# Tell me about your CPAP/APAP setup **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 19, 2011, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078 "2011-06-19T23:48:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078/21 "2011-06-24T00:39:54Z")
Good luck!! And… pictures or it didn’t happen! (just kidding… anyone daring to photograph me while wired up, well, let’s just say there wouldn’t be enough big pieces to make a positive identification short of full-on DNA testing…). ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078/22 "2011-07-02T16:15:18Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > And… pictures or it didn’t happen! [It happened!](http://kevinmay.shutterfly.com/pictures/234#234) I don’t care if people see me this way. [This picture](http://kevinmay.shutterfly.com/pictures/234#235), of me in the middle of the night using the CPAP might give you nightmares. For some reason, the flash took me by surprise. As for the study itself, I guess it went as well as could be expected. My technician was extremely skilled in the art of “You’ll have to talk to the doctor about that” so I don’t know a lot of details. After an hour or two of being monitored, he woke me up and told me that he was going to hook me up to the CPAP and that I had been holding my breath for 30-45 seconds every third breath. I was totally shocked that it happened so often. On the positive side, that was when I was sleeping on my back which I usually don’t do. On my side, it wasn’t as bad but I won’t know how bad until I talk to my doctor. Wearing the CPAP mask was better than I expected. It was just a nose mask so I had to keep my mouth closed and trying to talk with air shooting up your nose is unpleasant at best. We’ll see how it goes. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2011, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078/23 "2011-07-03T14:00:00Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > [It happened!](http://kevinmay.shutterfly.com/pictures/234#234) I don’t care if people see me this way. > > [This picture](http://kevinmay.shutterfly.com/pictures/234#235), of me in the middle of the night using the CPAP might give you nightmares. For some reason, the flash took me by surprise. > > As for the study itself, I guess it went as well as could be expected. My technician was extremely skilled in the art of “You’ll have to talk to the doctor about that” so I don’t know a lot of details. After an hour or two of being monitored, he woke me up and told me that he was going to hook me up to the CPAP and that I had been holding my breath for 30-45 seconds every third breath. I was totally shocked that it happened so often. On the positive side, that was when I was sleeping on my back which I usually don’t do. On my side, it wasn’t as bad but I won’t know how bad until I talk to my doctor. > > Wearing the CPAP mask was better than I expected. It was just a nose mask so I had to keep my mouth closed and trying to talk with air shooting up your nose is unpleasant at best. We’ll see how it goes. LOL - you do learn the trick of sort of sealing off the nasal connection and talking like you’ve got the mother of all stuffed noses. Who’d you get to take the picture? The tech? Sounds like you’ll really benefit from it if you were doing that badly, breathing-wise. I don’t know what percentage of cases they have to start the CPAP treatment right then (they certainly didn’t with me) but it’s nice that you don’t have to have a separate titration study. Also there are a number of different mask styles, including the nasal pillows. Check out [cpap.com](http://cpap.com) and some other online sites to look at the various types - and when your own equipment is ordered, make sure they give you the option to try a variety of different ones. ---
**Author:** ![Caractacus\_Pott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@Caractacus\_Pott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caractacus_Pott)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2011, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078/24 "2011-07-03T19:08:07Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > As promised: some hints on how to deal with a sleep study (sorry, this is loooong - I’ve had 6, all awful in their own way, and as you can tell I HATE them). The headings first for quick reference, then my ramblings about each, below that. > > 1. Schedule it when you can spend the next day trashed. > 2. Be sleep deprived for the study > 3. Bring your own pillows. > 4. Be prepared to trot out your inner bitch. > 5. Do a dry run if possible > 6. Bring entertainment that does not rely on room lighting or a TV. > 7. Don’t count on styling your hair that day > 8. Bring a snack and something to drink > 9. Remember, you are being watched > 10. People who run sleep clinics are a) in it for the money, and b) stoopid. I must have been lucky. I had one test, they did it all in one night, and around 7am the doctor told me the results. I was out of there 8:30. The rooms were set up like hotel rooms with ensuite, the tech was good, and they didn’t hook me up to everything until it was around my normal bedtime. It may have helped them get this over with quickly because my sleep apnea was very pronounced and it responded predictably to the changes in pressure during the test. Looking at the chart even I could tell what was going on. In retrospect the mask selection process was horrible. I had a choice of one and didn’t know others existed. It never fit right at the bridge of my nose. Since then I’ve moved on to nasal pillows and haven’t really had problems with the mask since. Like **kittenblue** , I’m in the “rarely wash the mask and hose” club. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078/25 "2011-07-04T17:09:31Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > **1) Schedule it when you can spend the next day trashed.** > > They will try to tell you that you can shower and go to work afterward (most places even have showers right there). > > They are lying. You will not sleep well. The beds are hard. There are wires everywhere on your head and face. There are bands across your chest. There are wires connected to your legs. They wire you up on their schedule, not yours. They put you to bed on their schedule, not yours. They wake you up on their schedule, not yours. For some unknown reason, this is at 5:30 AM regardless of whether you have had 4 hours of sleep, or 6… then they let you drive yourself home when you’ve had the worst night of sleep in years. > > The sheets are scratchy and the pillows are covered with crinkly disposable covers that make noise every time you move. If you like to watch a little TV before bedtime, well, good luck with that! I’ve found the presence / absence of TVs in the rooms about a 50/50 proposition - and if they DO have a TV, there’s usually no fucking remote. So if you don’t want to watch the 700 Club or whatever was on when you get wired up, too damn bad. > > They will be surprised when you express concern that you may not sleep well. This suggests to me that they explicitly refuse to hire technicians who have ever undergone a sleep study. > > Bottom line: unless you are a product tester at a Serta factory, you will not be able to be productive at work the next day. I don’t know where you had yours done, but the room my before and after tests were done in was like a very upper-class hotel room. I wasn’t productive after the first test, naturally, but the second test with the mask, I slept like a log and woke up feeling like a new man. Best sleep I had had in a lonnngggg time. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078/26 "2011-07-04T19:42:58Z")
**Mama Zappa,** thanks again for all of your advice. I really appreciate it. BTW, I took the pictures myself which explains the Frankenstein arms in the first pic. I wanted to make sure that everyone saw the whole getup. Like **Clothahump** , my room was nice as well if small. It did not have a bathroom however. Fortunately that was never an issue. It did have a TV (with remote) and even had a built in VCR! Unfortunately, I didn’t think to bring any tapes with me. I never even turned it on. You were right about things being on their schedule. At 4:00 in the morning, the tech told me that he had enough data and that I could stop if I wanted to. Since it was 4:00, I told him I wanted to sleep a little longer. At 4:45 when I woke up and was wide awake, I told him that I was ready to leave. He informed me that since I had started the hour, I had to finish it. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078/27 "2011-07-12T16:26:57Z")
Bumpdate! I got the results of my sleep test. I had 104 events per hour. My O2 level dropped to 67%, it’s not supposed to go under 88. When I was wearing the maskand at 14 (psi?), I had no events. After my insurance is verified (again), I’ll go see the DME provider. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078/28 "2011-07-12T16:33:45Z")
Wowsers - you’re not dead, are you? 🙂 I’d bet you’ll see a pretty substantial improvement once you’re breathing better!! I never noticed much change with mine, but my numbers are lot lower than yours. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078/29 "2011-07-13T02:16:00Z")
Three sleep studies so far. All claim I’m waking up a bazillion times per night. The missus was complaining about snoring/apnea/etc. So I get the machine… Mask? No way. I (apparently) wake up and rip it off; I remember nightmares about suffocating. Nasal Pillows? Ain’t happening. They turn my mouth and throat into a wind tunnel and I wake up constantly and eventually rip the whole mess off my face and toss it beside the bed. Spent a year arguing with the supposed “experts” about the setting on the CPAP machine (they had it set to a PSI level that would inflate a truck tire), but of course they assumed the patient was an idiot and refused to change the settings.:rolleyes: End result? The machine is in the closet; I just lost some weight and solved the problem. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078/30 "2011-07-13T02:28:34Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > Three sleep studies so far. All claim I’m waking up a bazillion times per night. The missus was complaining about snoring/apnea/etc. So I get the machine… > > Mask? No way. I (apparently) wake up and rip it off; I remember nightmares about suffocating. Nasal Pillows? Ain’t happening. They turn my mouth and throat into a wind tunnel and I wake up constantly and eventually rip the whole mess off my face and toss it beside the bed. Spent a year arguing with the supposed “experts” about the setting on the CPAP machine (they had it set to a PSI level that would inflate a truck tire), but of course they assumed the patient was an idiot and refused to change the settings.:rolleyes: > > End result? The machine is in the closet; I just lost some weight and solved the problem. Glad things improved. Docs can be idiots, sounds like you got stuck with one who wouldn’t _listen_! I actually insisted on an auto-titrating machine because I didn’t quite trust the readings they got at my titration study - I slept badly, uncomfortable mask etc. The auto-titration units will adjust based on how they perceive you’re doing ,actually. It turns out that my setting was pretty close to correct. Sorry you had such a rough time with the various masks. You might have had more luck if you’d tried a few more types, though I don’t blame you for being fed up! It took me a bit to learn to keep the mouth closed off from the breathing passages to avoid that wind-tunnel effect. I’m considering a chin-strap arrangement now to keep the mouth from falling open when I flop on my back. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078/31 "2011-07-14T18:25:51Z")
Day 1 in life as a hose head: I got my CPAP machine yesterday. It’s a [Resmed S9 Elite.](http://www.thecpapshop.com/products/resmed-s9-elite-with-epr-and-heated-humidifier) I also went with the [Resmed Mirage FX](http://www.thecpapshop.com/products/resmed-mirage-fx-nasal-cpap-mask) nasal mask. I tried a couple of other nasal masks but liked this one the best. My respiratory therapist told me that I have 30 days to return the mask if I don’t like it. The CPAP machine is set to 14 (that’s way past 11!) but it ramps up to it over a period of 0 - 20 minutes depending on what I set it to. It has “EPR” which makes it easier for me to exhale although I’m not entirely sure how. It also has an SD card which I will be hacking directly. All things considered, the first night went pretty well. I made it from 10:00 - 5:00 with the mask on. I did wake up frequently and adjusted the mask because I’m not sure what an acceptable amount of leakage is. There’s a smiley face in the display that tells you if your mask is OK but in the middle of the night, I didn’t feel like looking at it. I did wake up feeling refreshed and alert. I don’t remember the last time that that happened. Hopefully things will only get better from here. Thanks again to all who replied with a special thanks to **Mama Zappa** for all of her advice! ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078/32 "2011-07-15T02:31:38Z")
Welcome to the HoseNose Brigade!! ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078/33 "2011-07-15T04:29:04Z")
[QUOTE=Nars Glinley] Day 1 in life as a hose head: I got my CPAP machine yesterday. It’s a [Resmed S9 Elite.](http://www.thecpapshop.com/products/resmed-s9-elite-with-epr-and-heated-humidifier) … It also has an SD card which I will be hacking directly. [/QUOTE] No need to hack. Snag the [ResScan app](http://www.resmed.com/int/assets/html/service_support/resscan_software/resscan3.14-register.html?nc=patients)from ResMed’s site. It’s reasonably self-obvious how it works - fire up the app and plug in the machine’s SD card. Then, you can chart out your hours of use, AHI events and whatnot. Just be sure the machine’s got the correct date and time, or the results may look odd. Don’t let the ‘registration’ scare you. You could probably put anything into the fields, hit Submit, and still be taken to the next page that will auto-download the app. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078/34 "2011-07-15T11:18:42Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > No need to hack. Snag the [ResScan app](http://www.resmed.com/int/assets/html/service_support/resscan_software/resscan3.14-register.html?nc=patients)from ResMed’s site. It’s reasonably self-obvious how it works - fire up the app and plug in the machine’s SD card. Then, you can chart out your hours of use, AHI events and whatnot. Just be sure the machine’s got the correct date and time, or the results may look odd. > > Don’t let the ‘registration’ scare you. You could probably put anything into the fields, hit Submit, and still be taken to the next page that will auto-download the app. Interesting - I’ve got a Respironics machine and the software isn’t free, nice of ResMed to make it available free. The contents of the card won’t make a lot of sense without it; I looked at mine and it was so much gobbledygook. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078/35 "2011-07-15T14:46:10Z")
[QUOTE=Mama Zappa] Interesting - I’ve got a Respironics machine and the software isn’t free, nice of ResMed to make it available free. [/QUOTE] That is unfortunate. Does your machine at least use an SD card? Their older machines used a proprietary “smart card” that could only be read with a Philips reader that sold for $199 on top of $99 for the software. Looks like they’re still proprietary, but at least not stupid expensive now. They have different packages over at [cpap.com](http://www.cpap.com/cpap-software/cpap-machine-software.php), depending on what machine you have. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078/36 "2011-07-15T15:01:08Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > That is unfortunate. Does your machine at least use an SD card? Their older machines used a proprietary “smart card” that could only be read with a Philips reader that sold for $199 on top of $99 for the software. > > Looks like they’re still proprietary, but at least not stupid expensive now. They have different packages over at [cpap.com](http://www.cpap.com/cpap-software/cpap-machine-software.php), depending on what machine you have. Yeah - it uses the standard SD card - I popped that into my laptop to see what I could see, hence knowing the contents are incomprehensible :). Mine also appears to have a bug: it doesn’t log to the card except just after the card has been removed and re-inserted. So when I take it to the doctor, I have to pop it out, put it back, then take it out again. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078/37 "2011-07-15T15:46:34Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > No need to hack. Snag the [ResScan app](http://www.resmed.com/int/assets/html/service_support/resscan_software/resscan3.14-register.html?nc=patients)from ResMed’s site. It’s reasonably self-obvious how it works - fire up the app and plug in the machine’s SD card. Then, you can chart out your hours of use, AHI events and whatnot. Just be sure the machine’s got the correct date and time, or the results may look odd. > > Don’t let the ‘registration’ scare you. You could probably put anything into the fields, hit Submit, and still be taken to the next page that will auto-download the app. Thanks! Your suspicions are correct. You can put anything in the fields and the download still works. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078/38 "2011-08-12T18:20:01Z")
Bumpdate! I’ve been on CPAP for a month now. I’m doing better with it since I switched masks. I was on the Mirage FX nasal mask and have switched to the Swift FX nasal pillow. Apparently Resmed tries to make all of their mask names sound like airplanes. With the Mirage, I struggled with leaks all night long. Plus, as a habitual nose rubber, it was just too intrusive. I’ve been on the Swift FX for about 2 weeks now. It’s pretty comfortable and doesn’t leak. I’ll probably end up sticking with it. The bad news is that according to my Rescan software, I’m still averaging between 25 and 50 central apneas per hour. That’s bad but not nearly as bad as the 100+ that I was having before, many of them obstructives. To see if this can be fixed, I have to do another study with my mask where the pressure can be increased until I stop apnaeing (?). Oh boy. ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078/39 "2011-08-15T19:41:34Z")
I haven’t been able to breathe properly for years. I have a deviated septum, and I’m always stopped up, nasally speaking. Afrin will give me a couple of good days, but we all know the price that exacts… My best non-medicated day, I can pass maybe 30-40% airflow compared to a non-cold, Afrin day. I snore like a freight train, and have apnea worse that any 3 guys put together, and it’s all I can do to stay awake at my sedentary desk job. Been this way for years. Oh, and I’m fat to boot. ☹ Years ago, a friend gave me a CPAP machine and explained its purpose and use. I couldn’t use it because A) I can never breathe through my nose, and B) I can’t stand this [thing](http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ksifm5Y4R31qa1o5zo1_400.jpg)strapped to my face. I threw it away, not knowing its actual cash value. :smack: 10 days ago, I had nosal surgery! Turbinate reduction and septum fixin! I now have the Holland Tunnel where I had a collapsed naked mole rat burrow before. I can breathe so much better, and my doctor says I’ll be even better come Friday after my final post-op cleaning/gouging. My poor wife says I’m sleeping better, but to me, frankly, I feel about the same. Perhaps it will just take a little more time to get acclimated. My doc said initially, that he’d put me on a CPAP after the surgery, but we haven’t spoken of it since. I don’t want to. I would rather fist-fight a grown lion than strap that damn thing on my face and lay motionless. My question for those of you still awake… Have any of you had this surgery and been “cured” of apnea, or did you still have to suffer the indignity of strapping some infernal machine to your head? ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078/40 "2011-08-15T20:11:15Z")
> [@ducati](#): > > Years ago, a friend gave me a CPAP machine and explained its purpose and use. I couldn’t use it because A) I can never breathe through my nose, and B) I can’t stand this [thing](http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ksifm5Y4R31qa1o5zo1_400.jpg)strapped to my face. But that one is guaranteed not to leak! Actually, mine looks like [this.](http://www.sleeprestfully.com/swift%20fx.asp) It’s not quite so intrusive and I flip over from side to side just about every hour. But for this setup, you obviously have to be able to breath through your nose. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-cpap-apap-setup/586078.md?page=3)