Baffeled by last nights extremely low AHI for the first time

[ShelaghDB]

Baffled by my last night results. Anyone understand?

Severe Sleep Apnea with a prescribe pressure of 13 but when given an Escape model for first 2 months it was at 10 which I didn't know. Bought the Auto Set 6 weeks ago, discovered it then, and since have had little or no compliance nightly as I have a habit of taking the mask off without my knowledge and placing it on my chest.

Discovered 3 weeks ago, when I slept on my living room couch for 2 nights in a row, both nights I slept 9 hours, never took the mask off and never became congested.
In my bedroom something is congesting me and i can't seem to replicate the 2 good nights.
Going to try 2 nights on the sofa again soon to see if it works again.
I have had a guest from England here for one month in the guest room so my bedroom door is closed and perhaps getting to warm. Not sure what it is but I won't know until he's gone in 2 weeks.

In any event, even with taking the mask off sometimes after only 45 min or 5 hours later, I have Severe Sleep Apnea with very high AHI------usually on an average it appears to be about 1 event every 90 seconds if not less.
I do however sleep on my back and for reasons can not at present sleep on my side so I realize that is likely part of the problem.

I started with a FF mask but as a mouth breather I opened my mouth in the FF mask and had cotton batten mouth and switched to a nasal mask which for some reason stops me from opening my mouth at all BUT i am struggling with the stuffed nose problem which is what is making me take it off in the middle of the night. I have yet to try the nasal rinse.......i am waiting 2 weeks for a certain change to take place and then I will be able to, I believe, replicate the situation in my bedroom I believe is different in the living room that allowed me to sleep without getting stuffed up....

Whether I sleep 8 hours or 45 mins, my AHI is very high

I am stubborn and trying to get this done without having to resort to chin straps, nasal washes, but realize I may have to give in soon...and use them.


SORRY had to give you that background in order to maybe make sense of last nights numbers.....

Last night i only slept 1 .5 hours but for the very first time EVER, my AHI was only 7.71 but every other night its 38-49

I went back to the FF mask for the first time although I know I woke up at some point with a dry mouth and quickly hopped up to the loo and changed over to the nasal mask and went back to sleep but it doesn't appear that I lasted long again with the nasal mask so something in my bedroom is stuffing me up that doesn't happen in the living room BUT........thats not what I am asking about......I have to assume that the ONLY change last night was the FF mask.....


So, if I am opening my mouth with a FF mask, the treatment obviously does not work, right? Thats basically Leakage........then why or how could my numbers have dropped SO low?
There have been plenty of nights I have slept the same shorter amount of time and its still averaged out to very high API yet last night for the one and only time I have a rather low number........................

Any ideas as to why this would be?

[robysue]

So, if I am opening my mouth with a FF mask, the treatment obviously does not work, right? Thats basically Leakage........then why or how could my numbers have dropped SO low?

No. The whole point of a full face mask is so that you can open your mouth without losing therapeutic pressure. Your mouth is UNDER the mask and hence when you open your mouth, any air in the mouth is leaked INTO the mask and is NOT lost.

However a lot of FFM users have problems with leaks because the seal has a much larger footprint on the face, and so it can be harder to seal in the first place. And as we sleep, our facial muscles can relax substantially, and when this happens, the muscles around the jaw can sag enough to break the seal on a FFM.

I started with a FF mask but as a mouth breather I opened my mouth in the FF mask and had cotton batten mouth ...

While opening your mouth in a FF mask does not lead to a loss of pressure, it does allow the pressurized air to circulate through the mouth. And it's the airflow through the mouth that causes the cotton batten (dry) mouth.

and switched to a nasal mask which for some reason stops me from opening my mouth at all

Are you using the leak data to conclude that you are not opening your mouth when you use a nasal mask?

Whether I sleep 8 hours or 45 mins, my AHI is very high

Are you still using pressure settings that cause your pressure to be less than 13 for long periods of time?

I am stubborn and trying to get this done without having to resort to chin straps, nasal washes, but realize I may have to give in soon...and use them.

A nasal wash is not that bad. Really. It takes maybe 30-60 seconds to do.

As for chin straps: They're only going to help IF you are having problems opening your mouth in a nasal mask OR if you are experiencing large leaks caused by facial sagging while using a FFM.

Last night i only slept 1 .5 hours but for the very first time EVER, my AHI was only 7.71 but every other night its 38-49

I'm confused about something important: Was the AHI = 7.71 with a Full Face mask or a nasal mask?

[ShelaghDB]

LMAO...............YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME?
ALL this time I thought I could not use a FF mask because it was not working if I opened my mouth? LMAO.......ok, insanity has now set in /sighs

I can't frigging believe that.
I have been struggling with this nasal mask then for 2 months for no reason.

In any event, I did try the FF mask once again last night and still got an API of 7.7.........after 2 months of only 38-50 every night when I THOUGHT it was working because it was going in my nose but why i had the high API i was at a loss..... /sighs

Ok, so now I am back to the FF mask and last night i just said screw it, I put the machine up to 13 where it was supposed to be all along, instead of the 10 they mistakenly put it at and I didn't seem to notice anything wrong, at least out of the ordinary.

Ok, so tonight I will use the FF mask again......Today I finally gave in and purchased that nasal stuff you use to dry your nasal passages and see if that helps for i can only remain unstuffed up when I sleep on my living room sofa for some reason but i am not moving onto my sofa, obviously. And so far i can't figure out why the living room does not stuff me up whilst my bedroom does each night.

The only downfall to this so far is that my Obstructive Sleep Apnea has fallen right down but the brain type apneas have risen.....still low over all but when I had APIs in the 48 area mark I had NO brain type apneas....now its higher.........so will see if that settles down.


One thing I don't understand though...............

So IF i was keeping my mouth closed with the nasal mask
and appear to be keeping it closed with the FF although my mouth gets dry, WHAT is it from the Nasal Mask that would cause the API to be so much higher than with the FF mask?
If the air was still going into my nose with the nasal mask and not coming out my mouth..........i don't see why the FF mask would have made as much of a difference as it has......

Are you using the leak data to conclude that you are not opening your mouth when you use a nasal mask?

I havent had time yet to really figure out these charts. I have to sit and really figure it all out.
My life is just too busy. Not enough hours in the day to get to everything i need to do but I have made a concerted effort to cut out a few job related things that will give me more time and less stress as soon as my house guest leaVes IN 2 weeks.
With a house guest I cannot walk be myself in my own home. Its the last time i ever allow a house guest here. Next one goes to a hotel

No I just figured I was not opening it because my mouth was NOT dry.
And i was not waking up with my mouth open but closed
Guess I better figure out the leak c harts and go back and look at the last month and be sure that I wasn't leaking but i can't imagine otherwise why there would be such a high ARI....with the nasal mask if my mouth was closed...........i just assumed i was as severe as they said i was as in severe sleep apnea and those were the numbers that were normal for me.........and that i had to work down from them but until i mastered the stuffed nose issue it wasn't going to happen...therefore completely shocked when I saw a low number of 5 or 7 for the very first time ever


It may seem longer but the reality is, I have only been at this since May 28th.......6 weeks.
I used the Escape before that for about 2 weeks or so.

Its not as long as it might appear that I have been on the machine but i have been all over the place trying everything and I was actually still trying to work out the plan you had once mentioned to me........to be able to get though a night for a few nights and then once i settled, to go up 1 notch at a time but NOTHING was working........until I slept on my couch for 2 nights and slept through the night without stuffiness although the numbers were still high but that was 3 weeks ago and i have been struggling with the nose issue again since so nothing changed until I just tried the FF mask....and i am not even sure why I tried it as I was convinced it was no good for me without a chin strap.....which I havent had time to go pick up anywhere.......and i thought the nasal mask was working

[ShelaghDB]

A nasal wash is not that bad. Really. It takes maybe 30-60 seconds to do.

As for chin straps: They're only going to help IF you are having problems opening your mouth in a nasal mask OR if you are experiencing large leaks caused by facial sagging while using a FFM.

I was really hoping to get this mastered with just the machine and a mask.
The last thing I wanted to have to do was add yet another expense for the rest of my life IF i didnt have to........and another job to find time to fit in but it appears that I just can't get past it and must do something. Ive tried now long enough on my own and I just can't keep going on with taking if off at nightime once stuffy.

Ok, so i will figure out the leak chart and if i don't need a chin strap for this FF mask, then I will only get one if i can get back to the nasal mask which I do prefer to a FF mask.
I have a good FF mask that I believe does not leak........but I HATE the dry mouth feeling and that is why I came to be tested for Sleep apNEA, not becaUse i felt tired but because the dry mouth was causing cavities I had never had before so its one of the more important issues I must conquer as I can't just "live with it"

[Julie]

Your mouth may not be dry because... you're using the humidifier and it's working well, or... it's humid in TO right now, or because you don't have a gaping maw when m. breathing, but enough air escapes between lips to matter to stats, etc. Don't assume anything with this stuff or you'll go nuts!

[ShelaghDB]

Ok, bearing in mind I am getting stuffed up and taking the mask off for at least a few hours in the night unknowingly, here at least is a screenshot of the Leak Frame from Last night using the FF mask with an AHI of 5.57




Here it is a week ago using the Nasal mask with an AHI of 41.70




A random night 2 weeks ago using the Nasal Mask with a AHI of 47.60

The big spike I assume is me taking off the mask to get up to go to the loo...i think

[ShelaghDB]

Your mouth may not be dry because... you're using the humidifier and it's working well, or... it's humid in TO right now, or because you don't have a gaping maw when m. breathing, but enough air escapes between lips to matter to stats, etc. Don't assume anything with this stuff or you'll go nuts!

I entered the realm of absolute insanity at least 3 weeks ago........I am SOOOOOOO way past the nutty stage u have NO idea


Its really difficult to be sure right now.
I have a houseguest staying in one of my rooms for 2 weeks.
I wish I could get rid of him tonight but i can't.
As soon as he leaves I am moving into that bedroom and by doing so I know i will upset the balance again.
If I sleep in the living room i get through the night without ANY stuffiness but in the bedroom i am stuffed up so once i go to that room, I will likely be doing headstands in my sleep or something

It seems the SLIGHTEST change throws everything off....................i just want to get where I have a few nights that seemingly have me on the right track so I am finally sure that I AM on the right track.
I thought i did 2 weeks ago on the living room sofa and wondered if the fan in my bedroom was stirring up dust I can't see thats irritating me in my sleep BUT the room I am going into in 2 weeks doesn't have a fan so I won't know if i am right until I try it

Your mouth may not be dry because... you're using the humidifier and it's working well, or... it's humid in TO right now, or because you don't have a gaping maw when m. breathing, but enough air escapes between lips to matter to stats, etc. Don't assume anything with this stuff or you'll go nuts!

Ive turned OFF the humidifier and the climate control as of 5 days ago completely.
IF RIGHT and I say that with a huge IF for I am no longer sure i am right about anything thats taken place, I discovered my humidity level set to high 10 days ago and figured i was way too high by mistake and turned it off.

I should add that when I slept in the living room for those 2 nights, naturally my machine was out on a huge big square table I have in-between 2 sofas and this house guest took it upon himself to play with the buttons for some dumb reason I still can't figure out and didnt tell me but a few days later I discovered them all over the place and the humidity at 70+ or something.
This houseguest is really stressing me out and i know thats affecting me negatively. Its going to be an extremely long 2 weeks until he's gone so I am half trying but know that his presence and my anger at him at a few things plus his playing with my machine stupidly is holding me back until he's gone

[Julie]

For some reason you strike me as someone who may have done e.g. yoga in the past, if not now, and I wonder if a good session of meditation prior to sleep might be an idea to settle and center yourself a bit... at least take your mind off that guest!

[BlackSpinner]

If I sleep in the living room i get through the night without ANY stuffiness but in the bedroom i am stuffed up so once i go to that room, I will likely be doing headstands in my sleep or something

Something in the bedroom is causing the stuffiness. Something you are allergic too. It could be anything, dust, carpets, mould, plants. Take your anger and take that room apart. Wash everything with unscented hypoallergenic soap. Get a mattress cover designed for allergies. Get some new hypoallergenic pillows. Get anything you don't need out of the bedroom. Scrub the air conditioner to within an inch of its life. Use that male with upper body strength to move the furniture and lay down the law about the house rules. If on the sofa you head is higher then your feet, put some blocks under the head of the bed.

Even with a full face mask you can use a chinstrap to keep your mouth more closed and feel less dry.

[ShelaghDB]

If I sleep in the living room i get through the night without ANY stuffiness but in the bedroom i am stuffed up so once i go to that room, I will likely be doing headstands in my sleep or something

Something in the bedroom is causing the stuffiness. Something you are allergic too. It could be anything, dust, carpets, mould, plants. Take your anger and take that room apart. Wash everything with unscented hypoallergenic soap. Get a mattress cover designed for allergies. Get some new hypoallergenic pillows. Get anything you don't need out of the bedroom. Scrub the air conditioner to within an inch of its life. Use that male with upper body strength to move the furniture and lay down the law about the house rules. If on the sofa you head is higher then your feet, put some blocks under the head of the bed.

Even with a full face mask you can use a chinstrap to keep your mouth more closed and feel less dry.

Thats the exact same conclusion I have come to but its not mould and I already have hypoallergenic covers all over my bed and pillows and I even vacumn that as well. I don't have plants but am looking at 2 possibilities. 1) The AC unit not being clean enough and/r 2) a fan stirring up dust
Its a very dusty place right now that I have to stay on top of as I have a new condo going up on one side of me and a beautiful big huge home behind me so both are creating high amounts of dust.

In 2 weeks i am switching rooms anyhow and will be washing that one down from top to bottom before i set it up and that room I have taken the AC out of so we shall see.

In the meantime, I did try that Nasal Rinse last night and it worked. I slept right through the night without any problem and left my mask on the full night this time, FINALLY!
So it half way appears that i am on the right track.
Posted are my last night screenshots and this number of 6.61 is inline with the 5 and 7's I was getting the last 3 nights before which are much lower than the 35-48 AHI I have had since day one until 3 days ago. I have never had lower than 35 before this week.

I sleep on my back.
I have vertigo if i sleep on one side so if i sleep on the other side instinctively in my sleep I KNOW not to switch to the other side so i am us rolling over onto my back and never slept on my back until the vertigo was diagnosed but i don't have any vertigo UNLESS i sleep on my right side.......hence, why i don't


Besides it being higher last night, I have gone from having very few Clear Airway Apneas and predominately having Obstructive Apneas, to the other way around. The past 5 days I have increasing numbers of Clear Airway Apneas and lower Obstructive Apnea although I was originally diagnosed with Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

I am under growing stress due to the anger I am feeling towards this house guest. He knows it. I am hoping on getting him out of here today or tomorrow but I won't know if i will be successful until it takes place. ( I just found out it won't be and he's here till the last minute as i feared )
I am in control but to be in control I am also stuffing it down and I am remaining gracious but I know the cost of doing so but this is one of those rare times I cannot just be myself and order the person out that is angering me but its best to have us on pleasant terms for I know I will never have to see him again but he's ill and thats why he's here in Toronto for one month. What i am trying to say is that normally I would not put up with a situation that did not make me happy in my own home and would have ordered anyone else out immediately. This persons ill and I realize its not entirely his fault he is acting as he is so I am aware that because I will never see them again once they go, its a situation in which it is best that I remain gracious and count the days.......LOL I guess that was redundant but anyone will understand my point

That could be the cause OR................I was on an addictive pain medication/control that I am now being brought off slowly by the doctor but it could still be another 3-6 months until I am entirely free of it. I am also aware that this could be causing it but if so, then why Clear Airway apneas didn't present themselves all of the time in higher numbers I can't answer........therefore, I am watching and waiting to see if it remains this way or will perhaps disappear again.

As for the FF mask, I'm kind of angry about that for someone gave me advice elsewhere from this forum and told me that when you wear a FF mask IF you open your mouth and get that dry mouth then your therapy is completely useless. Not the dry mouth but the fact your mouth is open they were saying, I now understand and they went on further to say that Mouth breathers should never use FF masks, which flew in the face of wisdom but they were implying that the original thought that FF masks should be given to all mouth breathers was wrong and I believed it. It made perfect sense to me and no one disputed it.
So I have really just wasted 2 months believing that!

Looking at my FF mask and the numbers with my nasal mask I still am unable to understand HOW or WHY the two masks could possibly bring upon such extreme numbers?
With a nasal mask I am 38-49 AHI?
a FF mask I am 5 - 6.6 AHI?

What has caused the extreme is whats baffling me...........I actually prefer the nasal mask to the FF so I was hoping to get my numbers lower using that mask for I HATE this dry mouth feeling and I MUST master it for t hat is the reason I was sent for a Sleep Apnea test, to get to the bottom of mouth breathing and fix it for its hurting me dentistry wise..........Dry mouth without saliva is very dangerous for your teeth.

My original DME set up my brick at 10 pressure when it was supposed to be 13.
When I switched 6 weeks ago to an auto set I found the exhale difference to weird to deal with so I was advised to copy my brick settings, get comfortable and then slowly move up 1 pressure number per week and make changes very slowly until i found what worked for me.

I gave up on that 3 days ago and ramped my auto set from 10-13 and I haven't had any problems so far doing that. The high clear airway numbers started showing up last Thursday and have been increasing, except for one day, since.

For some reason you strike me as someone who may have done e.g. yoga in the past, if not now, and I wonder if a good session of meditation prior to sleep might be an idea to settle and center yourself a bit... at least take your mind off that guest!

No, most of my friends so but I was fortunate and always in great shape and only weighed 115 pounds etc......I put on 25 pounds on purpose 2 years ago in anticipation of some medication i needed that would cause me to lose weight and i was afraid of being underweight too quickly. At that time I was diagnosed with Severe Sleep Apnea but I was tested for reasons other than the usual.....i was also told by the sleep doctor that as soon as i finish losing the extra weight i should be fine and not have it anymore.
im not sure i believe that but time will tell

[Pugsy]

As for the FF mask, I'm kind of angry about that for someone gave me advice elsewhere from this forum and told me that when you wear a FF mask IF you open your mouth and get that dry mouth then your therapy is completely useless. Not the dry mouth but the fact your mouth is open they were saying, I now understand and they went on further to say that Mouth breathers should never use FF masks, which flew in the face of wisdom but they were implying that the original thought that FF masks should be given to all mouth breathers was wrong and I believed it. It made perfect sense to me and no one disputed it.
So I have really just wasted 2 months believing that!

I am confused. Other than 3 posts in December your posts here began in early July and I can't find where someone gave you the wrong advice here at this forum 2 months ago. Maybe I missed it or you weren't logged in and when that happens we can't find your old posts.
I don't remember seeing such advice being offered here at this forum about full face mask usage.
It is commonly offered in regards to nasal interface mask usage though I myself don't say it because a little mouth breathing doesn't always mean the entire night's therapy is in the toilet. I want to see leak graphs before I ever offer that bit of advice.

[palerider]

As for the FF mask, I'm kind of angry about that for someone gave me advice elsewhere from this forum

I am confused. Other than 3 posts in December your posts here began in early July and I can't find where someone gave you the wrong advice here at this forum 2 months ago. Maybe I missed it or you weren't logged in and when that happens we can't find your old posts.
I don't remember seeing such advice being offered here at this forum about full face mask usage.
It is commonly offered in regards to nasal interface mask usage though I myself don't say it because a little mouth breathing doesn't always mean the entire night's therapy is in the toilet. I want to see leak graphs before I ever offer that bit of advice.

she's been over on the apneaboard. "elsewhere from this forum"...

[robysue]

ShelaghDB,

Let's look at those leak lines you posted:

Ok, bearing in mind I am getting stuffed up and taking the mask off for at least a few hours in the night unknowingly, here at least is a screenshot of the Leak Frame from Last night using the FF mask with an AHI of 5.57

You are using a Resmed S9 Autoset. See how this leak line NEVER comes close to touching the RedLine drawn at 24 L/min? That means the unintentional leaks are under control. And that means the machine has no trouble maintaining the pressure setting it is running at. With a combination of an AHI = 5.57 AND leaks that are under control, we can conclude that the pressure (which we don't see in the leak graph) is probably a wee bit less than you actually need.

Here it is a week ago using the Nasal mask with an AHI of 41.70

I've replaced the original picture with a marked up version. See all the humps in the leak graph I've circled in Red? They are most likely caused by mouth breathing. In other words, you were definitely opening your mouth (a lot) on this night with the nasal pillows. Now first two mouth leaks are both short in time and stay pretty far below the RedLine for most of their duration. Those two leaks probably did not affect the quality of your therapy too much or the accuracy of the AHI data too much. But the 3rd and 4th mouth leaks are much more problematic. They are both longer and higher than the first two. Even so, these are just barely big enough to start flirting with Large Leak territory. But they could be both long enough and large enough to be problematic.

A random night 2 weeks ago using the Nasal Mask with a AHI of 47.60

The big spike I assume is me taking off the mask to get up to go to the loo...i think

Yes, the big spike is likely the trip to the loo. But the rest of the leaks are mainly mouth leaks. The 30 minute leak before the trip to the loo is both long enough and large enough to be problematic.

In short, you are opening your mouth when you use the nasal mask AND when you open your mouth with a nasal mask, sometimes you lose enough air through the mask leak to make it harder for the machine to do its job.

[squid13]

As a full face mask user I make sure I wash my face good and then use a dry mouth rinse that has steroids in it and I have no problems with dry mouth during the night. I also put a little chap stick on my lips to keep them moist.

[ShelaghDB]

Wow!
You really are meant for this RobySue.
Ive said it before and will say it again. This IS your forte. If you don't have a career at the moment ( I don't know if you do or not ) but if not, you really should consider this area as one for you to s specialize in, whether that be a book, your own sleep centre, etc!

In my opinion and I say this without the intention of hurting anyone else, but i find you to be the best person at this, not just technically in the way you describe certain things and manage to make those who have not yet had the time to really understand what the graphs mean, especially so precisely but you have the perfect "bedside manner".

( IF I LEFT ANYONE OUT THAT IS EQUALLY GOOD, ITS ONLY BECAUSE I AM NOT FAMILIAR WITH YOU YET BUT ROBYSUE HAS HELPED ME BEFORE AND I KNOW HOW EXTENSIVE HER KNOWLEDGE IS )

I excel at putting people together and/or recognizing the talents of others and promoting them and I honestly mean what I say. You really ought to put your passion to use.

In any event back to what you told me.
Thank you, everything has finally become clearer to me this past week.
As you know i have been struggling like others although i tend to be more vocal about it when I become confused and can't figure out why one thing is doing the opposite of what I expect it to do. Im a city/urban gal and I havent any issues of shyness and will ask when I need help.......even if I am not sure what I am asking about.

Unfortunately in hindsight i jumped on a post I saw in the other forum that someone had put in a thread which claimed that it was wrong to hand out FF masks to mouth breathers and I got the impression from what was being said that this was well understood by everyone. I took it to mean that the DME that had given me a FF mask did not know what they were doing so I took this persons advice and began using a new Nasal Mask. I believed what they said that very first night for I didn't have that cotton mouth feeling that I got on the FF mask so I assumed my mouth MUST be closed 100% of the time.

To be honest I am a bit angry now that 2 months has passed by and I took that advice so close to heart and I realize now I wasted that whole time when you confirmed on this thread the other day that NO, FF masks ARE the ones meant for mouth breathers and I realized I had taken advice from someone who obviously knew as little as I did.................and thats dangerous. I now realize I am not the one to be giving any advice and others like myself should not be either.
More importantly you have now proven to me that i was wrong and wasn't sleeping with my mouth closed the whole time as I believed, which was the only reason I thought that person that gave the advice had been right and given me the gospel truth when in fact, it was 100% wrong! /sighs

In any event, NOW i have finely crossed over the line to understand what works best for me and that IS the FF mask after all and for now at least, until i understand it all much more than I do yet, I will stick with a FF mask and not experiment with anything else for a long time yet. Lets master the AHI and other things first.
So this week I will pick up another model of FF mask. The same one I have now. No point in trying another one and risking leakage when I believe this one is very low on the leaking scale.

I also tried that nasal wash at night time which I am happy about having to use at all but it at least seems to work so I have given in and am using it for now although I still hope when I am a bit better set on this CPAP trip that i can get rid of that and figure out a way how to keep my nose unstuffed as I am not yet positive that it isn't something in my bedroom causing it......but I shall experiment with that later on, not now.


My only question that remains then?

AND leaks that are under control, we can conclude that the pressure (which we don't see in the leak graph) is probably a wee bit less than you actually need.

Not sure what that means. If you recall I was at 10 and you suggested I move up slowly to 13. That was my plan but since with the nasal mask nothing else was working out well I finally just threw caution to the wind 3 nights ago and ramped it right up to 13 and so far it hasn't been uncomfortable.

So IF i am at 13 in that graph, are you saying its likely a wee bit lower than what i really need and perhaps I should go to 14?
Or what would you suggest?

Also, now that I have settled down, perhaps I should try the Auto thingie again that goes from one number to another.
What is that point of that?
Is it strictly for comfort OR is there a therapeutic benefit?
I figure since i purchased the AutoSet I may as well try and use its special add ons if i can, since I did pay for them, but now you can see that the nasal mask was not really working, it also might explain why I was having a hard time with the auto setting in the very beginning..

In any event, ANY advice you want to lay on me, I trust your opinion implicitly, far more than I trust my own, and will follow your advice.


Thank you very much for ALL of your help!


1 Last thing. I had mentioned earlier in this thread that I had the houseguest from Hell and that he was staying until the 31st so the stress i was under because of him was quite unbearable. Due to the stress I said i would not be able to make any changes to my CPAP while under this stress whilst he was here staying in my home.

I don't take pills but i hold a prescription of a drug called Clonazapam for my girlfriend that is prescribed them, but she's an addict becasue if they are in her possession she eats them and goes through them too quickly so I hold on to them and every couple of days she comes buy and takes just a couple and I make sure she's a good little girl with them.
They are some sort of Valium like pill but last night i had reached the end of my tether and was starting to look at this pills and think perhaps I needed 2 myself in order to calm down or I was going to likely murder this house guest.
I didnt take the pills but he fortunately found somewhere else to go today and left so fortunately I didn't take one but it will take me a day to decompress from the stress. I cannot recall the last time someone managed to stress me out to such a degree.
So on top of trying to figure out my AHI and mask issues, I had this enormous stress to deal with BUT I can now say that its full steam ahead on getting this licked now he's gone and I don't have to swallow the stress in order to be gracious in the face of hell..........

Geez, I don't even like liquor and may have 1 glass of red wine every 2-3 years or so---------last night i was ready to hit the liquor store and buy a whole bottle of a good nice dry wine and chug down the whole thing...........today I am VERY HAPPY he's gone


/shelagh does the happy dance over and over and is grinning like an idiot now he's gone