RE: New CPAP user. Need some advice.
I'm on the quest to find the perfect or nearly so right range of pressures. Tonight I will use 11-16 and see what happens. As far as mask leaks go I've been using a product called CPAPgel found on their website.
Commercial Link Removed. It contains no petroleum products which the makers says is bad for the silicone on the mask and not so good for your lungs. It seems to seal any leaks but usually when nature calls and I wake up I have to apply a little more gel especially round my nose.
Do you guys use any type of gel on your masks? CPAPgel is kind of pricey. If you know of a product that is comparable and costs less I'd like to know about it.
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RE: New CPAP user. Need some advice.
(09-27-2017, 02:15 PM)streetwolf Wrote: I don't understand how AUTO pressure works to reduce the AHI. If the machine is doing all the calculations based on my vitals it detects why wouldn't I make the MAX 20? If I didn't need 20 wouldn't it just go as high as what is needed? The MIN pressure seems like it is more critical. We know that 10-16 reduced my AHI, at least for one night, wouldn't 10-20 give the same results? If I up the MIN pressure as suggested wouldn't something like 11-20 be OK?
In general it depends on how you and your body reacts to the Apnea events and the pressure and pressure changes that occur in response to those events.
When your Auto CPAP detects am Obstructive event (OA, H, FL, Snore) it will raise pressure to try to head off the next obstructive event. If successful you will not see any indication that an obstructive event was prevented. It takes time to respond an raise pressures to prevent these events and if your pressure is too far below the pressure required to prevent these events your AHI will be higher. We want the Min pressure to be high enough so that when your CPAP responds future events are prevented.
When Clear Airway/Central Apnea occurs raising pressure is contraindicated and pressure is not increased.
Not everyone requires or needs to limit the high pressure. But to prevent a troublesome or problematic issue (swallowing air for example) the upper pressure is typically limited to just over at the reached highs, though it is sometimes set lower.
We desire to identify the pressures that will provide you with the optimum therapy. You are a unique individual and we take into account everything we know about you and your therapy.
I hope this helps.
Fred
RE: New CPAP user. Need some advice.
Last night was a fairly restless night for me I woke up about 4 times to go to the bathroom. My AHI was 10.5. Kind of disappointing especially coming off a 4.8 the night before. My auto pressure was 11-16 last night. When I have to go to the bathroom I turn off the machine. Is this the correct thing to do? I would think so.
RE: New CPAP user. Need some advice.
I never leave a machine running if I'm not using it. The Resmed Auto Start function works quite a bit faster than Philips, and that is what I use. Your range of 11-16 is one cm higher on minimum pressure than your previous, and I don't think that is the problem. If your machine is at 16 cm quite a bit, try raising maximum pressure a bit and see if that helps. In your last image, your pressure was at 16 several times corresponding to clusters of OA.
I forget if you are using a soft cervical collar, but the clusters of OA do suggest a possible positional apnea.
RE: New CPAP user. Need some advice.
I upped my values to 13-17 and had my lowest AHI yet, 3.5! It was a cool night here in NJ. I wonder if this could affect my breathing?
09-29-2017, 08:17 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-29-2017, 08:17 AM by Sleeprider.)
RE: New CPAP user. Need some advice.
Cooler weather should not have much impact. Did pressure go above 16 cm? I would guess that, and higher minimum pressure has more to do with it.
RE: New CPAP user. Need some advice.
(09-29-2017, 08:17 AM)Sleeprider Wrote: Cooler weather should not have much impact. Did pressure go above 16 cm? I would guess that, and higher minimum pressure has more to do with it.
RE: New CPAP user. Need some advice.
I guess that answered my question.
RE: New CPAP user. Need some advice.
Should I be shooting to get as close to zero as I can? Should I run with 13-17 for awhile? I ordered a CPAP pillow which I found at Amazon.
RE: New CPAP user. Need some advice.
I think once you get positional things worked out, you'll be fine. I'm not an advocate of changing settings after one night. Let's wait for the ergonomic pillow and see what things look like with that. You did respond positively to increased pressure, and that may be the solution.