Using machine but still wake up gasping

purple22 wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 29, 2018 8:33 am

As my sleep doc said when I visited him. The higher pressure of a bi-level machine allows your lungs to inflate more fully.

OP has his max pressure set at 15. He could raise it to 20, but it's not going above 10.5 anyway. His problem may be his min is set too low.

purple22 wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 29, 2018 8:33 am

As my sleep doc said when I visited him. The higher pressure of a bi-level machine allows your lungs to inflate more fully.

This is an example when an overnight sleep study in a competent sleep lab might solve the problem more directly.

Thankyou!
I think Im going to do that.
Unfortunately in Canada we have crazy long waiting lists for services that are not "urgent".
Socialized medicare is awesome in many ways but does have a few drawbacks. Hopefully I can get lucky and get in sooner than later.
I had a really bad night last night and tore my mask off while fully strapped in(Don't know how I did that without breaking it) and this morning have had the craziest headache and dizziness. Lungs feel sore as well.

Care to try a little experiment while you are on the waiting list?

Increase your minimum pressure to 10.5
Increase the max pressure to 15
Add in AFlex exhale relief set to either 2 or 3 (whichever feels better to you)...
See what happens.

I was just at the specialist and he raised the machine to 10-15. Ramp is 8. I made a promise not to mess with the machine until the next appointment. If things don't get better though I'll try your suggestion.
He says my numbers are showing that I should be sleeping well. But Im going to go back to my GP and ask for a sleep study at the hospital. Hopefully this gets resolved before the sleep study.

BCman wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 30, 2018 5:12 pm

I made a promise not to mess with the machine until the next appointment.

You gave the doc a placebo, and it made him feel better.

One issue resolved! Found out my month-old heated hose was not working. The specialist gave me one for free even though I didn't buy the first one from him, and I don't have medical. It worked great last night and I woke up to the humidifier being empty for the first time in a long time.

Still woke up 5 times with heart racing. No gasping though. Investigating possible anxiety link. Also added in Vitamin D supplementation.
Still losing weight which is good.

First night of uninterupted sleep!

I only got up to pee once and went right back to sleep. No gasping awake and staying up for an hour before falling asleep again.

I can't believe Im not yawning all morning. This is amazing!

I still woke up with my heart racing which isn't good so Im going to still get a sleep study done. But wow...

Great stuff!

BCman wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 04, 2018 11:19 am

First night of uninterupted sleep!

I only got up to pee once and went right back to sleep. No gasping awake and staying up for an hour before falling asleep again.

I can't believe Im not yawning all morning. This is amazing!

I still woke up with my heart racing which isn't good so Im going to still get a sleep study done. But wow...

Great stuff!

Another horrible night with decent AHI number. Mask came loose at one point and I was sucking air half in and half out. Heart palpitations today, headche, irritable, and massive yawning today. Also lung-chest pain(Had many studies on my heart and it fine). Having trouble staying awake currently at 3:45pm.

Doctor put application in for a sleep test. *Crossing finger I get lucky and get in soon*

This is one of the worst nights ever. Went to bed very peaceful and calm. Woke up ripping at my mask because I wasn't breathing. Heart was racing for over an hour. Felt like I couldn't breathe until I got back on the machine. Im guessing when you wake up feeling like you're suffocating, your body has a panic attack and thats what kept my heart racing.

Kept going back to sleep but kept waking up with heart racing. Happened at least 7 times. Was having peaceful dreams not nightmares so I don't think thats it. A lot of my time on the machine I was waking up so the chart might not truly show whats happening. Right now my chest hurts pretty bad and I feel like I could fall asleep at any minute. Its getting to the point where I don't want to use the machine even though Ive been so committed to it.

Im even contemplating crossing the border(which isn't easy for me) and paying for a private sleep study in good ole 'Merica. Also going to talk to my doctor again and see if we can try testing something, anything. Ive read this could be central sleep apnea which could be caused by brain tumor, spinal injury etc. I did have reconstructive back surgery about 18 years ago so who knows.

Despite this horror show, Im still losing weight and exercising everyday. Writing that sentence just made me laugh.

One last thought, how can I know if my exhale pressure is dropping any points? And how do I change that if it isn't?

Thanks in advance!

BCman wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 08, 2018 11:30 am

how can I know if my exhale pressure is dropping any points? And how do I change that if it isn't?

You look at the pressure line graph. 2 lines...red and green...one for inhale and one for exhale.
On your recent image...pressure line is screwed up and I can't really tell but it looks like no exhale relief to speak of or no drop during exhale.
Don't know the setting for whatever Flex relief you have chosen.
And it's flow based meaning how much it drops depends on your own breathing and the most it can ever drop is 2 cm.

To change exhale relief...you go into the setup menu area and change the Flex setting...Flex is exhale relief or drop during exhale...on your machine.

Thankyou so much Pugsy!

BCman wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 08, 2018 11:30 am

. Im guessing when you wake up feeling like you're suffocating, your body has a panic attack and thats what kept my heart racing.

"panic attacks" are a mental thing, what gets your heart racing with apenas is physically not being able to breathe, lack of oxygen, etc.

I'd go for 12-20 on the pressure.

BCman wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 08, 2018 11:30 am

One last thought, how can I know if my exhale pressure is dropping any points? And how do I change that if it isn't?

What does that mean?

A few other things to consider.

a) Make sure that the mask vents (on your mask they are actually in the piece at the end of the hose and clips into the hole in the mask) are clear. If CO2 builds up, this can cause anxiety and headaches.

b) Mask leaks are brutal. They can cause all sorts of issues. Assuming you are still having the issue, you can try an airtouch rather than an airfit, Same frame and strap...just a different cushion so you can try that for only about $30 via amazon US. There is a bit of love/hate with with the touch vs fit and the sizing of the fit is a bit different. Also, Pad-a-cheek makes a leak prevention strap for the F20. Take care not to block the venting when using this.

c) Some have tried desensitization techniques...like wearing the mask while watching TV....

d) Sore lungs/ribs. I had a great deal of this...and it got better over time. Sucked until then though. I have heard two theories: 1) I am expanding my lungs more than previously and that inflamed the connective tissues; or 2) Muscle strain from breathing against the exhalation pressure.

I think you have ramping confused with automatic. Automatic means that your pressure will start at the minimum, and go up only if it determines that you need more pressure, and then back down when it determines that you no longer need the additional pressure. The ramp starts at a lower pressure and gradually accelerates to your set pressure over a fixed amount of time (such as 20 minutes).