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06-11-2023, 03:13 PM (This post was last modified: 06-11-2023, 03:15 PM by egoodman.)
Ready to give it another try! Welcoming any suggestions
Hi all,
Off and on CPAP user for many years. Never got any immediate relief from CPAP, even on good score days. Frustration gets the best of me and I stop using for periods at a time. Starting to get brain fog for the first time in my life and ready to start conquering apnea for good.
The first 2 images (03/19 & 03/24 are using F30i mask and the last image is F20)
My #1 problem that I can gather from waking up & removing mask is the pressure feels or sounds too intense.
Details:
36 y/o Male
6' 180lbs
Diagnosed around age 30
Mouth breather
I believe I'm a side sleeper
RE: Ready to give it another try! Welcoming any suggestions
Hi egoodman! -
It appears that using the EPR and the higher pressures are causing you to have CAs. Let's try to get down to basics and tweak from there. I would suggest that you set both the minimum and maximum to 10 cm and turn off your EPR. This setting should be high enough to treat any OAs and hypopneas, except positional caused ones (chin tucking or on your back). With the EPR off, should reduce or eliminate the CAs caused by CO2 washout that can be caused by the pressure difference.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
RE: Ready to give it another try! Welcoming any suggestions
Thanks so much for a quick and informative response!
I do remember when I first got the machine, it had EPR turned off and was uncomfortable. Is that something that people tend to adjust/get used to with time?
RE: Ready to give it another try! Welcoming any suggestions
Hey egoodman,
Immediate results for most of us never happened. This cpap therapy stuff takes some work, experimenting, patience and probably a box full of mask. It’s almost like a science project it seems.
Little tweaks here and there along with good sleep hygiene seems to be a good approach.
Dial flipping usually ends in frustration. Stick with it . Baby steps. It looks like you have some chin tucking going on. That’s where your chin is touching close to your chest and pinching the airway.
Maybe try a flatter pillow or one of those neck collars.
One of the real experts will be here shortly for better advice, but until then , keep at it and keep all your post in this one thread so we can follow you progress.
RE: Ready to give it another try! Welcoming any suggestions
You can try reducing the EPR to 1 or 2. I'm was trying to get a baseline of where we need to go. If you can tolerate it, I recommend that you turn off the Ramp feature. It is delaying you being in the proper pressure for treatment. This pressure change can be causing arousals, too. That is also one of the reasons I wanted you at a static pressure. It is often easier to get used to a specific pressure as opposed to bouncing around the pressure range.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
RE: Ready to give it another try! Welcoming any suggestions
Your most recent results show your machine is set to provide a fixed pressure of 10.0 with no EPR. There are still quite a few OA events and flow limitation is very high. I will suggest some changes that should up your game in comfort and effectiveness:
Mode: Autoset Standard
Minimum Pressure 10.0
Maximum Pressure 14.0
EPR: On Full-Time
EPR setting: 3
These settings take you back to previous settings that actually resulted in lower AHI. Your June 28 and 30 obstructive events show some clusters that may be from chin-tucking, and I think positional apnea is the main contributor to your poor results, rather than EPR. Here are the articles on positional apnea and the soft cervical collar for your consideration.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
