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+--- Thread: [Treatment] jlavins1 - chart help / preparing for doctor's appointment (/Thread-Treatment-jlavins1-chart-help-preparing-for-doctor-s-appointment)
jlavins1 - chart help / preparing for doctor's appointment - jlavins1 - 06-02-2024
Hi everyone,
I'm brand new here, six weeks into CPAP therapy, and a little lost. I'd like to get a better understanding of my treatment efficacy so far, especially since my daytime sleepiness has not really improved.
I am hoping some of you might give me a little feedback on my charts? I notice that my AHI is higher than many of the charts posted here. I also appear to have several CAs each night, and I'm wondering if that is a problem. My sleep study (a 2-night home study) noted OAs and hypopneas, but it counted zero "unclassified apneas" and did not reference CAs at all.
Additionally, my first follow up with my pulmonologist is coming up. Like so many of us, I don't have a real relationship with him, but I want to make the most of the appointment. What questions do you think I should ask based on my data? Should I bring any OSCAR data with me to the appointment?
Thanks in advance -- this an awesome community, and the active responses to questions are incredibly helpful to newbies like me. It's really nice of everyone to share their knowledge.
RE: jlavins1 - chart help / preparing for doctor's appointment - PeaceLoveAndPizza - 06-02-2024
My general comment is that like many of us let loose in the wilds of CPAP land, you were given a machine with no guidance on how to proceed. Your current settings are the default and of no real use. I expect the your doc will only look at your hours used and if meeting the minimum of 4 hours per night, will send you off with a hearty handshake.
For your settings, I suggest going to a baseline that we can use to tweak things for therapy and comfort.
Mode APAP
Min pressure 8
Max pressure 15
EPR 3 full-time
No ramp
That should be much more comfortable, reduce the flow limitations, reduce the pressure swings, and hopefully give a better nights rest. After a few nights post more OSCAR charts and folks help can tweak from there.
RE: jlavins1 - chart help / preparing for doctor's appointment - SarcasticDave94 - 06-02-2024
Agreed with the setting edit.
You'll be able to edit the CPAP yourself, legally. Doc may complain about it, but don't be overly concerned. Be armed with this info, what you changed and why, with the results as a bonus.
Go here to get you CPAP manual to learn about how to do the edits:
https://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-pressure/change-cpap-pressure-settings-adjusting-your-machine-with-a-clinician-setup-manual
RE: jlavins1 - chart help / preparing for doctor's appointment - jlavins1 - 06-02-2024
Thank you for the suggestions! Your "hearty handshake" comment gave me a laugh. That is *exactly* what I expect will happen, too. That's why I thought I'd bring the OSCAR data with me to see if he'll at least engage with it... we'll see what happens.