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I have been struggling and was thinking about going back to Apap. I don’t remember ever feeling as bad as I do right now on Bipap. Which is weird because it has been a year and a half, and this started in July and every day is worse. I struggled with APAP but have since gotten nasal surgery to fix my septum and reduce turbinate. Perhaps it will fit me better now.
Went to the cardiologist and they say I am fine. Sleep doctor cant get me in until November, and I am not sure I will make it 2 more days let alone 2 months
Machine: Lowenstein Luisa Mask Type: Full face mask Mask Make & Model: Resmed Quattro FX Humidifier: separate F&P humidifier CPAP Pressure: Epap 4-20 PS 4-20; "auto" rate CPAP Software: Not using software
Other Comments: Using 45 degree angle upper body wedge (36"x36") and 4.5"soft cervical collar; 500 assured tidal vol
Straight cpap fixed pressure reduced my AHI more than using bipap (bilevel) on my PSG sleep study. That was only because bipap caused a very large amount of CA's (but it helped reduce all other events). The obvious direction to go after this for me was a bilevel with a back up rate.
With you VAuto, you can reduce the pressure support and it should act like an apap I think. Wouldn't hurt to give it a try if you can tweak your pressure(s) to mimic apap. If it doesn't work, you can always switch back to your current best set up.
Advisory Members serve as an "Advisory Committee" to help shape Apnea Board's rules & policies.
Membership in the Advisory Members group does not imply medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.
My SLeep study they started me on 8/4 I had TECA at first, but once they changed me to 9/5 it went away. They sent me on my way and over the time I have worked on here to adjust settings to optimize. Worked well for a few months, but now it's causing me centrals and I am afraid I have made too many changes and destroyed my sleep. I have tried to go back to 9/5 and it didnt work for me.
I still have my APap machine in my closet, so I do have the option of busting it out and trying. I am just worried that I feel so bad, and that could make things worse. with that said, I am on my own until November.
My oxygen and apneas were worse almost while on Bipap vs just sleeping with nothing. My baseline is better than what I am at currently experiencing with my machine.
There are setting for the VAUTO that will help your centrals and it has several setting that can help where the cpap just can't. I suggest you post your OSCAR charts. We can take a look at them and help.
(09-06-2024, 11:05 PM)staceyburke Wrote: There are setting for the VAUTO that will help your centrals and it has several setting that can help where the cpap just can't. I suggest you post your OSCAR charts. We can take a look at them and help.
My charts are in the below thread. I dont want to cross pollinate.
Machine: Lowenstein Luisa Mask Type: Full face mask Mask Make & Model: Resmed Quattro FX Humidifier: separate F&P humidifier CPAP Pressure: Epap 4-20 PS 4-20; "auto" rate CPAP Software: Not using software
Other Comments: Using 45 degree angle upper body wedge (36"x36") and 4.5"soft cervical collar; 500 assured tidal vol
I see a problem with your sleep study (based on how mine was done). You had 16.8 central apneas per hour when they got you down to 0 obstructive apneas. On my PSG, they then started using a back up rate to stop both the obstructives and centrals and that worked for me personally. They stopped at just using bipap with you and not trying to stop the 16.8 centrals per hour you were having.
Advisory Members serve as an "Advisory Committee" to help shape Apnea Board's rules & policies.
Membership in the Advisory Members group does not imply medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.
Well mine says (if i am reading it right) all my centrals occurred at 8/4 but when they moved me to 9/5 they went away. It’s also a small window, so i get them at 9/5 in my home usages though.
I don’t know what the minimum is and if they ever are supposed to be 0 overtime, but my listed events are always centrals only, and who knows how many aren’t flagged
Machine: Lowenstein Luisa Mask Type: Full face mask Mask Make & Model: Resmed Quattro FX Humidifier: separate F&P humidifier CPAP Pressure: Epap 4-20 PS 4-20; "auto" rate CPAP Software: Not using software
Other Comments: Using 45 degree angle upper body wedge (36"x36") and 4.5"soft cervical collar; 500 assured tidal vol
09-07-2024, 11:41 AM (This post was last modified: 09-07-2024, 11:45 AM by Jay51.)
RE: Bipap vs Cpap/Apap
Thank you for clarifying that. That is strange. Sorry I misinterpreted your sleep study.
I am with you in that I am a bit confused on what is happening and how to correctly address it. Your sleep study did mention treatment emergent central apneas, so there is a possibility that your CA's could diminish in time. I wonder if your surgery is the cause of your current situation? I had the same surgery. It should increase airflow through the nose significantly. Possibly, you are breathing so much better now, that you are washing out more and more CO2, which can cause some centrals.
Just another thought: have you tried reducing your pressure(s) a bit more to see if that helps? Especially the pressure support?
Advisory Members serve as an "Advisory Committee" to help shape Apnea Board's rules & policies.
Membership in the Advisory Members group does not imply medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.
09-07-2024, 06:46 PM (This post was last modified: 09-07-2024, 06:53 PM by Deborah K..)
RE: Bipap vs Cpap/Apap
It looks to me like you had your best night using the Vauto with your pressures at 8 and 15 on August 11th. You had no CAs and low hypopneas. Unless you had some other problem maybe you should go back to that.
Also, there is nothing that an Apap or Cpap can do that the Vauto can't do. Sleeprider says that in a better world, the Vauto would be the best for everyone unless they need an ASV or Ventilator. (My paraphrase)
