Hello Guest, Welcome to Apnea Board !
As a guest, you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use.
To post a message, you must create a free account using a valid email address.

or Create an Account


New Posts   Today's Posts

[Treatment] Newbie Setting advice
#1
Newbie Setting advice
Hi been enjoying the abounding info on this forum -thanks
Decided after research to go rogue and not go through the hiring and trial period. Cost of hire and mast made secondhand more attractive.

Sleep lab report that I was borderline for CPAP however due to my extreme symptoms it was worth a trial. I think my AHI was 8 (will check next time) Sleep lab prescription says cpap at 12cm

I purchased a resmed autoset9 with nasal swift!! mask and started using it as set 4-15 with epr3.

I work night and day shifts so am a bit all over the shop with sleep times and hours of sleep.

Worried I was a fraud however....
Right from day 1 I had improved daily results. Less awakes at night. Less nocte`toilet stops(major difference - down from 4or more to 1). Wife says I'm not so restless. Work colleagues report a much brighter livelier presence. I don't feel dead all the time.

Still battling at times with mouth breathing plus fighting with the machine as I wake to toilet at 2am - not sure whether its me trying to wake to go or machine trying to deal with a problem? Lots of Central events compared to Hypoxic and Obstructive events reported on ResScan.

So lots to work through.

Main question at this stage is concerning my scheduled visit to the Doctor in a months time.

How do I trial the prescription of 12cm? Do i just set min and max at 12?

Generally my pressures are much lower than this -

   

So before I front the doctor and confess to going rogue and relying on Dr Google and the apnea boardThanks Should I trial at a set 12cm or carry on with machine as set?

Lots of other issues to work through but this is my first concern - not even sure where to start with all the other questions.

Cheers Jeff
Post Reply Post Reply
#2
RE: Newbie Setting advice
Hello and Welcome to the Apnea Board! I am sure we are all pleased that you like the tone of this place.

I was borderline with an AHI of 10 and mostly hypopneas. I wish I had gotten a CPAP machine then. You mention "extreme symptoms", what exactly are you experiencing?

I also had immediate relief of my most critical symptoms, starting in mid-March of 2016. I thought I was in heaven. Over the following weeks I had some ups and downs but I feel even better now! And I doubt that I am at the end of my journey yet. So please, give it time. It takes time for your mind and body to fully adjust. You are one of the lucky ones in that you got rapid relief.

I will let other's deal with the mouth breathing other than to say that a chin strap can help. I would not worry too much about the centrals at this point. I had a lot at the start and now I am 0.0 every night. It is all a process of letting your body and mind adapt to your new reality. If they persist or get worse, contact your doctor.

My take is that 12 is a higher pressure than you need. A range of 7 - 10 is what I would look at. Or a fixed CPAP pressure of 8. To make more specific and justified recommendations, we need to see some graphs from SleepyHead (download link at top of this page. Also see the
Organize your SleepyHead Charts
Screen Shot of your SleepyHead Screen
links on this page: https://sleep.tnet.com/resources/sleepyhead

Welcome!
Chuck
Post Reply Post Reply
#3
RE: Newbie Setting advice

I personally would use a minimum pressure of 6 and a maximum pressure of 10.
Change EPR to 2. In some folk, a higher EPR can cause more Clear Airway events.

Your 90/95% number is 7.5. You should watch this number and set your range around that number.

Once you make your changes, leave it that way for a few weeks and watch your numbers.
OpalRose
Apnea Board Administrator
www.apneaboard.com

_______________________
OSCAR Chart Organization
How to Attach Images and Files.
OSCAR - The Guide
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing therapy
OSCAR supported machines
Mask Primer



INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE.  ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA.  INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Post Reply Post Reply
#4
RE: Newbie Setting advice
Hi jirvin4505,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Much success to you with your CPAP therapy and getting it set up to meet your needs, hang in there for more answers to your questions.
trish6hundred
Post Reply Post Reply
#5
RE: Newbie Setting advice
Hi, Jeff. Excellent story! I'm glad that you are feeling better.

If you look at the data you posted, you'll see that the machine pressure never went higher than 8.4. That makes it seem as though you don't need a pressure, for right now at least, of 12. There's certainly no need to use higher pressure than needed. The higher your pressure goes, the more likely you are to experience leaking air from your mouth and mask leaks.

I will add my recommendation for pressure settings to the others. I vote for 5.5-9.5 cm. If you want to go to a fixed pressure, I'd suggest 8.0. You can just set minimum and maximum pressures both to 8.0 while you're in auto mode to achieve a fixed pressure for treatment.

Welcome to the Apnea Board. Smile
Post Reply Post Reply


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  New to CPAP, looking for guidance and advice iamJB 16 280 1 hour ago
Last Post: Expat31
  Help Lowering a Varying AHI for a Newbie rtkierke 16 382 Yesterday, 05:41 PM
Last Post: PeaceLoveAndPizza
  New- CA CA-Tired help with settings advice jenjabba 8 169 Yesterday, 01:03 PM
Last Post: SarcasticDave94
  New Here, Been using OSCAR, Need Advice Regarding Adjustments FrankReality 26 860 03-26-2024, 01:49 PM
Last Post: FrankReality
  [Pressure] Advice on pressure adjustments akarifur 43 1,795 03-25-2024, 08:58 PM
Last Post: Uzupan
Question Not Sure if Setting Changes Helping - Help Appreciated! WiscoKate 6 151 03-25-2024, 11:54 AM
Last Post: WiscoKate
  newbie looking to get machine dialed in Jpm6179 3 130 03-25-2024, 07:42 AM
Last Post: Jpm6179


New Posts   Today's Posts


About Apnea Board

Apnea Board is an educational web site designed to empower Sleep Apnea patients.