Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here

[CorruptAlligator]

This is a follow-up success story from my early one I posted, but this is based on long term CPAP usage and much knowledge I gained from this forum.

With my A10, my AHI is down to less than 1 on most nights, and less than .5 on a good night. My centrals continues to fluctuate, but within a low range now (avg about .5 and less than 1 at most). This was mainly due to finding the right mask, which is a nasal mask (Resperonics Wisp).

My FL are lower recently than what they were for the longest time. My FL was pretty bad looking back.

Still, I wake several times throughout the night, and based my sleep quality solely on this fact, but it turned out my sleep quality is better due to lack of AHI during the night compared to without CPAP usage (AHI was around 25-30 at most). Since my blood pressure was high when I didn't get good quality sleep, I can gauged quality of sleep more objectively based on my blood pressure. And my blood pressure has lowered to a normal level. It used to be quite high.

I think when you have high AHI, you are constantly tired/sleepy due to the many apneas, so it keeps you easily asleep most of the night, but when sleep quality gets better, it causes awakening without being as tired as you used to be (when you had many AHIs). And, I've been getting multiple awakening like this. That's what going on with me recently.

As far as subjectively, I recently found out my quality of sleep was much better than before based on a new mask tried. I tried out the Brevida and I can tell how much tired I was during the day from bad quality sleep with the mask. Now, I know my sleep quality is good despite multiple night awakenings.

Without CPAP my sleep quality must have been really terrible that, even with multiple wakening, I feel well rested during the day.

What I've learned so far from my journey with CPAP: Masks are important. How much flow you get in the your system depends on the type of mask, not machine pressure settings. Getting the right mask is very important.

Also, thankfully to this board, I found out that I have positional apnea, and based on OSCAR screenshots of others, who doesn't? Collars are important, and it's probably worthwhile to try out several to find the best collar that you can deal with, but also works effectively. Collars are important for OA and flow limitations.

For a lot of us, CPAP machine can do so much (I mean a basic machine like an A
10, I guess stuff like ASV does a lot), but significant issue seems to be positional related, chin-tuck, and body position during sleep, or physiological issues that causes obstructions.

I know many people ask, when they feel better from CPAP therapy, and it seems to depend on individual. For me, I didn't notice it because it must have be gradual over a long period of time. So, it's possible you may not notice it either.

[Sleepster]

I think when you have high AHI, you are constantly tired/sleepy due to the many apneas, so it keeps you easily asleep most of the night,

The equipment they connect you to during a sleep study can tell from your brain waves whether you're asleep or awake. When you have untreated sleep apnea you awake many many times during the night, but you in the morning you have no memory of it. It's an illusion to think you can sleep well when you have untreated sleep apnea.

[DaveCar]

 It's an illusion to think you can sleep well when you have untreated sleep apnea.

Pre-treatment,  I used to nap (pretty much anywhere and in any position) quite often to try and "catch up" with my rest.
I didn't understand at the time that I was having apneas during the naps too..  so very little resting (deep sleep).

[Polo 1955]

Hello, I have been using my CPap for about 6 years. Today I am pretty sure that I started my apnea a long time ago. Stay with me…I am 66 years old…in 1983 I started lap swimming in masters swim club. By 1990, my shoulders were broader,so I stopped sleeping on my side and began sleeping on my back for comfort. By 1992 I started to take Losec for reflux disease. I was then known as a snoring sleeper. Needed a nap in the afternoon or while driving longer distances. My bed in the morning was completely undone, my mattress was tinted with perspiration. Each morning I had mucus or whatever in my throat.Like always I never stopped lap swimming. My heart beat was sometimes erratic. Finally after discovering that I was waking up 57 times per hour according to hospital sleep test,I began treatment with a CPap,and very soon after my gastric reflux stopped, I no longer sleep during the day all the above symptoms disappeared. My god one doctor once proposed me an operation by installing a device to reduce my oesophageal passage, close call but no longer needed Doctor ! So sleeping on my back got me snoring and blocked the air flow. The CPap opens passage and I sleep without moving or chocking. Today I still lap swim about 12 km per week (1 km is 40 laps) I compete in open water events 5km takes me 1 hour 25 minutes. I am also an avid road bike cyclist, fat bike in winter, cross country ski. I am 6 feet tall and my weight is 175 lbs. I am a French Canadian,so this could explain my grammar. Could you imagine if I never found out I had sleep apnea? 
Maybe a heart disease or a car accident, oesophageal cancer due to acid reflux grinding the passage, murder from someone who does not enjoy sleeping with a snorer. I use my CPap at home, I have a second one in my class b camper van and I have a spare one. I know how to program them thanks to the Apnea Board Forum. Thank you to all who helped me. 
Paul Desjardins,
 Montréal, Québec.

[SpaciousSander]

In September of 2013 I got the diagonsis of have a severe sleep apnoea, 33.1 AHI. At the time the majority was obstructive and a smaller part central. After the initiation period of 3 months both obstructive and central had dropped more than 50%. The added value of the treatment and benefit to life were astonishing.

During the years that followed I've had a constant of 4.7 to 5.2 AHI. 

This July though that changed. During the night I woke up from a strange noise, as if the tube was disconnected. For some reason the machine had an internal failure and it got replaced within 2 days. 
The new machine I got was setup the same way as the latter, with setting from the hospital. So, in all my naivety I thought "what could go wrong?!". Well.... I'm on my second machine, because the first replacement had already 1400 hours of use on it. I presumed that was the cause of it not working properly. 
The second replacement machine was setup with the setting as provided by the hospital. My nights became better and for some unfathomable reason it just keeps getting worse. The central apnoea is increasing steadily and last night, October 16th it was up to 27.1 AHI. 

I've been wearing a Garmin VivioActive 3 with heartrate monitor (wrist). I begun wearing gear like this about 4 years ago. At the time my pressure setting was set at 9. My heart rate was all of the spectrum each night. Topping to 160 bpm at some times, with a AHI of around 5. 
As of April 27 2020 I started a 100 day of no alcohol whatsoever. This resulted in an increase of the AHI and strangely enough a considerable decrease in hear rate variability. My heart rate has been an average of 52 bpm. The hospital changed the pressure down to 7 over 5, EDR lvl 2. I was fine and dandy once again, starting mid June 2020.

As an "added bonus" my heart rate behaviour is a bit of a conundrum. Going to sleep and starting the treatment with alcohol in my body, the AHI drops to nearly 0. It varies between 0,1 and 1.0. The hospital can't explain this behaviour, they just know that is does and invert their normal treatment to suit me. I wasn't planning on being an alcoholic just for the possibility of having a good nights sleep, I mind you. 

In my search to better understand it all I've downloaded OSCAR. But it needs some considerable study to be able to interpret the information for what it is.

The cut a very long story short: I want "my" 5.0 AHI nights back again, it improved my life so much... and I miss it dearly.

[Gideon]

Post your OSCAR results NOW in your own thread See the Organize link in my signature for which charts we like to see.

[CorruptAlligator]

The equipment they connect you to during a sleep study can tell from your brain waves whether you're asleep or awake. When you have untreated sleep apnea you awake many many times during the night, but you in the morning you have no memory of it. It's an illusion to think you can sleep well when you have untreated sleep apnea.

Yup, that's the sure way to know what sleep stages you are on when you are asleep.  

Something I want to clear up.  REM, when when dreams occur, it doesn't happen during deep or is the same.  It's a separate period when your mind refreshes, and delta sleep or deep sleep happens at the later stages of 3 non-REM sleep stages.  So, dreams doesn't not mean deep sleep.  Delta sleep stage repairs body, and happen less as we get older, but REM is a deeper stage of sleep (deeper than deep stage) that refreshes our mind.  

https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/hw48331

I can understand people when they say they don't feel rested despite the AHI/Flow limitations numbers being low.  I've had instance like that, and I can only attribute it to mask type.  

Like I've mentioned, masks makes a huge difference (for me at least).  Air doesn't flow at the same rate for various different types of masks through the nose at the same pressure due to space/area differences.  

At the same pressure, I deduced that what helps me get quality sleep was with Resperonics DreamWisp mask over the regular Wisp.  I can easily feel the flow differences between the two mask at the same pressure.  Wisp has higher flow rate, and causes too much pressure in my system and I could feel it at my ears (stuffiness from the puressure), but the DreamWisp has less air flow rate that it feels more comfortable and can fall asleep easier.  Two other masks that had too much flow rate were P10 and N30 masks. It pushed too much air that would keep me from falling asleep easily and wake me up. So, comfortable air flow is very important!

I had a night with hardly any apea and very low FL with Wisp mask, but I didn't feel well rested, but with the DreamWisp, I have higher AHI, and increased flow limtations and I feel well rested.  I deduced which mask was actually helping my therapy by going back to Wisp mask and trying out DreamWisp again.  It was the DreamWisp mask.  At my current pressure, the flow rate is just perfect for my sleep.  With the Wisp, I probably have to reduce the pressure to match the same flow rate at the DreamWisp.  My guess as to why the flow rate is is lower on the DreamWisp is that there are two vent holes that vent greater air thn the Wisp.  I also notice with N20 vs Wisp as well.  N20 vents more air out, so the flow rate feel more comfortable at the same pressure.

After trying Respironics masks, I've realized that they design masks really well. I know they had the CPAP recall issue (due to the filter), but their masks are great.

Since I'm using nasal mask, I started to notice air moving inside my mouth. So, I started taping my mouth, and it actually works well. If air gets in my mouth, it somehow moves back out I noticed.

Since I use nasal mask, I notice that I don't need to wear a cervical collar due to using a cheap Target firm pillow of good enough height for side-sleep. It's not too thick. I cannot use buckwheat because of the thickness for supine. I prefer not using a collar, so I use tape instead.

I also have TMJ issues, and I've been trying out Magnesium Glycinate to relax my muscles and for the relaxation to help me sleep better.  At the right dosage, it's working.  Taking too much has adverse effects I've experienced.  I take 200mg than the recommended 400mg daily dosage.

It's very important that people experiment to find the most comfortable way to sleep possible.

[SuperSleeper]

Hi SpaciousSander, welcome to Apnea Board.

We don't offer advice in this Success Stories thread, so I've split off your post (with the OSCAR screenshots) into it's own thread, titled "SpaciousSander's Therapy Thread", here in the Main Forum:

http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...apy-Thread

It's best to keep all your therapy information and advice in one single personalized thread like this, so there's a history of your particular situation.

This will also help others provide you with more targeted advice as you fine-tune your therapy.

Thanks.  

[jomomma]

Let me first say that I am glad I found this board.  I was looking for information about the Philips recall, when I found this great group. 

My CPAP story starts with a visit to my daughter in Seattle.  I slept on her sofa bed for a week when visiting over the Christmas holidays 2019.  She claimed I “scary snored” and I need to find out about that.  We made a pact to both seek proper medical attention, get primary care doc, do all the appropriate preventative care.  Unfortunately. the year 2020 brought Covid and lockdowns and limited access to care.

I got an order for a sleep study thru UP (a local hospital group).  The PCP I went to ordered a Home study but informed me that since it was positive for Severe sleep apnea, I would need a further study.  But when I tried to schedule, I could not.  That is because I really did not need one.  The UP “sleep doc” scheduled a 15-minute zoom type call to spend 5 minutes telling me about my sleep apnea and 10 minutes to talk about my insomnia.  I was not to worry about my OSA because he would “fix it”.   But I did need to address my insomnia because I had forgotten to sleep “as my mother had taught me”.  For this advice he billed my insurance $450. 

Fortunately, I insisted on getting a copy of my FULL sleep study.  After I read it, I was alarmed and was willing to make the CPAP work.  UP doc was also not happy because my insurance preferred provider for DME was with the other hospital group (Oxx ). So, they reluctantly ordered the DME thru the other hospital group.    I finally got an appointment and picked up my Dreamstation and gear in July 2020.  The RT gave me a full-face mask because I snored.  They would not fit it with the CPAP running due to Covid, and so the first 6 months of therapy truly sucked!  Plus, they set up a series of appointments with various people in the zoom doc’s office.  

Before I went to the first appointment, I was ignored completely for weeks.  Two days before that first appointment, I was emailed and repeatedly called to be sure I attended my scheduled visit.   I had enough!  I scheduled an appointment with OxxSleep, that other hospital group.  This doctor saw me in person.  I brought a list of questions and he spent 45 minutes to an hour answering them.  If I lost weight, my OSA would probably improve but he admitted that there was no magic number and even told me he had athletes with hard to manage apnea.  He is willing to work with me thru messages in My Chart and the Oxx DME.  So, one appointment was enough, come back in a year. 

With better help, my AHI went down but was still over 5.  I lost bout 25 lbs. in the 12 months following starting CPAP.  I was already following a strenuous exercise program and I had done a dietician monitored diet program utilizing a food logging app.  I had been watching my diet and exercising for several years, but the weight would not go!  During that year, I lost most of the weight from my “belly fat” and dropped my cholesterol 30 pts.  I was amazed.  I also found out that I do NOT have insomnia.  Once I got adjusted to the CPAP my nightly sleep was so much better. 

With the weight loss, my mask which I did not really like, fit badly.  They did not carry or the manufacturer did not make a smaller size.  So, when I was due for a new mask, I made an appointment to get fitted for a mask with better fit.   This time I asked about a nasal mask maybe with a chin strap.  I do like the mask with the hose connection at the top of the head.  The RT fitting me also admitted that she had OSA too.  She gave me multiple suggestions and after trying I am currently using a Philips nasal gel pillow which is not perfect, but is much better and more comfortable than the full-face mask.  Plus my AHI average is around 2!  My new doctor has reduced my pressure.  Things are better.


I am awaiting the Philips recall of my device.  I never used ozone cleaners.  Not using the device is really not an option for me.  I found this group and downloaded OSCAR.  I have learned a lot.  I also understand why many patients give up on CPAP.  Thank you

[factor]

Let me first say that I am glad I found this board.  I was looking for information about the Philips recall, when I found this great group. 

I was told I sounded like someone was strangling a Billy goat...  So of to the Doctor I went.

We will be here to help you. 

Read my story below.