Should I Monkey with the Pressures?

[Marie]

Hi all,
I need some advice.  I began using CPAP in May and struggled with the different masks I was given.  Finally on 7/23/18 after my last doctor’s appointment I was given the Airtouch F20 and that seems to work for me - it’s comfortable and I’ve recently gotten it adjusted so my leaks are minimal. However, I’m still not sleeping better and my AHI doesn’t seem to be that good.  In my sleep study I was a 9.1 AHI.  With CPAP and low air leaks I’m varying from 5+ to 10+ AHI.  The lower AHI’s are usually when I’ve been having lots of on and off being awake and/or awake for a long time (like 1 – 2 hours) trying to go back to sleep after having woken up, so the averaging in of my awake hours distorts the AHI number. One night I awoke after the first 1 hour of sleep and for that one hour my AHI was 32!  Today I called the doctor’s office and asked about upping my pressure. Of course, they won’t talk to you – they want you to make an appointment for some date down the road and pay the $45.00 copay again.  I’m thinking of upping the pressure myself and see what happens.  My question is - is it likely that I just haven’t given this enough time and the AHI might improve with time? And if it isn’t likely to improve with time, is it safe to start monkeying with pressures on my own without the rigmarole and cost of seeing the doctor?  I’m attaching the past two nights graphs for your viewing pleasure . Thanks for any advice!
Marie

[silentsnore]

It looks like you could benefit from slightly higher pressure, perhaps increasing the max to 9cm and min to 5cm.
That's just my suggestion, but I also recommend to wait for input from more experienced members...

Edit: I just noticed you have AirSense 10 Elite, which is fixed CPAP machine, so pressure range not applicable. Just increase the pressure to 9.

[Walla Walla]

One thing that might help is a soft cervical collar. You have a large cluster of obstructive apnea around 12:20 which usually indicates the chin dropping down and cutting off the airway. The collar prevents the chin from dropping.

Also I would probably start start increasing the pressure 1cm at a time giving it a few days to see how it affect your numbers.

[Sleeprider]

All good advise so far. Next time you are due for a machine, try to get auto CPAP like the Airsense 10 Autoset which can vary pressure to meet your needs. I agree with a pressure of 9.0 (EPR 1) and possible consideration of a soft cervical collar if the clusters are caused by chin-tucking.

[OpalRose]

Today I called the doctor’s office and asked about upping my pressure. Of course, they won’t talk to you – they want you to make an appointment for some date down the road and pay the $45.00 copay again.  I’m thinking of upping the pressure myself and see what happens.  My question is - is it likely that I just haven’t given this enough time and the AHI might improve with time? And if it isn’t likely to improve with time, is it safe to start monkeying with pressures on my own without the rigmarole and cost of seeing the doctor? 

Hi Marie,
I think you have given your therapy plenty of time and I wouldn’t worry too much about the doctor.
There is no reason not to adjust your pressure for optimal therapy.  

You may be rolling over onto your back, which in turn can cause more obstructions especially if your pressure can’t adjust for that and it isn’t set high enough to begin with.

I agree with the above suggestions, and especially about trying a “soft” cervical collar to help chin tucking.  

Next time you post your data, include the stats on the left side bar. You can leave off the calendar and pie chart.
Good luck.

[ApneaQuestions]

..... You have a large cluster of obstructive apnea around 12:20 ......

I'm new to the forum

I don't see any graphs when I look at this thread.
Did the two of you use PM to exchange graphs or something?
I'm wondering how you are seeing the cluster of OAs but I see no graphs.

[Sleeprider]

..... You have a large cluster of obstructive apnea around 12:20 ......

I'm new to the forum

I don't see any graphs when I look at this thread.
Did the two of you use PM to exchange graphs or something?
I'm wondering how you are seeing the cluster of OAs but I see no graphs.

It appears the original poster (over one year ago) deleted the attachments. This can be done in the User CP under Manage My Attachments.

[ApneaQuestions]

Thanks for the (almost) instantaneous response!

I was worried I needed to do something "special" to see the graphs and might be using the site sub-optimally.

Reading between the lines...I guess it's a trade-off to minimize data storage costs.
1) By keeping all attachments indefinitely it keeps the threads meaningful but increases data-storage costs
2) By removing older attachments it reduces data-storage costs but makes older threads less meaningful

[OpalRose]

Hi ApneaQuestions,

Welcome to ApneaBoard!

Unfortunately, you’ve latched onto an older thread, and the OP never responded even after receiving advice.

If your looking for answers to something pertaining to Sleep Apnea, I encourage you to start your own thread. Plus there are many other current threads with tons of information and graphs to view.

[ApneaQuestions]

I debated creating a new thread or even polluting the thread I am about to mention below.
In the end I thought I'd stay here since this thread is now effectively obsolete.
I hope that was a good call.

I am still wondering if I am using this site correctly or if I need to turn on some extra options somewhere.

I was just looking at this thread...
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...hing-space

The first post apparently has some attachments for a sleep report but I can't see them.
I just see the following

[attachment=16134]
[attachment=16135]
[attachment=16136]
[attachment=16133]

I cannot click on them to reveal their contents.
Is this another case where the attachments have been deleted/removed or do I need to tweak a setting somewhere?
It's quite a recent thread so I'd expect the attachments to be in place.