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[Treatment] Mange's OSCAR Data
#1
Mange's OSCAR Data
Hi everyone!

After months of extreme exhaustion and daytime fatigue so bad I can barely function I decided to cave and buy a used APAP machine. I'm 23M and in a healthy weight range. I started suspecting it could be sleep apnea last month after recording myself snoring and sometimes loudly sucking in air at night. I haven't had a sleep study done yet (appointment for a first meeting with a sleep doc is in October), but I'm desperate enough I wanted to see whether an APAP machine would help.

I have used it for one night so far.


My data is as follows:

Machine: ResMed S9 AutoSet (with a H5i humidifier I haven't used yet)
Mask: Philips DreamWear Full Face Mask

Pressure: 6-15
Starting Pressure: 4
Ramp time: 15 minutes
EPR: full time, 2


I don't even know whether I have sleep apnea, but I'm willing to give everything a shot. I've got an AHI of 0.85 but no way of telling whether that's because the machine is working, or because I don't have apnea. I didn't have any trouble breathing with the pressure settings and found the mask quite comfortable, but did wake up multiple times through the night because I'm just not used to it yet.
The large leak at the beginning is because I dislodged the tubing.


I attached screenshots of my OSCAR data for this night. I'd appreciate any help greatly!


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#2
RE: Mange's OSCAR Data
Welcome to the forum.
Based on this chart, if you have Sleep APnea you are very well treated.
two or 3 experiments to see if we can get more apneas to pop and as such say that you definitely have sleep apnea.

1. Set min=max pressure = 6, Keep EPR = 2 fulltime
2. with Min = Max = 6 set EPR = 0 or OFF. EPR can dramatically improve your therapy so we remove it
3. Set Min=Max= 4. This is the min possible with your machine. I expect some trouble with your breathing here, BUT this is only a test to see if we can prove that you have sleep apnea.

With each of the above experiments record how you feel and do so critically. Also include your current settings of 6-9, EPR=2 fulltime. Which settings feel most comfortable, least comfortable and why.
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#3
RE: Mange's OSCAR Data
(09-10-2021, 03:10 PM)Gideon Wrote: With each of the above experiments record how you feel and do so critically.  Also include your current settings of 6-9, EPR=2 fulltime.  Which settings feel most comfortable, least comfortable and why.

Thank you for your advice! You're suggesting I try each of those 'experiments' a different night, if I understand this right? If so, I'll try all of those out and report back. My current settings are 6-15 (or did you mean something different by 6-9?).

I'll start with setting my pressure to min = max = 6 this night then (while keeping EPR at 2).
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#4
RE: Mange's OSCAR Data
my bad 6-15 then
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#5
RE: Mange's OSCAR Data
This night's data.

I tried out setting the pressure to 6 (min = max), with EPR 2 as recommended. I woke up somewhere around that cluster of events at 4am, probably because of a pressure change. Felt like my mask slightly popped. I struggled with trying to fall back asleep, but everytime I started drifting off and my breathing slowed, the machine would start rhythmically pumping air (?). I would have thought this was the pressure ramping up, but again, it was set to 6. 

I gave up and started fiddling with different settings to stop this rhythmical air pumping and get some sleep for the second half of the night.
Finally figured out that it would stop during Ramp Time. Fell asleep with Ramp Time at 45 minutes, starting pressure of 4 and pressure set to 4-9.



Overall very tired today, but to be expected with a broken up night. Took a 2 hour nap in the afternoon with the same settings, but switched the mask size to small. Had no trouble falling asleep like that and no apparent leaks. (But forgot to put the SD card back in, so no data.)

Will try these settings (4-9, EPR 2 full time, Ramp starting at 4 for 45 minutes) and the size small mask for this night to see whether I can stay asleep. Of course always happy to hear better recommendations. Gonna try the other things Gideon recommended the next days.


Edit: I said I "probably woke up because of a pressure change", but the pressure was set to 6. Must have been something else then?


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#6
RE: Mange's OSCAR Data
First thing: I sadly still haven't tried out Gideons recs - mainly because I'm scared of setting the pressure to a constant 4 during the work week (and thus feel worse) and am waiting for the weekend to try this out. But then again, not like I could feel much worse... Thinking-about



I've changed EPR to 3 and upped the max. pressure to 9.2, but my pressure didn't go over 9 any of those nights, so I think I can safely change it back. Felt so bad today I had to take a one hour nap on the office bathroom floor....yeah. Absolutely exhausted and drained. I've been using the APAP for a week now. I'm waking up multiple times through the night and have very vivid dreams. I'm guessing this means I'm waking up during my REM phase. Every morning it's still the same story - I don't feel rested at all and can barely function throughout the day.



Actually learned about UARS today. I don't seem to have any OA events, but my flow limit graph doesn't look right to me. Could this potentially be UARS? I attached screenshots of the last two nights and a zoom in into my flow rate. Does that seem off?

Thank you for any help as always. I hope I don't appear like I'm not listening to recommendations, I was just desperately hoping to see whether an APAP in general would make feel better at least one of the last nights.


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#7
RE: Mange's OSCAR Data
Was that flow rate taken while you were awake, asleep or in a phase you believe you were dreaming/in REM?

Irregular flow rate is often a sign of arousal and I know mine goes wild during REM, so I would hazard a guess it's that. Looking at the time, it looks like you may have had an arousal around then, possibly because of the leak?

Welcome to the board, btw, and I hope you feel better soon!
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