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Switched from APAP to BIPAP
#51
RE: I've been using my APAP for a week, symptoms wors V2e.
FWIW if anything at all like my health issues, fixing one brings the next one out in the open to get fixed.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#52
RE: I've been using my APAP for a week, symptoms wors V2e.
Like what I said before, If I could feel like the other day, I'd be doing a lot better and would actually have the energy to deal with everything else. I feel you, Dave. These health issues are weighing me down and it seems like it's never-ending. I'm anxious that I won't be able to do what I need to in order to treat my Mom's sleep apnea (undiagnosed but very obvious). College is taking whatever energy I have left and it's left no room for exploring hobbies, earning money, and the overall ability to live a fulfilling life.
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#53
RE: I've been using my APAP for a week, symptoms wors V2e.
Yeah it sucks, I have been working on my health issues for 2.5 years and still haven't found all the answers. Try not to let stress and anxiety take control as they wreak havoc on both physical and mental health and a large part of that is by messing up your sleep.

I started out thinking my issues were just stress/anxiety and I had to get that under control before I could even start peeling back the layers on the other health issues that I eventually realized were worsening my stress/anxiety. Try to relax and get better sleep, reduce your worries and you will start to realize what other issues are present. Try to treat all of your symptoms and eventually things will improve.

You mentioned rhinitis which is a common theme in cases like this (mine as well). I think a lot of these things are caused/worsened by digestive issues and food sensitivities and intolerances (rather than allergies) seem to be a regular enough issue. I found dairy was an obvious trigger for me and worsening all of my symptoms. It was hard to determine this and elimination diets were how I did it. If you are having digestive issues I would try and improve them by eating healthier and trying some elimination diets of common allergens such as dairy, gluten, soy to see if that can help. I first stumbled upon this based on a recommendation of my internist and then a bunch of research in which I found that the primary form of improvement for people with things like chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia etc seems to come from diet/digestive improvements. I think this is stuff is very common but unfortunately poorly understood and rarely effectively diagnosed or treated.
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#54
RE: I've been using my APAP for a week, symptoms wors V2e.
Even with improved breathing, my symptoms have barely subsided. I'm still feeling terrible and I really don't know how much longer I can take this. I have too many loans taken out to drop out of college without a degree, and can't get health insurance to treat myself without being enrolled. But my grades are taking a hit which is making the situation seem even worse. I feel stuck and really need some way to get out of this hole, which is why I'm on this forum, posting every, single, day. I have my food allergy test attached if you want to take a look. I have lactose intolerance, but my intolerance is barely above the threshold. 

[attachment=33388]
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#55
RE: I've been using my APAP for a week, symptoms wors V2e.
My stressors and anxieties are beyond my control. My mom is currently homeless after dealing with 5 years of unemployment due to a bureaucratic government of a country we used to live in. She is 57 years old and is borderline obese, with definite sleep apnea and a family history of strokes and heart conditions. She sacrificed her savings to let me finish high school so that I can get into UC Berkeley. Now that my symptoms have affected my grades and natural ability to learn, I feel guilty and incapable to take care of my mom as she's taken care of me. My family won't help us, and my 'friends' are judgemental a%#$oles who are unsupportive. To add to that, my personality traits such as humor, compassion and curiosity for the world have been stripped away from me. I'm using whatever little physical and especially mental energy to get the grades I need to graduate with a Computer Science, and hopefully physics major. Add on almost daily anxiety attacks and feelings of agitation that came out of nowhere, and you're bound to have a person who's not doing too hot. When I got those 4 hours of sleep on Friday and finally had the mental and physical energy I once did when I was in middle school, I felt so capable of working to get my Mom and me out of this situation. But the next day I went back to feeling like sh*t.
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#56
RE: I've been using my APAP for a week, symptoms wors V2e.
Ok, guys so I noticed something in my results and wanted your advice. It seems that my flow limitations and waveforms seem flat (on top of each wave) as my pressure is increased to 14cmH2O. I wake up bloated and gassy due to Aerophagia as I'm sleeping, which isn't an issue as I'm falling asleep. I've noticed that almost all of my flow limitations and corresponding flat waveform occur when pressure increase. This get's worse when the pressure gradient is larger. This is why I've suggested switching to CPAP mode so that I can avoid pressure swings, however, I understand APAP mode will probably be more suited for comfort and addressing airway collapses. I'm planning to switch my max pressure to 13.0 since, by eyeballing, it has the best balance between minimizing apneas/hypopneas /CA's and flow limits. Please let me know if I shouldn't do this with some reasoning so that I can learn more about how to interpret my OSCAR results. 

Close look:

[attachment=33389]

Wider look:

[attachment=33390]





Appreciate it!
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#57
RE: I've been using my APAP for a week, symptoms wors V2e.
Sorry if this seems like spam, but I adjusted my height for my flow rate graph so that the waveform is more defined and easier to analyze. I'm pretty sure there's something wrong with how I'm breathing during high pressures and corresponding high pressures. I'd like to correspondingly change my settings to - min: 10cmH2O, max: 13cmH20, EPR 2 from a max: 14cmH2O Please respond as soon as possible, and let me know if I shouldn't make these changes, and if I should attempt to use an EPR of 3.

6 minutes after a Pressure of 14cmH2O was reached:

[attachment=33391]

Pressure of 13cmH2O with the same scale as the first image:

   



You guys rock!
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#58
RE: I've been using my APAP for a week, symptoms wors V2e.
OK I see the flattened wave forms. Monitor it and see if straight 13 helps.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#59
RE: I've been using my APAP for a week, symptoms wors V2e.
The main fix for the flat topped flow Limits is more pressure support, in this case EPR. This will also help Aerophagia via lower average pressure. Aerophagia is a big deal, mostly around the herd that it causes and from an apnea perspective from the arousals it causes and the daytime discomfort you experience from it.
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#60
RE: I've been using my APAP for a week, symptoms wors V2e.
@Dave, when you mean straight 13, do you mean change the settings to CPAP mode at 13cmH2O with EPR 2?
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