07-30-2012, 08:10 AM
(This post was last modified: 07-30-2012, 08:19 AM by lonnieb.)
increase in pressure
I have been on my CPAP for about 6 months with the machine being on 7,
after Turbinate Reduction I put the machine on auto after talking to my Dr.The pressure is runing about avg of 11 now with a 12/LH and a AHI 0.3. Does someone know why it went up to 11 when 7 was what they said i needed only 6 months ago,is this becouse the leaks 
increase in pressure -i cant type to good
RE: increse in pressure
"Does someone know why it went up to 11 when 7 was what they said i needed"
I agree the difference between 7 and 11 is a lot...but first diagnoses are usually "safe estimates" and my experience is that sleep doctors schedule second visits from 3 to 6 months after the first diagnosis, in order to dial in the pressure. If you're on Auto, there should be a high setting also...ie: low of 7 and high of ???. If the high is set to 11 max...your supposed average of 11 might be just your high limit.
Leaking is a separate issue, it doesn't (isn't supposed to) affect your pressure readings at all, a leak is considered a fault and is not averaged in to your AHI's
--==<< old, experienced, but still curious >>==--
RE: increse in pressure
well the low is 4 and the high is 20 I didn't know what to set it to so I let it at stay at the default numbers thank you for your reply
RE: increase in pressure
(07-30-2012, 08:10 AM)lonnieb Wrote: I have been on my CPAP for about 6 months with the machine being on 7,
after Turbinate Reduction I put the machine on auto after talking to my Dr.The pressure is runing about avg of 11 now with a 12/LH and a AHI 0.3. Does someone know why it went up to 11 when 7 was what they said i needed only 6 months ago,is this becouse the leaks
increase in pressure -i cant type to good
Lonnie,
This is one of my pet peeves about sleep studies and titration; it is one night! A couple of nights ago my pressure did not go over 11 all night, yet my 30 day average is over 13 so obviously I have nights I need more help and nights I need less help and I'm willing to bet that almost everyone is the same. This is the beauty of APAP!
If I were you I might pull that high end out of the rafters a bit and set it to maybe 15 instead of 20 just to lessen the chances of CAs caused by higher pressure (not that I have seen empirical evidence that this is the cause and effect, but this is a common belief).
You may have been titrated when you only needed 7 to get through that night, and maybe that was too low for your every day needs. Since you apparently have a good rapport with your doctor, maybe you should have a frank discussion with him about 7 vs 11 and how about a realistic range and let the machine do the job it was designed for. He may very well be open to that. Just a thought.
As always, YMMV! You do not have to agree or disagree, I am not a professional so my mental meanderings are simply recollections of things from my own life.
PRS1 - Auto - A-Flex x2 - 12.50 - 20 - Humid x2 - Swift FX
RE: increase in pressure
Lonnie,
I have not had any surgery, but the reports on this forum from people who have is overwelmingly not positive. I apologize, I know this is not what you'd like to hear.
The initial sleep study can alway's be reevaluated. We gain weight, have allergies during certain parts of the year, sleep in different positions, etc. and these can all change your breathing pattern (and xPAP optimum setpoint). This is where the Auto machines can really shine!
All that said, your numbers look great! AHI of 0.3 is fantastic. I recommend that you obtain either the ResScan or Sleepyhead software. The directions to obtain these (free) are on this forum. When you look at your details, you might find that you're getting a certain number of events that only last 10 seconds, or events that last 30 seconds or longer. My experience has been, on nights where my events are much longer in duration, that's when I wake up and fail the "do I feel rested?" test. Longer events likely hit your blood oxygen more, so it kind of makes sense.
Finally, the before mentioned "How do I Feel?" test is always important. Don't let the numbers concern you too much. Again, the beauty of an Auto machine is it changes as you need it to. If your numbers are good (and they are) and you feel rested, relax and have a great nights sleep!
RE: increase in pressure
lonnieb -
My sleep study indicated I should do well at a pressure of 9. But that was based on a couple of hours, late at night after very little actual sleep, in a pretty artificial environment. When I got my machine, it turned out that 9 wasn't nearly the right number - AHI index dropped from about 90 down to maybe 40 or 50, but still 'way too high. Set the machine on auto mode after a couple weeks, and voila! Turned out the right pressure was more like 17, and my AHI score dropped to less than 1. After a couple of months now, it varies a bit from night to night, but it's usually between 15 and 18.
I think it makes sense to leave the machine in auto mode for a while, and see if you get good results. If you are consistently in the same range of pressures, you can narrow the range at some point. I'm not sure why you'd want or need to, if the auto setting is giving you good results, but it is sure possible. It seems to worry some folks if the range is pretty wide; I'm not sure why. The bottom setting needs to be high enough to start with that you can breathe comfortably, and the upper end needs to be high enough to be effective to minimize apneas. Beyond that, I don't know why you'd care how big the range is, if you are getting decent results. That's my two cents; other opinions may differ.
Anyway, the short answer is, what you need may vary some from night to night, and the initial guesstimate may not be terribly accurate.
RE: increase in pressure
WOW what a GREAT forum, I ask a question and in a few min's I get these great replys, thank each of you very much you have helped me a lot
RE: increase in pressure
Hi lonnieb, First of all if I have missed telling you, WELCOME! to the forum.! I hope the surgery helps. Best of luck with your CPAP therapy and with figuring out what you need to do with the pressure issue.
trish6hundred
RE: increase in pressure
(07-30-2012, 08:10 AM)lonnieb Wrote: I have been on my CPAP for about 6 months with the machine being on 7,
after Turbinate Reduction I put the machine on auto after talking to my Dr.The pressure is runing about avg of 11 now with a 12/LH and a AHI 0.3. Does someone know why it went up to 11 when 7 was what they said i needed only 6 months ago,is this becouse the leaks
increase in pressure -i cant type to good Why auto? With the turbinate reduction the pressure ought to be lower not higher. whats the leak
07-30-2012, 05:35 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-30-2012, 05:36 PM by lonnieb.)
RE: increase in pressure
Zonk
I know the pressure should be lower that is what the Dr that did the turbinate reduction said but he had not read my data so he said just but it on auto and bring the card on my next visit so i put it on auto but it went up not down, the next night I put it back on 7 and got up tired and feeling bad so back to auto i went ,the next night that was 10 days ago and I get it feeling good have every night with it on auto and the leaks are most from the mask on the sides when i turn my head except for one night it was off my face all i dont know for how long it was 12/MH last night and 11/MH night before and the last week is 16
thank you
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