I understand what they're saying about the ramp pressure.  I adjusted my ramp to start out at 6 which felt like a more normal inhale.  I quit using the ramp altogether because of the nasal mask I'm currently using.


_________________
REMStar Pro M w/ c-flex and heated humidifier
ResMed Swift LT nasal pillow
Encore View Software
12 cm H20, 13 cm H20
CPAP start date: June 4, 2008

Thank You!
I will try using it tonight and starting it without using the ramp feature. Last night by taking the machine out of the bedroom and into the living room definitely helped as I was able to leave the mask on longer than before, by watching TV instead of concentrating on the air flow. I used the ramp and it was set at 4. I don't know if it was the fear of "Knowing" it was going to double in a short time that freaked me out or what, but I know I turned the whole machine off and back on a few times prior to it ramping up. Again, I've never been at a higher setting than the 8 which everyone so far has said is a very low setting. (I just can't imagine a higher number WOW), but maybe it might be that the setting of 4 is so low that not much air is going into the mask and that's why I end up with the panic attack, like Mrs Rip Van Winkle said in her post? I was asked about using the humidifier on the CPAP. Yes, tried it for a while with the heater on...seemed to make me feel hot? Turned it off and my nose and throat were getting really dry. The humidity level is currently set at (1)

Again, Thanks to all of the suggestions, comments and help that you all have been kind enough to give, this will be my third night of trying. As I said before after the 1st night which I shouldn't even count, I laid in bed, in the dark and within a time span of what seemed like less than a minute.....I was pulling the mask off and in the middle of a full blown panic attack. When I was a small child, I had 2 cousins throw a blanket over me and then piled on top of me. I can still remember the feeling of no air, not being able to move and a sense that I was dying. Not a shrink, but sometimes wonder if that also has any influence on how this makes me feel...the fear of suffocating in my sleep while wearing the mask. I know I've been told from a previous post that this is not a possibility, But the old brain says otherwise when I have the mask on!
I will keep posting on how this is all working out.
Thank you all again SOOooooooooooo Much for all of your help!
Mike O.
Indiana

Mike...the blanket incident could play a big role in it.  Keep in mind...you have control on this...and this is giving you air.  I would like to commend you on the fact that you are admitting this is anxiety for you and seeking help for it.  You will get through it...may take time but you will.  The best thing that happens when facing a fear is the satisfaction you feel when you beat it.  It took my sister aobut 3 months to finally sleep through the night with it all on....after that she had no problems.

The heated humidfier is probably making you feel hot as you said...with the heat off you are still getting some humidity but yes, it can make you dry.  That is another way a fan can come in handy...pointed at your face it will help cool you down.  Commit yourself to taking one of this weekend days and thowing in a bunch of movies or watch sports all day...with the PAP on.

The expiration pressure of my BiLevel is set at 8...and I can barely stand the low pressure .  No matter though how much pressure one has...if it is hard for them it is hard.  Just like pain thresholds.  To me, pain is when I have to use a walker to drag myself to the bathroom.   To my husband, pain is when he stubs his toe...and thinks he needs his leg amputated.  Everyone is different.

I have seen over and over again on this forum your same situation where people feel like they are not breathing/suffocating not getting air...some do not realize that it is due to the low low pressure...they can not wrap their head around it.

The reason I asked about any other health issues was to see if you had COPD or any other lung problems...that would answer some of the feeling of inability to exhale...but, you would notice this during the day too.

Hopefully you will get a new sleep study soon.  Until then...keep up the trying.  Each time you try you are one step closer to success.


_________________

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO~ http://tinyurl.com/69q52a

BiPAP Auto M 13/8 Mirage Nasal Swift. 20 years+ undx'd. RLS/PLMD, Hypersomnia & more.

Hi Mrs Rip Van Winkle, No as far as the having COPD or any other kind of Lung/breathing problems. Other than having osteo arthritis, some bad discs in my back and this sleep apnea problem, all else is good. ( just had a heart problem fixed last week ) A Heart Ablation Surgery click for info on that here... http://www.hrspatients.org/patients/treatments/cardiac_ablation.asp
I tried going over my CPAP instruction manual and changed some settings. I raised the ramp from a setting of 4 to 6. ( My Max airflow is 8 ) out of hopes that the change will not be doubled and more tolerable. I'm also playing with the humidifier settings to see how that makes me feel. This is what my manual says when referring to the Setting the C-Flex Level:
This setting allows you to adjust the level of air pressure relief
that you feel when you exhale during therapy.
Your home care provider will have already set a C-Flex level. If
this is not comfortable for you, you can increase or decrease the
setting. The setting of “1” provides a small amount of pressure
relief. To increase the pressure relief, change the setting to “2”
or “3.
It was set at (1), and I changed it to (3)
Wish me luck !!
In reading my Manual....I came across this warning which made me take notice :

When the REMstar Plus with C-Flex is turned on and
functioning properly, new air from the REMstar Plus with C-Flex flushes the exhaled
air out through the exhalation port. When the REMstar Plus with C-Flex is turned off,
enough fresh air will not be provided through the mask, and exhaled air may be
rebreathed. Rebreathing of exhaled air for longer than several minutes can, in some
circumstances, lead to suffocation. This warning applies to most CPAP devices.

OK...Probably NEVER happen, but let's play the what if game....What if you end up in a deep sleep while using the CPAP and your lose power in your home,
the machine shuts down and then you fail to wake up....GAME OVER????? Boy, this was a mistake reading that paragraph 30 minutes before I go to bed !!
Now see how my mind works against me? Maybe. just maybe...that was a mis-print?
Take Care
I'll let you know how tonight goes....If you don't see anymore posts from me....THEN MY POWER MUST HAVE GONE OUT!  

   I can see how you think...I don't blame you.  Here is the scoop...if you are using a nasal mask then your mouth will drop open and you will start breathing through the mouth....it happens to everyone...the good Lord built that into our system  If you are using a Full Face mask then it has a built in relief for that very reason...possible power outage.  If you need to feel really safe then get a battery back up..the same thing as used with computers...power goes out and the battery automatically flips on.  I believe Whitebeard or BeardedOne can direct you there.

I live in the lightening capital of the US...we have outages all the time...I have never had a problem and I am a VERY sound sleeper...once I am out NOTHING wakes me....and I still wake up each day....I just pinched myself...ayup...I am still here.

Try this what if game...if I do not wear my mask then my heart will have to work harder to jump strt my body over and over and over again all through the night...my heart will stress and possibly go into cardiac arrest..  And here is another....untreated SA is the same as someone putting a plastic bag over your head several times a minute for up to a minute each time..over and over and over again for 8 or more hours....every night.  

So you think you are being suffocated with the mask...but what really is happening is that you are suffocating yourself when you do not wear the mask and you are asleep.   The mask is the better of your two evils.  The mask is the lifesaver from the mother ship.  If you were drowning and someone through you in a life ring to grab...would you push it away?  I know your answer

Good night...time for me to go plug into the mother ship...I can dream that I look like Seven OF Nine and my DH is chasing me all over the house!


_________________

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO~ http://tinyurl.com/69q52a

BiPAP Auto M 13/8 Mirage Nasal Swift. 20 years+ undx'd. RLS/PLMD, Hypersomnia & more.

Still Here !!! Last night was a bit of a roller coaster ride, but still I consider it a milestone! Went to bed (well, on the sofa) at 12am and tried watching TV with the mask on. I had set the ramp from 4 to 6 and I believe that it helped. Like I was told before....Maybe the 4 was so low, that that was making me have the sensation of NOT getting enough airflow. One thing that I did notice is that after a while, the C-Flex feature seems to calm it all down? What I mean is that at the start, I was having a bit of a time still exhaling out using the full face mask, but after awhile...it seemed like I wasn't getting much air...although I was breathing at a more "normal" rate. I woke up at 2am and decided to go to bed as the couch was killing my back. I was worried about returning to my bed as that is where all the panic attacks happened...lying flat and in the dark. I was OK this time! My wife woke me up at 3am due to her being sick. We went back to bed at 3:30am and I slept til 5:30am, when for some unknown reason I suddenly woke up feeling like I was struggling to breath? I told myself I have to do this and put the mask back on. Ended up waking back up at 8:45am and felt exhaused when I got out of bed and still do as I write this at 10am.
I guess it was a successful night when compared to previously using this. So Baby Steps as they say. I do remember that between 5:30 and 8:45 that I was "Dreaming" and from what I understand, that occurs when you are in the REM state of sleep, which must have been a good thing. Tonight will be nite 4 and it does seem to get better each time. Just wonder why I still have that "Can't Breathe" sensation when I'm being pumped full of air and end up pulling the mask off. I just hope that this road eventually leads to a full undisturbed nights sleep.
I know I've already said this numerous times, but with everyone's support here, I am now at least using the cpap machine after it sat in the closet for over 2 years! Thank You ALL !!!
Mike O.

You have to realize too, that your first sleep study was a few years ago.  There's is no guarantee that your current pressure of 8 is stopping all your aprneas.  I would continue using the machine for a couple of weeks and if your machine has a smart card, you might want to get the sleep doc to read it.  It will record your apneas over night and they can see if you need an adjustment.  If it doesn't have a smart card, you might want to schedule another titration to see if your machine needs to be set at a higher pressure.  If you're like me, and I've obviosly had it for a long time and never diagnosed, you probably gained some additional weight since the first sleep study.  The c-flex does calm things down and it sort of learns your breathing as you inhale and exhale.  So if you're waking up and your breathing changes (more rapid, deeper breaths) it may sort of fight you until you calm down or it starts tracking your current breathing.  I think you passed a major hurdle last night, good job.


_________________
REMStar Pro M w/ c-flex and heated humidifier
ResMed Swift LT nasal pillow
Encore View Software
12 cm H20, 13 cm H20
CPAP start date: June 4, 2008

MikeO when you said the following statement "When I was a small child, I had 2 cousins throw a blanket over me and then piled on top of me. I can still remember the feeling of no air, not being able to move and a sense that I was dying."  It made perfect sense to me that you felt clausterphobic and that you could not breath!  I am not a shrink either but I have had years of therapy and studies psychology.   My cousin and brother used to jump out of closets and scare me and to this day I think someone is in the closet or behind the shower curtain! Yes, connection is there! I have trouble some nights sleeping wtih the mask also  (have been using it for over three months now).  Some nights are better then others and the noise bothers me.   I also sure hope I eventually feel like it is a comfortable shoe like someone mentioned nd not know it is there (hard to believe is right).  I also want to eventually not use the Ambien.  But I do not get clausterphobic although I am clausterphobic as far as elevators are concerned.  But like the person said (sorry I can't see who wrote it but that we stop breathing without it.  Best of Luck!

Thank You "Grateful"
Yes, it's pretty scary what follows us from our childhood. With the support of the people on this forum, I feel as though I can now have a chance at a normal nights sleep. Funny how as the evening comes to a end, I dread the thought of going to bed...is it going to be a good night or a bad one. Lately, they have all been bad for me. My wife comments all the time on just how fast I can go to sleep. When my head hits the pillow, I'm out ( referring to when I was NOT using the CPAP Machine), but it doesn't last...It's like a alarm clock in me that goes off in I swear 2 hours !! Same routine each night. Instantly go to sleep, wake up 2 hours later. That leads to me getting out of bed...going to the living room to the sofa, an hour later back to bed for a hour, back awake from gasping for air, not able to get comfortable in bed, beating my wife to death with my elbows and snoring so she too gets no rest.....Then my alarm clock goes off at 4:30 AM for work and it's at that point that I swear I could sleep undisturbed for hours, but it's not to be as I have to get up and ready myself for a 12 hour workday which is absolutely a treat...worn out, yawning all day...total fatigue. Now that I'm hopefully on the road to a fix for all of this, I'm excited yet still fearful of putting that mask against my face and the thought of suffocating in my sleep. My demon to deal with, but I hope to beat it and with the support from these great people on this forum, I believe I can!
See that you mentioned that you use the medication AMBIEN. Tried it...actually the AMBIEN CR. Worked for awhile with me, but after using it for a couple of weeks, I couldn't remember anything from the night before! From the point of taking it before bed to the following morning was a blank slate for me. My doctor immediately had me stop taking it and said that amnesia was a side effect for some people. ( Thank God I didn't try to rob a bank or anything, but made me wonder!)
Thanks for taking the time to write me!
Good Luck to you as well.
Mike O.
Indiana

Quote:

...It's like a alarm clock in me that goes off in I swear 2 hours !! Same routine each night. Instantly go to sleep, wake up 2 hours later

Hmmmm, it takes about that length of time to reach REM...and for most, SA is worse during REM.  See any connection there?

Yawn is right...you are probably still waking due to your old pressure not stopping the apneas.

Glad to hear you did better...when do you see the Sleep Dr?


_________________

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO~ http://tinyurl.com/69q52a

BiPAP Auto M 13/8 Mirage Nasal Swift. 20 years+ undx'd. RLS/PLMD, Hypersomnia & more.

Well, yet another horrible night! I thought I would try to start the night out sleeping in bed rather than the sofa recliner, as I had thought that I had gotten more use to the mask at this point. I pre-heated the humidity unit for 20 minutes prior to going to bed as it suggested in the manual. Bad choice as I felt extemely warm as soon as I laid down and felt the panic attack coming. So, I dumped out the water and started over. By this time it was 12:30am. All seemed going well as I fell asleep pretty fast. Like clockwork, at 2:00 am I woke up pulling the mask off of me, as I felt like I couldn't breath. Got out of bed...went into the living room and laid in the recliner. That worked until 3:30 when I guess, the apnea was working on me. Ok, time to go back to bed and try the mask again. Next thing I know, it's 5:30 am and I feel as though the machine is not working and by that I mean that I'm breathing very shallow and  it seems I'm telling myself to breath almost like I'm holding my breath? Enough and I pull off the mask again...it's now 5:50am and I drop the mask beside the bed and sadly, I just lay there and can't help but enjoy just breathing fresh air, air that's not being delivered to me via the machine! I fall back to sleep and do not wake up agin until 11:00 am! If I snored, tossed and turned it was unknown to me as I finally felt like I slept better WITHOUT using the CPAP machine. Maybe, the thing needs adjusted, maybe it's the C-Flex kicking in and shutting down my air flow? As the night wears on...I am starting to get that feeling of dread as I'm not sure what to do tonight. I just can't seem to get use to all of this...Who knew that something as simple as sleep has turned into this mechanical nightmare! The feeling of hopelessness is starting to weigh on me once again....?????????
Mike O.

MikeO, I am so sorry.  As I said I have so much trouble adapting to the mask but for other reasons so I can relate to your frustration.  And when I do not sleep or get my sleep disturbed as you have been getting I get very depressed and simply cannot function.  I almost had a nervous breakdown at work last week! When you said "Funny how as the evening comes to a end, I dread the thought of going to bed...is it going to be a good night or a bad one. Lately, they have all been bad for me."  I totally related.  My counselor has me working on not obsessing about sleep and my mask becasue it was consuming me.  So I try not to think about it until I get in the bed. I am working on it.  I am envious of people saying that  they can just fall alseep!  I had trouble with sleep to begin with and now with the mask and the noise; golly.  I tried to sleep without the Ambien again for the umpteenth time the other night and could not fall asleep for 45 minutes so took my mask off and I felt it the next day.  Last night I used the Ambien and I fell asleep!  I hate having to take it and my counselor wants me to not take it but my pschiatrist wants me to take it.  All I know is I want to feel better and the mask makes that happen.  Keep at it and don't give up.

Yes, it's terrible! In my situation, the noise doesn't bother me from the machine as I've used one of those sound machines for years now to drown out the sound of railroad trains that are close to our home. ( you really should try getting one of those) I don't use the birds, waterfalls and those sounds on it, just the rainfall and I can't sleep without it. Like in my previous post...beware of the Ambien sleep pills...the side effects for me was total amnesia while using it.
If I took the pill at 9pm, but didn't go to bed until 10:30, everything from 9pm until the next day was gone to me.
Last night ( I've been on vacation this week, so I can go to bed at my leisure) I stayed up until 2:30 am....My thought pattern was...I'll stay up until I'm so tired I will HAVE to fall asleep while using the mask...Laid in bed, put the mask on ( I use a Full face Comfort2 mask) started the cpap machine and my nose was clogged...couldn't breath out of it for nothing. (Yes, I had the humidifier turned on as well), so I started out breathing out of my mouth. Next thing I know, and this is probably in LESS than 5 minutes, I'm feeling that "I can't Breath" Let's have a Panic Attack" Party starting! So...I pull off the mask, get out of bed....go to the sofa recliner in the living room, stay there until 4.30am (note from my previous posts..exactly 2 hours and I'm awake!) Go back to bed...refuse to use the mask again, and toss and turn until 8:00am when my alarm goes off. ( We babysit our 1 yr. old Grandaughter M-F) I feel so awful, it's now 6pm and I want to lay down and take a nap...But thats a No-No, because if I do....then the roller coaster ride starts all over for me tonight ...and I have a front seat each trip!!
Now, prior to trying to use this miracle of modern medicine...I know for a fact that the sleep apnea is virtually killing me a little more each day and Yes, I have read of all the possible complications of NOT treating it. SCARES ME...I have been married for 31 years, Love my wife, 2 sons and now my 1 yr. old grandaughter...I don't want to leave any of them sooner than I have to! The heart surgery 2 weeks ago had me thinking my days were over...but they gave me a new lease on life to say. So here I am again, facing this new threat to my life. I can only say that HOPEFULLY, when I try this new sleep doctor, he will have the magic solution to end this. Perhaps the settings are no longer where they need to be. ( It was set up 4 years ago, I didn't use the CPAP machine then either) I've gained about 20 pounds and I'm now the ripe old age of 50. Maybe it's the type of mask I'm using. Originally they gave me these tubes that started at my head, went under my chin and back up inside my nose...HORRIBLE. I just got this new full face mask last week and have 30 days to decide if I like it or not. The health care shop I received it from said they will exchange it for something different at no charge, BUT, if the replacement doesn't work, I will have to keep it for 6 months and be stuck with it!
Sorry, I'm rambling on and on.....I'll keep everyone posted on what is going on here on that late night movie "Sleepless in Indiana" !!
Take Care
Mike O.

Think, Mike!  With all that air being blown into you, how could you possibly be suffocating?  Even at low pressure, you are getting more air than you would be without the machine.

I don't have OSA, but I've tried my husband's machine for a couple of hours and I found that after about 15 to 20 minutes, I stopped noticing the air pressure.  I agree, try distracting yourself with tv or music, long enough anyway to stop noticing the air.  Even though you feel that you can't exhale against the pressure, in fact you can but it needs to become automatic and unconscious.  You don't need to try for the whole night right away, but try to keep on for at least half an hour and work up from there.

There was a time when I thought I might have OSA (until I had a sleep study that showed that I didn't) and I thought about masks I might like.  I felt I would prefer a nasal pillow mask but after I had tried my husband's mask, I felt there was some virtue in the full face mask because the pressure was somwhat softened by the air space over my mouth and nose.

Also, my husband's mask is a Resperonics ComfortFull 2, like yours.  You may well find that it hurts the bridge of your nose when you have it on for a while.  If it does, it needs adjusting; very slightly loosen the top straps and very slightly tighten the bottom ones.  This process may take a few nights so don't get discouraged.  Also, notice that the forehead connector piece has more than one position and it has probably come to you in the position most likely to press too hard on the bridge of your nose.  In fact, I would suggest that you adjust the connector position before trying to adjust the straps.

Keep comng back and we'll do our best to get you using this therapy.

Mike...I know which nose mask you are speaking of.  They tried to stick me with that in the beginning...AWFUL!!!!!  I now use the Mirage Nasal Swift II (over 4 years now) and hear they just came out with a micro one.   If you do not mouth breath...that may be your answer!  Look it up.


_________________

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO~ http://tinyurl.com/69q52a

BiPAP Auto M 13/8 Mirage Nasal Swift. 20 years+ undx'd. RLS/PLMD, Hypersomnia & more.