A year later & still not happy with the numbers

[joyced490]

    I have now had 3 studies done in a year. I was on cpap then bipap now auto sv. I don't know the jargon & numbers like most of the ppl writing & commenting on posts. I can't see a graph with my machine. All I see is what is shown in the attachment.  I'm very concerned with my AHI. My doctor has to adjust my settings. I'm using a nasal mask. I have to sleep on my side or I don't sleep at all. Can anyone tell me what I need to look for in my settings or give me any advice or comment even on my numbers. I'm tired of being tired. The only good thing I can say is I don't wake up with headaches anymore.

[Gideon]

Congrats on navigating the system and getting to a PAP that can help you.
You do NOT get the machine that you have without a reason, and it will help us if we know what that reason is. So if you could please give us the details of your sleep studies (as much detail as possible) we will understand.

Then you need to download SleepyHead software (free) and post here the results you have. I'm guessing that we will make suggestions with your average AHI being over 11.

Please see my signature for how to. The section on organization of the charts/graphs is important.

Welcome to the forum.

[leadslinger]

OK, all this is really going to tell you is that you have used the machine, you still have alot of events happening and that you have a good mask fit ( which is the good bit). What everyone is refering to when it comes to ggraphs is when you have installed SLEEPYHEAD from the top tool bar of this page. Once you have done that you are able to transfer data from your machine via SD card to the computer and view your nights sleep, and depending on the type of machine you have it may display some different data. This is important as it will tell people what pressures you are using and how effective those pressures are. I would have to say that they appear to be not suiting your needs and will need to be adjusted depending on the sleepyhead data.

[joyced490]

I just dl sleepyhead. I don't know that I even have the details of my sleep study. The resp. tech went over them with me each time I had a study but I don't have a hard copy of any of it. :/ I guess I'll have to spend some time with sleepyhead & try & see where to go from here. I'm sure I'll figure out how to find my settings & so forth. Sorry for my newbieness. lol

[Gideon]

OK, then can you say why you have an ASV PAP machine? Why did you progress from a CPAP to BiPAP to BiPap-ASV?
Likely you have complications with your apnea. Heart conditions? pulmonary conditions? etc. Central Apneas?

No one wants to impact an underlying condition, that is why we would like to know these details.

[leadslinger]

everyones been a newbie at some point haha, I'm still there as only 5 weeks in. The data will start to make sense soon enough, and there are alot of experienced users on this board especially as your ASV which is out of my leauge. Has anything changed recently to alter how tired you've been or has this stayed constant in your year of treatment?

[joyced490]

My AHI was still high no matter what settings they tried with the cpap & bipap. I had a titration study done last & I think it was because of the central apneas that they switched me to a BiPap-ASV.

[Sleeprider]

If you can get your data into #Sleepyhead, and it works, that will be great. The summary you posted tells us something, and now we need to fill in the details. You have a Philips Respironics BiPAP Auto SV Advanced. Your doctor should be helping you with an average AHI of 11.5, but we can try to fill in. First we need to know how your machine is setup. To find out, you are going to have to enter the clinical menu and write down some numbers.

This link describes how to access that menu http://www.apneaboard.com/pr-system-one-...structions
Just turn the control knob to Setup, and press the control knob and ramp button at the same time until you hear a beep. Now turn the control knob to Setup and press to enter. Going down the menu, without making any changes, write down the following (if a setting is not showing, just note N/A):
Mode:
Max pressure:
EPAP min
EPAP max
IPAP max
BPM
Ti
Flex type
BiFlex (1-3)
PS min
PS max

This information is also available by going into provider mode as described above, then clicking on INFO and pressing Device Settings.
Also in INFO, you can find the 90% EPAP pressure and Average PS. That would be good to know. You can also find the AHI breakdown here.

If you can provide this information, I think we might be able to figure out what is going on.

[joyced490]

My AHI seems to have gone up. I couldn't see the clear apnias with the other devices. & I'm more tired since starting the ASV.

[Sleeprider]

Your results are not acceptable. If you are unable to provide information for us to help you here, please contact your doctor.