[Treatment] insomeapnea - Therapy Advice

[Jay51]

When leaks get above a certain threshold (I think 24L/Minute), the machine can't correctly detect them.  The leaks have to be reduced.  Here are some tips and I hope that they help your therapy:

Mask Primer

[SarcasticDave94]

Yes, the high to very high leaks must be addressed. At times it's approaching the leak level of full open hose.

[mesenteria]

The answer above is essentially correct, but with some 'splainin', if you don't mind.  Generally, REM sleep is a period where the body is 'supposed to be' fully relaxed and incapable of involuntary movement, but this isn't strictly true.  As well, depending on the subject of the dream, there might be increased respiration rate and tidal volume, but not strictly so, not for all individuals.  So, you need to figure out how to develop a customized 'template' for your own PAP-recorded behavior during a typical night and find out where the REM took place, and what morphology changes are evident somewhat reliably in your breathing pattern and rate.  Even so, when ill, or stressed, or......your pattern can change enough that you won't be able to tell when you are in REM quite so easily.  You'd need a polysomnography....again.

All that aside, I would suggest you draw out the timeline of several nights to flatten the spikes in your breathing record and look for obvious changes of short duration approximately 80-100 minutes apart for the first four hours of sleep, and then see if they happen more frequently in the last 90 minutes of each sleep record where most of us dream two, even three times!  If you see such a distinct pattern, then you can safely assume that is where you are dreaming and can use that as a marker for every night's record. 

In your OSCAR readout, you can put your cursor over the wave details and click repeatedly to spread out the waves for more discrete information.  That will help you to spot those short-term changes indicating REM in all probability, especially at the intervals I mentioned in the previous paragraph.

[HalfAsleep]

Deal with the leaks and then assess. There’s no way to evaluate Oscar decisively with that leakage.

You can read other threads here for leak solutions, or look up LankyLefty on YT. IMO he has some odd humor, but is very skilled, and knows how to fix issues that happen to real users. He demonstrates, too. As a noob, he answered many of what I thought were stoopid questions.

[BigWing]

Can you explain what you mean by "draw out the timeline of several nights", please?

[insomeapnea]

How can I tell sleep from awake breathing with OSCAR? 

My Polysomnography detectet zero REM periods.

[insomeapnea]

[Crimson Nape]

insomeapnea  -  All your threads are related to your therapy.  For this reason, I have merged them.  This provides the reader a history of your past settings and results.  Having the ability to see past attempts and their results will help to form better recommendations.  Please use this thread for all your therapy related posts. I have changed the thread title to, insomeapnea - Therapy Advice to be more inclusive.
- Red

[SarcasticDave94]

There's been some question of yours on ASV. Is the question regarding the SERVE-HF study, that is known to be flawed, and disqualifying some in need of CA treatment?

I don't think yet we've gotten to the sleep study. It is where? Please post it in detail, redacted of personal info. If you don't have it, order it ASAP from the prescribing doctor. I think you're in the US, so HIPAA law states you request this, you get it. A doctor telling you "No you can't have it", isn't acceptable. In that case, report this doctor to your regional or local medical board.

Also if you're needing ASV, you'll need to request an echocardiogram. You'll also want that test result. Again you must expect to get it. The big area of data revolves around LVEF % of 45 or less, indicating failing.

[insomeapnea]

My Sleep Study in on the first page of this thread, It was merged by the administrator.