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New guy needs Oscar help.
#1
New guy needs Oscar help.
Hi. I am new to the board but have been searching and reading trying to get a grasp on the Oscar charts I have. I was diagnosed in 2003 with severe apnea. I've had a ResMed s7 Elite from then and used it till it finally broke down last October. I now have gone through the testing and am in the process of learning how to do my own adjustments. The thing I noticed is the large leak which I guess has to do with my mask? I'd like to post some results and get some input.

I have been given a ResMed AirSense 10 Autoset to test for a month which is the machine I will get. Week 1, I used the AirFit N30. Week 2 I used the AirFir P10 and this week I have the AirFit N20. I'm leaning towards the P10.

Since this is not my machine, I'm not sure I feel comfortable doing clinical adjustments. But I'm sure there is lots I can do.

I also have ResScan loaded and look at it as well. I have each day of 2 weeks images I can post? Looks like I'll start with 3. 


Thank-you, Cheers!


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#2
RE: New guy needs Oscar help.
The Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset is a great machine. You are using yours with a minimum pressure of 10, maximum 18 and EPR 3. I agree that the P10 is a real winner for lightweight, comfort and quiet therapy. Your main issues seem to be mostly OA and some H events, and periodic leaks through the mouth. It all ties together, and I hope you will be open to what I suggest. Your apnea events tend to be clustered, and that points to chin-tucking or what I have called positional apnea. It's real simple, as your chin drops toward your chest, your airway becomes more obstructed, and during sleep, we see clusters of apnea, hypopnea occur. A lot of members on this forum resolve that using a soft cervical collar that also has the benefit of putting enough pressure on the back of the jaw to keep the mouth closed and avoid those leaks you are experiencing. This is so common, we wrote a couple wiki articles. They include some before and after Oscar charts to show how positional apnea tends to be clustered. Your problem is relatively mild, but I hope these articles will help you understand you're not alone, and maybe we can start a conversation on how to quickly address this.

Positional Apnea http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...onal_Apnea
Soft Cervical Collar http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...cal_Collar
Sleeprider
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com

____________________________________________
Download OSCAR Software
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing Therapy
Organize your OSCAR Charts
Attaching Files
Mask Primer
How To Deal With Equipment Supplier


INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#3
RE: New guy needs Oscar help.
Thank-you Sleeprider. You've told me something I hadn't even thought of. I will look into and consider a SCC, but for now I will try changing my pillow. The one I use is quite hard and I'm sure it is pushing my head forward. I certainly am open to any suggestion and welcome them. I have no problem with staring a conversation. I was planning on posting some more charts but it may not be that necessary unless you would like to see more. I try to sleep on my back because I tend to get shoulder pains and my arms fall asleep on me and wake me up when I sleep on my side, but I know I toss and turn quite a bit so I thought I was shifting my mask.

Cheers!
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#4
RE: New guy needs Oscar help.
It's possible you can resolve this with a change of pillows and just being aware of it. That's the first step. Keep us posted on your progress.
Sleeprider
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com

____________________________________________
Download OSCAR Software
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing Therapy
Organize your OSCAR Charts
Attaching Files
Mask Primer
How To Deal With Equipment Supplier


INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#5
RE: New guy needs Oscar help.
After the use of a loaner ResMed AirSense 10 Autoset to test for a month, I now have my own new and exact machine.

I had changed my pillow and after using a few different masks, there didn't seem to be much change (in my inexperienced eyes).
Last night I used a Soft Cervical Collar for the first time. Being something new I found it very restrictive and uncomfortable. I will have to try it some more to get a better opinion on it.

I am posting 2 screen shots. First one is without the collar and the second is with the collar.
Any comments, suggestions...etc are welcome.


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#6
RE: New guy needs Oscar help.
Well no one has answered so I will.  It looks like you need a different collar.  To get the correct fit, measure the distance from you chin to the sternum.  Many people have had to go through several to get the right one for them, it is a little like masks - one fits one person does not work for another.  The other problem is leaks - you have several ongoing.  When there is a large leak you are not getting therapy.  If you have a correct fitting collar -  that can also stop mouth leaks and your chart shows the large leaks are mouth leaks.   So Please give it another shot with a new collar or readjust the one you have now.
Apnea (80-100%) 10 seconds, Hypopnea (50-80%) 10 seconds, Flow Limits (0-50%) not timed  Cervical Collar - Dealing w DME - Chart Organizing
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#7
RE: New guy needs Oscar help.
Thanks, Stacey
I think the collar fits ok, according to how it should. It supports my head. It doesn't feel like it's choking me and yet I can't drop my head. The second night was much, much better. I like to try things for a few days before discarding them. I just think it's something new for me. But as a bonus it feels like it's taking some kinks out. I think my next step will be to try a full-face mask.

Thank-you very much for replying. I do appreciate it. I'm searching and reading a lot of post so I can understand OSCAR much better.
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#8
RE: New guy needs Oscar help.
Great! I hope things continue to improve.
Apnea (80-100%) 10 seconds, Hypopnea (50-80%) 10 seconds, Flow Limits (0-50%) not timed  Cervical Collar - Dealing w DME - Chart Organizing
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#9
RE: New guy needs Oscar help.
I have set up an audio recorder while I slept. I now have about 8 hrs of me sleeping. I'm hoping to go though that and see when I do struggle for breath and whether I am breathing through my mouth or just what is happening. So far it's an eerie and interesting sound.
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#10
RE: New guy needs Oscar help.
One thing that you might consider is to use a video camera.  I had a surveillance type camera with IR that I have used on occasion to see what was happening.  I don't recommend going out and buying one for this purpose, but if you can repurpose one, it could be interesting for you.  The advantage is most surveillance type cameras have motion sensing, which greatly reduces the amount of data to review.  In my case, I found about half my apnea events had motion related to them.  You know, like rolling on to one's side, or moving an arm or leg.  On the other hand, half the apneas happened with no motion or obvious sound.  One thing that is difficult is your camera and your CPAP have different clocks, and handle days differently, so you need to figure out the time shift between them.  It's easy to do intellectually, but in practice it can get confusing when reviewing data.

Do I review video every night?  No.  I only reviewed data from a couple of nights.  Honestly haven't learned much from reviewing my video.  It did satisfy my curiosity about how much movement I have at night, but it didn't actually help my apnea treatment.  In my limited experience, reviewing one's OSCAR data is far more helpful.

One thing to note is that SCC's (soft cervical collars) do wear out after time.  The foam compresses and reduces support.  If you notice your apnea clusters come back, you might consider getting another SCC.  For me they seem to last about 3-6 months.  That seems to be the range (for the last 3 years).
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