Noo B or not Noo B - is that the question?

Noo B or not Noo B - is that the question? - Printable Version

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Noo B or not Noo B - is that the question? - rkl122 - 06-02-2016

Hello all. New poster. I'd been on CPAP three years ago for ~16 months before a (new) sleep study Rx'd by a new doc found that I didn't have OSA at all. But around 2 mos. ago, a third study showed AHI of 24 and the doc said back to therapy. Then I discovered this great group (friendly and informative) and SleepyHead (a gem!), so the masked man rides again. Been at it two months, and AHI is flirting with the 5 threshold. It would break 5 more often if it weren't for event clusters in half hour chunks - largely CA and HA. (I'm aware that newbies get these clusters, but still have questions about them. Will start a separate thread on that.)

When I saw the doc after this last sleep study, I said "this is bogus." He says "why?" I say, well look, I never went deeper than level 2 sleep - no REM - and didn't have a single OA, yet they diagnose Obstructive Sleep Apnea. (I've since learned that's a generic name.) I don't snore and my BMI is just a tad above normal range. But most of all, the first night back on the machine, the AHI was 9.7, nowhere near 24. And he says... That's because you were on therapy, dummy! DOH! Well, he didn't actually say "dummy," but it never occurred to me that one night of therapy could more than halve the AHI. Doh again.

Bottom line: I'm now pretty well convinced I'm in the club, and feel I'm on the path to effective treatment. I feel fortunate I was given an APAP machine 3 years ago, when I didn't know diddly about feature distinctions. I've learned a ton from lurking here, and hope to post on aspects about which I'm still confused. Thanks for being here.

-Ron

PS. Important advice: If you use a boil and bite toothguard prone to falling out and getting lost in the bed in the middle of the night, don't test it while your wife is on her heating pad. My toothguard now resembles a gum wad recovered from under a 19th century park bench.

RE: Noo B or not Noo B - is that the question? - MitchS - 06-02-2016

Welcome to the forum, rkl122. That sounds like quite a journey. Welcome to the forum and good luck on your treatment.

RE: Noo B or not Noo B - is that the question? - justMongo - 06-02-2016

Welcome

Welcome to ApneaBoard.

RE: Noo B or not Noo B - is that the question? - OpalRose - 06-02-2016

Welcome to the forum rkl122,
Glad your here! Feel free to ask questions, someone is always here to help.
Sleep-well

RE: Noo B or not Noo B - is that the question? - trish6hundred - 06-02-2016

Hi rkl122,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Much success to you as you continue your CPAP therapy, hang in there for more responses to your post.

RE: Noo B or not Noo B - is that the question? - chill - 06-02-2016

Hi Ho Silver! Welcome to the club. All the cool kids hang out here.

RE: Noo B or not Noo B - is that the question? - richb - 06-03-2016

Hi rkl122,

You might want to post some screenshots from Sleepyhead. You could get some suggestions as to how others have controlled their CA and H numbers. You will also get feedback as to wether your current machine is appropriate for your particular condition.

Rich

RE: Noo B or not Noo B - is that the question? - BadGoodDeb - 06-03-2016

snortle chuckle chortle about the bite guard problem!! Sorry you had to discover that for us -- but it's a useful rule to know about. Big Grin

RE: Noo B or not Noo B - is that the question? - rkl122 - 06-03-2016

Thanks fellow aspiring respirants for the warm welcome.

(06-03-2016, 01:00 PM)BadGoodDeb Wrote: snortle chuckle chortle about the bite guard problem!! Sorry you had to discover that for us -- but it's a useful rule to know about.

Heh, yeah, I'm on my 'guard' so to speak. BTW, by the time I thought to change "wife" to "spouse," the edit button was gone. Oh-jeez

richb Wrote:You might want to post some screenshots from Sleepyhead. You could get some suggestions as to how others have controlled their CA and H numbers. You will also get feedback as to wether your current machine is appropriate for your particular condition.

Yes, thanks Rich, I plan to do that. Problem is I'm not clear which is the best night to post. As others have noted, there's no typical pattern. Some nights there's a tight cluster of events - maybe a half hour window, other nights, 1-2 hour clusters, other nights, events are pretty evenly spread out. As a scientist in a former life, I'm dataphilic, but am going nuts looking for correlations between graphs. Most nights, I do have noticeable, brief windows of enhanced respiration rate - a rise of 30-40% once or twice a night, and they may be correlated with flow or leak changes. Can't say for sure. (I think some of them, not all, correlate with waking periods.)

Browsing the SH data, though, is fun. I try not to remind myself I'm looking at the nuts and bolts of a mortality risk factor.

I switched to the MW pillow on the Dreamware mask a couple days ago. I think it's my size. After a bit more experience, I'll post some data.

-Ron

RE: Noo B or not Noo B - is that the question? - chill - 06-03-2016

The rise in respiration rate might also indicate REM sleep. The clustered events are probably more interesting to look at than the spread out ones. I know what you mean about the graphs, it is kind of like trying to read chicken entrails.