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RE: CPAP, Surgery and OSCAR - CPAPfriend - 05-19-2024

It seems like you're getting quite a bit of both centrals and obstructives, which we call 'complex' or 'mixed' apnea. Now, with that said, and take into account that I may have missed something in reading through your post, but I do not know how many days total you have been on PAP, and it is actually quite common for new patients to experience centrals at the beginning as their body takes time to acclimate to the pressurized air. What may potentially help reduce CAs is switching to a fixed pressure, one that is preferably above your current pressure because you are still having a considerable amount of obstuctives. If this persists to not work or clear up, then it might be worth trialing a more sophisticated PAP machine, such as ASV, that is designed for dealing with complex apnea.

On a separate note, and keep in mind that I am a random internet user, but most surgeons in sleep medicine seem to apply the wrong surgeries. Of course forums and similar platforms are loaded with response bias, and I try to factor that in, but in my many lengthy conversations with patients across the globe, my personal experience, my following of the field / literature, many surgeons are stuck in the past with outdated protocols. The more reputable ones have moved on to primarily hard-tissue surgeries, but of course there are exceptions to everything, and each patient comes with their own set of individual needs and surgical potentialities.


RE: CPAP, Surgery and OSCAR - snoozemaster - 05-20-2024

Thanks for the reply CPAPfriend. My surgery included ablation of lingual tissue that has hypertrophied. It did sound very promising at the time. But apparently, that wasn't the main problem. 

I'll try going for a fixed pressure for a while. Should I also add EPR?

On another note, just woke up with the worst CPAP results yet. My AHI should be actually lower without the CPAP. Any thoughts?

[attachment=64301]


RE: CPAP, Surgery and OSCAR - snoozemaster - 05-20-2024

I just watched a recording of my last sleep and seems that the first half of the night I was mostly on my back, with the pillow at a high angle. My head was moving constantly from one side to another, readjusting to get some air.

At the other half of the night I was mostly sleeping on my stomach which seems to improve my AHI a lot.

I have a SCC I can try but not sure it will hold through the night. Maybe sleeping without a pillow might help? I’m open to suggestions.