Potty Breaks: How Badly Are Stats Affected?

[DaveDzRochNY]

Hello Peoples...

First-time poster, long-time CPAP user (since 2000).

After receiving my latest unit last week (S9 Auto w/ humdifier) and having access to SleepyHead, I've
become mildly obsessed with the stats.

I'm wondering how badly a 2 or 3 minute mid-night run to the john affects stats (ie: mask removal,
leaving unit on). Nothing at all to be concerned about?

Just curious!... thank you!

[robysue]

DaveDzRochNY

Welcome to the forum!

I'm wondering how badly a 2 or 3 minute mid-night run to the john affects stats (ie: mask removal,
leaving unit on). Nothing at all to be concerned about?

If you have Auto ON/OFF turned OFF and machine runs during those few minutes, you'll get a LARGE LEAK flagged and the machine may decide that there's no one breathing and not count that time towards "usage" or "therapy" hours, but 2-3 minutes out of the whole night is nothing to worry about.

[DaveDzRochNY]

DaveDzRochNY

Welcome to the forum!

If you have Auto ON/OFF turned OFF and machine runs during those few minutes, you'll get a LARGE LEAK flagged and the machine may decide that there's no one breathing and not count that time towards "usage" or "therapy" hours, but 2-3 minutes out of the whole night is nothing to worry about.

Thank you for the speedy reply, Robysue!

I'm currently "auto=off" until a follow-up appointment in June. It is then that they decide to turn me loose
on "auto", or if I'll need to do an overnight study. I want to do whatever it takes to NOT cause an overnight.
So "good numbers" are important to me.

[Bama Rambler]

I'm currently "auto=off" until a follow-up appointment in June. It is then that they decide to turn me loose
on "auto", or if I'll need to do an overnight study. I want to do whatever it takes to NOT cause an overnight.
So "good numbers" are important to me.

I think you misunderstood what Robysue was saying. The Auto-Off she was talking about was where the machine turns itself off if you take the mask off, unhook the hose, etc. Not that the machine is in Auto Titrate mode.

Also don't be afraid of doing an overnight sleep study. It's not as bad as you might think. They also get a lot more data from a lab style test than you can from an at home test. However, if an at home test provides good enough info that's great.

[DaveDzRochNY]

Also don't be afraid of doing an overnight sleep study. It's not as bad as you might think.

I have had 3 overnight studies since 2000.

The first study yielded NO useful data because I never went to sleep.

The second gave them just under 3 hours of info to work with.

The third was slightly better as I was using the machine assigned to me after the second study and
I was using the Breeze nasal pillow mask.

I feel it's unnatural to have wires gelled all over the body, a microphone tied around the neck, a
"tumescence band" attached you-know-where (and really, what is THAT all about???), and cameras
watching you every second of the night. It's only my opinion that the experience is invasive, intrusive
and inconvenient.

I hope that the myriad data collected by the new-to-me S9 unit will provide enough insight so as to
avoid another study. That info was never available with the two units prior. An added "plus" is that
it costs my insurance provider much less money.

[Bama Rambler]

Hopefully the machine you're using will provide the data needed because you certainly don't have a good attitude about the overnight test, and the successfulness of those type tests depends a lot on your attitude. In fact, the successfulness of PAP in general depends a lot on attitude.

[LSAT]

As a "long time" user, you should be able to manage your own therapy with the machine that you have. (I agree about needing an attitude adjustment).

[DaveDzRochNY]

Hopefully the machine you're using will provide the data needed because you certainly don't have a good attitude about the overnight test, and the successfulness of those type tests depends a lot on your attitude. In fact, the successfulness of PAP in general depends a lot on attitude.

Is the judgement on my attitude because I disagreed with your previous statement of "it's not as bad as you think"?

My "attitude" is that I simply want to avoid an overnight... and hoping the array of data collected by this new-to-me
"modern" unit will provide all the info they need... and I want to be sure that nothing in that data will give them a
reason to order an overnight. (Hence my original question about mid-night mask removal and its effect on numbers.)

I may need to poke around a bit and find out how to enable the auto on/off function. I did have that choice when the
unit was being set up, but opted out because I' did not use it in the past.

[DaveDzRochNY]

As a "long time" user, you should be able to manage your own therapy with the machine that you have. (I agree about needing an attitude adjustment).

What's all this judgement about an attitude?

I recounted my experiences at past overnights and feelings about the process. What were the naughty words
I said that give me an attitude problem? Maybe I need to use different phrases? I don't know!

And yeah, I am GETTING an attitude NOW with this Rodney King-ish beat-down.

[Bama Rambler]

Success with anything is 90+% attitude. Due to prior experiences, you don't have a good attitude about the overnight test, so naturally you're not going to have a good experience if one is prescribed. There's no beat-down going on here just a statement of facts.

If you don't have a good attitude, you're not going to do well on the overnight test, so hopefully you're right and the current machine will give adequate data to make a diagnosis.

As far as the breaks affecting the numbers. The best thing to do is to reach over and turn the machine off whenever you need to get up.

[ems]

Hi Dave... when ya have to go ya have to go. I wouldn't give it a second thought! I've had one sleep study and have no intention of going back for another one. I see my doctor (pulmonary specialist) around once a year... she checks my data and occasionally makes suggestions. You can also post your data here if you'd like. Most of the veterans would be happy to look at it for you and make suggestions.

Your attitude is just fine by the way. Some people need that second cup of coffee before they adjust their attitude.

[Christine L]

I feel it's unnatural to have wires gelled all over the body, a microphone tied around the neck, a
"tumescence band" attached you-know-where (and really, what is THAT all about???), and cameras
watching you every second of the night. It's only my opinion that the experience is invasive, intrusive
and inconvenient.

If that is not an "attitude", then I don't know what is.

If your appendix ruptures will you accuse the surgery team team of being unnatural, invasive, intrusive and inconvenient?

[Wulfman...]

Hello Peoples...

First-time poster, long-time CPAP user (since 2000).

After receiving my latest unit last week (S9 Auto w/ humdifier) and having access to SleepyHead, I've
become mildly obsessed with the stats.

I'm wondering how badly a 2 or 3 minute mid-night run to the john affects stats (ie: mask removal,
leaving unit on). Nothing at all to be concerned about?

Just curious!... thank you!

I've never been able to understand why a person would NOT turn their machine off before going to the bathroom. If a person goes through the trouble to unmask (or leave the mask on and disconnect the hose), turning off the machine before doing that only takes a split-second. And, if they care at all about their sleep data, they wouldn't even have to ask. The sleep data will most certainly be skewed.


Den

.

[DaveDzRochNY]

I feel it's unnatural to have wires gelled all over the body, a microphone tied around the neck, a
"tumescence band" attached you-know-where (and really, what is THAT all about???), and cameras
watching you every second of the night. It's only my opinion that the experience is invasive, intrusive
and inconvenient.

If that is not an "attitude", then I don't know what is.

If your appendix ruptures will you accuse the surgery team team of being unnatural, invasive, intrusive and inconvenient?

Sweetie... All the things I listed (see quote) are indeed all unnatural, invasive, intrusive and inconvenient when you are
EXPECTED to sleep "normally". Isn't that what they want and need for a proper diagnosis? Yeah, string me up like a
marionette, wrap things around my neck, arms and privates, and then attach an alien to my face and EXPECT that I "sleep
normally". Now... maybe YOU are accustomed to that scenario... I have no idea what your boudoir preferences may be.

Your analogy to appendix surgery is completely invalid.

[ems]

I feel it's unnatural to have wires gelled all over the body, a microphone tied around the neck, a
"tumescence band" attached you-know-where (and really, what is THAT all about???), and cameras
watching you every second of the night. It's only my opinion that the experience is invasive, intrusive
and inconvenient.

If that is not an "attitude", then I don't know what is.

If your appendix ruptures will you accuse the surgery team team of being unnatural, invasive, intrusive and inconvenient?

Sweetie...

That's really about all you needed to say... and said quite well I might add. I guess some people like being tied up. You know how it is... different strokes and all...