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[CPAP] How am I doing?
#1
How am I doing?
Another newbie here! I've been on CPAP for about a month, tried 3 different masks and finally settled on DreamWisp Nasal Mask. I'm still getting used to it, more comfortable with it everyday. Overall I think I'm feeling tiny a bit better ever since I started using the DreamWisp mask (for 2 weeks), but I am still tired all the time and have foggy brain. The foggy brain get much worse after I eat anything.

I have attached my daily report, I wonder if anyone can take a look and let me if there is any adjustment I should make? The previous few days reports are very similar to this. I spent some time reading the OSCAR help wiki, but I still don't quite understand how to interrupt the report. I really hope things will start improving for me.

Appreciate your help!

Don


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#2
RE: How am I doing?
Welcome to Apnea Board.

You should try again with OSCAR to give color screenshots with the left panel stats minus pie chart and calendar. Your pressure is still 4-20 default, and that's not optimized for you and that's likely where it needs to improve. I'd increase Min pressure to 7 and EPR full-time 3. Then work on the chart to show a color daily with left panel.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#3
RE: How am I doing?
You look to be doing ok. You want to look at the bottom of the post to see how to organize the graphs and please use the F12 button for screenshots. It automatically sets the best size. 

The only thing I can see is you are at a min of 4. MOST adults need more air than that to feel ok. And your EPR(exhale pressure relief) is at 2.

Problem with that is 4 is the lowest pressure your Cpap can go. EPR subtracts from the min pressure for exhale. So you EPR is doing nothing, again your Cpap cannot go lower than 4 

So your min setting should be set at 8 with EPR =3.   THhat will give you more air on inhale and a 5 on exhale.
Apnea (80-100%) 10 seconds, Hypopnea (50-80%) 10 seconds, Flow Limits (0-50%) not timed  Cervical Collar - Dealing w DME - Chart Organizing
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#4
RE: How am I doing?
Thanks! Do I need to set the EPR somewhere or it’s automatic?
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#5
RE: How am I doing?
It's a manual setting under comfort.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#6
RE: How am I doing?
Thanks, I adjusted the low pressure and set the EPR to 3. Is there a wiki article to explain how I can interpret Oscar report? Or I just need to post the chart here and ask for help. I can’t understand why I need to increase the pressure. My AHI right now is very low, doesn’t that mean the machine is working as expected? I did increase the pressure to 6 at one point and it bothered me too much so I changed it back to 4.
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#7
RE: How am I doing?
I tried to explain it to you in my first post. Here it goes again, 4 is the lowest any Cpap can go. 4 is what is used for children using Cpap. An adult needs more air than 4 cm of air. If your mask is not leaking you would have a feeling of being “air starved”. 

The min pressure is the exhale pressure.  The EPR (exhale pressure relief) subtracts from the min pressure. So if you have min pressure set at 8 that will be your inhale pressure but your exhale would be the min-EPR. So your exhale pressure  would be 5. 

What is a cm of pressure?  It is Measured as the pressure you would need to blow bubbles from a straw in water. One number for each Centimeter the straw is under water. So 5 would be how hard you would need to blow bubbles with a straw 5 Centimeters under water. 

Now think how small amount of air it would be if you could ONLY breath as much air in at 4cm of pressure. 

I need at least 9 or I’m pulling my mask off and gasping for air.
Apnea (80-100%) 10 seconds, Hypopnea (50-80%) 10 seconds, Flow Limits (0-50%) not timed  Cervical Collar - Dealing w DME - Chart Organizing
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#8
RE: How am I doing?
As a general rule of thumb
Min pressure should be

Min = 4(machine Min) + EPR(3) = 7
This means that the min pressure is actually 4.
This is to give the EPR room to work.

Your pressure is jumping up and down because at the pressure of 4 you are getting a lot of flow limitations. This is repeating most of the night. To smooth things out you need a higher pressure.

Whether your min pressure is set to 6,7,8, or 9 doesn't matter too much as we will look at what it does and make a further tweak. We do need to even out your breathing so you can feel better and this is the best way to eliminate those flow limits.
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#9
RE: How am I doing?
Thanks for the clear explanation! I’ll post another screenshot after a few days.
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