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help, way too many leaks last night
RE: help, way too many leaks last night
ARGGHHHH.....
Does it ever get better?
Last night (and previous nights about the same):

[Image: screenshot-20140925-110553_zpse9434f73.png]
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RE: help, way too many leaks last night
LEAKS, LEAKAGE... I just left an argument on another board that I did not wish to participate in.

LEAKAGE is absolutely necessary in your system in order to flush unwanted gases from the system (i.e. CO2).

What we are looking for is the 'constant' leak rate generated by your mask's vent and some blowers will automatically estimate that and take it into account.

It is the UNINTENTIONAL leaks or leakage that we are looking for, caused by mask leaks, mouth breathing, etc. It creates all sorts of havoc with your blower's sensory algorithms asides from killing your therapy by varying the pressure being delivered.

It can take weeks or months to bring leaks under control and much has been written so I will not repeat it all here. TOP on my list, from experience, is simply accounting for mouth breathing without using tape, straps, wearing ladies underwear on your head and the like (i.e. get a full face mask if you have issues with mouth breathing). And just as important, GET THE RIGHT FIT TO YOUR FACE. I have been using a large FFM for 5 years and while it works well 95% of the time I found myself awakening to air blowing in my face or my wife's face every night. By simple fluke I found myself with a medium sized FFM when my wife had to go to a small size mask and lo and behold (!) both of our masks fit like a glove now and work very very well. DOH!
What a pleasure to sleep without being awakened by disturbed therapy or simply air blowing into your face or onto your arm. It is that simple. So, in short, when you said "too many leaks last night" I thought of my own experience. Bad fit. Nothing more or less. And I lived with it for FIVE years! I have been using the medium sized mask now for about a week or so and it is a pleasure indeed. You want to rid yourself of those leaks... even a couple a night will disturb your sleep. I can honestly say that with my Mirage Quattro FFM I have been more than happy even with the bad fit. Now that I have the right fit in a MEDIUM size I am in heaven and for the past week have slept more soundly without been aroused due to mask leaks. And remember, it is not just the air blowing on your body... it is also a loss in therapy efficiency. Good luck. Keep at it and you WILL get there. Promise. Just hope it doesn't take you the five years it took me. Thought I was pretty good with APAP and OSA... but apparently not. There's always something.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Educate, Advocate, Contemplate.
Herein lies personal opinion, no professional advice, which ALL are well advised to seek.



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RE: help, way too many leaks last night
(10-02-2014, 12:53 PM)TorontoCPAPguy Wrote: LEAKAGE is absolutely necessary in your system in order to flush unwanted gases from the system (i.e. CO2).

What we are looking for is the 'constant' leak rate generated by your mask's vent and some blowers will automatically estimate that and take it into account.

It is the UNINTENTIONAL leaks or leakage that we are looking for, caused by mask leaks, mouth breathing, etc. It creates all sorts of havoc with your blower's sensory algorithms asides from killing your therapy by varying the pressure being delivered.

Maybe this is a good spot to ask a question I've had for quite awhile. Many people talk about a line on the Sleepyhead leak graph that is blue or red or something. All my lines are the same, so I don't really know what is a bad unintentional leak, unless maybe above 14 or 24 or something? Do I have to enter a number specific to my Swift FX for Her that calibrates either my VPAP or Sleepyhead so that I know what's out of whack? Where do I get that number if it's needed?

Sorry, I've been so absorbed in my too high pressure issues that I'm woefully lacking in some of the basics.

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RE: help, way too many leaks last night
(10-02-2014, 05:39 PM)PhyllisBalboa Wrote:
(10-02-2014, 12:53 PM)TorontoCPAPguy Wrote: LEAKAGE is absolutely necessary in your system in order to flush unwanted gases from the system (i.e. CO2).

What we are looking for is the 'constant' leak rate generated by your mask's vent and some blowers will automatically estimate that and take it into account.

It is the UNINTENTIONAL leaks or leakage that we are looking for, caused by mask leaks, mouth breathing, etc. It creates all sorts of havoc with your blower's sensory algorithms asides from killing your therapy by varying the pressure being delivered.

Maybe this is a good spot to ask a question I've had for quite awhile. Many people talk about a line on the Sleepyhead leak graph that is blue or red or something. All my lines are the same, so I don't really know what is a bad unintentional leak, unless maybe above 14 or 24 or something? Do I have to enter a number specific to my Swift FX for Her that calibrates either my VPAP or Sleepyhead so that I know what's out of whack? Where do I get that number if it's needed?

Sorry, I've been so absorbed in my too high pressure issues that I'm woefully lacking in some of the basics.

Clementine has an S9 or S10 resmed unit it only shows the 1 leak line on the graph as you can see from her images. The Phillips unit show two lines as you can see from my graph below.

The "leaks over redline" can be seen under the numbers at the bottom of the pie chart, that is the percentage of time that your treatment spent with leaks above the redline, the redline being the point where the efficacy of the treatment may be questionable. Hope that helps.

[Image: 2j5z7uc.jpg]
If everyone thinks alike, then someone isn't thinking.
Everyone knows something, together we could know everything.
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RE: help, way too many leaks last night
(10-02-2014, 05:39 PM)PhyllisBalboa Wrote: Maybe this is a good spot to ask a question I've had for quite awhile. Many people talk about a line on the Sleepyhead leak graph that is blue or red or something. All my lines are the same, so I don't really know what is a bad unintentional leak, unless maybe above 14 or 24 or something? Do I have to enter a number specific to my Swift FX for Her that calibrates either my VPAP or Sleepyhead so that I know what's out of whack? Where do I get that number if it's needed?

(10-02-2014, 12:53 PM)TorontoCPAPguy Wrote: Clementine has an S9 or S10 resmed unit it only shows the 1 leak line on the graph as you can see from her images.

The "leaks over redline" can be seen under the numbers at the bottom of the pie chart, that is the percentage of time that your treatment spent with leaks above the redline, the redline being the point where the efficacy of the treatment may be questionable. Hope that helps.

That's the problem, I don't have a redline on my Sleephead leak graph, nor do I have a heading of 'leaks over redline' below the pie chart. I have a Resmed S9 ASV (VPAP Adapt). Because of that, I don't know if my leaks are bad or not.

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RE: help, way too many leaks last night
Below your chart it doesn't have lines that say;
Leak Rate
Total Leaks
With the numbers to the right of them?

Post a graph so I can see what you mean and compare to mine and the others.....
If everyone thinks alike, then someone isn't thinking.
Everyone knows something, together we could know everything.
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RE: help, way too many leaks last night
(10-05-2014, 06:00 PM)Galactus Wrote: Below your chart it doesn't have lines that say;
Leak Rate
Total Leaks
With the numbers to the right of them?

Post a graph so I can see what you mean and compare to mine and the others.....

Under my Sleepyhead pie chart of events, it gives 'Leak Rate' with 95% at 3.60 and 'Max' at 21.60. I don't have another line that says 'Total Leaks'.

In the graphs section, my graph called 'Leak' shows leaks, but no red line. The leaks seem to run under 20.

Don't make me post a graph! I'm just barely keeping up with all this new stuff as it is. Now I have to find some site to download a screenshot to (I have no print screen button on my Mac) and then make a link somehow? I'm still new, you know...

Oh-jeez
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RE: help, way too many leaks last night
Alright I'll ask and see if anyone can help you because I don't know the answer to your question.

If you would like to take a screen shot on your mak, just look at this link, it is quite easy;

http://www.take-a-screenshot.org

Now if you want to upload and post that here it is even easier, just go here;

http://www.tinypic.com

You will see a "select file" box, just select the file, and it will give you a link that says [img] YOUR FILE NAME HERE [/b] Then just paste that in your reply and it will show your screen shot.

Just trying to help, but I don't know everything (yet) Big Grin
If everyone thinks alike, then someone isn't thinking.
Everyone knows something, together we could know everything.
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RE: help, way too many leaks last night
(10-05-2014, 06:42 PM)PhyllisBalboa Wrote:
(10-05-2014, 06:00 PM)Galactus Wrote: Below your chart it doesn't have lines that say;
Leak Rate
Total Leaks
With the numbers to the right of them?

Post a graph so I can see what you mean and compare to mine and the others.....

Under my Sleepyhead pie chart of events, it gives 'Leak Rate' with 95% at 3.60 and 'Max' at 21.60. I don't have another line that says 'Total Leaks'.

In the graphs section, my graph called 'Leak' shows leaks, but no red line. The leaks seem to run under 20.
Unlike PRS1, S9 does not report total leak
Total leak = intentional leak (vents leak rate) + unintentional leak (mask leak + mouth leak)

The S9 subtract intentional leak from total leak and report unintentional leak

95th percentile leak (3.60) means leak was at or below 3.60 L/m for 95% of the night
Tiny leak rate, not significant enough to impact on your therapy ... congrats, whats your secret?
My leak rates are much higher but do not bother me, providing not disturb my sleep or shooting into my eyes
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RE: help, way too many leaks last night
(10-05-2014, 07:04 PM)Galactus Wrote: Alright I'll ask and see if anyone can help you because I don't know the answer to your question.

If you would like to take a screen shot on your mak, just look at this link, it is quite easy;

http://www.take-a-screenshot.org

Now if you want to upload and post that here it is even easier, just go here;

http://www.tinypic.com

You will see a "select file" box, just select the file, and it will give you a link that says [img] YOUR FILE NAME HERE [/b] Then just paste that in your reply and it will show your screen shot.

Just trying to help, but I don't know everything (yet) Big Grin

Well, that doesn't seem too hard, unless you're hiding something from me.
Rolleyes

OK, I'll try this next time someone wants my graphs, since the next posting makes it all moot.

Thanks, Galactus!

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