I’m getting more and more used to sleeping with my CPAP.   We don’t love each other but we get along and for the sake of our lungs we plan on staying together.

I’d like to clear up and have a final agreement on the division of labor.  Specifically the act of breathing.  I know it’s primarily my responsibility but I got into this CPAP relationship for the purpose of breathing.  Translate my name (Anhelo Impedio) from Latin to English to see what I mean.

Just what exactly is CPAP’s responsibility in this matter?  Is it to push air down my throat into my lungs if I stop breathing (aggressive)?  Or is it to simply maintain a clear passage way and to assist with the flow of air into my lungs (passive)?

I deliberately stopped breathing last night to bring this issue between CPAP and me to a head.  Nothing happened.  I mean I could feel CPAP was there nice and steady but not effective (at least while I’m awake) in forcing me to breath.

I guess I’ll just keep trying to adjust my own habits, lower my expectations, and not expect anything dramatic.  At least during this early period in the relationship.  How are you and yours getting along?  Meeting expectations?


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xPAPs are definately passive...even the more complex BiPAP STs. I can trick my BiPAP ST into Timed mode by holding my breath like you did but all it can do is cycle from IPAP to EPAP at its predetermined rates...if I don't make an attempt to breath, nothing gets into my lungs which is why I can still have 30+ central apneas per hour while using my BiPAP ST.  During an obstructive apnea you are trying to breath and the xPAP's job is to hold the airway open but it can't make you breath. About the only way to force someone to breath is through a trach or endotrachial tube to bypass the 'doorway' to our lungs, so to speak.

Ahelo,

You crack me up.  May I guess the translation is something like inhalation impeded?  Yes, very, very passive.  The purpose of our intimate friend is to form an air "splint" in that tube called the trachea.  Humm, passive/aggressive.  How about passive/dominant?  

Vicki

Vicki wrote:

You crack me up.  May I guess the translation is something like inhalation impeded?  Yes, very, very passive.  The purpose of our intimate friend is to form an air "splint" in that tube called the trachea.  Humm, passive/aggressive.  How about passive/dominant?

That’s a pretty accurate translation, Vicki.  The actual English root words I used to get to the Latin were Pulmonary Obstruction.  Originally, on this forum, I used the ID of  BreathingInterruptus which came a little close to the message I wanted to convey, but never quite made it.  So I changed it to reflect the real situation.

Back to the matter at hand.  Passive / Aggressive.  Your air splint explanation makes sense if we consider one of the primary constrictions is what ever causes the act of snoring,  I guess, then, if your breathing problem is neurological a xPAP approach would likely fail?

christine wrote:

During an obstructive apnea you are trying to breath and the xPAP's job is to hold the airway open but it can't make you breath. About the only way to force someone to breath is through a trach or endotrachial tube to bypass the 'doorway' to our lungs, so to speak.

Christine, Do you think that prolonged (couple of hours) positive air pressure might temporarily condition the airways to a more open position thus requiring lower pressure as time elapses?  That might explain the feeling of lower pressure later in the night after a couple of hours of therapy.  Of course, only to start all over again at the next iteration as the airways return to their natural condition.

Passive/dominant … hmmm?  Now stop that Vicki!


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Success Nourishes Hope

Anhelo Impedio wrote:

Do you think that prolonged (couple of hours) positive air pressure might temporarily condition the airways to a more open position thus requiring lower pressure as time elapses?  That might explain the feeling of lower pressure later in the night after a couple of hours of therapy.  

It might keep the airway more open but it still can't get into your lungs unless you let it. I guess we could liken it to a pair of jeans...they can be really tight (obstructed) when you put them on, but fit pretty good (no obstructions) by evening....throw them in the washer and you have to start all over again the next day with tight jeans, though over time they can get a little less tight as they permenantly stretch slightly. I still lean towards our bodies adapting to the pressure the same as it does to background noise...if you live by an airport you barely notice the noise from all the planes but get away from it for a while and you have to adjust all over again...not as bad as when you first moved there (or first started on xPAP) but still more noticable then your normal. It's probably a combination of both senarios to some degree...it is amazing how little I can feel any pressure on my BiPAP after almost 2 years of nightly use...I find myself having to check all the time for a steady air flow from the exhaust vent.  

With CSA, there is a similar type adjustment to the changing pressure during each breath cycle from IPAP to EPAP. Even with a regular BiPAP with just spontanous mode were the user is in control of each breath cycle there tends to be less apneas after a few weeks of consitant use. It makes sense to me- I know how hard it was to get in synch early on and even in regular/spontanous mode I sometimes felt out of step or like I was being rushed & ended up 'tripping' over myself- now I have to really pay attention to notice my machine switching from IPAP to EPAP...it is a much more natural feeling process now.

All in all, its a good thing our bodies get use to the air blowing & pressure or there wouldn't be as many compliant xPAPers since the feeling of strapping a mini-huricaine to your face every night isn't the most pleasant thing to do...its much easier when your body learns to interpret it as a soothing breeze.

Christine


The first time I experienced the CPAP was as a hospital patient with pneumonia and a sepsis blood infection.  It was a mess and I was experiencing hallucinations.  They had me hooked to oxygen (still do) and a CPAP.  I didn’t know what a CPAP was then.

I do remember tearing the mask off because I thought I was drowning.  I recall a vague feeling of Niagara Falls in a circular motion into my nostrils around and about and out through my mouth.  It felt violent then.  I imagined I was that guy in the movie where he had his under-sea mask filled with liquid so he could descend to impossible depths.

Now, as you say, it’s a gentle breeze.  You probably expressed it, as most here with some experience now feel it.


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Success Nourishes Hope