your physician is comfortable with the setting. After 30 days of monitoring between pressures of 6 and 11 cm, the machine should set to a fixed pressure based on 30 days of data collected about your breathing. A-flex vs. C-flex is a matter of patient preference/comfort. C-flex lowers the pressure at exhalation and quickly returns the device to prescribed pressure. A-flex is supposed to respond a bit more smoothly with the pressure changes. Hope this helps, and best wishes! -Dan

Hi @HumorousOliveChinchilla2774. Some patients who can use an oral only mask have found success with a mask from Fisher & Paykel called the Oracle. I have never worn the mask, but I have worked with patients who have used this mask. There is a small piece that fits inside the mouth, so I think less pressure pushing on the jaw and/or chin is required to keep the mask in place. You can do a quick search on the internet to find more information. Hope this helps!

Sounds like an excellent plan, @Rayrae. I encourage you to ask about the medication's side effects so you will know what to expect. I've worked with many patients who report much better sleep once their limb movements are better controlled. Please keep us posted on your progress!

Hi Chris. The S is for spontaneous, and it means that the patient's breathing is what causes the machine to cycle between the inhalation and exhalation pressures (IPAP and EPAP). T is for timed, and the machine will "trigger" the patient to take a breath at certain times based on the machine settings. ST is for spontaneous timed, and this machine will monitor the patients breathing and respond to the inhalation and exhalation (like the S), but it will also trigger the patient to breathe if it does not detect breathing. Trigger and cycle settings can be used by clinicians to help better adjust the machine to a patient's breathing and help keep the machine in sync with breathing. Hope this helps!

Hi @mobecks0823. I am aware of patients with sleep apnea who have complained of tinnitus, but I am not sure if there is a link between the two. I searched for publications to see if there was any research on a link between tinnitus and sleep apnea, but I did not really find anything. I did find some information about tinnitus possibly being linked to insomnia and to oral appliance therapy use.