How long is too long?

[Trublue616]

Symptoms during the day mostly at work include extensive nervousness which feels like low concentration, tiredness some social anxiety. The depression had gotten a little better. Low to no sexual desire which is frustrating. But what stands out like I mentioned is that none of these symptoms existed before that episode on December 26 in the AM. Everything was good before that. Literally. No doctors appointments, no medications, nothing. I felt fine. Maybe I was masking it with Marijuana? I just don’t get it. I always had and still have a feeling it has something to do with my sleep.
I average around 6 hours of sleep during the week. Always with the help of Trazodone and Melatonin. I take both around 9:30pm and sleeping by 10-10:30. I’m usually out no later then 15 minutes after I put my mask on. My alarm is set for 5am. My insomnia was much worse at first but that also is getting better.
It’s good to hear that my numbers are good at least. I was a little worried about Leaks but it’s always said “good”. I just read that sleep apnea can cause a lot of the issues that are present. Hoping the longer I used CPAP that these symptoms would just go away. Hopefully one day

[Pugsy]

If you google everyone of your medications you listed....what you described as unwanted daytime symptoms could be attributed to your meds.
All medications (even OTC meds) come with baggage...all of them. Even the lowly aspirin comes with baggage.

Now I am not saying that the meds are 100% of the problem. Part of it might have been the OSA affecting your body. I would be willing to bet my last dollar that part of your symptoms are medication related side effects.
Did you know that one of the known listed side effects for melatonin (google it...there's a list of side effects even if it is OTC) is loss of libido? Yep...it can kill the sex drive in some people.

Years ago I took some Paxil because of going through an ugly divorce and having some depression and lots of crying going on. OMG what it did to me was awful. One of the side effects that was unusual and fairly rare was agitation and the feeling that I had bugs crawling under my skin. Horrible.
So I decided it was better to bawl all day than live with bugs under my skin.

With any medication we have to weigh the risk vs reward for taking it. Any medication...even OTC stuff.
Is the baggage we might have to deal with worth the reward of the medication fixing a problem we have.
I take something to help me sleep...it makes be a bit groggy during the day especially in the morning...I don't like that hang over effect but if I didn't take something I have serious issues with sleep quality because I wake up a gazillion time because of pain issues.
So I have a choice....get some halfway decent sleep with an extra pill at night and have a bit of a hangover in the morning but feel halfway decent during the day.....or I take nothing to help me sleep and have horrible sleep and feel like total dog crap the entire day and have my butt dragging until I go to bed.
The reward for that little sleeping pill and the small amount of baggage (hang over & drowsiness for a few hours in the morning) is worth it to me because I feel worse if I don't sleep decently.

My own sister was having issues with extreme fatigue during the day...we thought maybe sleep apnea but we got her screened and it wasn't sleep apnea. She got to reading about the blood pressure medication she was taking....known to cause fatigue.
Obviously she has to take BP meds but she got with her doctor and they changed her BP meds and her extreme fatigue essentially went away.

Your leak rate is well within acceptable limits of what the machine can compensate/deal with. It doesn't have to be a perfect 0.0 leak line. These machines all can compensate for quite a bit of excess leak. ResMed machines do an extremely good job of managing things until someone starts spending a lot of time over 24 L/min (you would need the software to evaluate your leak to see this).

The leak number you are seeing on the machine LCD screen is what we call a 95% number. It is NOT an overall average.
95% numbers (pressure or leak) are just a number where you were at OR BELOW that number for 95% of the night.. That "or below" part of the definition is hugely important. So your 10 L/min number for leaks...means that for 95% of the night your leak was at OR BELOW that 10 L/min number. You can't tell how low without using the software but it doesn't really matter ....the other 5 % we have no idea where it went to but even if it was sky high deep into large leak territory we don't worry about 5 % of the night.

So....you don't have a problem with leaks in terms of therapy effectiveness.....now if even tiny leaks wake you up then they are a problem but they are a problem because they disturb your sleep and not because it impact the actually effectiveness of the pressure holding the airway open.

Finally...even if you weren't on any meds that might be responsible for your unwanted symptoms and your AHI is nice and low and leaks are nice and low and your sleep is perfect every night and you never have issues with wake ups and insomnia (that's a perfect world in which most of us won't be having)....it can take weeks and months to feel marked improvement from cpap therapy.
I had 2 common symptoms of sleep apnea go away pretty much immediately...nocturia and killer morning headaches.
It was a full 3 months before I saw a glimmer of improvement in my overall energy levels...and it was a very gradual improvement.
Those people you read about who got the overnight miracle the first night on cpap....very rare and very lucky minority. Most people don't experience it.

[Trublue616]

Thank you all for the insight and all the information that I did not know before. I truly appreciate every bit! This really does seem like a great resource community. I will check back in very soon with hopefully a better outlook on life. I hope I can take away some more great advice but until then, stay safe and hope to hear from you all soon.

[Trublue616]

*New overnight intervention*
So last night after cleaning the hoses and reassembling my sleeping buddy I noticed when laying down that there was an air leak from my machine that was louder then normal. I fooled around with it for a bit and came to the conclusion that I had my heated hose connected to the machine WRONG the whole time!! My mask seal was 1.2L/min!!! Best ever since I have been using the CPAP. The ports actually fit into the machine perfectly if installed correctly without forcing it like I have normally done. I feel like a complete dumbass!
But now the problem is that it felt a little more difficult to breathe and I woke up a couple hours earlier then I should have. I also am in the process over the weekend of weaning myself off of the Trazodone that was prescribed to me. It kind of feels like I am starting from day one
Should I keep on using the Trazodone until I get more comfortable using my CPAP? I also take Melatonin 10mg. I am frustrated and a little confused. I am glad I figured out how to get my leaks down but also not sure why it is harder to breathe.. Thanks for listening to my rant. -frustrated

[DreamDiver]

*New overnight intervention*
So last night after cleaning the hoses and reassembling my sleeping buddy I noticed when laying down that there was an air leak from my machine that was louder then normal. I fooled around with it for a bit and came to the conclusion that I had my heated hose connected to the machine WRONG the whole time!! My mask seal was 1.2L/min!!! Best ever since I have been using the CPAP. The ports actually fit into the machine perfectly if installed correctly without forcing it like I have normally done. I feel like a complete dumbass!
But now the problem is that it felt a little more difficult to breathe and I woke up a couple hours earlier then I should have. I also am in the process over the weekend of weaning myself off of the Trazodone that was prescribed to me. It kind of feels like I am starting from day one
Should I keep on using the Trazodone until I get more comfortable using my CPAP? I also take Melatonin 10mg. I am frustrated and a little confused. I am glad I figured out how to get my leaks down but also not sure why it is harder to breathe.. Thanks for listening to my rant. -frustrated

With anything prescribed by your doctor, you should probably consult that doctor. Just stopping a prescription without your doctor's advice is ill-advised. Please -- talk to the doc.

It's okay to be frightened and confused. Many of us started CPAP in this place, so there are people here who can identify with exactly what you're going through.

Congratulations on figuring out how to reduce the large leaks! This is always the first key to getting therapy. Once the large leaks are under control, you can learn how to tweak your therapy to take best advantage of your mask and machine. And don't feel like a dumbass. I've been on this protocol for over a decade and I still do combat with large leaks. You're in good company. You'll get yourself sorted.

It took me months to get used to the machine. With help from the denizens of this forum, I was able to dive into the data. Soon I was making clearer-headed decisions. I hope you'll stick around. A group that knows what you're going through can be a great support team.

Meanwhile, why not keep the data from your AirSense 10 screen report coming until you're comfortable or able to download and install the sleep data program OSCAR that was linked in the thread above by LSAT?

Welcome!

Chris

[Trublue616]

Thanks Chris! I do feel comfortable in this forum and I know there is tons of great advice I can take from here. I think I will be around for awhile
I would also love to take advantage of the OSCAR program but I only have phones and iPads so I do not believe I can at this time but I would be more then happy to share any information that is needed.
I was super frustrated (and tired) waking this morning but seeing that the Leaks were so low and I am making progress in that aspect honestly gives me hope and determination to keep it going stronger then I ever have before. I honestly feel happy. -feeling optimistic

[Jas_williams]

*New overnight intervention*
So last night after cleaning the hoses and reassembling my sleeping buddy I noticed when laying down that there was an air leak from my machine that was louder then normal. I fooled around with it for a bit and came to the conclusion that I had my heated hose connected to the machine WRONG the whole time!! My mask seal was 1.2L/min!!! Best ever since I have been using the CPAP. The ports actually fit into the machine perfectly if installed correctly without forcing it like I have normally done. I feel like a complete dumbass!
But now the problem is that it felt a little more difficult to breathe and I woke up a couple hours earlier then I should have. I also am in the process over the weekend of weaning myself off of the Trazodone that was prescribed to me. It kind of feels like I am starting from day one
Should I keep on using the Trazodone until I get more comfortable using my CPAP? I also take Melatonin 10mg. I am frustrated and a little confused. I am glad I figured out how to get my leaks down but also not sure why it is harder to breathe.. Thanks for listening to my rant. -frustrated

What is your setting for EPR a higher value of EPR makes it easier to breath out

[Trublue616]

Jas_, I will make sure to check what my EPR is when I get home and I’ll post it

[Trublue616]

Last nights data..

1E4757C8-5799-4689-9584-6A0F93939D0D.jpeg (20.68 KiB) Viewed 493 times

22EE4061-F7BF-46C4-9248-9BEFC576B0DB.jpeg (19.61 KiB) Viewed 493 times

*How do I find my EPR setting?

[Pugsy]

The manual explains how to find out about EPR and how to get to the menu that might show it.
https://www.respshop.com/manuals/ResMed ... %20her.pdf

[Trublue616]

I believe these are all my settings..

A4AFE634-E523-4A92-8DA0-4C4C4264C685.jpeg (16.38 KiB) Viewed 480 times

5C8F206E-A1A3-41DD-8C98-09F1DC9C2FAC.jpeg (19.31 KiB) Viewed 480 times

E343631A-FD5D-4F6A-AB42-D92DD18E0797.jpeg (18.68 KiB) Viewed 480 times

[DreamDiver]

I believe these are all my settings..
A4AFE634-E523-4A92-8DA0-4C4C4264C685.jpeg5C8F206E-A1A3-41DD-8C98-09F1DC9C2FAC.jpegE343631A-FD5D-4F6A-AB42-D92DD18E0797.jpeg

Looks like your EPR is at "3", the highest setting, meaning that it's giving you the most exhale relief that is possible with your machine. If breathing is still problematic, it may be worth looking at some of the graphs your machine can provide from OSCAR. Others may have additional suggestions.