[Treatment] Flucuating AHI even with no leaks. Longtime Cpap user.

[Crimson Nape]

Jarlo - Since your newest post/thread deals with your treatment, I have merged into your original thread. We prefer that you keep your treatment posts in one thread. This allows readers the ability to see your treatment history.

[Jarlo]

If anyone have any input its highly appriciated!

[staceyburke]

It still shows a lot of positional apnea.  I would guess the collar is not the correct height or is not fitting well.  We measure the distance from your chin to your sternum for the height of the collar.  Until you can correct the positional problem there is nothing a pap machine can do, either the one you have now or a ASV.  Pressure from the pap machine can not open up blockage from positional apnea.

[Jarlo]

It still shows a lot of positional apnea.  I would guess the collar is not the correct height or is not fitting well.  We measure the distance from your chin to your sternum for the height of the collar.  Until you can correct the positional problem there is nothing a pap machine can do, either the one you have now or a ASV.  Pressure from the pap machine can not open up blockage from positional apnea.

The Thing is i tried with 2 different collars, one of Them had perfect measurements if ur looking at chin to sternum, the other is smaller since i saw a post from someone who had tried a 4 inch but had way better results with the 2.4 inch. He even inclueded pictures, in which i could see the same issues. 

Also said i can breath decently when I chin tuck sitting up or laying down. The Thing is if I press just ever so slightly on the soft area before the chin i get full closure and cant breath. 

Question is tho if the collars are blocking that specific area on me, hence the higher AHI for me when using collars.


Im just so out of ideas...

[Jarlo]

Oh and what positions are good sleeping with a collar? Because the only somewhat position i can sleep in when using Them is on my back..

[Crimson Nape]

Concerning your airway while sleeping on your back, gravity is not your friend. Sleeping on your side is the preferred position. Preferably on your left side.

[Jarlo]

The Thing is if im sleeping on the side i feel like the collar is pushing against my throat since im in contact with the pillow. As with wide shoulders i need a lot of pillow sleeping on the side. 

When I loosen the collar it still collides with my throat and soft tissue under my jaw...

[Peach25]

Hi Jarlo, I just registered on this site, so this is my second post
I used to work as a sleep tech prior to having my own changes in health, and now I use a bilevel AVAPS due to central sleep apnoea. 
Having a glance at your nightly reports shown in your last post, I would think it’s very much worth trying the ASV machine, as these are designed to treat the type of periodic breathing that can be seen in your reports (by periodic breathing I mean those irregular flow periods that are represented within). When transitioning to volume support, it can feel a little weird (as opposed to pressure support), however after getting used to it, there’s the possibility of getting a really good nights sleep - and by that I mean you feel refreshed in the morning. Keeping in mind that AHI doesn’t illuminate all the underlying issues that could be causing you to feel still exhausted in the morning (for instance, in my case, I have a very low AHI because my airway doesn’t narrow or obstruct; I simply do not breathe when I fall asleep, and critically, this is not detected by standard CPAP/APAP devices. So as that shows, a low ahi means very little when I am turning blue after being asleep for two minutes when my body is not breathing despite having an open airway).  ASV provides very quick flow support and then readjusts back to acting like an APAP device for those moments where flow changes occur. I presume this is why your specialist says to give it a go. Sounds like a really sensible experiment to me . All the best, and if you’re happy to, I’d really like to know how you are going