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Flow limits under .1 are acceptable, yours were .04 last night so that's great. You brought in some EPR? AHIs are great! Also no large leaks, but a lot of leaking still, does it wake you up? Some masks just leak more than others, the important thing is how are you feeling? It looks like you have it all right. I use the Bleep Eclipse mask which attaches to your nose with adhesives. No headgear to adjust and no way it can leak. The other Bleep style is a little tricky, took me a few days to get that right but the halo magnets are a game changer. It's covered by insurance and has excellent customer service if you have any problem. You might want to consider it. It was my 6th mask and 1 yr in!
(12-22-2023, 10:57 AM)Kathy14225 Wrote: AHIs are great! Also no large leaks, but a lot of leaking still, does it wake you up? Some masks just leak more than others, the important thing is how are you feeling?
thanks. EPR is at 2, and i have figured that my best mask/accessory combo is a FF mask (Vitera or airtouch f20) with a caldera collar. this leaking isn't anywhere near as bad as i've had in the last 6 months, trying way too many masks to mention. lol
it doesn't wake me up, but with the ff mask, i will feel air, when i arouse momentarily during the night.
i'm over taping/mouthguards, etc. the ff isn't ideal, comfort wise, but it works the best that i can tell. i'm not buying any more masks. i'm a self payer. my sleep study was done many years ago, and to go through another sleep study with my current insurance would be more of a hassle than just figuring this out on my own.
Give EPR 3 a try and if needed increase minimum pressure by 1 cm to compensate. There is room for improvement, but results do look very good. The nice thing about settings is you can always go back to what works best.
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12-23-2023, 05:10 PM (This post was last modified: 12-23-2023, 05:12 PM by Kathy14225.)
RE: eok361 - Therapy Thread
I was one to keep tweaking till I knew I had everything exactly right. You could follow sleep rider's advice and up the EPR and the pressure by one and then if it's not better you can go back down and know that you have it right! But it looks super good to me now!
do any of you highly knowledgeable folks think that any of my numbers might warrant using a bipap machine, instead of cpap?
i'm just curious. i have no way of determining that for myself. plus, i don't want to go through with a sleep study and possible misdiagnosis from an md.
Usually bipap is for when you need a higher pressure and you need the EPR to be more than three. Your AHI is great. If you up your EPR you may do better. You have to figure out the leaks. I'm no expert at all.
09-07-2024, 10:42 AM (This post was last modified: 09-07-2024, 11:19 AM by eok361.)
RE: eok361 - Therapy Thread
latest data. i'm wondering why i'm still pretty brain fogged and tired when i first wake up. it could just be i'm 63 now.
being a back sleeper (i can't sleep on my sides) i know it is more challenging for me to keep restrictions down, but after a long while of testing out masks, and other options, i have settled on the vitera mask, v-com and caldera alt cervical collar.
i'm just puzzled as to why (with these numbers) i'm still groggy in the am. again, it's probably just age.
last two night's data, plus a 3 minute snapshot posted.
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
Pretty nice looking charts IMO. About the only possible thing I see is a little lower than normal tidal volume, but an acceptable minute ventilation with your 16 median respiratory rate.
Nice breathing waves from your close up - nice rounded tops on most of them.
Maybe just try to establish a solid trend of nights like this to see if it helps. It anyone sees anything else, please post.
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09-07-2024, 11:18 AM (This post was last modified: 09-07-2024, 11:20 AM by eok361.)
RE: eok361 - Therapy Thread
(09-07-2024, 10:55 AM)Jay51 Wrote: Maybe just try to establish a solid trend of nights like this to see if it helps. It anyone sees anything else, please post.
that's pretty much what I get every night now. but i'm still tired in the am. not daytime drowsy, just pretty brain-dead in the am hours. i'm wondering if bumping the pressure up a little might increase the tidal volume.
and i had tried an 02 device for a while, and all those numbers were fine. i thought that might be a consideration.
I'm no expert but do not assume it's your age. 63 year olds do not wake up feeling with brain fog. If you're addicted to caffeine you may just need your cup of joe but this seems like more than that. Have you seen your physician lately? Your charts look really good, it may be another issue. I would bring it up to the doc. My problem came down to anxiety preventing me from ever getting good sleep although my charts looked excellent.
