[Treatment] May be Too Late for Me Too

[Tubaman]

Thank you for all your information! I will be raising the minimum pressure to 6 (maybe 7) tonight and see how that goes (I'll update you folks sometime tomorrow afternoon). Since several of you folks have suggested this might be a good thing to try, I'm hoping it will work out well. Time (& sleep) will tell.

As far as my oximeter accuracy...
My sleep advisors had me spend one night with their oximeter (Nonin, I think). I also 'wore' my oximeter the same night (slept with both of them on my fingers). I am hoping to see what kind of a correlation my oximeter gets with their oximeter.

One more comment on oximeter accuracy:
I had my wife put on my oximeter tonight for about 5 minutes. She watched the display and got a range from 93 to 98, mostly in the 94 to 95 range. I then put it on my finger and got a range from 89 to 92, mostly in the 90 to 91 range. I don't know if this proves anything, for what it's worth.

Finally:
I smoked a little from about 1964 to 1969 (maybe half a pack a day at most and some days hardly at all). I have not worked in dusty environments that I can remember. As I mentioned before, I had pneumonia 3 times (1ce with bronchitis) and played really loud tuba in German bands for maybe 25 years. It's my understanding that pneumonia can do permanent damage to the lungs -- maybe I'm wrong. One more thing, my father was a chain smoker (unfiltered Chesterfields most of the time) so I got to breathe a lot of second-hand smoke through my growing up years in the late 1930s through mid-1950s. Also, with my band playing, in those days everybody smoked (I didn't most of the time) and the dance halls we played in would develop this stationary, very heavy, cloud of tobacco smoke, which I had to breathe (more second-hand smoke aplenty) for usually 4+ hours (sometimes longer) a night. Now they say that breathing second-hand smoke can be bad for your health -- they didn't know that back then. Maybe the 2nd-hand smoke did the same kind of damage as dirty air could have done.

Thanks for all your help! Hopefully the minimum pressure tweak will result in some significant improvements...
Tubaman (Carl)

[eseedhouse]

Well, you may be harmed by smoking even if you never do it yourself, especially if you grew up in a home with parents who were smokers. Young lung are vulnerable.

[Tubaman]

Hello!
I don't think the results changed much using the minimum pressure of 7. About the only thing I noticed was that it seemed that breathing was a bit easier, but I could be mistaken. I'm attaching oximetry summary from last night (I've run out of available space for anything more). I don't see any significant change from previous oximetry summaries.

I shall probably change the minimum pressure setting back to 5 since I have my appointment with sleep doctor June 19 and I don't feel like answering questions about why I changed the pressure.

Thanks to everybody for the help and information.
Tubaman

[Sleeprider]

Just out of curiosity, what was your average tidal volume at the increased pressure. Feeling more rested is a win, and I would recommend more than one night on the higher pressure before cowering to an imagined offense by your doctor.

[Mosquitobait]

First, you can change your settings. Medicare doesn't care. Medicare only cares that you are using your machine.

Second, bring your oximeter in when you meet with your doctor along with the plugin cord. The Contec Pulse Oximeter is actually used as a home and nursing home monitor for patients. Since I have one, the doc wants me to bring it in - I'm guessing they have a way to calibrate them.

[Tubaman]

Hello Sleeprider:

Last night's (min. pressure = 7):
Tidal Volume Amount of air displaced per breath (ml)
W-Avg: 357.11 0.00 300.00 700.00 1220.00

FYI: Previous night's data (min. pressure = 5):
Tidal Volume Amount of air displaced per breath (ml)
W-Avg: 383.77 0.00 340.00 660.00 1040.00

Please tell me what you are looking for and what, if anything, my data means...?

I shall leave it set to 7 tonight per your suggestion. I don't think I felt any less tired today. The only change (if it happened at all) was that my breathing (while trying to sleep) seemed to be a tiny bit easier. As I said before, I could be mistaken as that's hard to compare.
Thank you!

[chill]

It is hard (impossible?) to judge from one night. Give it some days. I usually find it takes me 3-4 nights to settle into the result of an adjustment.

[bwexler]

I would not be concerned at all about weather the doc nitices a pressure change.

I am curious. Do you have a time machine?
You keep referring to your upcoming appointment on June 19.

[Tubaman]

bwexler:

Your "question"---
"I am curious. Do you have a time machine?
You keep referring to your upcoming appointment on June 19. "

If I had a "time machine" I would like to go back 60+ years and get my health & life back. Life sucks when you always feel poorly and are trying to take care of your disabled wife simultaneously. I'm trying to solve a health problem of mine and I'm quickly getting the feeling it is not fixable at this late stage of my life.

Is it a problem if I am repetitious about referring to something (my upcoming appointment)? Since you are an "Advisory Member" I assume I must have broken a forum rule by repeating myself, ergo, I'm being chastised. I shall refrain in future postings (if I'm able & if I remember) from making redundant statements.
Tubaman

[bwexler]

Tubaman

I apologize for offending you.
You missed my point. I was not concerned about redundant statements. I was just wondering how you could attend a future appointment in JUNE when it it is now JULY. Therefore the comment about the time machine. A failed attempt at humor.