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Oh do I need help
#11
RE: Oh do I need help
Thanks, 4ever. Can you answer the two questions in the post I made above?
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#12
RE: Oh do I need help
Well it looks like they are all pretty much reading as central and not obstructive. If that is accurate there is a good possibility that the reason it increased for you instead of decreasing is because in increasing the pressure to prevent the obstructive apneas it is making it harder for you to actually breath out and as such increasing your centrals and if that is the case you may need a bipap or different treatment entirely (maybe some underlying medical issue causing the centrals if they are true centrals). Sometimes CPAPs work great for centrals and sometimes they make centrals worse. Again that is assuming that they are actually centrals because while the machine can make educated guesses as to wither it is obstructive or central without certain sensors it is just that, a guess.  It does look like the relief pressure is set to 6 lower in the inhalation pressure so my guess is that if it continues to not improve and instead be worse they may try a BiPAP instead of a CPAP, they are more expensive and generally only get covered by insurance if you try CPAP first and it doesn't work for you so it may just simply be a case of you probably needing a different type of machine but the doctor has to try the CPAP first so that the insurance will approve the BiPAP.

Not a medical expert so take that with a very large grain of salt, but that would be what I would assume based on it showing mostly clear airway events and not obstructive events.
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#13
RE: Oh do I need help
Trying...I only have the four screenshots my son uploaded for me.

Including last screenshot and photo of my sleep test --Thanks


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.pdf   IMG_1582.PNG.pdf (Size: 186.63 KB / Downloads: 5)
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#14
RE: Oh do I need help
Thanks for the additional information. At the time of your sleep test, you had mixed apnea, with a mixture of CAs, OAs, and Hs.

With your CAI at 50 something, I feel strongly that you need to reduce your pressure support of 6, as you are now having many more CAs than you did when you had your sleep test. If you get this before tonight's sleep, would you simply turn off PS so we can see what happens? You won't hurt yourself by doing this, and the information from that experiment could be valuable.
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#15
RE: Oh do I need help
How do I do that?
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#16
RE: Oh do I need help
You press the home button and the round dial at the same time and wait for the clinician menu option to appear. You go into the clinician menu and turn PS down to 0, then press the round button to confirm the change. You then go back up to the "exit clinician menu" option to return to the status quo.
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#17
RE: Oh do I need help
This is not a typical pattern for central apnea. To me it looks more obstructive than central, but your leaks look good and the FOT is not finding a blockage thus central apnea is reported.

Your sleep study diagnosis IMHO should have been central sleep apnea with a possible secondary diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea.

Your setting are entered correctly but based on the results they are incorrect for you. In fact I believe the VAUTO is the incorrect device for you. We will know for sure within the next 2-3 days.
With a diagnosis of central sleep apnea you should be on an ASV.

I'm going to push this machine in an attempt to provide some comfort.

First some medical history please as I'm looking for a cause for your central apnea. The most common form of central apnea is Complex or Treatment Emergent Central Apnea but you flow rate pattern is not that of the CO2 induced breathing we typically see, so...

Any cardiac issues, Central Nervous System, CNS, issues, seizures, brain injury, neuromuscular issues, medications, especially CNS meds or pain killers such as opioids either synthetic or otherwise.

Higher PS is a known cause of centrals so a large change here, set PS=2.

One more change, set Trigger to Very High

Then post Standard charts please.
View / reset graphics / Standard.

Also a 30 min zoom of the remaining central apneas

Expect more changes after these results are evaluated
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#18
RE: Oh do I need help
If the central apnea were present during the diagnostic sleep study then you are misdiagnosed and using the wrong machine. It is ASV (adaptive servo ventilation) that is capable of providing pressure support to cause a breath when needed to resolve a central apnea. The Vauto relies entirely on spontaneous respiratory effort.

I suggest you cut the PS to 5.0 as your higher pressure support actually reduces your CO2 levels which can increase central apnea as a result of a feedback loop where CO2 rises and falls and respiratory drive follows. The other change you can make is to change Trigger Sensitivity from normal to high or very-high. This setting will enable your Vauto to trigger IPAP with less inspiratory flow. This is often sufficient to queue a breath where a CA would otherwise be recorded. With this event rate, I'm sure your doctor will have to reconsider the use of a spontaneous BPAP like the Vauto and move to ASV. Typically insurance requires that your fail CPAP and spontaneous BPAP before being authorized for the ASV. If you have the sleep reports, it will help for you to post them with personal information redacted. I think this thread will eventually turn toward coaching you to persuade your doctor of a need for a different therapeutic approach.
Sleeprider
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#19
RE: Oh do I need help
I am back....not further along in success, but still trying.  Not feeling much better through the day, still require naps.

I bought a tiny laptop and figured out how to download data, not too sure what to make of it.

I am still favoring the F30i mask.  I tried the F20 and feel a but claustro. The F20 was more structured. The F30 does tend to move around-I also find myself futzing with it all night. I have tried the collar (no), nasal pad coverings (none fit right), 
taping (ok, but creepy).

I can't figure out why last nights data started at 3 in the morn - may have been I went to the loo and left the hose running.  I think sometimes I think the machine is on and am so sleepy I fall asleep, waking up gasping, with machine off.

Any questions or suggestions welcome.  If you need more Oscar, be clear as I am new.  Thank you


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#20
RE: Oh do I need help
Please implement Sleeprider’s suggestions and let us know how that goes.
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