[CPAP] Requesting Help with OSCAR Analysis

[Dormeo]

I echo Dave's congratulations. When I look back at your earlier posts and reflect on how early you are in treatment, I am really impressed by how far and fast you've traveled. I truly think things will continue to improve for you.

Dave recommended a Knightsbridge chin strap earlier, and I hope you'll give it a try. Several people seem to like the way it fits. You might experience fewer wake-ups from mouth leaks if your jaw stayed in place a little better. It seems like a good experiment to try.

For nose discomfort, many people swear by Lansinoh lanolin-based ointment. It is made to help nursing mothers, but it promotes comfort and healing on sensitive nares too. I always put a little on my nose when it's feeling a bit raw.

I know I'm repeating myself, but I do think time is going to be your friend in all of this. Be aware that improvement can kind of sneak up on you -- from one day to the next you don't really notice any change, but then you think back a week or two and realize you're feeling more upbeat, energetic, and bright.

Keep us posted, would you?

[kuacc912]

Irritation around nostrils. This is what's helped me. Take a regular-sized cotton ball (not a jumbo-sized one), cut it in half, pull it apart slowly until it's about 3-4 inches long and ~1 inch thick. Carefully wrap the cotton around one side of the nasal pillow. Repeat the process for the other side.

Also, I'm planning to wear the mask and gear (with machine ON) all day every day until I have no more trouble falling asleep.

[omariumprime]

I've been following your thread. Nice to see the improvement, numbers-wise. I'd hang in there for a few weeks at least to see if the symptoms get better. I also suffer from cognitive impairment and mood fluctuations. I'm switching from F30 to P10 (I noticed you wanted to do the opposite) and also planning to use Somniflex tape. I'm curious why you decided to wear a chin strap and the tape? Isn't one or the other sufficient?

EDIT: has anyone tried using an in-nose nasal dilator with a nasal pillow mask?

Thanks for following my thread and for your input! As for doing both the strap and tape, it was really a matter of “going with the flow” in terms of the issues I was having which led me naturally to this approach. Without the strap, I kept waking up even with the tape heavily sealed with air blowing one of the corners, so once I threw in the strap it either reduced it or eliminated the mouth leaks entirely. What I’ve noticed is that I tend to drool and my jaw drops so throughout the night the tape around my lips tends to loosen with the drool and condensation, throw in moving around during my sleep and it’s a recipe for an almost inevitable mouth leak. I’m still sticking to the P10 and the skin irritation has calmed down a bit but still get it back every few nights which I quickly manage using creams.

[omariumprime]

I echo Dave's congratulations.  When I look back at your earlier posts and reflect on how early you are in treatment, I am really impressed by how far and fast you've traveled.  I truly think things will continue to improve for you.

Dave recommended a Knightsbridge chin strap earlier, and I hope you'll give it a try.  Several people seem to like the way it fits.  You might experience fewer wake-ups from mouth leaks if your jaw stayed in place a little better.  It seems like a good experiment to try.

For nose discomfort, many people swear by Lansinoh lanolin-based ointment.  It is made to help nursing mothers, but it promotes comfort and healing on sensitive nares too.  I always put a little on my nose when it's feeling a bit raw.

I know I'm repeating myself, but I do think time is going to be your friend in all of this.  Be aware that improvement can kind of sneak up on you -- from one day to the next you don't really notice any change, but then you think back a week or two and realize you're feeling more upbeat, energetic, and bright.

Keep us posted, would you?

Thank you very much for the input and recommendations! I finally went ahead early this week and purchased the Knightsbridge strap (quite costly so hopefully worth it) and should be receiving it by next week. I’ve read up on the Lanolin creams which I’ll give a try, I couldn’t find it in my local stores/pharmacies and not too bothered to spend lots of money on ordering it online as for now the mix of the hydrocortisone + moisturizers seem to do the trick. The skin breakouts have calmed down but still get minor ones every few nights that I quickly deal with. ??

[omariumprime]

Irritation around nostrils. This is what's helped me. Take a regular-sized cotton ball (not a jumbo-sized one), cut it in half, pull it apart slowly until it's about 3-4 inches long and ~1 inch thick. Carefully wrap the cotton around one side of the nasal pillow. Repeat the process for the other side.

Also, I'm planning to wear the mask and gear (with machine ON) all day every day until I have no more trouble falling asleep.

Thank you very much for the recommendations!

[omariumprime]

By the numbers, you're doing quite good. The fact that you are beginning to feel positive benefits reinforce that you're on the right track.

On APAP/auto or CPAP/straight pressure: the last 3 charts were APAP, giving you the good looking numbers. If it's doing well by how you feel, I'd maintain that. I'd not rock the boat by changing downward in capability to CPAP.

Leaks are still somewhat of an issue, but as they aren't showing as Large Leaks, it's acceptable as is. I'd keep trying to address it, but if you absolutely can't, I don't think it's a serious issue in your case. Reasonable comfort, many hours use, and feeling better for it trumps some leaks like you have here.

Congrats on the charts and that you're benefiting some. Keep at it. Monitor progress as you see fit and I'd "script" you no changes unless something goes worse than now. Best to ya and check in at times. Just because you're not actively setting machines up, you can chat here if you like. So don't take this as a dismissal, you may impart some bit of info to help someone else.

Thank you very much for the recommendations and encouragement!

I’ve decided to update the thread to respond to everyone but also provide an update after a conversation I had with a sleep doctor over telehealth to get a second opinion and ask for a follow-up regarding my request for a new in-lab sleep study following the one I did over a year ago (results posted early on in this thread). I shared my OSCAR data and he says as far as the data goes it’s great, but symptomatically it seems to still be an issue. Since my last update here, I’ve had pretty bad nights where I consistently woke up throughout the night feel uneasy and when I woke up in the morning, it’s been a painful bundle of usual symptoms of headaches, slight nausea, daytime fatigue and sleepiness, and a general lack of energy and mood swings. I haven’t changed anything either with the machine or my sleep hygiene.

What the sleep doc recommended was to stick with the APAP for maybe another 1-3 weeks and based on how my symptoms develop, for better or worse, decide on whether to continue or discontinue until the in-lab study comes up. I’m also on a wait list for sleep CBT with one of their specialists. Considering my symptoms didn’t feel as bad before, I’m hoping that maybe it’s temporary stressors from work or the mind going through a “phase”, but if the data is as good as it has been yet symptoms are bad/getting worse now, I’ll need to prepare to move on from APAP and see what else there is to try.

I always suspected that it won’t be as straightforward as sleep apnea-related and that there could be other underlying mental/medical conditions, but I’m troubleshooting at this point. I’ll stick with APAP for as long as I can so I can at least feel confident that I was as patient as could be before jumping on to the next wave of possibilities.

Honestly anyone who’s going through the initial stages of still trying to figure things out, you have my empathy, it is a self-war like no other. Keep on keeping on people! ??

[Dormeo]

I'm glad you have some good allies, including the people here and a sleep doctor who sounds as though he listens.

[kuacc912]

Have you considered Modafinil?

[omariumprime]

Have you considered Modafinil?

Rings a bell but never tried it, I think it was recommended to me in the past but that was years ago. I used to take Seroquel for years but never felt rested with it, likely because it was suppressing the underlying cause of a [potentially] sleep apnea-related disorder. If APAP doesn't work its magic in the next 1-3 weeks, I'll likely reach out to a general physician and ask for blood work and recommendations for sleep medication until the in-lab follow-up test comes my way.

[omariumprime]

The past 3 nights on OSCAR attached below. Is there anyway to use the program to check issues other than physical obstructions, such as UARS or specifically Centrals? I assume this can only be done with the in-lab test?


The data seems fine but would appreciate it if anyone spots anything of concern from the charts. I've also been getting a subtle heartburn for the past week even though I haven't changed my diet from before, suspecting the sleep disruptions might be connected to that. Mouth leaks are still somewhat of an issue but hoping the new chin strap (Knightsbridge) solves it when it arrives. Thanks as always everyone!

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