Help with 02 desaturation

[Jay51]

Give the breathing exercises an honest attempt.  My Pulmonologist and RT from DME have given me some to do also.  They might help you breathe more deeply (increase your tidal volume).  I hope they help you.

[vgrando]

Thank you!  You keep me in a positive space. 

He did tell me I was too nervous about the 02, which I realized later was just another way to dismiss my concerns. 

I texted this message to him this morning:

I wanted to make you aware that we did not address my ongoing sleep fragmentation since starting on the APAP machine. The 7+ hours reported on the Aero Care report is “mask time,” not sleep time. I wake up frequently during the night feeling like I cannot breathe. As a result, I am averaging from 3.5 to 4.5 hours of fragmented sleep a night. Sometimes more and so less. I am very tired in the day since starting on the APAP. And this is the reason that I have been exercising less. I had been a runner for many years until my sciatic pain put an end to running. I do have a stationary bike at home and hand weights that I had been using prior to feeling so tired in the daytime.

[gainerfull]

You reported to your doctor that you wake up feeling oxygen starved - have you had your settings reviewed by the board alongside a couple nights of in depth data?

I wake up feeling oxygen starved if I use EPR so maybe a simple settings change will bring you more comfort / sleep.

[Jay51]

Great point Gainerful.  I found some OSCAR charts in her previous thread, 

[Diagnosis] nocturnal hypoxemia with hypoventilation, Moderate OSA ( 1 2 3 4 5 )
vgrando

Posts #15 and 22 have the OSCAR charts.  Post #39 has 3 titration studies.  

I mainly see a very low tidal volume median (and subsequent low minute vent.).  Anyone who would like, please give any recommendations to these that may help if you can.  

[Apnea23]

You need a pulmonary gas exchange test.

I can't understand why this hasn't been ordered yet, or has it?