Chin Tucking as cause of apnea

[ejbpesca]

Hoping the best for you UnicornRider.  

I have had to back off my pressures.  My mask cannot handle higher pressures.  I had it so tight it made sores on my nose and even then it blew out in the night.  I have another on its way, an Evora hybrid full face. I've always wondered what a FitLife mask would be like. It may be the answer to high pressures.

I tried a night of APAP off, pressure 9 only.  That was not good with AHI 17.5 and the lowest O2 score yet.  Tonight I try 9min-17max.

Funny thing, even though my O2 had serious drops last night, I had a good day today.  I have not had a good one in a week.  I never get two in a row.  I have many things beyond apnea that rob me of good sleep.

Welp, I finally got the O2 Ring data going into the MAC fine and now the files are corrupted therefore no report.  Lookee (company), the contact for my ring and the O2 Insight Pro App has replied but with no solution.

Someday there will be CPAP machines that produce reports, analyze the data, and prescribe steps to take for improvement. For now, lots of work trying to improve therapy.

[UnicornRider]

Glad to hear you are getting the Evora. It is a good mask. You should not have to tighten the straps "pig nose tight".

The Fit Life is actually better for low pressure. Surface area X pressure/unit area= lifting force. I wear the Fit Life when I can no longer wear a nasal, full face or hybrid mask.

I actually have to use silicone ear plugs to make silicone worms in order to "caulk" the mask where it seals on my forehead. I can see and feel the mask lift with every breath I take.

But it does give the rest of my face time to heal before I go back to my other mask.  Leftover side effects from chemo and radiation therapy.

The bigger the surface area the greater the lifting force on any mask.

Take care, review the mask tutorial.

[UnicornRider]

I have not heard from you for a while, how have you been?

[ejbpesca]

I am up and down. Hope you are doing well.

The Evora FF mask has reduced leaks well if I keep it uncomfortably tight. Up and down is my AHI score as it has always been. 1.35 here, 6.52 there, and "all points in between." (J Just Left Chicago, ZZ Top) AHI does not correlate with a feeling rested. No reason is apparent for the range in AHIs.

[UnicornRider]

Usually when AHI jumps around you can suspect Positional Apnea, likely Chin Tuck.
Sad to hear you are still fighting the beast.
But I am glad to hear you are hanging in there.
Evora should float on the cushions, not tight at all.

[ejbpesca]

There are many reasons my AHI rambles.  Chin tuck is one, another is a supine position, and another is the number of CAs that range from 2 to 20 in total.

The descriptions of how FF masks are supposed to fit have only worked for lower pressure levels like 8 cm.   From ≈10 cm+ a comfortable floating mask leaks.  The higher the cm, the tighter the straps must be so I strap down for 18 cm.  Maybe I am too hung up on getting zero leaks, but I guess strap tension to air pressure correlation is simple physics.

Another reason I strap down the Evora (and all other FFs) so tight is to hold it in place as I move during sleep.  My moves knock the seal loose on a properly tensioned mask.  I never see these factors mentioned in "how to," explanations of mask adjustment.  Either the tutors do not experience them or they are only repeating other instructions.

I have witnessed a person gracefully lie down to sleep (8 pm), fall asleep within seconds, remain in one side position asleep for 8 hours, and wake with the energy of a hyper 3-year-old repeatedly.  I found this to be phenomenal.

[UnicornRider]

I have witnessed a person gracefully lie down to sleep (8 pm), fall asleep within seconds, remain in one side position asleep for 8 hours, and wake with the energy of a hyper 3-year-old repeatedly.  

You've been watching me sleep?   

The first sleep test the tech could not believe I could lie still the whole night, but I do. 

Unfortunately with these SpO2 issues, I no longer have the energy of a three year old.

Getting better, but it is expected to get better for several more months.So I still have to wear the Checkme O2 Max.

I had someone on the forum that I wanted to have you help with getting Wellue into their Mac. But I have not heard back from them. So maybe they got it figured out.

[TechieHippie]

I'm lucky to not real high pressure, so I'm not saying you're wrong. But if you haven't gone through the mask fitting tutorial on the wiki step by step I think it's worthwhile. The impression I get is that leaks are not just about tightness, but precision and order of adjustments.

Lisa

[ejbpesca]

I have gone through the Wiki mask fitting tutorial and a few others.  At 8 cm the instructions work.  At 10 cm+ and as the silicone loses its elasticity only tightening will prevent leaks for me.  Mask cushions lose something after about 5 days of use.  Washing will not restore their newness.  I dispose of them after a month.  By then they are hurting my face due to increasing strap tension each week.  A comfortable mask in my experience will not stay sealed against the upper reaches of air pressure.

I wonder if the authors of instructions like those found in Wiki have tried running a machine up to 20 cm and donning a mask.  16 cm will do it.  During a mask test, if I remain very still staring at the green smiley, a new comfortable mask will stay sealed.  If I move a smidgen, it leaks. If the mask is over a week old air blows out the edges with no movement until I hammer down on the straps.

As one YouTuber put it, some go through 8 different mask types and still do not find one that fits their face well.  I am one of some. (16 years attempting to get masks to stay sealed)

My delving into OSCAR has been interesting and informative.  Seeing OSCAR reports here and on other forums that have AHIs of 0.0, I take it those people may not have severe apnea.  I did not know therapy could be perfect.  I wonder if some without a level of apneas that constitute a diagnosis use CPAP anyway to rid themselves of what is considered a normal amount of apnea events.

I've never been offered to see my 4 sleep study reports. Perhaps they would show my sleep is of poor quality for reasons other than a severe amount of apneas.  I think I do not get restful sleep due to other things besides apneas.  I am not sure what they are.

[UnicornRider]

You should request a copy of your sleep studies. Due to HIPPA, you may have to pick them up in person.

I am saddened to hear you're still struggling with mask fit. But I am glad you are still in the game.