Nighty Night!

[TheWerkz]

An octopus I think my wife tried it on and found it intimidating, but lucky me, I tried on nasal "pillows" first and found a mask afterwards to be superior, at least in my case. Try something worse and then what you thought was bad isn't so bad after all.

If you've ever been SCUBA diving and your joker dive-buddy put an octopus on your mask you'd understand the reference.

I just couldn't believe how good it felt to actually wake-up and have enough energy to immediately go outside and take the dog for a walk before having coffee. And that was only on 2 hours of "real" sleep, something I hadn't experienced in at least the previous 25 years, and then it got even better.

While visions of angry Chihuahuas danced in their heads. "You EEDIOT!"

I think Ren & Stimpy was on TV for over a year before I figured-out why everyone kept saying "You EEDIOT" to me, much better than the Rin-Tin-Tin jokes of my youth.

You might want to consider going-up to the higher pressure while starting with Ramp at a lower pressure to ease-into a higher pressure or use EPR to decrease your exhalation effort by 1 or 2 cm.

Unfortunately, there's no way to find-out if you're experiencing any leaks that may be artificially inflating your AHI, yet another reason you need a data-logging machine!

Your numbers you listed show you're all over the place, one day 8 cm works and the next day 11 cm works better, the next day 10.6 cm doesn't work as good etc.

The one thing I know for certain is that snoring is caused by a collapsed airway of some form and physics tells us that more pressure will hold that airway more open than less pressure will.

Just my .02 cents, not adjusted to the Canadian currency exchange rate

Ren

[Ugly]

I those of you that are having issues might want to start checking your O2 saturation every night.
If the O2 is good, then the headaches might be something else.
Or maybe the machine has a roach wing caught in a pressure sensor...

Being able to check that - is that a feature of the advanced S9 models? (Not the "brick" types like I currently have). Because I couldn't hook the S8 up to ResScan I had no idea if that kind of information was available. Sure enough she had a card back at VitalAire to plug in but she never let me use it. But with it she was able to download the data.

[Ugly]

Unfortunately, there's no way to find-out if you're experiencing any leaks that may be artificially inflating your AHI, yet another reason you need a data-logging machine!

Your numbers you listed show you're all over the place, one day 8 cm works and the next day 11 cm works better, the next day 10.6 cm doesn't work as good etc.

The one thing I know for certain is that snoring is caused by a collapsed airway of some form and physics tells us that more pressure will hold that airway more open than less pressure will.

The S8 did record leaks although I never factored them in to my log sheet (maybe I should have.) In part I can tell my either the sound or the feel but of course that's not exact science. Indeed I'm all over the place. I don't have a "typical" night's sleep. That's why I thought I'd try it out at the average number (although with only a few exceptions, the average pressure increased gradually every night.
But I guess the other part of it, the CSA part, indicates that when I start breathing again, if I'm lucky, I snore. If I'm not lucky, I wake up gasping for air, sometimes requiring the Heimlich Maneuver. That happens mostly if I fail to wear my mask at night (or get up at night and fail to put it back on when I return to bed.) I am putting forth a stronger effort nowadays.

[TheWerkz]

The S8 did record leaks although I never factored them in to my log sheet (maybe I should have.)

Ugly,

The leak data would have helped to see, along with the AHI and pressure you recorded, at least a trend related to pressure-level when the leaks were either high or non-existent and then your AHI would give a little better picture as to what happened during your sleep session.

Don't worry about not getting the S8's data, it requires a smart card and a proprietary card reader to get the data from it, while it was better than nothing the S9's high-resolution data is vastly superior to it.


Ren

[zonk]

S8 and S9 both shows 95% percentile leak (unintentional leak) on the screen
0.4 L/s (S8) = 24 L/min (S9)

[PaulaO2]

The S9s, even the Escape, can be connected to an oximeter. Although I'm not sure what the Escape can do with the data!

However, it is very expensive and hard to find. Not worth the money in the least. If you are interested in an oximeter, check out Supplier #19 on the Supplier's list. Also check out the Reviews to evaluate the different models.

http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...plier-List

[Shastzi]

I have been using a CMS50-F pulse oximeter since 10/26. I have been collecting data with it every night since then.
Wear it on your wrist like a fat watch and connect it to your computer with USB to harvest the data from the last night's run.
If you can get your Doc to prescribe it and insurance to kick in some for it so much the better.
If not, smash your piggy bank and buy it anyway. You can't watch the 58" LCD television if you are dead. right?
If you go into desaturation *for any reason* this is the only thing that will catch the event.
If you start going into any weird tachycardia (racing heart rate) or abnormally slow heart rate this thing will catch that too.
If you suspect you have centrals the drop in O2 saturation will be verifiable with this.
You can print out the charts and haul them in to your doctor. (nothing beats hard copy!)
This is the only device I know of that will actually SHOW how well your therapy is actually working since
we are all here struggling for the oxygen, and this measures it.
You might want to look in to one of these.
Yes it IS one more thing to do before bed but it has saved me, *several* times.
I call it cheap insurance.

Cheers!

[Ugly]

I have been using a CMS50-F pulse oximeter since 10/26. I have been collecting data with it every night since then.

I'll have to see what an oximeter looks like.
Aha. I recognize it from the sleep study.
Seriously, I have no idea what happened.
- My CPAP pressure was unchanged
- I ended up gasping for breath. It was never noted.
- I wound up just sitting there frustrated. It was never noted.
I think they were more asleep at the sleep lab than I was.

You can't watch the 58" LCD television if you are dead. right?

Actually it's only 27" old fashioned "tube" television.
Yes it's flat screen but it sure ain't flat in the back. Otherwise we could have had a 20" LCD flat screen (front and back). We opted for larger screen without the other modern frills. we ain't that rich.

If you go into desaturation *for any reason* this is the only thing that will catch the event.
If you start going into any weird tachycardia (racing heart rate) or abnormally slow heart rate this thing will catch that too.
If you suspect you have centrals the drop in O2 saturation will be verifiable with this.

I wonder. I guess here I'll continue my life story.
After having headaches, even from a 9.2 pressure, I reduced it down to the prescribed setting again, of 8.0 -- No headaches in the morning. But oh am I ever TIRED - I just want to stay in bed.
It's obvious to me I don't get a good night's sleep with that. I need something new. I like your suggestions, if I can only get the doctor to make time for me.

[Ugly]

The S8 did record leaks although I never factored them in to my log sheet (maybe I should have.)

Ugly,

The leak data would have helped to see, along with the AHI and pressure you recorded, at least a trend related to pressure-level when the leaks were either high or non-existent and then your AHI would give a little better picture as to what happened during your sleep session.

Don't worry about not getting the S8's data, it requires a smart card and a proprietary card reader to get the data from it, while it was better than nothing the S9's high-resolution data is vastly superior to it.

Despite having some leaks, they weren't enough for me to feel them, otherwise I would have made an adjustment. I didn't check the "fit" every night but on the nights I checked, it was usually an "excellent" response. Even if there was a leak report in the morning. Indeed what you said about the proprietary card reader, although I have a few different card slots on my computer I don't know if any would have been compatible. I'll have to try to make contact again with VitalAire on Monday. See if at least the ClimateLine is ready yet.

[Shastzi]

Hi Ugly,
Leaks are your deadly foe. (at least the ones that are greater than your calibrated leak through the mask exhaust)
Check your hose for pin holes too. Do you have any pets that can chomp on the hose while you're napping?
If you have oily skin you might need to give your mask a bath in dishwashing liquid every day or every other day so the silicone rubber will stay tacky and stick to your face better.
I do a face wipedown with rubbing alcohol and dry everything, then lay down the bandaids over the presure spots on the face the mask rubs/chafes on.
I can then put the mask on and pressurize/leak do all the leak checks.
With the mask I have now it's pretty much no leaks at all, unless I do something to the mask while it's on. (checking now and then with manometer to capture high/low spots in pressure)
Yes it is a real P.I.T.A. but it works.
For your headache 8.0cm sounds too low for you, try bumping up by 0.5cm and see what happens. if no headache but still tired bump up another 0.5. If headache returns, reduce by 1/2 your last increase or 0.25cm (0.2-0.3 is your machine does 0.1 increments) See if you cant adapt to the higher pressure and hold that. If everything is good after a week of that, you may have found your sweet spot.
I am running at 13cm now and do have some soreness in the sinuses when I wake up but that seems to be fading. I must be adapting to the higher pressure. But my oxygen saturation is well up into the safe zone now. (>92%)
That's it. increase by 0.5cm till your headache comes back, back off by 0.2cm till you find the "threshold"
If you can get that O2 pulse oxymeter going that will give you more clues as to how well your therapy is working.
Good Luck!