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JonHG - Therapy Thread - JonHG - 11-01-2024
Hi everyone, I'm a new CPAP user getting to grips with the Philips Dreamstation. I also track my O2 saturation with a Viatom ring.
I am waiting for an official diagnosis of sleep apnea although I'm 100% sure I have it. I completed a sleep study recently and am just waiting for an appointment with the ENT to discuss the results. My O2 results from the ring show sleep apea.
I was just living with it and then suddenly it got a lot worse and I started getting bouts of vertigo and tinnitus during the day so I immediatley bought a CPAP machine. I would also consider surgery which will be discussed with the ENT.
First night just used the factory settings of the machine (4-20) on auto and it was too weak. O2 results were very bad.
Second night, I cranked it up to 12-20, also very bad results and clearly was swallowing a lot of air as I was very bloated during the night and in the morning.
Last night I set it to 8-12 and had what looks like really good sleep according to the ring. 0 drops below 4% which I've never had since I started tracking. I did however notice a very small amount of bloating from swallowed air which I understand is normal for a newbie.
I woke up at 3am and the mask had come off and then I put it back on and slept through till the morning. But I didn't wake up feeling refreshed but I guess that may take time.
I've attached the OSCAR report from last night.
Would appreciate feedback. Shall I just keep the same settings and continue or is there a change I should make?
Thanks
RE: Help for new user - tresero - 11-01-2024
I'm curious why you would get a machine before you are diagnosed? If you have mild sleep apnea, there are less expensive and obtrusive treatments.
RE: Help for new user - PeaceLoveAndPizza - 11-01-2024
My opinion is you are doing quite grand. The settings look good and you are very self-aware of what is going on. The aerophagia will abate over time, if it is working as is leave well enough alone for now.
Just continue as you are and let us know if you have any questions.
RE: Help for new user - JonHG - 11-01-2024
After the initial appointment with ENT he suggested I try a chin strap and a mouth guard which I did but neither of them helped.
The plan was to do the sleep study, which I have now done, review with ENT and then make a decision about what to do. I will have an opportunity in December to have surgery if that's what the doctor deems necessary. I should be doing the review in the next week or 2.
My plan was to just ride it out until then but it just suddenly got worse and after 4 bouts of vertigo and tinnitus in 2 days, one of which lasted 2 hours and completely incapacitated me, I couldn't just wait for even a month without doing something.
I have sleep apnea, it's not even a question in my mind, the ENT just needs to see it in black and white before we can move forward.
I've also just started doing tongue and throat exercises to see if that can help.
If there are any other less expensive options that you can recommend, please tell me.
Great! thank you for your reply. I'll carry on as is.
Help with adjusting - JonHG - 11-10-2024
Hi, I made a post about a week ago about how I was using the Philips Dreamstation for the first time. I have the nasal dreamwear mask and also use a viatom ring to track O2 saturation during the night.
First night I had the pressure set 4-20 and it was too weak, lots of O2 drops, then I cranked it up to 12-20 and also had a similar bad result but then I set it to 8-12 and had 2 nights where I had great sleep and <5 drops per hour during the night.
Since then things haven't gone so well. Even though the OSCAR results show no events and everything seems fine, I'm waking up multiple times throughout the night, my O2 saturation results are bad - between 5-15 drops per hour, and I'm feeling pretty awful during the day.
Last couple of nights I've tried upping the min pressure to 8.5 and then to 9 but it's not helping.
Not sure where to go from here? Shall I just go back to 8-12 and see if it corrects in time or do something else? Would dropping the min to 7.5 be worth a try?
I've attached a few OSCAR results.
Thanks
Help for new user. Can't figure this out. - JonHG - 11-18-2024
Hi everyone, I can't seem to get my CPAP machine to work consistently. I've been using it for 3 weeks and apart from 3 near perfect nights, it's been making things worse than before. I find it very comfortable to use and I can feel it working in terms of the pressure inside my lungs. I go to sleep and wake up with the mask on so it's not coming off during the night. I use the Philips Dreamstation and the Dreamwear nasal pillow mask.
Interestingly the results from the device itself show very low AHI and no problems but I also track O2 saturation with a Viatom ring. Apart from the 3 good nights, the results from the ring are worse than when i don't use the machine. I also feel like total garbage during the day so I know it's not working properly.
I completed a sleep study recently and am just waiting for an appointment with the ENT on Friday to discuss the results but my O2 results from the ring show mild to moderate sleep apea.
The 3 good nights were at a presure of 8, 7.5 and 7. EPR 2, no ramp.
8-12 worked for one night and then the next few nights it was awful so I adjusted the pressure up by 0.5 twice.
8.5-12 and 9-12 were even worse so I went down to 7.5.
7.5-12 worked for one night and then a few awful nights so I dropped it down by another 0.5.
Then the same thing happened with 7-12, one good night followed by three bad ones.
I've also tried turning the auto off and just running 7.5 and 7 without the range but it makes no difference.
Last night I tried turning the EPR off at 7 and it was the worst so far. 18 drops per hour.
Not sure where to go from here, I'm ready to give up as it's making my life hell. It seems there's no rhyme or reason as to why it works for one night on a new setting and then stops working.
Would really appreciate some advice.
I've attached a few OSCAR results.
Thanks
RE: Help for new user. Can't figure this out. - PeaceLoveAndPizza - 11-18-2024
First, please read the link in my signature "Formatting OSCAR Charts". Initially, the graphs we need to see are: Events, Pressure, Flow Rate, Flow Limitation (you will not have a separate graph with this machine), and the Leak Rate Graph. Always include the entire left side bar, minus the calendar and pie graph.
Once you have reposted with those graphs, folks will be able to offer suggestions. Also, when you have a shorter session (nap I assume), you can turn ir off by clicking on the short session in the lower left hand corner to turn it off and have it removed from the graphs.
RE: Help for new user. Can't figure this out. - SarcasticDave94 - 11-18-2024
The Philips Respironics machines are slow to respond, acting in a reactionary fashion. This means your min pressure likely will need to be about 9-9.5. They don't seem to work well if your pressure is lower than what's needed for therapy.
Help for new user. Can't figure this out (REPOST) - JonHG - 11-19-2024
Help for new user. Can't figure this out. (REPOST WITH CORRECTED OSCAR CHARTS)
Hi everyone, I can't seem to get my CPAP machine to work consistently. I've been using it for 3 weeks and apart from 3 near perfect nights, it's been making things worse than before. I find it very comfortable to use and I can feel it working in terms of the pressure inside my lungs. I go to sleep and wake up with the mask on so it's not coming off during the night. I use the Philips Dreamstation and the Dreamwear nasal pillow mask.
Interestingly the results from the device itself show very low AHI but I also track O2 saturation with a Viatom ring. Apart from the 3 good nights, the results from the ring are just as bad, if not worse than when i don't use the machine. I also feel like total garbage during the day so I know it's not working properly.
I completed a sleep study recently and am just waiting for an appointment with the ENT on Friday to discuss the results but my O2 results from the ring show mild to moderate sleep apea.
The 3 good nights were at a presure of 8-12, 7.5-12 and 7. EPR 2, no ramp.
8-12 worked for one night and then the next few nights it was awful so I adjusted the pressure up by 0.5 twice on consecutive nights.
8.5-12 and 9-12 were even worse so I went down to 7.5.
7.5-12 worked for one night and then a few awful nights so I dropped it down by another 0.5.
Then the same thing happened with 7-12, one good night followed by three bad ones.
I've also tried turning the auto off and just running 7.5 and 7 without the range but it makes no difference.
Last night I tried turning the EPR off at 7 and it was the worst so far. 18 drops per hour.
Not sure where to go from here, I'm ready to give up as it's making my life hell. It seems there's no rhyme or reason as to why it works for one night on a new setting and then stops working.
Would really appreciate some advice.
I've attached a few OSCAR results. 1 good night and 2 bad with different pressure settings.
Thanks
RE: Help for new user - Crimson Nape - 11-19-2024
Your 4 threads were 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, "JonHG - Therapy Thread" to be more inclusive.
- Red