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And here's my first zero
#1
And here's my first zero
After just a little over 3 weeks of therapy, I've hit my first zero. While my AHI numbers are consistently below 1, this is still nice to see, even though I can't really say that I feel any improvement in energy levels. Still a lot of fatigue throughout the day, a bit of headache too.

My average overnight usage is about 4.5 hours. I then pull the mask off and get another 2-3 hours of sleep without it. Reason for me doing so is that I feel less restrained without the hose being there and limiting my movement in bed. I know it may be more psychological then physical, but it still bothers me.

I'm waiting for an oximeter that I ordered online to arrive, and really looking forward to compare my oxygen numbers with and without the mask.
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#2
RE: And here's my first zero
Congrats on the 0.0 AHI!

I dont want to be a downer, but those 2-3 hours without the mask are not doing you any favors.  It's likely you are experiencing apnea events during those hours with no way to keep your airway open.  It would make sense you would be tired during the day!

We all feel that restraint of being hooked up to a hose.  There have been a few nights where I just sigh and think:  why can't I just go to bed without all this.....then I come to my senses, because I know how bad I would feel the next day, not to mention the harm it does to your body.  

Once in awhile probably doesn't matter, but that can become a habit.

Just a suggestion: When you wake up and decide to remove your mask....try saying to yourself that you will try to keep it on for just one more hour.  Who knows, mabye you'll fall asleep!   Smile

Good luck and keep trying.
OpalRose
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#3
RE: And here's my first zero
Hi ppca,
I know CPAP therapy can take some getting used to, but You need to wear your mask and use your machine all night for best results. You aren't treating your apnea when you take your mask off and sleep for 3 hours without it.
CONGRATULATIONS! on your zero, and try like anything to wear the mask all night.
Hang in there for more responses to your post and keep on trying.
trish6hundred
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#4
RE: And here's my first zero
Ladies, thank you for your replies.

I was kinda hoping that 4 or 5 hours nightly is still better than nothing. It makes sense, but of course I may be completely wrong, wouldn't be the first time. Smile

I can tell you that without the mask, I am certainly getting longer uninterrupted periods of sleep, than when the mask is on. Whether it is quality sleep, that is another question. Most likely, not.

I will definitely try to keep my mask on for longer periods of time, until I can make it through the whole night every single time.
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#5
RE: And here's my first zero
(02-07-2017, 08:22 PM)ppca Wrote: Ladies, thank you for your replies.

I was kinda hoping that 4 or 5 hours nightly is still better than nothing. It makes sense, but of course I may be completely wrong, wouldn't be the first time. Smile

I can tell you that without the mask, I am certainly getting longer uninterrupted periods of sleep, than when the mask is on. Whether it is quality sleep, that is another question. Most likely, not.

I will definitely try to keep my mask on for longer periods of time, until I can make it through the whole night every single time.

ppca,

I'm curious... when you had your sleep study, what was your AHI without the mask? With me the difference was very drastic. The test showed I had close to one apnea event every minute, that's why I was going through bottles of Advil for headaches and was falling asleep when driving. Now I'm averaging AHI of .35

Today, the only way I get good quality sleep is when I'm hooked up... the whole night.
Last summer I made a big mistake and forgot to pack my CPAP in the car when I went on vacation. Realized I forgot it when I got to the hotel 700 miles from my home... I was in tears. And even though the hotel gave me 6 extra pillows which I used to create a version of the "Sleep Number Bed", I didn't get a decent night sleep. I was sleepy and tired the whole vacation.

When I'm hooked up I move from my right side where I always start out to facing straight up without a glitch. The only thing that will wake me up is when I move enough and the mask leaks, but this rarely happens. The machine and tube and nasal pillows are totally tolerable to me.  

Hope you resolve your issues dude.
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#6
RE: And here's my first zero
Congrats on the big zero. I've used a cpap for only several months, but switching from nasal pillows to a nasal mask made a big difference for me. The hose attached to the top of my head and the air flowed down either side--thus I could sleep on either side easily (air flows down the opposite side). Having a hose elbow at the top of my head allowed complete movement and I never felt the hose all night. I write in past tense because my cpap machine was stolen last week when our car was broken into in San Francisco... Back to the drawing board for me!
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#7
RE: And here's my first zero
Louis R,

My first sleep study without the mask 3 years ago showed AHI of 15.3. A few months ago I did it again and AHI was only 5.2 (without the mask). This latest result confused me completely. If that is true, I probably wouldn't even need any therapy, but that is not very likely. My oxygen numbers were not great at this latest study, for the majority of time during the study, oxygen was below 90%, typically around 88% or 89%.

Like I said, I can hardly wait to get my oximeter, which is on the way, all the way from China btw Smile, so I'll be able to compare my oxygen levels with and without the mask.

Millerwd,

I really like my P10 nasal pillows, but it may be the fact that the hose comes underneath that bothers me. I am running the hose from above, using the headboard to bring it down, but it is that short hose that is a part of the P10 mask that still has to come from underneath. There is plenty of room to allow any movement in bed, it is just that feeling that the hose is there that bothers me. Truthfully, it bothers me much less than in the beginning, so maybe I'll overcome it.

Sorry to hear about you losing your CPAP. These days, thieves will steal just about anything. I wonder if they even knew what that was they were taking.
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#8
RE: And here's my first zero
(02-07-2017, 10:08 PM)ppca Wrote: Louis R,

My first sleep study without the mask 3 years ago showed AHI of 15.3. A few months ago I did it again and AHI was only 5.2 (without the mask). This latest result confused me completely. If that is true, I probably wouldn't even need any therapy, but that is not very likely. My oxygen numbers were not great at this latest study, for the majority of time during the study, oxygen was below 90%, typically around 88% or 89%.

Like I said, I can hardly wait to get my oximeter, which is on the way, all the way from China btw Smile, so I'll be able to compare my oxygen levels with and without the mask.

ppca,

I've had 6 sleep studies going back well over ten years ago. Originally the doctors who read the earlier studies said I had mild OSA (based on the test results) and I wasn't prescribed a machine. But the last two studies did show events and the last one I mentioned how bad I was. Your numbers are low, and 5.2 without a mask is a (high) normal reading???

Were you prescribed CPAP for apnea concerns or for O2 therapy, or for something else?

Oh and I have a similar set up with my hose. I have a brass headboard where I run the hose through it and then I leave a little extra hose from the mask drooped on the side of the bed and up through the headboard... this is the best setup for me.
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#9
RE: And here's my first zero
Louis R,

I was prescribed CPAP 3 years ago, after the initial study which showed 15.3 AHI. After struggling for a few months trying to get used to it, and using it on and off (trying to use it, I should say), I pretty much gave up.

Since my sleep quality is very poor, especially recently (I'm waking up numerous times throughout the night, and feeling tired all the time), I went for a new sleep study, which is the one showing 5.2 AHI, almost completely normal. However, the report also shows oxygen desaturation below 90% during 96.7% of total sleep time, with mean desaturation at 88%, which is definitely low.

Waiting to see the doctor will take months and months, unfortunately. But in the meantime I re-started my therapy, with CPAP machine parameters based on my first prescription. I am really getting low AHI numbers on a daily basis, always below 1, and usually around 0.7, which is great. I have no idea at this time what the oxygen numbers are during the night, with the mask on, but like I said, an oximeter I ordered online is on its way, and I hope that may give me a better overall picture. I have reasons to hope that these oxygen numbers will be good too, based on the fact that the original titration study 3 years ago showed completely normal desaturation. And right now, I am using the same pressure as what was originally prescribed, based on that titration study.
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#10
RE: And here's my first zero
Yes! Following OpalRose's advice, I managed to force myself to keep the mask on all night. I was always cautious not to rip something out when turning in bed, but last night I decided to stop worrying about it.

The result was 8 hours of usage, 0.5 AHI...and yes I did wake up multiple times and still feel tired today, but I guess it will take a lot of time before I may start feeling better. At least, I hope so.
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