How often do you download to OSCAR?

[kylemw]

Hello!

New kid on the block!

I'm an obese, hypertensive, diabetic (Type 2), late 60's and new to the whole hypoxia/hypoventilation, central apnea, IVAPS thing.  Wheeeeee.....!

So, thanks to the various and assorted question/reply threads already in the forum, I have been quite successful in getting my info from the ResMed AirCurve 10 ST-A and the Lookee O2 Sleep oximeter into OSCAR.  Which gives me a WHOLE bunch of information I'm, slowly, learning to interpret.  (hey, I'm retired, it'll give me something to do! ;-0)

My question is this:

     How often do folks download the data from their various devices into OSCAR?  Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Aperiodic?  Does it matter?

Many thanks!

Kyle

[Sleeprider]

I don't think there is a single answer. Individuals trying to optimize therapy with unanswered questions may download daily. My last download was December 15, but I really am not looking for changes, just long-term trends. With a more complex machine and a number of important health conditions, you have your plate full, so frequent downloads make sense, especially if you want to work on some issues with the forum.

In your therapy, would you rate obstructive pulmonary hypoventilation as a higher priority, or central apnea? Sounds like we might see some charts from you soon. Instructions or tutorials for organizing charts and attaching the image files to your posts are linked in my signature below.

[OpalRose]

Hi kylemw,
Welcome to Apnea Board!

I moved this thread from the Software Support Forum to the Main Forum, as your inquiry is not a software issue.  

To add to the conversation... I don't download my data as much as when I first started, which was every day.  Once you get your therapy dialed in, you can back off to once a week, or longer.  I've been doing this 8+ years, and I've gotten really lax with downloading my data.  I think it's been a couple months.  Although I do take a quick look at the Cpap screen when I wake up.  If something doesn't look right, I'll download and take a look.

But for new folk, please feel free to post your data regularly so that we can advise if needed.

[cmpman1974]

For now, I do this daily.  I am looking for answers and in a transition period where I need to make decisions and understand what exactly is happening.  I've been a BPAP patient since '08, but I was not as educated as I am now.  I relied on my doctors and now I'd rather rely on my insight along with advice from them and great people here who have been so kind and helpful.  When docs offer 5 min time for an appt, you are forced to be your own advocate.   I may have easily died eight years ago if I wasn't so aggressive with my own health care advocacy.  I never forgot this. It was not related to sleep apnea issues at all.

As I get a better overview and am comfortable with my direction, downloads will be less frequent.  I will always take a quick glance at leak rates and AHI numbers daily as it takes a few seconds and is key.  It seems like we're in a similar boat so I'd suggest you do similar if able.   Best of luck with this adventure.

[Sleepster]

You should download at least weekly if you want to keep a detailed record of your sleep data. (At least that used to be the case, that after a week the detailed data on the SD card would be lost.)

[Llort]

Hi Kyle!

I'm still pretty new (55 nights of CPAP use) and I'm still symptomatic, so I download almost every day. I also use a (Wellue) O2 Ring to track pulse, oximetry, and movement. It's been helpful to see the type of hypopneas and apneas I've been having (mine are almost all central), and see when I need to make adjustments for a leaking mask (with help here, I figured out that I was wearing the wrong size). Being able to see that I've got unresolved central apnea, people here helped me push for more investigation into my treatment. Now I've got a sleep study this week to titrate on an ASV -- I don't think I would have gotten that without the knowledge I gained here and with OSCAR, and knowing to ask the sleep center for it specifically.

I'm glad you've also found this great resource! People here are wonderfully helpful, and there's a lot of hard won expertise on this board. Good luck on your treatment!

Dani

[kylemw]

Thanks everyone! A wonderful welcome to the site!

I'm certain I'll be learning a lot from here. I am fortunate that I have a pretty good support infrastructure here so getting things dialed in is going to be relatively easy.

Thanks again!

Kyle