New to CPAP ResMed 10 Best Setting

[Fdxmike]

        Hello Folks! I am going on 2 months using CPAP for apnea and the doctor has me on pressures 5 to 20. I have recently been trying to adjust those settings to try to stop the apneas before they happen. I will try to add an image of last nights session. Thank you ahead of time. 

[Expat31]

Hello, the first thing to do is to change the presentation of your graphs so we can see all the important information. At the moment a list is obscured.

What to do :-

We need to see all of the left hand side, with settings and statistics clearly visible.  Firstly disactify the calendar to liberate some space. (Click on the triangle to the left of the date)

On the right hand side we need to see theses 5 essential graphs also.

1.Events
2.Flow rate
3.Pressure
4.Leak rate
5.Flow limitations.

If you still have insufficient space, go to Preference/Appearance and use these suggested settings (attached).

At the moment, the only things I can glean are your leaking problems, either mask or mouth, which once solved, would go a long way to improving things. 

You seem to be using the ramp, no therapeutic benefit is obtained during these periods.

Pressure a bit low, maybe 8 would be better.

But again, difficult to tell with so much data obscured.

Thanks.

[Fdxmike]

Thank you so much! I made those changes under preferences but it hasn't changed the screen for some reason. I attached last nights record the best I can. Please let me know if this will suffice. 

[Fdxmike]

Is this it? I think I figured it out. 

[G. Szabo]

I suggest you set your minimum pressure to 11.6 and the maximum to 14.6 cm; also, turn the ramp off.

[Expat31]

Hi, thanks for these. We have got enough information, so we can work with this OK.  For information, another way is to take a screenshot of your Dailyscreen as below:-
 
   * For Windows or Linux: Use the F12 key
   * For a Mac: Use Fn+F12 a Mac: Use Fn

But don't worry about these now.

Your graphs are pretty good. Just a couple of points:-

-  You could increase your minimum pressure to 11 to reduce the obstructives and hypopneas. Your current 10 does not seem enough. Try this to see any improvement.

 - You would be better off also with ramp disabled. You get no effective therapy during these periods.

Other than that your other statistics appear within normal limits.

If you want to deep dive into your events, you could go into the events tab, and look at some individual events. They are marked  with a time stamp and duration.

[Fdxmike]

Thank you so much for your help! I will absolutely try that tonight. It's so frustrating when your doctor says to keep everything as it is when you know you need to change something. 

[Fdxmike]

I thank YOU as well! I'm hoping to get these issues resolved soon. My pulmonologist said that I have REM related central apneas and moderate obstructive apnea. Unfortunately, I also suffer with narcolepsy and I had been feeling really bad before the sleep study. I purchased an oximeter 2 weeks prior to the sleep study and found that my oxygen levels were dropping down to 70% multiple times per night. I honestly feel like I was dying. 

Thank God I had the study. Just as all of you, I just want to live a long life in good health.  I am so happy with this board that I just had to make a donation. Thanks again!

[Expat31]

Agree with G Szabo, upping maximum is a good idea.

As you have an oxymetre, what is your ODI (oxygen desaturation index)?  A level of more than 5 desaturations per hour would indicate problems with too many nighttime arousals.

If you have a pulse oxymeter compatible with OSCAR, for nighttime recording, you could incorporate its reports directly into your graphs.

[Fdxmike]

I used the oximeter for about 5 days after being prescribed CPAP and my 02 levels stayed in a 96-98 range every night. I stopped using it after that. Unfortunately, it isn't compatible with Oscar. I am going to follow your instructions and see if this helps. I have a ResMed full face mask at this point and will be receiving a Philips nose pillow in the next couple days to try. I do tend to inhale through my nose and exhale through my mouth while sleeping, so it's very likely that I will have to use mouth tape or strap.