Feeling pretty good after 3-ish months but need reassurance and/or advice

[plakky]

        First, I want to say how lucky I feel to have found this forum, since as everyone knows, once you're issued a machine and a mask, you're pretty much on your own.  I've learned so much from reading here; many many thanks to all of you.

I got into the CPAP life after an episode of atrial fibrillaition in December that luckily resolved itself in the emergency room, and medication seems to have kept it at bay. My cardiologist then scheduled a (pretty sketchy) at-home sleep study in December (maybe slept 2-3 hours out of the 4 hours I had the 3 sensors on) that resulted in an AHI of 31, and a diagnosis of severe sleep apnea.  I have high blood pressure and am overweight, but am otherwise in good health, so I was in total denial, but after getting the CPAP machine and a mask in mid-January and some successful nights wearing the mask, I - shock!! - found myself waking up feeling upbeat and somewhat energetic rather than draggy and wanting to stay in bed.  I am a believer now, but some nights are better than others and there have been many frustrating nights.

I am hoping someone can review two of my Oscar screens to let me know if I am on the right path or if I need to make changes.  I've been using Dreamwear masks - had to give up the under-nose cushion that I loved because I can be a mouth breather - and am currently using their full-face mask.  I've tried other masks but really like the comfort of the Dreamwear other than fighting with some leakage - and that's one of the things I wonder if I'm worrying too much about.  (By the way, I woke up feeling better on the 20th than the 19th, FWIW.)

The screen on the 19th looked good to me from what I've learned here.  The screen is the next night, the 20th, has twice as many CA's.  Mask, everything else was the same both nights.

Should I be concerned?  Make any machine setting changes?  Have to say - I woke up feeling fine on night #2...so I am confused.  Thanks so much for ANY feedback!

[Melman]

I wouldn't be too concerned about the second night since you felt good the next morning. You are in the range where your therapy is working and how you feel is more important than the variation in numbers. I suggest you turn off ramp or at least make it as short as possible. You are losing quite a bit of effective therapy time. The centrals may be treatment emergent and, if so, will drop as your body adjusts to the machine. If you continue to see an upward trend some changes may be indicated but 'i suggest you wait and see.

[plakky]

Thanks so much for your reply. I did turn the ramp off some weeks ago based on advice given to others here, and I appreciate knowing that was the correct thing to do. I'm not sure where a person crosses the line into sleep apnea becoming a numbers game when it doesn't need to be; it's easy (for me, anyway) to get obsessive about this whole new category of things to read up on and worry about. (Especially during sleepless periods...)

[SarcasticDave94]

There's objective indicators as in OSCAR numbers then there's subjective indicators like how you feel after sleeping with the PAP therapy.

You could have higher but treated numbers in any category, but if you're feeling better for using it then that's what really counts.

Numbers will tell us what to look for if you'd say you're not feeling better for the PAP usage. It has to have both halves to make a complete story. Data says you're treated and you say you're feeling better. Next thing is keep at it, build a trend that points upward.

[plakky]

"Numbers will tell us what to look for if you'd say you're not feeling better for the PAP usage. It has to have both halves to make a complete story."

Thank you for that. Makes complete sense and narrows down what to worry about...

[Dormeo]

You're getting great guidance in this thread. Let me just add that during the night before your good day, you got a lot more sleep! You may be one of those people who just needs 8 to 9 hours to feel their best.

[plakky]

"Let me just add that during the night before your good day, you got a lot more sleep!"

How could I not even have noticed that??! Thanks for pointing it out!