[Treatment] Hi from New Zealand, first time user.

[flyingbrick]

Hi there.

My first post, this is a great resource! 

I've just used my machine for the 4th night and just figured out Oscar. You'll see i have some air leaks- I reduced the pressure on my straps and thought it was going to be OK, doh.

My results look pretty bad compared to others i have seen on here- would others recommend that I change any settings like max pressure? being able to sleep on my back rather than face down (forehead resting on my forearm to keep head off pillow, really sucks) is fantastic and not something ive been able to do for ten years!


Many thanks in advance for any help   

   

   

[Melman]

Welcome to the forum. You have an excellent machine. I think there are a number of things that will improve your results. Do you have a copy of your sleep study? If so, please post it with your personal info redacted; not just the summary but the entire report. Were any central noted in your sleep study? If not the CA evebts may be treatment emergent and reduce as your body adapts to the therapy, The clustering of obstructive events indicates a positional issue such as tucking your chin to your chest. This is best remedied by use of an inexpensive soft  cervical collar. (see the link below). I use one and it made all the difference for me. You should increase the minimum pressure to at least 7 or 8 to take full advantage of EPR. Use of the soft cervical collar may lower your max pressure requirements but you may want to increase your max pressure to 18 or event 20 until we see more results. The pressure shouldn't go that high unless needed. Also, unless you absolutely need it, turn off ramp. It just delays therapy. Most of us don't use it. I was experiencing results like yours and the steps I have mentioned have brought my AHI consistently down to less than 1. That mat not be the case for you but yous should see significant improvement. After making changes please post data right away so we can further evaluate. If you don't know how to access the settingd looke here: https://www.apneaboard.com/resmed-airsen...setup-info

[flyingbrick]

Thanks so much :-D great advice.

I have not had a sleep study completed- was booked in via our (free) public system but had to cancel due to work- now they keep rejecting my GP's application.

Good idea about the ramp. I had already reduced the ramp time significantly as I became agitated hearing myself start to snore (and then waking abruptly) as i drifted off.

I have hired this machine and spent the last week researching what to buy- I'll definitely be sticking with the resmed. I wanted F&P initially as they are NZ made but reviews and lack of data output are definite deal breakers.

Will book myself in for a sleep test right now :-)

[holden4th]

Good move avoiding the F&P. The Resmed Autoset is probably the best out there.

Can't agree more with Melman about the soft cervical collar.

[Sleeprider]

In addition to the soft cervical collar wiki, be sure to read our wiki on Positional Apnea http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...onal_Apnea By means of background, when Melman (responded above) joined the forum, he had large numbers of clustered obstructive events much like yourself. The would not respond to any pressure increase, so I suggested he try using the soft cervical collar. Well it worked, and by the second or third night, his AHI was lower than my own. It's been some years, but he is now able to sleep without the collar. I suppose for some people it has a training effect, and once you learn to keep your airway clear you may or may not need the aid. Good luck and excellent advise above.

[Melman]

I did benefit from and appreciate the advice from Sleepreder and others. I do, however, still use the collar. I have. Never considered not using it. I find it comfortable and it even allows me to sleep on my back with no increase in AHI. Perhaps someone else was able to successfully suit using it. I may give it a try and report back.

[mesenteria]

And if my anecdote will help, I have been using straight pressure PAP for about 30 months now.  When my own snoring was under control, I found that my wife's greatly hindered my sleep onset.  I told her that this was the deal going forward: she wears a collar or I move into the spare bedroom.  Two years later, she's sleeping oh-so-much-better quality-wise, and, umm...so am I.  Yeah, I really wanted to profit from my new therapy, and her snoring was interfering, but the WAY she snored scared the bejaysus out of me, and that is what kept me awake!  I dreaded listening to how horribly she was injuring herself, and she didn't know it.  I never got around to recording her snoring, but I was working on it just to convince her to wear the collar.  

Anyway, she's doing much better with the collar.  They work!

[ghce]

Yeah turn off the ramp, it drove me batty as I couldnt breathe for the first minute or 2 while it ramped up the pressure, really P*ssed me off now its perfect no silly ramp.