Dougs New Therapy Thread

[Sleeprider]

Your respiration rate was a bit higher, but your goal needs to be comfort, and it sounds like this fixed pressure was not as comfortable for you. With 10 to 13 pressure you had a reasonably small range. If you tighten that down even further you may or may not find a range where things are more comfortable and less disruptive. There is really no way to predict.

[Sleepy Quixote]

@Dugy40

Your charts look good... You are working so hard to feel better just like the rest of us. Your charts also show challenges I don't have, what I do see is that you are going on advice rather than experience. Look at your charts, make decisions about settings based on your personal experience not based on what some internet expert professes. Focus on your flow limits, make that the fulcrum you base all settings decisions on. If flow limits go up you are barking up the wrong tree, regardless of what the world says. This experience is HIGHLY individual, there isn't a recipe for one and all, there is only what works for us individually. Others experience gives us a platform to work from but wont necessarily be the exact answer to our personal challenge.

What I see from your charts is your flow limits are causing sleep disturbances, your leak rates are probably contributing to that, fixed pressure is probably contributing to those leaks. In my personal experience pressures above 9 makes managing leaks more difficult, I get longer periods of contiguous sleep using a variable pressure and EPR. On a good night I might not get any awakenings due to pressure change because the flow limits were contained by EPR. On bad nights... we all have bad nights, the reasons are endless, its up to us to figure out why.

Fixed pressure has helped many, but making that the basis of therapy decisions limits outcomes for those who it may not be the best fit. I am a VERY light sleeper, the slightest  change in my environment is a waking moment, you would think I would be the poster child for fixed pressure, I went down that road far too long thinking that since I am a light sleeper fixed pressure would be THE answer. I limited my efficacious therapy for many months using those kinds of advice based on others success, ignoring my own numbers. 

Your numbers should drive your decisions, each change should be thought out carefully based on your subjective and objective experience guided by others but not determined by others.

We've all heard of the flight of TBM Avengers lost in the Bermuda Triangle... Flight 19. They became lost because the flight leader didn't believe his compass, over objections from the flight, he led them further out over open ocean because his gut said his compass was wrong... our compass is OSCAR, believe the compass, not your gut, or someone else's experience.

Sleeprider slipped in there while I was ruminating, as far as I am concerned his advice trumps all, including Nikko and LankyLefty, he has your compass taken into consideration when he gives advice. (compass = OSCAR charts)

Keep at it, it's how we get good at it!

[Dugy40]

Appreciate the information but what leaks you talking about? I got 0 percent daily.  I’d have to go look but I thought they rarely went over 8.  I’ve seen it hit 24 for a split sec but I was awake.

[Sleepy Quixote]

@Dugy40

I just went back through your thread opening all the attachments looking for things that lump out at me, saw a few of the 95 and 99% rates that indicated some possible points of disturbance. Who knows maybe I wandered into some other attachments by mistake, not going back to look. The overall was the point I was trying to make not focusing on one thing.

Good luck, keep at it, that's how we get good at it!  

[Dugy40]

set my machine back to 13 and 10. i dont know how to tell if flow limit is worse or better. i feel dumb saying that but i wont learn if i dont try to find out. heres a couple pics.
       

[Sleeprider]

This is your best result on flow limitation by statistical measures and inspiration/expiration time ratio.

[Jay51]

Doug, don't feel dumb for asking about flow limitations.  I asked a lot of question early on also.  That was how I learned, too.  Here is a chart that you can compare any future flow limitation statistics too for reference.   Also, as Sleeprider mentioned above, your inspiration/expiration ratio is provided in the summary data also if you ever want to check it also.  

   

[Dugy40]

much better last night. set my settings back to 13 10, not sure bout flow limit ect
           

[Jay51]

In your Statistics, Flow limit median is 0.0   95% is 0.0  Excellent.  Your inspiration time is less than the almost 3 and 1/2 second time I remember from a previous chart.

[Dugy40]

ty for that response, last night i was comfortable and seemed to sleep good, i dont feel tired yet. a little concerned about so many centrals. ty all