6 years with sleep apnea-still struggling

[RogerAN]

[mymontreal]

Wow... happy that you were able to get some of your SH data posted...

I'm still learning, so I will leave it for others to post some specific thoughts, but lots of meaty data there, I'm sure the team will get you seeing some improvements fairly quickly!

Its great that you have an AUTO machine already!

[Cranberry Ray]

RogerAN, I'm sure others with much more experience will be responding shortly. One thing I'm seeing is during your lowest pressures you have the fewest events. I would suggest trying a lower pressure to see what response you get. Maybe something in the 8-12 range. The other thing that stands out is the number of CA events. Many have found that using EPR can be the cause for this. I would advise to either turn EPR down to 1 or turn it off completely. With a lower pressure setting you should not need the EPR anyway.

Best of luck with your therapy!

[Sleeprider]

Roger, any chance you may be allowing your chin to drop towards your chest? That can make for an obstructed airway that results in a large number of events in some people. An ergonomic pillow or soft foam cervical collar can help if that is the case.

Something your last CPAP machine probably did not have that your Autoset does is EPR (exhale pressure relief). Yours is set to the highest setting to provide 3 cm pressure relief during exhale. This can cause central and mixed apnea in some people, while others simply find it very comfortable. Your assignment to eliminate this as a variable, is to turn off EPR and report back on the results. No other changes for now, but we need to know whether this is a viable approach to significantly reducing your events.

One last question, what were the settings on your previous machine?

[trish6hundred]

Hi RogerAN,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Good luck to you with your CPAP therapy and getting it dialed in to better meet your needs.
You came to the right place for help, hang in there for more responses to your post.

[RogerAN]

You've asked some interesting questions that I, unfortunately, cannot answer. I've just gotten into more of a research mode because of my recent problems with the change to a full face mask. You have inspired some ideas to ask the sleep doctor when I visit on Friday and I thank you for that. Hopefully, I will have some answers to your questions after that office visit. I don't really recall the settings on my old machine. I just didn't think about them at the time. Thanks for your comments.

[RogerAN]

Cranberry Ray,

Thanks for your comments. My plan is to wait until I see the doctor on Friday and then will be more free to experiment with some of the ideas posted in reply to my statistics. Appreciate all the help that is being offered.

[RogerAN]

Compare this with the AHI of 35+ which I posted earlier. My doctor raised the pressure from 15 to 16, but made no other changes. The current AHI is acceptable, but the leak rate was still higher than I would like. Much of this change seems to be adjusting from Airfit P10 to the Airlift F20. I was wondering if the doctor would consider an ASV, but that does not appear to  be the case at this time. I will see him again in 3 months.

[Marillion]

I tried the F20 for one night. Went right back to my P10. Not because the F20 is a bad mask. It was actually the best FFM I have ever tried. But the comfort of the P10 was just superior. I prefer to use a chinstrap with the P10.

[Cranberry Ray]

Latest results look much better. I think Sleeprider's suggestion of turning EPR off would still be worth trying to see if they either reduce or eliminate the CA's your having. This would depend on your comfort level. Your minimum pressure is 11 which should allow you to exhale without to much difficulty but the important thing is to make sure it's comfortable enough so that you continue to use your CPAP. This would not require changing the actual prescribed pressure settings, just adjusting a comfort feature.