[CPAP] It's been a year on CPAP and I feel worse than ever

[cplop]

I want to apologize if I haven't edited this properly. I am not myself anyone and I feel like after an entire year of religious CPAP use I just keep getting worse. Sorry if I am rambling, I am just a year into to 100% trying my hardest every single night with barely anything to show other than the obvious "I know I am healthier, I think".


I just desperately need help to see if I am missing some kind of easy fix.


I have a medical practitioner that I am pretty sure is one of the best in my country but I only get a touch point twice a year so it's glacial progress. They listen to me, but I can sense I have about one last session with him and one last special test before I am on my own. The current settings were all set up based on initial test and titration.


I've attached last night, it seemingly only got the first attempt at sleep where I was started awake by I don't even know what. I barely slept 20 minutes, then proceeded to stay awake until 5:30am unable to sleep. When I finally went to sleep again I was started awake again by something unknown, I feel like death warmed over today. This has happened before, but it was extremely rare. I am attaching this one out of some hope that someone can see something I can't, I thought I was past this level of bad sleep but I guess not.



I've attached a night where I woke up randomly, unsure why. I generally fully wake up once per night, generally never more. Sometimes, without any known understanding to me, I'll sleep through the night. I NEVER FEEL GOOD REGARDLESS of this occurrence.



I've attached a night where I didn't wake up randomly. I did not feel good in the morning.



I have a year worth of data, I just don't know where to start.



Should I buy a device to test for oxygen? How do I feel this bad this far in?


I've tried cheap chinstraps, I am actively using the knightbridge, I wash the pillow with dawn to ensure it's not oily, but I just feel like I can't control leaks and it's seemingly random.


I am sorry for rambling, I just feel like a shell of myself, clouded with brain fog, and it just feels so complicated to even start the conversation anymore.

[staceyburke]

Welcome to the board... Your AHI is excellent so your pressures are fine if you feel good - but you don't. The main thing I see is you have flow limits that may be causing you problems. Flow limits are apnea just like O and H events the difference is the length of the event and the amount of restriction to your airway. Flow limits are NOT figured in you AHI but they can and do cause sleep disruption. So that may be a reason for how you feel.

We help decrease the flow limits using EPR and yours is turned off. I would suggest you try the following:

EPR on FULL TIME
setting 3

You should feel less pressure on exhale but besides that everything should stay the same except your flow limits should decrease and with that you may feel better after a week at this setting.

[cplop]

EPR on FULL TIME
setting 3

Thank you for reaching out with support so quickly.

This makes sense... my practitioner back in January 2023 made me turn off EPR when my pressure went up. I did the pressure first, then the EPR about a week later.

I noticed immediately that air was now blowing out of my mouth (dry mouth) and startling me awake when I increased the pressure.

I couldn't tell if the lack of EPR a week later  was doing anything because I was already worse.

That's what started the whole procurement of the chinstrap, which solved the observable mouth leak startles... but I just progressively felt worse.


Obviously appreciating I have a prescription that says "no EPR" and I am shouldn't seek "medical advice from you"

Is this something I need to discuss with my practitioner?

[staceyburke]

No. EPR only reduces the exhale pressure so you are at 10 fixed - your exhale would be 7 but your pressure would still be at 10.