Welcome to Apnea Board !
As a guest, you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use.
To post a message, you must create a free account using a valid email address.
Login or Create an Account
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
(12-11-2023, 11:48 AM)OpalRose Wrote: A couple posts back, you said you set EPR to 2. Your last two charts don't reflect any usage of EPR.
Try it.... it will help with flow limitation caused by the leaks, or the leaking is causing FL.
Either way...
How can you tell from the chart what EPR setting I had? I did try to change it to two, but maybe it didn't switch. Tiny touch screen buttons are not the best. I'll check when I'm home.
Two places. The first is in the statistics area on the left hand panel, where pressure (IPAP) and EPAP would be different. The second is in the pressure chart itself where there would be two separate pressures.
So it's been almost two weeks of therapy. Other than attempting a night with a FF mask, which was terrible, most nights look like this one. Doesn't seem to matter whether I have my mouth taped or not.
Should I be concerned with the mouth leaks or is this acceptable?
I would not worry about the leaks as they are not significant. Something to continue to work on, possibly with a soft cervical collar or mouth tape. If you are okay with it, then leave it as is and see if it improves with time.
If you want to fine-tune a bit, you could try a pressure range of 11-14 with EPR 2 or 3 full-time. If you are fine with things as they stand and want to give it more time, nothing wrong with that as long as you feel your sleep quality is good.
Agree with PeaceLoveAndPizza,
Your 95% leak rate is good. Some of it may be mask movement.
I would concentrate on the Obstructives by raising the minimum to 11cm, EPR at 2, as this should raise your EPAP. It's the Epap that helps keep the airway open.
If uncomfortable, revert back to the prior settings. Nothing is written in stone. Plus give any change you make some time. And as stated above, if you're sleeping well, you don't really need to make changes.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
So I'm a month in to therapy and have had some good nights and some not so good. With a P10 I still have some nights where my mouth just keeps opening. Other nights it's fine.
I've attempted a FF mask several times but I can't make it through the night with one. Once I'm awakened in the middle of the night I just feel totally claustrophobic and need to take it off to get back to sleep. It feels too warm and it feels like there isn't enough air to breath. I'd like to get used to the FF mask as I have a small surgery in a few weeks and won't be able to use my pillow mask.
I also had some bad OA's the other night when I used the FF mask. Never saw anything like this before on my OSCAR charts. Any thoughts on this?
The group of Obstructives around 3:30 is from either "chin tucking" or sleeping in a position that is literally cutting of your air supply. You woke up shortly after.
I personally prefer the pillow mask, but do understand that you may not be able to use it after your surgery, at least until you heal.
With a full face mask, be sure you change the setting in your pap machine to full face.
Also, with a 95% flow limitation of 0.11, you might want to try EPR at 2 instead of 1.
If you do make this change, then raise your minimum pressure slowly. Try 11.6. You may need to raise it to 12 eventually with EPR 2. This would keep your EPAP at 10, which seems to keep the Obstructives at bay.
Also, the slightly higher pressure may help you tolerate the full face mask better during your recovery from surgery.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
