CA count in SleepHead and sleep Hygeine

[palerider]

could you tell us exactly what you had for a home test? did it strap to your head, have nasal canulas, or was it just a thing you wore on one finger?

ie, was it one of the home sleep study machines, or nothing more than an overnight pulseox recording?

[StephenR]

could you tell us exactly what you had for a home test? did it strap to your head, have nasal canulas, or was it just a thing you wore on one finger?

ie, was it one of the home sleep study machines, or nothing more than an overnight pulseox recording?

it was an overnight pulseox recording, clamped to one finger, just took my heart rate and blood oxygen...nothing more...

Stephen

[palerider]

could you tell us exactly what you had for a home test? did it strap to your head, have nasal canulas, or was it just a thing you wore on one finger?

ie, was it one of the home sleep study machines, or nothing more than an overnight pulseox recording?

it was an overnight pulseox recording, clamped to one finger, just took my heart rate and blood oxygen...nothing more...

well, that answers that.

[StephenR]

Slept 4 hours last night, woke, could not go back to sleep, took mask off, got up...still awake, lol...images below...strange





Where did all the CAs go...

I am thinking it is getting off the Zopiclone and Naproxen??

Maybe I need a break for a few days??

Seeing regular doc tomorrow, will press for a sleep test, will pay out of pocket if I have to...

Stephen

[Pugsy]

Did you take the sleep aid last night?

Was the 4 hours of sleep you did get a solid 4 hours or did you have trouble with lots of wake ups during those 4 hours?

[StephenR]

Did you take the sleep aid last night? No sleep aid

Was the 4 hours of sleep you did get a solid 4 hours or did you have trouble with lots of wake ups during those 4 hours?
Slept all 4 hours, no wake ups till 2:15am

Stephen

[Pugsy]

No sleep aid and slept soundly...picture me scratching my head here. You definitely aren't anywhere near a typical sleep apnea patient.

Are you using CFlex or AFlex and if so, at what setting? I don't remember and we had thunder boomers ALL night long here last night and I slept like crap and can't think well right now.

[StephenR]

No sleep aid and slept soundly...picture me scratching my head here. You definitely aren't anywhere near a typical sleep apnea patient.

Are you using CFlex or AFlex and if so, at what setting? I don't remember and we had thunder boomers ALL night long here last night and I slept like crap and can't think well right now.

No not typical, I have been called "quirky"...lol

I am using a fixed pressure of 10...my machine is a 561ca, so it has all the CPAP bells and whistles,
the provider was just trying to get the CAs under control...
I am wondering if my use of the sleep aid, from time to time, then the use of Naproxen
when arthritis flares, messes up my sleep patterns when I come off them??

Stephen

[Pugsy]

I am wondering if my use of the sleep aid, from time to time, then the use of Naproxen
when arthritis flares, messes up my sleep patterns when I come off them??

Well it wouldn't be impossible since you are known to be "quirky" but I don't know how much of this (if any) we can blame on meds messing with sleep patterns.
Sleep aids maybe...wouldn't think that the Naproxen would do anything though but I wonder if the root cause for the need for the naproxen is impacting things. The arthritis itself maybe messing with sleep quality.

You had some really ugly reports with no sleep aids too. So it's not like you don't have ugly nights without the sleep aids....you are having ugly nights with and without the sleep aids.

I am still scratching my head.

[photonic]

You absolutely need an in lab sleep study. This is the only way to really tell. It looks like complex sleep apnea which is dangerous when treated with traditional pap. I too was one of the lucky 15% that got significant centrals when pap was applied and had terrible nights. Your personal safety demands a study in my opinion.

[archangle]

The provider is denying I have centrals, or at least any that would be a problem, but the only used the Pulse Oximeter, so....

Has this provider also looked at your SD card data, or just at the pulse oximeter readings?

If all they looked at is the oximeter, that provider is a quack.

There's some uncertainty in the central/clear airway apneas detected by a CPAP machine, but I think that's mostly that they might fail to detect central apneas, not that they will show centrals where none exist. (except for reporting apneas when you're not asleep.)

[StephenR]

The provider is denying I have centrals, or at least any that would be a problem, but the only used the Pulse Oximeter, so....

Has this provider also looked at your SD card data, or just at the pulse oximeter readings?

If all they looked at is the oximeter, that provider is a quack.

There's some uncertainty in the central/clear airway apneas detected by a CPAP machine, but I think that's mostly that they might fail to detect central apneas, not that they will show centrals where none exist. (except for reporting apneas when you're not asleep.)

I wrote: The provider is denying I have centrals, or at least any that would be a problem.
They kept assuring me that my CAs were within "normal" limits....

And yes they saw the same data I did, via modem....so, its their word against mine as to how I feel with so few CAs......

Stephen

[Pugsy]

What do you wish to do?

For plain jane vanilla OSA often it is easy to do what has been done in your situation with great success but there's always those some of those quirky people who don't fit in the mold and it sure looks like you are one of them.

What we don't know is really important....are those centrals because of the cpap machine or did you have them even without the cpap machine?
Your "good" nights aren't all that great and unless you are hiding a lot of good reports...they are outnumbered by the bad nights by far.
Why the big difference? I don't know and I don't think that we on the forum have any way to know for sure given what is available from the machine.
We can "what if" till the cows come home but in the end we are still what iffing.

Who is this "provider" that you are dealing with? Is it a sleep facility with a doctor on board or is it just one of those places that you all in Canada can go buy a cpap machine with if a doctor gives you a script? Are they the ones that did the pulse ox thing and they have a doctor who signs off on it? You are in Canada and I know that things are done differently up there but if you were my brother and here in the US I would be dragging your butt to a real sleep doctor and getting you set up for a real sleep study.
What is the "provider's" explanation for the centrals? Is there an explanation?
At the very least you should have a sleep study done with all the different channels of data available...and that includes EEG leads to the scalp and a thoracic belt and even leads to the extremities. Home sleep studies come in different levels of thoroughness...what you had with the pulse ox only is the most basic of screening tests. You need a more definitive sleep study either at home or in a lab (in a lab is preferable).
See LankyLefty's little video here about various levels of home sleep studies.
http://axgsleepdiagnostics.com/

If you were only having an occasional bad night...we might not be so alarmed but your bad nights are very bad and very frequent.

[archangle]

And yes they saw the same data I did, via modem....so, its their word against mine as to how I feel with so few CAs......

The data transmitted by modem is vastly inferior to the data on the SD card. It's only averages for the night, no airflow waveforms, no duration data, no indication of when the events happen during the night. Basically what you see in the pane with the pie chart and numbers on the left.

[StephenR]

What do you wish to do?

For plain jane vanilla OSA often it is easy to do what has been done in your situation with great success but there's always those some of those quirky people who don't fit in the mold and it sure looks like you are one of them.

What we don't know is really important....are those centrals because of the cpap machine or did you have them even without the cpap machine?
Your "good" nights aren't all that great and unless you are hiding a lot of good reports...they are outnumbered by the bad nights by far.

Made a table chart, AHI ratings
I have felt lousy since the beginning..




Why the big difference? I don't know and I don't think that we on the forum have any way to know for sure given what is available from the machine.
We can "what if" till the cows come home but in the end we are still what iffing.

Who is this "provider" that you are dealing with? Is it a sleep facility with a doctor on board or is it just one of those places that you all in Canada can go buy a cpap machine with if a doctor gives you a script? Are they the ones that did the pulse ox thing and they have a doctor who signs off on it?
Yes, they did the pulse ox, no doctor just a tech...


You are in Canada and I know that things are done differently up there but if you were my brother and here in the US I would be dragging your butt to a real sleep doctor and getting you set up for a real sleep study.
I am basically demanding to have a sleep study tomorrow...can't go on like this, and I have to caregive to my wife...we are both exhausted...

What is the "provider's" explanation for the centrals? Is there an explanation?
No explanation, "different software algorithms"

At the very least you should have a sleep study done with all the different channels of data available...and that includes EEG leads to the scalp and a thoracic belt and even leads to the extremities. Home sleep studies come in different levels of thoroughness...what you had with the pulse ox only is the most basic of screening tests. You need a more definitive sleep study either at home or in a lab (in a lab is preferable).

I will see what I can get...
Thanks Sister...


See LankyLefty's little video here about various levels of home sleep studies.
http://axgsleepdiagnostics.com/

If you were only having an occasional bad night...we might not be so alarmed but your bad nights are very bad and very frequent.

I am so heartened by this support, I was having such a rough time...

Thanks again...