Over the next few weeks, I think I bargained and denied the reality, trying to mitigate my sleep apnea with everything but CPAP: Expensive Wedge Pillow, forcing myself to sleep on my side, a dental device to move my jaw/tongue forward, a humidifier, a oximeter with alarm, etc. At the end of the day, as my doctor finally convinced me - these weren't going to do it for me, so I finally accepted that I'd need to try CPAP therapy. I'm really glad I did my research before the fitting, so that I knew what to ask for, and tried many different masks and combinations.
Fitting / Setup : I ended up getting a F&P Icon Auto CPAP Machine, with built in humidifier, ramp, sense awake, etc. Interestingly on the mask, what worked best for me was a hybrid mask that was made of silicone from Respironics Dreamwear full-face mask, that covers the whole face, but has a pillow for the nose instead of fully covering it (which I really liked), and the hose connects at the top instead of the bottom, which once I laid down in bed I appreciated. My prescription for pressure called for a range of 8-20, and the tech set it to this, as well as a 3/6 heat humidity level.
My First Night: As expected, it took a lot for me to fall asleep and get used to the machine. When i finally fell asleep, I was awoken quickly by a burst to 20 that didn't feel right. It was hard to believe I would already been needing the max pressure (I could be wrong obviously), and that was a LOT of air, and very tough to get used to. I also was a little scared that once I woke up it didn't start dialing back down, but after researching, I guess this is because it can't tell the difference between an event/episode, and just being awake and not needing it, so it takes a while to wind back down, but I just figured that I needed to get used to it first before going all-in, and that having a lower pressure setting was obviously better than not using it at all, so I changed the settings to have a minimum of 8, and a max of 12. 8 actually felt good breathing in, and while it felt a little strange to have it occasionally "blow up" my cheeks with air, I got used to it.
Finally, at around 2:30 I was able to go in and out of sleep, and was starting to get used to different positions and my pillow setup. At around 3:30 or 4:00 I fell asleep fully, and woke up on my own around 6:15, looking at the pressure monitor and having it still say 8 (which was great, since every other time it was maxing). I dozed a bit more, but then got up for the day. What is very odd to me is that while I certainly didn't get enough sleep or rest (maybe 3 total hours) I feel differently. I can't quite put my finger on it, but more "clear", and in a better mood. I walked in today to work, and the guard said unprompted, "well, you seem in a good mood and enthusiastic to be here". I've worked here for 7 years and so that was strange to hear, as I was feeling a bit more positive. Perhaps it is just a bit of relief that I can make it through sleeping with the mask, but maybe not.
I look forward almost to giving it another shot tonight (Friday) without work waiting for me the next morning, and get a full night's rest to see what that feel's like. I'm encouraged that I could sit fall fully asleep with it on in the first night, but I'm not going to lie - it is depressing to think that I'll have to use this or something very like it to sleep every night, the rest of my life. I'll try and take that one day at a time, and hopefully I'll feel good enough that I'll feel its clearly worth it - but its still very early.
Questions: There are so many questions I have, and I've taken a lot of time to research them on this board (I'm sure they've been asked before somewhere), but I thought it could help the newbies like me, as I didn't find them specific to my issues. Anyone who could help or offer their opinion, I would really appreciate.
- Is it dangerous to have my MAX setting at 12 instead of the prescribed 20 as I get more used to my machine, with the thought that something is better than nothing, and work my way up?
- I felt some leaking going on where my mask hose met with the hose, and I couldn't find a leak-free way to connect it to the mask. It wasn't a lot, but it made me start wondering if that was the reason for the bursts to 20 when it detected an apnea event?
- How in the world do I get started with this sleepyhead software? I have a SD Card of sorts in my machine that I can take out and plug into my computer, but it seems to just send a report to my tech's office, that she can email me later. I would like to have a more hands on approach, and wonder if my auto cpap icon machine is capable of using the sleepyhead software. Is there a steep learning curve to at least get to the point where it spits out a report (interpreting I'm sure is a whole different thing). I would really like to know what my AHI is, and how many events I've had, etc. if that's possible.
- Should I try and incorporate my oximeter I bought from Amazon into this to see if I drop my saturated O2 level below 90, or at least below 85? Or give it more time before I do that?
- The cleaning and maintenance seems overwhelming to me... is the SoClean device a real time-saver and worth the money if you have it to spend? And, are you all really cleaning your tubes every night in vinegar water or mild detergent? and soaking the mask, etc.?