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(03-12-2021, 06:19 AM)ashwa Wrote: Hello.
I recently got diagnosed with mild sleep apnea with an AHI of 7.2. I got my CPAP 10 days ago and have been using it all night ever since. After first night it showed an AHI of 13.2, which is noticeably higher than my AHI during the sleep study, so I called my healthcare provider. They said that it can take a few weeks for the AHI to start improving, and for me to call back then. It has improved a little, but my symptoms are so debilitating that I want a second opinion. I'm going bankrupt because I don't have the energy to work more than 10 hours a week. Resmed MyAir shows my AHI improvement as following:
Day 1. 12.20
Day 2. 13.20
Day 3. 7.90
Day 4. 7.60
Day 5. 9.80
Day 6. 8.80
Day 7. 6.40
Day 8. 7.30
Day 9. 9.50
Not sure if relevant, but I have been a restless sleeper, I move a lot and do weird throat sounds. My girlfriend says that I have slept a lot more still after I started the treatment. Another possibly irrelevant thing is that my left nostril is chronically blocked due to deviated septum, so I breath mostly through my mouth. I'll have a surgery in three to six months and plan on switching to Resmed N30i after that.
TLDR: AHI still not improving after nine days of CPAP. Can it really take this long for the AHI to improve? Or could it possible be fixed by changing the CPAP settings? (Also: I'm lowkey afraid that a mild sleep apnea with an AHI this low can't explain my extreme fatigue that has been ongoing for atleast six years. Any encouraging words?)
Hi!
I can not speak to your CPAP results but I can speak to the problems associated with poor sinus drainage and a deviated septum. From the time I started using and benefits from a CPAP, I was less fatigued and was blessed with and extremely lower AHI. However, during the past two to three years sinus issues have affected my ability to sleep well and in some cases I could not use the device at all. This prompted me to see an ENT who says surgery in my case is not elective but medically necessary. The doctor could not use a 4mm scope to look into the nasal passage. He has assured me that surgery will open my left airwave and breathing will improve greatly. So I think it is reasonable to assume you too will benefit from surgery.
Some other thoughts to consider. Are you using a comfortable mask? Do you have a good mask fit 90 to 100 percent of the time? Are you mouth breathing? Have you sought council with the DME who fitted you for the CPAP? Is this the device prescribed by your Doctor? Is the CPAP properly set per your Doctor's instructions? Have you talked to you Doctor about your concerns?
I am sure there are others here who can add to my thoughts.
Words of encouragement:
My Doctor's initial impressions from the polysomnogprahy study included the following: severe central sleep apnea with 70% of the events being central apneas; severe obstructive sleep apnea; nocturnal hypoxia with a lowest SpO2 of 82% and 177 minutes spent below 89%; moderate snoring.
Total sleep time was 313 minutes. Total number of respiratory events was 397 (51 OAs, 279 CAs, 39 mixed and 28 Hypopneas). My AHI was 76.
The total sleep time during the titration study was 341 minutes where the number of respiratory events was 37 (2 OAs, 25 CAs, 2 mixed and 8 Hypopneas). Benefit: 2.4 AHI.
At the final ASV pressure there were significant improvements: total of 6 events( 0 OAs, 0 CAs, 1 mixed and 5 Hypopneas). The lowest SpO2 was 91% and no time below 89%.
Finally, while my treatment results may not be the norm, I am sure that there are forum members here who struggled a while until they found relief, weeks later after initial use or even longer, and you too will find benefits to your treatment. Be patient. Make use of the terrific membership here and their wealth of experience.
