[split] TinySteve - Therapy Thread

[Expat31]

Hi, I have only just seen your latest graphs, clusters and some peaks in leaking.

Just focus on these. It takes time.

[TinySteve]

It's been a while since my last post in here, but I had a good session last night, and thought I'd share.

This is with a cervical collar, flat pillow, and mostly still on my back, although I'm trying to learn how to sleep on my side.
BIG improvement over past numbers!

[Expat31]

Hi, 

Looking good, results seem just about perfect, but how about sleep quality? 

I can see one possibility to consider if sleep quality still needs improvement. 

Whilst your flow limitations on the face of it are good, with EPR at 3, you still have FL bumps (8 in the last graph) that appear to have caused these pressure swings, resulting in arousals? 

A possible solution that could smooth things out, is to increase minimum pressure again, to say 11.4 or 11.6, to see what happens

[TinySteve]

"I can see one possibility to consider if sleep quality still needs improvement. 

Whilst your flow limitations on the face of it are good, with EPR at 3, you still have FL bumps (8 in the last graph) that appear to have caused these pressure swings, resulting in arousals? 

A possible solution that could smooth things out, is to increase minimum pressure again, to say 11.4 or 11.6, to see what happens."


As suggested, I increased minimum pressure to 11.4
Sleep quality isn't great these days while I try to learn how to sleep on my side after 65 years of back sleeping.

Last night's screenshot included here.

[Expat31]

Hi, 

On looking at your last graph, just before 11pm you had a significant increase in flow limitations that pushed up the pressure to the set maximum. There were no apparent apnea events around that time frame. 

What is interesting is that your flow graph was as smooth as silk before this period, and afterwards become a somewhat choppy. Not obvious why. 

Do the higher pressures trouble you? If so you could start to inch them back slowly, until you find the optimal quality sleep level with the best AHI possible. Sleep quality has priority over AHI every time. 

Your settings are giving AHI at less than 1, no clusters, perhaphs solely due to SCC. Would you be better off now resuming your normal supine sleep position, it being more comfortable, with possibly less arousals and achieving better quality sleep.  

Only you can tell on quality, and the tools to measure the impact.

Your best night seems to have been on 21st September when at 11 cms minimum pressure.

There is always a possibility that "something else" is going on, outside the scope of sleep apnea. I am of course not a doctor, but believe that no stone can be left unturned concerning health. 

So, from a common sense viewpoint,  blood pressure and pulse be self-checked, over a week,  an average calculated, following this protocol recording blood pressure. Then discuss with your doctor. Always a good starting point,. 

Just in case... 

You may also want to get a pulse oxymeter so as to incorporate Sp02 and pulse graphs into OSCAR to get a complete as possible view of your therapy. 

This read, optimisation of therapy  may help to get some additional perspective.

Hope you can glean something from a purely layman's opinion.