Hello Guest, Welcome to Apnea Board !
As a guest, you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use.
To post a message, you must create a free account using a valid email address.

or Create an Account


New Posts   Today's Posts

Introduction and posting a daily chart
#1
Introduction and posting a daily chart
Hello forum,

Just wanted to do a quick introduction and give you a background on how I got to where I am at in this new journey.

I have been reviewing a lot of information on this forum over the last few weeks and am so glad I landed here.  Some great information and much more help that I had received from my sleep study center.

I was diagnosed with moderate apnea after a home study (insurance would not approve in lab).  Without going into a lot of details, I did do an in lab titration test in early August.  It seemed very rushed, very little explanation and was told at the end, "your pressure is 9, remember it and we will call you when you come pick up your cpap machine."  They also said, that I should consider doing a test every 3 years or if my weight changed up or down by more than 10%.  So I could tell right away, there was not going to be very much follow up.  I know my ENT dr will follow up with me and is the one who sent me for the study, so may not be an issue, but still did not have a warm fuzzy feeling about the place.

I am a conscientious shopper, have a technical background and am a metrics geek.  I could tell this relationship with them was not off on the the right start  Thinking-about  

Fast forward about two weeks, I get a call from them saying they have contacted my insurance and that I needed to schedule a time to come get the machine.  I had already done some homework and knew that due to my high deductible and thankfully and hopefully will not come close to hitting this year, that I would be paying completely out of pocket for the cpap machine.

I arrived at the DME/sleep center to pick up a machine and am presented with the "brick" that they had selected for me.  No questions about what I wanted, did I travel a lot (I do), what type of mask I would prefer (they had the same painful nasal mask that I used for the titration test).  Once I started asking questions about other machines, I got the "they cost so much more", "insurance may not cover it" etc.   Thankfully, my gut feeling took over, I politely said, no thanks before signing or agreeing to anything and left.

That same night, I found this site and began my education.  Smile  I contacted my ENT dr who referred me to the sleep study and got a copy of my CPAP prescription and I ended up purchasing a ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet from one of the listed vendors for substantially less than the DME was going to charge me for the "brick" (with great insurance discount... right).  I am using nasal pillows and did get a full mask for the times I may need it.

After reading a lot on this forum and a couple weeks of trial I am beginning to settle in to things.  I am able to wear it all night and getting what I think is better sleep and hopefully on the right path.  For the time being, I have settled on the following settings to see how they work longer term.  My prescription pressure was 9 (although I am not too confident on that number based on how the titration study was done).  My current settings are APAP mode, pressure 8 - 12, EPAP 3, no ramp and humidity at 4.  I have tried ramp settings at various levels, but always had the feeling that I was not getting enough air.  So turned it off and it seems better.  

My main issue other than finding a good way to sleep on my side, is the first 5 - 10 minutes of start up.  I have a hard time getting to a relaxed breathing pattern.  Keep feeling like it is hard to breath.  But only lasts a few minutes.  I used to be a diver, so not an issue with having something on my face   Cool

Anyway, I have posted my charts below from last night and would welcome any feedback, tips, etc.

This is an awesome resource and I thank you in advance for setting it up.

George

         
Post Reply Post Reply
#2
RE: Introduction and posting a daily chart
Welcome. From what you are saying that when the epap was on you weren't getting the feeling of not enough because it drops the pressure from 8 to 5 . At 5 most of us feel air starved.
Post Reply Post Reply
#3
RE: Introduction and posting a daily chart
Welcome to Apnea Board. An AHI of 0.28 to start is really very good. Leaks seem well controlled.

The humidifier and the heated tube (if you have one) can be set for max comfort.

Let's get to how do you feel after a night's sleep?
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.
Post Reply Post Reply
#4
RE: Introduction and posting a daily chart
Thanks for the welcome Gary and Dave. With just a little over two weeks on therapy, I think I am feeling a difference with tiredness in the afternoons. Not almost falling asleep during meetings (depending on who is leading them Smile . Some days I feel a difference, others not so much. But I am also not expecting overnight results and am in this for the long haul.

I am spending time trying to figure out the information being presented in Oscar and amazed at the detail available. Some things I get, like Flow Rate, Leak Rate, etc. Others like Flow Limit, I need a lot more reading on the forums to get a handle on. I don't want to start chasing numbers I do not fully understand yet.

Looking forward to continued conversations and following along and learning on these boards.

George
Post Reply Post Reply
#5
RE: Introduction and posting a daily chart
You’re off to a great start! Well done getting a good machine, downloading Oscar, and coming to this site.

Here some information on the wiki about flow limitation:

http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...limitation

Your FLs seem to be at least partly responsible for the changes in your pressure during the night. If you are feeling well rested, then maybe you should just ignore this for now. But if you’re in a mood for experimenting, you could try a night or two with your maximum pressure set to 20 just to see what happens.

There may be nothing to this observation, but I kind of wonder whether your FLs increase while you’re in REM sleep. The timing seems roughly right. Wish I had some brilliant follow-on to that, but that’s all I got!
Post Reply Post Reply
#6
RE: Introduction and posting a daily chart
Welcome to the forum.

Dave has the right idea.  With your numbers, changes to settings should be driven by symptoms, not chasing numbers.

you said


Quote:My main issue other than finding a good way to sleep on my side, is the first 5 - 10 minutes of start up.  I have a hard time getting to a relaxed breathing pattern.  Keep feeling like it is hard to breath.  But only lasts a few minutes.  I used to be a diver, so not an issue with having something on my face   [Image: cool.gif]
can you describe in detail what you mean by "I have a hard time getting to a relaxed breathing pattern." ?  What exactly do you mean by "hard to breath" ?
with or without ramp?  inhaling or exhaling?  Do you feel the timing of the machine may be an issue? 
Post Reply Post Reply
#7
RE: Introduction and posting a daily chart
Describing "hard to breath"... I mean when I first put on the mask/pillows to start the night, I feel like I have to take long deep breaths. Both inhale and exhale. Sort of like when you have just done something strenuous. Not shortness of breath but just deep breathing to get enough air, if you follow me. It also happens sometimes when I get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. I am thinking it may just be anxiety and just something that I will get used to over time. But it does seem to be better since I turned off the ramp time.

Thank you for the wiki link Dormeo. I had not found that yet. I have my night time reading for tonight now Smile
Post Reply Post Reply
#8
RE: Introduction and posting a daily chart
As you say that you may need time to get used to the machine, try a mask and machine on session while reading, or TV time, etc. We know this is to help while sleeping, but practice relaxing with it in controlled wake conditions. See if it's a help. I had to face the same thing and this practice time helped me early on.

Coffee

PS If you're tracking data via OSCAR remember to click the wake sessions Off so they don't count on sleep times.
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.
Post Reply Post Reply
#9
RE: Introduction and posting a daily chart
Well I am happy to say that after a lot of reading on this forum and taking a lot of advice and ideas into consideration, I feel I am getting this thing figured out.  

After trying a few different masks and tweaking the settings on the ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet, I think I am at a steady state for a while anyway.  Tried a FFM but never could get a good seal or comfort level with it.  But in trying I also realize I am not a mouth breather.  So gave the nasal mask a try, but ended up with the P10 pillows.  They are the most comfortable for me and are working well for my side sleeping.

I had been having issues with one nostril being closed or restricted (kept switching depending on the side I was sleeping) and I wanted to avoid decongestants or nasal sprays.  Gave the saline rinses a try and they help a little.  But the best thing that worked for me are the BreathRight strips (extra strength).  Since using them the last 4 nights it has been great!  

Turned off the ramp feature and have a narrow pressure range of 7.6 - 9.  I tried bumping up to 9.6 the other night, but the extra pressure seemed to wake me up at times and I had a few clear airway events that I was not getting before.   So adjusted back to 9 and that seems to work best for me right now.  I am glad the P10 set came with the 3 different size pillows.  I assumed Medium would be the correct size since I used medium in the other masks, but decided to try Large since Saturday night and my leak rate improved, so Large it is. Smile

Posting a chart from last night.  Did not have to get up at all during the night.  Did a little tossing and turning, but much, much better than I have in recent years. 

Most important, I feel better, more energy and actually back to exercising in the evening.

Thanks again to the forum members for sharing all the information.  It is extremely helpful.  I see that patience is the key to this new lifestyle.

George

   
Post Reply Post Reply
#10
RE: Introduction and posting a daily chart
OK assuming you're not feeling any ill effects, this looks very good. Let's see what you get after a few days. I don't think adjustments are needed, unless it's some comfort items. Feel free to post more charts and let us know if you're beginning to feel better for the therapy. Myself, I'd not change pressures if you keep having nights with similar results.
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.
Post Reply Post Reply


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Sleep HQ Chart Feedback RobertGeorge 9 238 03-21-2024, 07:05 AM
Last Post: Plmnb
  Help needed to understand chart SteveC 0 97 03-11-2024, 11:54 PM
Last Post: SteveC
  New User Please Help with my chart apapnoob 11 506 02-04-2024, 04:19 PM
Last Post: apapnoob
  Japanese sleep test vs. Lofta/WatchPAT discrepancy + flow chart morphology analysis? woodenwaterbottle 3 4,418 01-24-2024, 03:05 PM
Last Post: BoxcarPete
  Started on BiLevel for UARS, how does chart look? squashedlikeabug 5 516 01-04-2024, 01:30 PM
Last Post: squashedlikeabug
Sad [CPAP] 33 Years Old with Severe Sleep Apnea (Oscar Chart) amfar33 4 508 12-19-2023, 12:34 AM
Last Post: staceyburke
  AIRVIEW Daily reports Opus1 3 443 11-22-2023, 10:40 AM
Last Post: SarcasticDave94


New Posts   Today's Posts


About Apnea Board

Apnea Board is an educational web site designed to empower Sleep Apnea patients.