[Treatment] Day 3 - Am I doing this right

[Dodies]

Hi Everyone, new poster, hope I'm not breaking any rules, but would love some feedback and help on my SA charts. 

I was diagnosed with "very severe" SA by a UK hospital last week, they stated I had an AHI of 67 and an average O2 of 86% lowering to 61% during the night, which is apparently quite bad. Also told me I needed a CPAP machine, but because I was leaving the country they couldn't give me one, so a few days back I bought a Resmed AirSense 10 and F20 mask and now on day 3 of using it. 

The first day I was struggling with the mask and also I had Covid or the flu (or something) and couldn't breath at all through my nose, also had lots of air leaks which I think I have fixed now.

I watched a video from SleepHQ explaining some of the measurements and determined I needed to up my min pressure, so went from 4 up to 14. I've no idea if that's crazy high or if it's suitable, but appears that at that pressure my AHI is low (down to 3 from the untreated 67). I also see a lot of time at the min pressure, so I'm wondering if I can drop it a bit -- not that its bothering me, it feels fine unless I mouth breath and then it just feels a bit weird.

And does anyone know how I can get a screen shot with all 14 graphs? And.... when I import CSV data from the Wellue O2 ring, OSCAR crashes... Any ideas on that?

Would anyone mind having a look at the data I posted and see if I'm doing anything stupid and comment on my progress, please? 

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[Dodies]

Hi Everyone.............

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Adding another screenshot, I think this has more data.

[PeaceLoveAndPizza]

Looks like some major positional apnoea going on there. You need to try a flatter pillow and a soft cervical collar, or some other magic to get it under control.

https://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph...onal_Apnea

I suggest going back to basics with your settings for a few nights. This will allow folks to work from a baseline to help. 

Mode APAP
Min pressure 8
Max pressure 15
EPR 3 full-time
No ramp

If you have your sleep study, please post it after redacting your personal data. 

For more information on OSCAR, the wiki is most helpful.

https://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph...OSCAR_Help

[HalfAsleep]

I’m so glad they caught the apnea at the hospital. Good on you for getting yourself a unit. I have a feeling you’ll be amazed how different you feel after restful nights. This takes a little doing (no plug and play with xPAP unfortunately), but IMO @PeaceLove ‘s instructions will set you on the right path. Once your settings are organized, it’s about finesse and patience.

See how on your charts, when your pressure shoots up, your mask instantly leaks a lot? (Or vice versa, your mask leaks, and the pressure shoots up to compensate.) And in that context, you’re getting all those apneas? You might as well be having an all-out pitched battle with your mask and your machine, and then, at some point you have to throw your mask off (those blank spaces) just to resolve a crazy feed back loop between you and the hardware.

So, here’s what I suggest. Go with the settings @PeaceandLove recommends. But spend some time with the mask and unit on while reading a book or watching TV and fully awake. Maybe an hour a day while you’re learning. The purpose of this is to get your body used to the feel of breathing with the machine. Steady and relaxed. Get the humidity and temperature adjusted so you like the feel. Get used to figuring out when the mask is leaking and how to make it work on your face. You won’t be lying down (which changes the geometry of the face), but these are transferable skills.

FWIW the easiest way to figure out whether and where the mask is leaking when the unit is on…Trace your finger around the edge of the mask. At the leak, it will sound like the leak at a bicycle valve when you’re messing with a bike pump. It will be very distinctive, and different from the regular pressure sound.

Then, post Oscars. It will be helpful to indicate which hours are “awake and watching TV”, so those are not considered by advisers in evaluating sleep settings.

[Dodies]

I’m so glad they caught the apnea at the hospital. Good on you for getting yourself a unit. I have a feeling you’ll be amazed how different you feel after restful nights. This takes a little doing (no plug and play with xPAP unfortunately), but IMO @PeaceLove ‘s instructions will set you on the right path. Once your settings are organized, it’s about finesse and patience.

See how on your charts, when your pressure shoots up, your mask instantly leaks a lot? (Or vice versa, your mask leaks, and the pressure shoots up to compensate.) And in that context, you’re getting all those apneas? You might as well be having an all-out pitched battle with your mask and your machine, and then, at some point you have to throw your mask off (those blank spaces) just to resolve a crazy feed back loop between you and the hardware.

So, here’s what I suggest. Go with the settings @PeaceandLove recommends. But spend some time with the mask and unit on while reading a book or watching TV and fully awake. Maybe an hour a day while you’re learning. The purpose of this is to get your body used to the feel of breathing with the machine. Steady and relaxed. Get the humidity and temperature adjusted so you like the feel. Get used to figuring out when the mask is leaking and how to make it work on your face. You won’t be lying down (which changes the geometry of the face), but these are transferable skills.

FWIW the easiest way to figure out whether and where the mask is leaking when the unit is on…Trace your finger around the edge of the mask. At the leak, it will sound like the leak at a bicycle valve when you’re messing with a bike pump. It will be very distinctive, and different from the regular pressure sound.

Then, post Oscars. It will be helpful to indicate which hours are “awake and watching TV”, so those are not considered by advisers in evaluating sleep settings.

Hiya, thanks for your comments. Im a bit confused at your concerns around leaks, maybe I dont read the charts too well yet, but my third chart last night I think shows near zero leaks. I thought I had it nailed. Are there additional leaks in last nights data, where I have a 3.5 (ish) AHI?

Honestly I dont want to just reset it all back to basic mode, during my sleep study my o2 levels dropped to 61% or so without CPAP, and last night I saw them at 96%, I feel i'm on the right track in terms of at least compensating for the problem. Which is important for me, given the amount of years I have suffering from this, without knowing.

My waking o2 levels are only 92% and there's nothing wrong with me... So getting 95% during sleep is a reach game changer for me.

[Dodies]

Looks like some major positional apnoea going on there. You need to try a flatter pillow and a soft cervical collar, or some other magic to get it under control.

.....

Wow, that's some info right there. makes total sense, ive literally nodded off on planes a millions times and woke up with a snort as my chin hit my chest. I will absolutely try this and see what the outcome is via cpap reporting

[HalfAsleep]

@Dodies regarding your response to my comment. On the chart with zero leaks... see all that blank space and sparse red and green squiggles? Your mask was either so leaky it didn't record or you threw your mask off. So, the machine was on, but nothing was happening. Happens to most every noob.

Thus the mask info in my comment.

I'm not at all suggesting setting the unit back to "basic mode". My skill set doesn't include settings.