09-13-2017, 12:11 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-13-2017, 12:11 PM by Tampa Jim.)
RE: Slim members with sleep apnea? AHI? Experience? Improvement?
5'8" 145# athletic and very active. Hiking is my pastime and I'm very good at it.
Just have breathing issues at night. AHI untreated of 22.7, treated under 1.0.
LOVE my new life. Sleep like the dead, wake up like Mohammed Ali on caffeine.
Recently bought a travel machine to make things easier. Don't want to do without.
I see it like a personal trainer - not fond of the contraption, but love the results.
RE: Slim members with sleep apnea? AHI? Experience? Improvement?
Do people who were obese and are not now count?
I wouldn't say I'm "slim" but I lost a lot of weight between 2013-2014 after a type 2 diabetes diagnosis and I've since kept it off now that I know what is healthy for me to eat.
I'm 5'8", started out 215 lbs. These days I generally fluctuate within 5 lbs, but I'm usually between 172 lbs and 176 lbs. And I'm no longer chunky. I work out regularly (or at least did until recently, life's been in the way for a while. I lift when I can, and it's firewood hauling time of year), and am somewhat muscular. No 6-pack or anything, but I'm definitely not overweight anymore.
As for AHI... I think I was at a 26 when diagnosed, and with an APAP have been able to get down to 3 to 5. It hasn't been perfect for me like some folks who can get it down to 0.1 or 0 consistently, but I now usually have between 0 and 5 obs events per night these days, which is way better than the... I dunno how many I had at diagnosis, a lot.
APAP has led to more CA events (or clear airway, as my Dreamstation calls it). The higher base pressure the more CAs it seems, and my 90% is usually around 10-10.5. Some of it's sleep wake junk, but in some cases it's literally the machine waking me up. I put the kibosh on that by lowering my top end pressure. My recommendation from the doc was basically wide open (5 - 18), but I use 6.5 - 14 which has been better for me, and prevents it from ramping too high if I spring an air leak.
Overal APAP has been a quality of life improvement for me in many ways. I used to snore the house down, but combination of xPAP and Claritin stopped my snoring cold. And overall I'm more rested, though some days are better than others, and there are still days here and there (like this morning) where I get a high AHI (15) for seemingly no reason. Mask choice seems to have a huge impact.
RE: Slim members with sleep apnea? AHI? Experience? Improvement?
I'll add in my 2 cents from a heavy to lighter and still have apnea. I was at 300 pounds and 5' 11 " to 200 pounds in a year due to bariatric surgery. It was strongly recommended I lose weight as I had several serious health issues becoming more serious very quickly. Sleep apnea, COPD, possible heart issues, and a bad back all at once. I still need PAP therapy; mine has taken time to get a narrow focus on what really was needed. I'm on an ASV for mixed apneas now. And I may be yet adding oxygen to the mix via a concentrator. The jury isn't out to announce the verdict yet.
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.