Questions about therapy and feeling better

Hi there! I am new to the world of treating OSA. I have been on treatment for 3 1/2 weeks and to be honest, I don't feel any differently. I am extremely tired when I wake up and I feel like I could sleep all day. I am getting used to the machine and mask and I really don't have many problems with that. Also, I am sleeping pretty well through the night, but I just wake up feeling like I haven't slept at all.

I don't know how long it takes to start feeling better, but I am soooo ready.

Any suggestions or feedback?

Thanks!

.....TiredMommy.....




According to your profile, you are using a M Series BIPAP Auto with BiFlex. Please verify if that is correct?

If so, what pressures is it set at?

Have you checked your daily stats on the LCD screen? If this is something you hadn't been told about, here's info on how to do it.

And please post what the numbers are.

How to access M series LCD data: You just need to press either of the arrows on the control panel to scroll through the LCD data. It will show average pressure, AHI, leaks, hours of use, etc.

To Access the Setup Mode: Hold down the <- -> buttons while plugging in the little power cord in the back, wait for 2 beeps release buttons. Then press the + key to enter setup mode, use the <- -> buttons to move to the next field, use the -/+ keys to decrease/increase values, when set press the On/Off button to exit Setup.

It is strongly suggested going through your existing settings and writing them down in case you have to reset them to their previous values.

There is a feature called:
Show AHI/Leak=On (enables logging to display, leave On).

Well, let me see. I went and checked the things that you stated:

90% Pressure - 16.9/14.7
Leaks - 12.2L/min
AHI - 2.8
Avg. Usage - 8.24
Pressure - 17max/13min

The show AHI/Leak is ON.

Also, I started out with a Nasal Mask and chinstrap. Too confining!! So, I took off the chinstrap and noticed that air was escaping through my mouth. Called Dr. and got switched to a Full Face Mask.

I know that this will eventually work out, but just curious and want to be sure that I have the appropriate settings, etc. I will not give up. Most of all, I am desperate to feel better.

Thank you for your reply. I really do appreciate it.

Julie

Well, your AHIs (apneas) are in acceptable range, and your leak rate is fine.

It's obvious that you didn't do well with a nasal mask -- so you basically had no therapy during that time.

Your full face mask pretty much solves that problem.

Your 90% pressure is almost as high as your machine is set for -- that could be raised one, but that's alot of pressure.

In my opinion, if you've only been on the full face mask a short period of time, I think you might just leave everything as is. You should start feeling better before long.

Are you feeling worse than you did prior to cpap?

No. I'm not feeling worse, but I am not feeling better either. I am just so very tired. Like I said in my first post, I wake up and still am tired and don't feel like I've slept at all.

I also suffer from migraines and have had a steady headache all during the past 15 years. Hard to believe, but true. It spikes on different days and is really bad, but it is always there. My Dr. thinks that once I've gotten treatment for OSA, the headaches should go away. That will be a victory in and of itself!!

Thanks again Linda, I really appreciate it. I will monitor the boards and get encouragement from my fellow travellers! That will help, I'm sure.

Julie

I know that 3 1/2 weeks seems like a long time, but it can take much longer to see results. Some only see small improvements over long periods of time. You can do a search on sleep debt. Your numbers look good and given time you should start feeling better!

Brenda

Thank you for your reply. I remembered something that my MDE therapist said. He stated that with severe OSA, you have a build-up of CO2 in your system and it takes a while for it to get out. I had never heard of this, but it makes sense.

Also, what is sleep debt? I've never heard of that. Any info on it?

Thanks again for replying. I appreciate any information that I can get.

Sleep debt is when your body is so run down from lack of proper sleep, that it takes longer to 'pay it back' and feel better. Someone who has had OSA for 1 year will have a small sleep debt to pay and feel better sooner. Someone who has had OSA for many years has built up a large sleep debt and will take much longer to feel better.

Kteague said it best;

I don't know how long you are sleeping each night, but I think that can be a contributing factor in how long it will take to feel better. There is maintenance sleep, then there is recouperative sleep. I always wonder how folks expect the mind and body to heal on even sub-maintenance sleep. My personal feeling is that some extra sleep beyond what one would need in a normal night should be the goal. (That's personal experience and logic, not science.)

I loosely liken sleep debt to a charge account. We all know if you pay the minimum monthly payment, you'll get by but the debt will seem to never go down. And don't even think about paying less than the minimum! While you may be making a payment, not only is it not going down, it's being added to daily. For sleep debt, take the advice of credit counselors and pay more than the minimum required to reduce the debt quicker.



Brenda

Julie,

Hugs and hang in there.

I agree, 3 1/2 weeks is not long.

I did not notice much improvement at that time, actually my body was craving more sleep.

I do know the groogy hangover headaches I used to wake up with disappeared.

I am still getting tired headaches, which may not be migraines but OTC meds do not work on. Especially if I am trying to stay awake, focus or think during the day.

As for the headaches, keep an open mind, they may or may not clear up right away. Migraines just wear you out also. If need be, ask for meds to help with them.

I do not know about bi-level machines so I can not make any comments