Help with Leak rates

[Walla Walla]

mikeinstlouis, I am not a Physician nor claim to be an expert. I thought I was giving you information that would help you. It wasn't meant to insult you. I answer questions here as a fellow sufferer of sleep apnea in a strickly volunteer way. I'm sorry your unhappy with my effort and I'm sure others here will be more than glad to help you.
Hope you stick around and good luck to you.

[sheepless]

ahhh, Mike.  I'm not sure how to respond without sounding condescending.  we suffer from a condition that can leave us exhausted, prickly and muddle-headed.  and much much worse.  I assure you I am at least those three things and I've seen many others express the same in these posts.  maybe you are too.  

I'm sure you've discovered, as I have, that in general, communicating in brief texts, emails and internet posts is fraught with the potential for misunderstanding.  no verbal inflection, no body language, to help us out.  the best way to handle that is to ask if you're understanding correctly.  if you get a reply that doesn't make sense to you or you think is inappropriate, ask for clarification.  explain what you've read, believe or assume and what it is that's still confusing.  resist the thought that others are annoyed or impatient even if it sounds like they are.  they probably aren't. if you think you've been dissed, assume first that you haven't been.  if it continues, mention it tactfully.  if you don't get satisfaction it is my understanding there are remedies in the Board's rules and policies.  as you say, you're no idiot; not by a long shot.  I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. 

by way of disclosure, I recently reacted to what I felt was less than civil and inappropriate.  I let loose with a big rant. in the end, not only do I believe my concern was at least heard, but I also think most everyone has been forgiving and they understand that sometimes we just have to blow.  to my knowledge no one has held it against me. we all learn something, take a deep breath and life goes on.  btw, I've recently learned that I have no real concept of just how bad internet 'conversations' can be.  look no further than the comments in news feeds. nothing here to compare to what I've now realize is all too rampant out there.  

I think I understand what caused you to react but I honestly read all the replies in this thread to be welcoming and sincere.  it's not my place to speak for anyone else but I encourage you to take Walla Walla at his word. it's worth paying attention to his posts as he can be a fountain of info. (sorry WW to be talking about you within 'earshot').  that's true of many many people here. I think Crimson Nape and pholynyk also gave you useful info you can apply until you ask more questions, provide more data and generally get yourself up to speed. you ask how do you learn these things. I do not know of quick way to do that.  we have to ask, listen, read and experiment.

many responders reply to dozens and dozens of threads and sometimes I expect it's hard to keep all our details straight.  you can understand that we don't know exactly what you've read or maybe we skimmed your posts and overlooked something important.  when that happens, someone else will point it out. we're only human.  in the early stages of the conversation it's not surprising a poster would be referred to links to read to help us get oriented.  many of us, myself included, start asking questions before figuring out where the written info is.  I'm not saying that's you; it sounds like you've read up a lot.  it's just kind of a typical pattern.  in response, it's common these days to be asked to read faq's, for example, to avoid having those coming to our aid to have to repeat the same basic info.  

unfortunately, apnea and pap info is scattered all over the place, generally, but even here.  little has been written with the cpap end-user in mind. most of what I read is too simplistic or too technical for somebody like me. rarely is it easy to find the answers I'm looking for. in the few months I've hung out here I think I can see a concerted effort by the Board and individual members to consolidate and codify some of the information with the detail we need and in a form we can understand in the wiki articles.  it appears to be a work in progress and maybe has a way to go to be considered comprehensive or complete.  however, I'll bet it would benefit from having someone like you contribute from your perspective as a newbie, particularly with your background in medicine (of course that isn't for me to say either but no harm in making the suggestion).
   
meanwhile, the best advice I can give you is to be patient, ask lots of clear and specific questions in your own thread (to keep your unique info and experiences in one place), post your sleepyhead charts for people to respond to, read lot's of other threads, search here and internet sources...  you know the drill; as a physician, becoming and being informed must be second nature.  in the end, we can't depend on others anyway: no matter how people respond it's up to us to evaluate the info given and determine what do do with it.  no different than what we (should) do as patients of physicians.

this really has become preachy and I apologize for that.  I've tried to smooth it out with words and explanation but what I want to say in a nutshell is relax.  be patient.  do the work. it'll come.  I've been here almost daily since march I think and if I'm no longer a newbie I'm surely still a neophyte.  but I can tell you I've learned a lot here and have benefitted in significant ways from the knowledge and coaching of others.  and I'm still here trying to put all the pieces together.  I suspect it'll be easier for you with your medical training and experience.

give us a chance. from what I've seen, few are disappointed and many of us are grateful for the kindness and help we find here.

[mikeinstlouis]

Thank you for your reply.  I understand that there was no mal intent.  It is just very frustrating trying to start this therapy and when I re read your comment I think I was just being overly sensitive.  

I appreciate your help and advice.

[Cpapian]

MiSL,
I've been at this a little over a year now, so i can still remember how confused I was in the beginning. The way I handled it was to figure out one or two things at a time. My biggest issue in the beginning was figuring out what was the best machine to get.

Leaks are a problem when they impact your therapy, like when they wake you or your partner up. The whole purpose of the machine is to help you sleep and breath. Next is when you have a large leak for most of the night. 'Cause then your therapy isn't being optimized. Sometimes, some random night I will get a large leak for an hour or so. I don't worry that much because it is only for a short time and it probably happened because I moved to an awkward sleeping position. There is not a lot to do after the fact, so I just shrug my shoulders and move on. It looks like you had about a 1/2 hour where your leak went up, so this is where you could have moved, got a little leak, then when you moved next time it was corrected.

Sleepyhead will give a grey cast to the chart when you have large leaks so you will see when they are large enough to worry about.

Later on, you will learn to drill down and discern intricacies about your breathing, like mouth breathing, etc.

[matthewb]

The biggest thing i found was that having the correct 4cm and 20 cm leak rates set in sleepyhead makes the world of difference to the graphs. These leak rates are in the documentation that comes with your mask or pillows. If these aren't right, the ;leak rates on the graph will always look screwy and won't make sense. just remember, this all takes time to learn, and theres a lot on here with many years experience that will be willing to help.
I've been on bipap for 5 years now, and only found this place (and another less friendly one) recently. Suddenly I don't feel so alone.

[Apnea Infant]

ahhh, Mike.  I'm not sure how to respond without sounding condescending.  we suffer from a condition that can leave us exhausted, prickly and muddle-headed.  and much much worse.  I assure you I am at least those three things and I've seen many others express the same in these posts.  maybe you are too.  

I'm sure you've discovered, as I have, that in general, communicating in brief texts, emails and internet posts is fraught with the potential for misunderstanding.  no verbal inflection, no body language, to help us out.  the best way to handle that is to ask if you're understanding correctly.  if you get a reply that doesn't make sense to you or you think is inappropriate, ask for clarification.  explain what you've read, believe or assume and what it is that's still confusing.  resist the thought that others are annoyed or impatient even if it sounds like they are.  they probably aren't. if you think you've been dissed, assume first that you haven't been.  if it continues, mention it tactfully.  if you don't get satisfaction it is my understanding there are remedies in the Board's rules and policies.  as you say, you're no idiot; not by a long shot.  I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. 

by way of disclosure, I recently reacted to what I felt was less than civil and inappropriate.  I let loose with a big rant. in the end, not only do I believe my concern was at least heard, but I also think most everyone has been forgiving and they understand that sometimes we just have to blow.  to my knowledge no one has held it against me. we all learn something, take a deep breath and life goes on.  btw, I've recently learned that I have no real concept of just how bad internet 'conversations' can be.  look no further than the comments in news feeds. nothing here to compare to what I've now realize is all too rampant out there.  

I think I understand what caused you to react but I honestly read all the replies in this thread to be welcoming and sincere.  it's not my place to speak for anyone else but I encourage you to take Walla Walla at his word. it's worth paying attention to his posts as he can be a fountain of info. (sorry WW to be talking about you within 'earshot').  that's true of many many people here. I think Crimson Nape and pholynyk also gave you useful info you can apply until you ask more questions, provide more data and generally get yourself up to speed. you ask how do you learn these things. I do not know of quick way to do that.  we have to ask, listen, read and experiment.

many responders reply to dozens and dozens of threads and sometimes I expect it's hard to keep all our details straight.  you can understand that we don't know exactly what you've read or maybe we skimmed your posts and overlooked something important.  when that happens, someone else will point it out. we're only human.  in the early stages of the conversation it's not surprising a poster would be referred to links to read to help us get oriented.  many of us, myself included, start asking questions before figuring out where the written info is.  I'm not saying that's you; it sounds like you've read up a lot.  it's just kind of a typical pattern.  in response, it's common these days to be asked to read faq's, for example, to avoid having those coming to our aid to have to repeat the same basic info.  

unfortunately, apnea and pap info is scattered all over the place, generally, but even here.  little has been written with the cpap end-user in mind. most of what I read is too simplistic or too technical for somebody like me. rarely is it easy to find the answers I'm looking for. in the few months I've hung out here I think I can see a concerted effort by the Board and individual members to consolidate and codify some of the information with the detail we need and in a form we can understand in the wiki articles.  it appears to be a work in progress and maybe has a way to go to be considered comprehensive or complete.  however, I'll bet it would benefit from having someone like you contribute from your perspective as a newbie, particularly with your background in medicine (of course that isn't for me to say either but no harm in making the suggestion).
   
meanwhile, the best advice I can give you is to be patient, ask lots of clear and specific questions in your own thread (to keep your unique info and experiences in one place), post your sleepyhead charts for people to respond to, read lot's of other threads, search here and internet sources...  you know the drill; as a physician, becoming and being informed must be second nature.  in the end, we can't depend on others anyway: no matter how people respond it's up to us to evaluate the info given and determine what do do with it.  no different than what we (should) do as patients of physicians.

this really has become preachy and I apologize for that.  I've tried to smooth it out with words and explanation but what I want to say in a nutshell is relax.  be patient.  do the work. it'll come.  I've been here almost daily since march I think and if I'm no longer a newbie I'm surely still a neophyte.  but I can tell you I've learned a lot here and have benefitted in significant ways from the knowledge and coaching of others.  and I'm still here trying to put all the pieces together.  I suspect it'll be easier for you with your medical training and experience.

give us a chance. from what I've seen, few are disappointed and many of us are grateful for the kindness and help we find here.

Sheepless

That is a beautiful reply. I could almost 'see' you typing it and picture a kindly countenance with great patience etched on. To me, it is on the level of one of the best ameliorating posts here.

Mike

I have also only been on this forum for a little over a year. I am not an internet forum frequenter and this is THE ONLY open forum I participate in. Of course I have the famous social media and professional media accounts but even in those cases I am not a frequent flier. However I have often returned to this forum as I find the tone of the replies and content very soothing mostly and certainly extremely helpful and supportive. All of us are volunteers here, none paid. I am sure you are aware of and have read posts from some of the moderators who, with their wealth of experience, knowledge, insight, intelligence and generosity are a lifeline to a lot of us world wide. I have read of references  to other forums which I  understand can be abhorrent. The Apneaboard forum is well moderated (I think you will find) and there  is gentle persuasion and 'control' ( if I can even use this term) from afar.

Being 'destroyed' by sleep apnea is a condition we all have been/are familiar with. Climbing out of brain fog takes time for most of us but it does and will happen in time.

Heres wishing you the very best in your journey and hoping that you will hang on in here.