New diagnosis and regressing

[dezburn]

Hi,  I received a diagnosis recently for moderate apnea.....My AHI was 18, so I got a machine and my events came down to around  4, but recently spiked up. Last night was 11 and I felt poorly today. I use a full mouth mask ( which makes mouth dry.  Any hints or suggestions?  i am thinking of getting an online dental appliance as well.....

Stats......m  59  and no obesity.  Thanks

[Walla Walla]

Well the first thing you need to do to help us help you is find out what kind of machine you have.

[dezburn]

Walla Walla,  Thanks. I did not know that was important.  Anyway my machine type is:

Devilbiss IntelliPAP™ Auto Adjust CPAP Machine with Humidifier

I use a full face mask, I have two and there is no difference.  Leakage is 0.  I did not get the smart card on advice, but maybe I should have.

My minimum pressure is 4 and maximum pressure is 15.  

My sleep test, which was done remotely had an average of 2.8 apneas per hour ( all obstructive)  and 15 hipness.  My oxygen saturation was an average of 95%  with the lowest 83% and the baseline 98 %.  my pulse goes from a low of 46 to a high of 90 with an average pulse rate of 60.  Since the diagnosis I have stopped sleeping on my back and that seemed to help.   I have noticed that if I drink alcohol the AHI index increases. i am an occasional drinker.   i am 6' and weigh 179 lbs.  I do have a narrow jaw ( celtic heritage)

 

[Walla Walla]

You want to pick up a SD card so you can record the detail data on your machine. You can download Sleepyhead software which you use with the SD card to read your detailed data. The link is below. Once you get set up, post a sleepyhead chart here so we can see what's going on.

[dezburn]

Thanks  I assume that the card is compatible. I was offered some data card at purchase but was told probably would not be needed.  By the way last night AHI of 5.....but feel fine.

[Crimson Nape]

Any SD card, usually 32Gb or smaller, will work. Most CPAP'a don't use very much data space, around 4Gb, but trying to find small cards nowadays is almost impossible. Look for a fair price per GB.

[Sleeprider]

Just cutting to the chase here, your events are most likely the result of a starting pressure of 4.0 which is very low. It takes time for the machine to auto-adjust to an effective therapeutic pressure. If you know what your average pressure has been since you started using the CPAP, set your minimum to that level. If you do not know what your average pressure has been, use a starting pressure of 7.0 and I think you will notice an immediate improvement. You can leave the maximum pressure at 15 and if we ever see some data we can offer some more specific suggestions.