Wanting some opinons

i just got my cpap machine this week and i am having a hard time adjusting they said i had moderate sleep apnea and when i got the machine they have me set at a 10 and i feel like its suffocating me ... i have friends with severe apena and thier settings arent that high whadda ya think should i call the dr and see if they will lower it ? also how essential that i wear it before surgery Dr C your input would be greatly appricated and also feel free to tell me im nuts !!!! LOL Thanks Missy

Missy, I have a cpap machine and my setting is on 9. The nurse coordinator at University Hospital told me to just start wearing it when I watched tv at night. I didn't heed her advice though....I just started wearing when I went to bed. I didn't have a bit of trouble. In fact it was very hard to sleep without my cpap machine. I was told that the use of the machine prior to surgery helps all your internal organs become healthier because they are getting more oxygen and you will heal faster after surgery. Now....I am 2 months out now and have a hard time sleeping with it. I didn't have trouble before. I had another sleep study a couple of weeks ago and he said that the setting is correct. The problem I have now is that my throat...lips....tongue.....all are so dry that it wakes me up. UH told me maybe it is because I am not drinking enough...which is true...but I have tried to up my fluid intake and still have a hard time. I start out with it on and when I wake up it is off...maybe used it 3 hours. I guess it is better than nothing! Sue

Sue thanks for the reply the dry mouth and my ears keep popping thats driving me crazy too .. im really trying to keep an open mind and everyone i talk too says you sleep so much better when you get used to it .. so im not giving up just feeling frustrated with the silly thing !!!! Take care Missy

Hi Missy Don't worry, my CPAP setting is 13! It did take some getting used to with the high pressure. I used to take a mild sleeping pill. Be careful of the extreme dry mouth. I started with the pig nose looking mask and had to switch to a full mask because I was opening my mouth at night to compensate for the pressure. Although it's bigger, it was actually easier to sleep in it. I suppose I still should use it, but I just never started up again after surgery. However, I haven't been waking up at night coughing or been sleepy during the day either. Good Luck Sharyn

When I got my CPAP machine it was also set at 10. Felt like the back of my head was going to blow off when they turned it on! Then the technician showed me the button on it to ramp the speed up slowly so I didn't get that huge blast. Check your machine and see if yours also has a slow start up setting. Your doctor should be able to tell you if it has one. I also had problems with dry mouth and when I asked the doctor about it, he said I was probably opening my mouth and suggested that I practice using the machine while awake and conciously being aware of keeping my mouth closed. Worked for me. Good luck with your CPAP. I never knew what sleep I was missing until I started using mine.

Mine is set at 13! Does yours have a gradual increase to the level 10? For example, mine starts out at a level 4 and increases over a half hour to level 13. It gives me a chance to fall asleep without the tornado in my face. Ultimately, i put it on when I am JUST about ready to fall asleep and I have no problems. It took me about a month and I went through 4 masks before I was able to really use it effectively. And you can't compare your setting to your friends, unfortunately. It's individualized. Did you do a second sleep study with the machine so they could calibrate it properly? If you didn't do that, then yes, I might call... if you did, I'd bet you're set properly and it just takes some getting used to. Good luck!

Thanks everybody it is getting easier .. i did have the 2nd sleep study so you right it probably is set properly and it does gradualy work up to 10 and i must admit even tho i am only keeping it on 4 or 5 hours i am waking up a bit more refreshed if only the blasted headaches would go away .... thanks Missy

On my machine I can set the ramp time from 5-20 minutes. For however long it takes me to get into a good sleep pattern. Then it gradually increases which makes it so much easier to get used to. Good Luck to you!! Laura

I just started using mine. I was using the nostril kind. I could not deal with that. So now I am using the mask kind. Mine is set on the lowest setting. That leaves me struggling to get qxygen. I Do not think I am getting enough air. Last nigght i took a night off from it. I was so tired and needed to get a good nights sleep./ Toniight I will try again. I am going to try watching T.V with it on. Also I have been having allergys So I think that is causing my suffication. So I started using nasel drops/ That keeps me up all Night. My surgery has been set back a few weeks.I am trying to get this under control. It is driving me completly batty. I hate this mask. Any suggestions on how I can take care of the nasel congestion I have been ggetting. It has gotton worse since using the mask Take Care Barb

Hi mine is set at 13 and has been for the last 5 years it took me about a week to get used to it.sometimes i wake up gasping still!!! almost like i'm not getting enough air rich