CPAP...Questions

It's funny, for years and years I have glossed over the talk about CPAPs.  I'm 8 years out and now trying to use mine for the first time.  Never really needed one when I lost the weight and have mild sleep apnea now.  Anyways, few questions...Do you (or did you) use yours without the water??  Did you heat the water??  Did that help?  With the water if feels like sleeping on a cold beach.  3 of 4 people (locally here) have said they don't use the water.  I think I need to adjust the exhale devise.  Can't seem to push the air out fast enough.  Your thoughts.  Thanks, Brian

I use water in the heated humidifier portion, otherwise it dries out my sinuses and gives me a headache.

I am only a month post-op, but within the first two weeks found that my CPAP needed to be adjusted down (It started blowing my mouth open while I was asleep). I searched online and found information on how to get into the clinical settings and adjust it down about 25% and that solved the problem.

Good luck!

I always use distilled water in the chamber. I don't have obstructive sleep Apnea do I am a lifer with my machine

I am 5 months out now and I had to have my pressure turn down. I don't use the water half as much either. It seems that the more weight I lose the more it bothers me.

I used my CPAP regularly before losing weight, and I almost always used the water (distilled) as otherwise my sinuses dried out.  I did have to find the perfect setting for it, however, as there is a fine line between moist air and feeling like I was drowning.  I also kept the machine at a higher level than my head -- that seemed to work better for me?  

As far as the air flow adjustment -- that really should be set by the results of current testing.  Perhaps I am misreading your post, but it seems you may be just now using it and it was calibrated a while ago?  If that is the case, you unfortunately may need a new sleep study to readjust your settings.  If not, and it is current, then it is likely just an adjustment period.  I personally would discourage overriding the settings and adjusting it yourself without input from a professional, because, at worst you risk not really addressing the sleep apnea problem and at best, you risk non-compliance.  :-)

I always have water in my heated humidifier. I recently had to get a new machine (wore the old one out) and found it was set from the factory without exhale relief. I was able to find the setting and adjust it myself but I'm pretty comfortable messing around with it. You may have to ask your pulmonologist's office to check that setting is enabled.

I always use distilled water in mine, and I'm miserable if it runs out during the night. My husband, however, is at a relatively high pressure (16 cm H2O) and has never used his humidifier at all. Most people are much more comfortable with them. If it feels cold, you can always turn the heat up...the only risk of too much heat is that it can cause condensation in the tubing and make gurgling noises.

I'm assuming you've had repeat testing done since you lost a lot of weight? The pressure you need can change DRASTICALLY with any weight loss, and trying to use a machine that's set too high can make it hard to exhale like you're describing. I use an autoset CPAP...before I started my 6-month pre-op process, it usually reached a max pressure of 12-15, and now it rarely reaches 7. I also have the pressure relief algorithm set at max to make it easier to exhale.

My suggestion: If it's been 8 years and you've had a weight change, it's way past time to see your sleep doc again. Even if you don't need another sleep study, the doc can write a prescription for your pressure to be changed or for a newer autoset machine that will adapt to weight and age changes.

To clarify, I just had the sleep study a few months ago...Issues came up and am trying to sleep with the new machine now.  The two big issues are the moisture and the exhaling.  I think both can be adjusted with the now machines...Brian

Ah, gotcha, that's much more promising! Yes, new machines don't only have humidifiers but also climate control tubing. Mine has an "auto humidity" setting or gives you the option to set the humidifier and tube temps separately. Get in touch with your DME -- they can point you in the right direction.

As for the exhaling, make sure the pressure relief is turned on and all the way up. It's probably called Cflex or EPR if you have one of the most popular brands of machine. If you can't find the setting or aren't allowed to access it from the patient menu, your DME can help with that too. Setting the ramp feature can also help, or if you're on an autoset machine, see if the doc can lower the starting pressure (if it's not already bottomed out).

I always used water and warmed it on the lowest setting.  Too high and you'll get condensation that runs into your nose at night.  I think it's all personal preference.