(09-22-2013, 10:31 PM)mraley82 Wrote: I posted on here before about my sleep history. I went to a nasal mask and tend to have better luck with leaks but still having them. Regardless I was hoping someone could take a look at this and give me information on sleep apnea I'm experiencing. Still no feedback from the VA but I have some sort of appointment next month. I'd like to go to this appointment with some information I can give them because I'm afraid if I don't, they won't do more than they have been.
Thanks for your help in advance. If it asks for a password, the password is the word 'password'. The first picture is a larger view and the 2nd is zoomed in. I will go through the night for an hour or two with hardly any events then I'll go 15 minutes to hours of what's in the pictures. A lot of events aren't shown as events because I guess they don't last long enough?
i851.photobucket.com/albums/ab76/mraley822/SleepLog_zpsda42b9d9.jpg
i851.photobucket.com/albums/ab76/mraley822/SleepLog2_zpsbc72f706.jpg
Hi mraley82, welcome to the forum!
No password was needed.
It looks like you may be having periods of Cheyne-Stokes Respiration (CSR).
I suggest you save reports which show this and print them out to give to your VA doctor(s), and ask for an ASV titration and an ASV machine.
I had similar episodes of CSR before I started using an ASV machine. Now my AHI is typically zero each night.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheyne–Stokes_respiration
I think Medicare only approves coverage for an ASV machine when the CAI (Central Apnea Index, average number per hour of CA events) is higher than the OAI (Obstructive Apnea Index, average number per hour of OA events), AND the CAI is higher than 5, AND an ASV titration has shown that ASV treatment is effective for the patient.
I do not know what rules the VA (Veterans Administration) has for when an ASV machine will be covered, but I've heard that some insurance companies will only provide coverage for an ASV machine if the CAI (all by itself) is at least 15 (at least "moderate" central sleep apnea). So it may be helpful to print out and give to your doctor only reports on which your CAI for the night is at least 15.0 (or whatever the largest ones are), just in case this matters for VA for coverage for an ASV machine.
I think CSR is associated with slow blood circulation (such as slow pulse rate) or perhaps being too insensitive to carbon dioxide, CO2. Our bodies get the urge to breathe not because we sense the amount of O2 in our blood is too little, but because we sense the amount of CO2 in our blood is too high. When the CO2 gets too high, we get the urge to breathe.
If our circulation is too slow it slows down our system feedback loop for breathing and we may have a central apnea, followed by breathing too deeply, eliminating too much CO2 from our blood, and then we may stop breathing completely for a while until the CO2 builds up too high, causing us to breathe too deeply again and repeat the cycle.
I think Congestive Heart Failure can cause CSR, but less serious conditions can also cause it, such as any condition which causes inefficient or slow blood circulation. My pulse rate does sometimes drop into the low thirties per minute while I am asleep. I see my cardiologist twice a year, but he says he has found no reason yet for concern. I suspect I may benefit from getting a pacemaker in the distant future.
Take care,
--- Vaughn
The Advisory Member group provides advice and suggestions to Apnea Board administrators and staff on matters concerning Apnea Board operation and administrative policies. Membership in the Advisory Member group should not be understood as in any way implying medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.
