Newbie Needs Guidance

[Jay51]

Sorry.  #2. comments are about respiratory rate and not minute vent.  Minute vent it higher than normal around 8 or so though also.

[Jay51]

On the positive side, going from 44 AHI to 2 and 0 is amazing progress.  Your settings may be good enough.    

Could you please post your medical history with anything that could be pertinent to your situation?  

On your 1st set of graphs, I saw a cluster of OA's at one point  This could indicate positional apnea when the chin tucks into the chest and inhibits airflow.  A soft cervical collar could prevent this.  It did not occur on your 2nd set of charts though.  If you see more of these "cluster" in the future, a soft cervical collar might be worth getting.  There are articles about it on apneaboard. 

Your SPO2 levels at night have most likely improved going from 44 AHI to 2 or 0 or so.  There is no way to tell how much though without a pulse oximeter, etc.  If you choose to, one can be purchased and it can track both your blood oxygen levels at night and your heart rate (to see if it has improved, or if you still have spikes over 100 like you had in your sleep study).  Wellue and Contec are 2 popular brands (and compatible with OSCAR), but any brand should do.  

If you could provide a 3 minute zoomed in image of your flow rate chart, it could show something significant.  Just go into your OSCAR chart, and click on any part when you are sure you were asleep.  Then move it slightly and it will show when 3 minutes of the slice is recorded.  Press f12 to take a screenshot and you can post it here.

[rliggieri]

Hi Jay. Thanks for you help. I think this is the information you requested. I put the second screenshot because it looks like things change during the 1:53 mark. I ordered a Wellvue O2 ring yesterday.

         

[rliggieri]

On the medical side I it seems like have stage 1 Hypertension. I was also recently diagnosed with asthma. My heart appears to be in good shape(ekg, nuclear test). One thing is certain, my throat always feels obstructed. If my head is anything but upright, I can feel the airway close. I have the ole frog in the throat. I am going to ENT to examine my situation. I know my tonsils and uvula on the larger side. My tongue may be a bit thick too At age 52, I'm a walking cliche.

[Jay51]

Thank you for posting the 3 minute zoom of your flow chart.  Looks ok to me. The normal tops should be kind of round, yours are a bit more pointed, but not that bad.  Shows the turnaround from inspiration to expiration.  

Asthma could definitely come into play here.  ENT could find something important.  

If you have any different or abnormal OSCAR charts, please post them again to look at.  A soft cervical collar should act as a brace to keep the head still and straight up (and most importantly prevent chin tucking).  

2 and 0 AHI sure beats 44.  Keep up the good work.

[rliggieri]

Thanks Jay. I will keep a close eye on things. How would a cervical colar work for a side sleeper?

[Jay51]

You are welcome.  I person can "chin tuck" and compromise their airway when side sleeping and even when sleeping on their stomach.  If you don't have any more clusters of OA's or Hypopneas in your charts, you wouldn't benefit from one.  That would point to the problem being somewhere along your upper airway (nose, throat) like Mesenteria described (or even possibly your lower airway/lungs with your asthma diagnosis).

When I saw an ENT, he put a small narrow camera down my nose into my throat.  Hopefully your ENT will be able to see any structural or physiological problem that is occurring.