[Treatment] Rough first night on AirCurve Vauto (OSCAR screenshots attached)

[tiredsam98]

I don't know how you can manage breathing against a jet turbine 

I halved the ramp-time to 20 and had a very nice sleep. Still need to figure out how to not remove the mask half-way into the night...

There was a crisis at 6:45am: my hose snagged and pulled the AirCurve off my bedside table. If I were wearing a pulse oximeter, it would've been off the charts. Fortunately, it was only a two ft drop onto soft carpet, and the humidifier chamber remained attached. But I'd imagine these are sensitive machines...

Immediately after, I noticed water in my hose (the humidifier's chamber must have been upside down for a bit). Disconnected the unit, and waited a few hours. I just turned it on again and everything seems to be working fine. No fan noise, no water in screen or motor. Air pressure is good and responsive to inhales/exhales. Any other precautions I should take? I just ordered some heavy-duty velcro to affix the PAP to my nightstand. 

[attachment=24845]

[Sleeprider]

I keep my Vauto in a bedside drawer and route the hose out the back of the cabinet, suspended by a lanyard and it then drops down to where I sleep. Suspending the hose will allow you more freedom of movement and avoid a future crisis. You will adapt to the pressure, and as long as there are no significant leaks, the environment in your mask should be pretty quiet. Our machines create pressure, but not a lot of flow. You don't have any flow obstruction, and if you'd like to try lower pressure change EPAP min to 4.0 and max pressure to 7.0 with PS 3. That will produce fixed bilevel pressure which should not be disruptive and will be lower than your current settings. Try it, you'll like it.

[tiredsam98]

Thank you, Sleeprider. I've had a few very nice nights with EPAP min @ 4.0 and IPAP max @ 7.0 with PS 3. Last night marks my longest night of therapy so far (mask on for 7hr:43min), so I'll post some OSCAR data. I've adapted well to this lower pressure and hardly notice it while falling asleep.

It was a rather uneventful and restful night, save a cluster of OA's at ~2:45am (second screenshot) and another right around my wake-up time (third). Would you advise any adjustments? 
     
[attachment=25025]
   

[Sleeprider]

Looks great and does every thing we were hoping for. I will just let this go as is and hopefully your comfort increases as you adapt. You don’t need the ramp because pressure never changes. We may want to look at putting trigger sensitivity on high if we haven’t already done so. It can help to reduce CA.

Everyone is different and you do better with fixed pressure. I think with fewer sleep disruptions you will start to feel more of the benefits of your therapy.

[tiredsam98]

Thanks again, Sleeprider! Trigger sensitivity has been at high for some time now, and I turned off the ramp this morning. Two great nights in a row. I feel well-rested for the first time and will check back in a few weeks with a progress report.

OSCAR agrees that a fixed pressure is better for me: AHI of 0.13!

I would toss you some BTC or PayPal for a dinner on me, but I'd imagine that's a violation of the ApneaBoard rules (message me, if not)? I sincerely appreciate your help. 

-S

   

[Sleeprider]

I appreciate the sentiments, but if you want to pay it forward just use the donate button, so we can continue to provide this forum help others. Thanks!

[tiredsam98]

Easy, done!