Bumping up pressure okay?
I been using this CRAP for 7 months, Airsense 10, Airfit F20 I had it severe 75-80 AHI
when I went to the sleep clinic. So after 3 months they got it down to 2.5- 4 AHI at pressure 15
I bump it up on my own to pressure 16 and now it is usually under 1 AHI now (.4 - .8 )
Just wondering it was smart to bump it up to 16 to get under 1 AHI
I also have Acid Gag reflex so have to take a pill everyday for life (Dexilant)
Thanks
Mike
RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
Congrats on the machine. I don't think 1cm pressure difference will hurt you.
RE: [split] Bumping up pressure okay?
So long as you are not getting new problems, you should be good now. Generally, I recommend only bumping up .2 every 4-5 days, to give your body time to get used the higher pressure. However, since you are already at 16, give that a week and then try dropping it .2 to see if your AHI stays good or worsens. I'm always of the opinion to use the lowest pressure possible to do the job.
RE: [split] Bumping up pressure okay?
(07-24-2018, 08:53 PM)purpleh2 Wrote: I also have Acid Gag reflex so have to take a pill everyday for life (Dexilant)
Maybe not. I was on similar medications for years with the expectation that I could stop after I died.
There are downsides to these medications, one very common one is developing a vitamin B-12 deficiency. When my doctor started to treat me for that, I started to reconsider the long term "benefits" of this medicine. Messing with you digestive system has impacts beyond avoid the pain and erosion associated with GERD. The real issue is not stomach acidity but that stomach contents just do not belong in your esophagus. Reducing the acidity masks the root problem, it does not fix it.
A lot of GERD is caused by sleep apnea and treating the SA can greatly reduce or eliminate the GERD. With my doctor's assistance, I have been off of all GERD medications since early this year. My B-12 is back to normal. I still have a little indigestion now and then, but it is easily handled by some over the counter medications. I won't say that it was easy to get off of these medications, you can get quite severe rebound acidity. I used Zantac, Tums, Eno, etc as needed until it finally passed (months!). Life is good now. I will also mention that I have a hiatal hernia which is also associated with GERD.
07-25-2018, 03:54 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-25-2018, 03:55 PM by sheepless.)
RE: [split] Bumping up pressure okay?
not sure if acid gag reflux is same or similar to gerd? I developed what I assume is called gerd, nasty heartburn, esophogal spasms, difficulty swallowing, coughing, etc., before and during marginally successful apap use (roughly 5-6cm ahi over about 20 months). had to take ranitidine twice a day and still suffered from acid reflux. since starting asv my ahi so far has always been below 5 and often below 1. I may never be able to eat all the foods I used to eat but I rarely get reflux now and when I do it's not bad enough to take anything for it. moral of the story is adequate pap therapy may well ease this problem.
RE: [split] Bumping up pressure okay?
I offer this only as food for further investigation: my well-aged octogenarian father recently had a bad bout of GERD and ultra-low sodium levels that really threw him for a loop. It took almost four weeks before they got his sodium levels to 'normal', which means salt tablets for life. His older sister, we learned after the fact, has been taking salt tabs for years.
My dad had known for years that he has a hiatus hernia...the upper part of the stomach protrudes up through the natural hole in the diaphragm through which only the aesophagus I supposed to run. This has caused all sorts of problems, but seemingly more acutely lately. We learned via a home oximetry study four months ago that he also has moderate sleep apnea. Without going on at length, have you eliminated a hiatus hernia as a contributing factor to your overall circumstances?
RE: [split] Bumping up pressure okay?
Thanks for all the Quick reply's, appreciated taking the time to respond
I did try to turn it down for a few days to 15.6 instead of 16 and the AHI did go up
so turn it back up to 16 maybe will dialed it down by -.2 and see for a week
Thanks
RE: [split] Bumping up pressure okay?
(07-25-2018, 03:35 PM)chill Wrote: A lot of GERD is caused by sleep apnea and treating the SA can greatly reduce or eliminate the GERD. I never made the connection initially because my reflux was so rare.
Maybe once every couple of months I'd wake with a mouth full of acid and would have to get up and gargle with baking soda. I have not had an episode of that since going on CPAP.
My wife OTOH, had not seen that benefit.
RE: [split] Bumping up pressure okay?
(07-25-2018, 08:34 PM)purpleh2 Wrote: Thanks for all the Quick reply's, appreciated taking the time to respond
I did try to turn it down for a few days to 15.6 instead of 16 and the AHI did go up
so turn it back up to 16 maybe will dialed it down by -.2 and see for a week The machine does have a little bit of "intelligence" if you have an APAP. Just because you have your pressure set to 16, or 18, or even 20 does not mean that the machine is running at those pressures all the time. I keep my machine set fairly "open" at min 8.6, max 20. A typical night might see actual pressures around 14 with an average around 11, but every now and then, my max pressure will ramp up as high as 18.
As mentioned above, if you are not having any ill effects, it's not hurting anything having the max pressure higher.
If you are getting better AHI numbers at 18 than at 16, there's no reason not to run at 18.
RE: [split] Bumping up pressure okay?
(07-25-2018, 08:25 PM)mesenteria Wrote: Without going on at length, have you eliminated a hiatus hernia as a contributing factor to your overall circumstances?
I am not sure if you meant this question for me or not. It is still definitely a contributing factor for me, CPAP won't reverse this. If I eat too much or drink too many fizzy drinks, things, uh, back up. And I burp more than normal people. But what GERD I have now is minor, occasional, and does not require a daily drug regimen.
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