SleepyJules

I already have and they can’t give me any advice, so I’m going to put the pressure back to 12 and see if there’s any improvement

I am getting quite desperate - and the sleep clinic here can’t tell me anything new. I have bought a new Airfit 10 Full Face Mask which is very comfortable and I have a Resmed S9 Elite machine. MY diagnoses 3 years ago was 27 AHI and it was recommended I start with a pressure of 18. After a short while I Lost a lot of weight (15 kg ) and managed to bring the pressure down to 12. All went well until I had a stroke 6 months ago and I stopped using my machine - too many other things to concentrate on. I restarted two weeks ago at a pressure of 12. This wasn’t helping with my old mask so have moved it to 8 with my new mask now, and my AHIs are extremely high. Should I continue on this course or should I bring it back to 12 and set it up from there?

I was diagnosed with 27AHI +- 3 year ago. And have used my Resmed S9 Elite Machine ever since. I went into hospital in February to have my gallbladder removed and had a stroke the following day. All hell broke loose and I forgot about the sleep apnea. My recovery from the stroke has been slow and I’m wondering whether my sleep apnea has had a part in this. I started using my sleep apnea machine again about a month ago but it couldn’t bear it on for longer than 3 to 4 hours. Went to the Sleep Clinic last week and purchased a new Airfit F20. My AHIs have been over 20 and reached 34.4 last night. My machine is set at 13. Should I restart with a lower setting at say 8 and build it up slowly again?

Thank you Sierra. I can adjust the settings myself. My CPAP was originally set at 18 two years ago and then reduced right down to 10. This aerophagia started a few weeks ago so I thought maybe 10 was too low so increased it to 12 and then to 14 but this made no difference. As my AHI levels are very low I'm going to take it right down to 8 and set it at RAMP ONLY and see if that makes any difference.

Does anyone on this forum fully understand how the Resmed S9 Elite model works? I’ve been on CPAP for about two years now. I took a break for a few months earlier this year but my general health deteriorated again. Since I restarted in October I wake up every night after 3 to 5 hours with intense pain and extreme nausea in my chest and abdomen. It takes about an hour of kneading my abdomen to expel air before the pain subsides. I visited the sleep clinic (Cape Town, South Africa) yesterday but after checking the CPAP settings and checking my Mirage Quattro mask they were happy with the equipment and the reading on the SD card, but they didn’t seem to understand the problem of waking up in pain every night. I have thought of visiting an anaesthetist who might be able to advise me but thought I’d put it out to this forum initially. Please I’d appreciate any help I can get. Many thanks 🙏

One other thing I don’t understand. Under Settings the EPR is set at FULL TIME and the EPR Level set at 3. Does this sound right or should it be changed?

Yes I agree with you totally. I’m in Cape Town SA and the sleep doctors here don’t know much. Each time I see them it seems they just want to sell you something new. Don’t know what I’d do without this forum.

Thank you very much for your reply - most enlightening! I think I'll stay with my S9. I recently lost my excess weight and felt so much better I stopped using the CPAP some months ago. However the lethargy and bad morning headaches came back plus I started having dreadful night tremors, so I'm back on the CPAP. I lowered the setting to 14 and sleeping comfortably again. My only complaint I often wake up with bad stomach pains from swallowed air. Any words of wisdom for that. I live in Cape Town SA by the way.

I currently use a Resmed S9 CPAP machine. I'm thinking of changing to a Resmed S10 Autoset. Does anyone know whether it is worthwhile changing? I like the idea of the pressure changing according to your breathing pattern but don't know effective the S10 is.

I also get a sore on the bridge of my nose. I was sold a silicone pad but it was too big and caused lots of leakage. So I've cut the silicone into small pieces which I cover with a regular plaster. This does help for a while but the sore does come back after a week or two so I give the mask a break for a night or two until the sore heals. But I'm interested to know what "smashed face syndrome" is? I've recently developed a facial twitch which I'm not too happy about!

I have recently developed a twitch on the right side of my face, which has been pointed out to me. It seems to be when I blink. I cannot feel it myself but if I hold my hand on my cheek I can feel it twitch. I was wondering whether anyone else has experienced this? I wear a full face mask, Resmed Mirage Quattro, and maybe the pressure of it is affecting a facial nerve. Any ideas?