Baffeled by last nights extremely low AHI for the first time

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BlackSpinner
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Re: Baffeled by last nights extremely low AHI for the first time

Post by BlackSpinner » Fri Jul 18, 2014 7:00 pm

LOL She is a professor of mathematics.
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?
Wait for a few days. Get comfortable with these settings. Let them do their work.

Comfort can be very therapeutic in our situation. One needs to be comfortable in order to use cpap therapy consistently. Some people prefer the auto function since they can coast along for a lot of the night at a lower pressure, this is especially true for people who have need for higher pressure during REM sleep, the lower pressure helps with swallowing air (aero something or other). Others find that the change in pressure wakes them up and disturbs their sleep.

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Re: Baffeled by last nights extremely low AHI for the first time

Post by ShelaghDB » Fri Jul 18, 2014 7:00 pm

squid13 wrote: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.

I assume the face wash is to protect the mask?

I just picked up some mouthwash called Biotene.
I used it once last night but looking at the tiny writing closer today I see I am to use it 5x daily?
And this really works?

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Re: Baffeled by last nights extremely low AHI for the first time

Post by ShelaghDB » Fri Jul 18, 2014 7:07 pm

LOL She is a professor of mathematics.
Very interesting!
I now understand the connection and why she is as she is.........that makes perfect sense.

Ok RobySue........I see you don't need a new career BUT do know its out there for you if you want a change at some point in life

A professor of mathematics........ Just Perfect. Makes Perfect Sense!
Wait for a few days. Get comfortable with these settings. Let them do their work.

Comfort can be very therapeutic in our situation. One needs to be comfortable in order to use cpap therapy consistently. Some people prefer the auto function since they can coast along for a lot of the night at a lower pressure, this is especially true for people who have need for higher pressure during REM sleep, the lower pressure helps with swallowing air (aero something or other). Others find that the change in pressure wakes them up and disturbs their sleep.
I know she would advise the same and I will fight my instincts and pay attention only because I know you guys are way ahead of me on this but its not in my nature to go slowly.
I usually jump in full barrel, after giving it great thought but once I make the decision to do something, unless I decide not to at all, I will do all to an extreme but it usually works much better for me that way than taking things slowly and methodically.
That said, in the beginning my natural way of doing things wasn't working and I was aware of it so I was taking my time, doing what is unnatural for me BUT, it would have likely worked far better had I not had someone convince me that FF masks being given to mouth breathers was a well known and all understood mistake that DMEs make all the time.
Hence i finally gave up and jumped from 10-13 without a problem. Just more my style.
But I will go slowly and see if it works that way.......first


I did try the Auto function when I first got the Auto Set but I was still only a few weeks of complying at that point but was feeling like a frisbee and nothing seemed to be working.
It was RobySue that suggested I put it back to CPAP and that worked. Considering the circumstances in retrospect I see why.
But I will be willing at least to try it one more time in the future at some point. Its too early for me to say if i will like it or not once i am settled

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Re: Baffeled by last nights extremely low AHI for the first time

Post by ShelaghDB » Fri Jul 18, 2014 7:28 pm

Some people prefer the auto function since they can coast along for a lot of the night at a lower pressure, this is especially true for people who have need for higher pressure during REM sleep, the lower pressure helps with swallowing air (aero something or other). Others find that the change in pressure wakes them up and disturbs their sleep.

Interesting.
Thats not the effect I experienced but when you feel like a frisbee you don't know what it is that is causing you to feel one way or another so i wasn't really sure what.
I guess I will just have to wait and f ind out.
I don't swallow air although i have felt the chipmunk cheek effect once or twice which is pretty weird LOL

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Re: Baffeled by last nights extremely low AHI for the first time

Post by Julie » Fri Jul 18, 2014 9:04 pm

The face wash is to get oils, etc. off your face so the mask doesn't slide around.

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Re: Baffeled by last nights extremely low AHI for the first time

Post by squid13 » Fri Jul 18, 2014 9:47 pm

ShelaghDB wrote:I just picked up some mouthwash called Biotene.
I used it once last night but looking at the tiny writing closer today I see I am to use it 5x daily?
And this really works?
The Biotene has been reformulated and doesn't have beneficial enzymes in it any more. Ask your Pharmacist for a dry mouth rinse that has beneficial enzymes in it, I only use it at bedtime. The beneficial enzymes is what makes it work better. I use Walgreen's house brand but they may not have a Walgreen's up there or a CVS drug store for there house brand. Here's a thread on Biotene viewtopic.php?f=1&t=93223&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=Biotene

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Re: Baffeled by last nights extremely low AHI for the first time

Post by DavidCarolina » Sat Jul 19, 2014 4:13 am

why are you not on bipap?

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Re: Baffeled by last nights extremely low AHI for the first time

Post by ShelaghDB » Sat Jul 19, 2014 6:39 am

I don't know.
You tell me.
I don't know what BiPap is yet.


The Biotene has been reformulated and doesn't have beneficial enzymes in it any more. Ask your Pharmacist for a dry mouth rinse that has beneficial enzymes in it, I only use it at bedtime. The beneficial enzymes is what makes it work better. I use Walgreen's house brand but they may not have a Walgreen's up there or a CVS drug store for there house brand. Here's a thread on Biotene viewtopic.php?f=1&t=93223&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=Biotene
Thanks, I will read up on that and find a better one then.

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Re: Baffeled by last nights extremely low AHI for the first time

Post by ShelaghDB » Sat Jul 19, 2014 6:52 am

DavidCarolina wrote:why are you not on bipap?


It may come to that.
I just did a q hick read but I thought thats what it was, what i read up on anyhow.

1) The Central Apneas seem to show up only during change, and so far have settled back down to much lower than Obstructive Apneas once that happens.
2) I am presently on a medication that can cause central apneas and am expected to be off of it in a couple of months but it still remains that they should settle down once i am through the changes.
I just upped my pressure 3 numbers for my DME had set my machine 3 numbers lower than the prescription called for and although everyone says to do it slowly, I don't time to do things slowly. I just need to get them done. I don't feel any bad effects from having done it so am waiting for a short time to settle down.

I just paid $650 out of pocket 6 weeks ago for a AutoSet S9.....I really don't want to have to repeat the process for a BiPap machine so I am hopping that CPAP will work.
I will know either way soon

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Re: Baffeled by last nights extremely low AHI for the first time

Post by Julie » Sat Jul 19, 2014 7:32 am

Bipap is essentially C (or A) pap for people whose settings are very high (e.g. over the high teens or 20) and not accommodated well by regular Cpap. That's really all it is... it's not ASV or Vpap or anything else.

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Re: Baffeled by last nights extremely low AHI for the first time

Post by ShelaghDB » Sat Jul 19, 2014 10:22 am

I have improved IMMENSELY since giving into the FF mask and nasal rinse.
Have gone from nightly AHI's of 57.05 or so to last nights AHI of 3.03

My only two concerns:

1) I don't know what to make of the high central apneas but waiting to see if they go away since after a few days.

2) Not sure of RobySues earlier comment about perhaps needing MORE pressure than 13 although 13 is my prescribed pressure?


A tremendous change from a week ago.
If you need to be reminded of where I was a week ago, I can post a screenshot but it was not a pretty sight at an AHI of 57 +



Image

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Re: Baffeled by last nights extremely low AHI for the first time

Post by robysue » Sat Jul 19, 2014 11:20 am

ShelaghDB wrote:I have improved IMMENSELY since giving into the FF mask and nasal rinse.
Have gone from nightly AHI's of 57.05 or so to last nights AHI of 3.03
and
2) Not sure of RobySues earlier comment about perhaps needing MORE pressure than 13 although 13 is my prescribed pressure?
Keep the pressure where it is for a week or so. If the long term AHI stays below 5.0 (like last night's AHI), you don't need any more pressure. If the AHI continues to bounce around, revisit this question AFTER you know you have the leaks consistently under control.
1) I don't know what to make of the high central apneas but waiting to see if they go away since after a few days.
If the "high [number of] central apneas" that you are worried about are like last nights (CAI = 2.5) you don't need to be concerned. Centrals only become an issue if the CAI is consistently above 5.0 after PAPing for a long time AND you know (for sure) that you are asleep during the times when long chains of centrals are scored. If the centrals are few in number (and an CAI = 2.5 indicates they're relatively few in number), you don't need to worry about them. If the centrals mainly occur during times when you are AWAKE or drifting between WAKE and SLEEP, then chances are the centrals are mis-scored "Sleep/Wake/junk" breathing and would likely not be scored on a real sleep test because they start when you're not fully asleep.

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Re: Baffeled by last nights extremely low AHI for the first time

Post by ShelaghDB » Sat Jul 19, 2014 7:55 pm

I havent quite figured out how to read the charts yet. One day this week I will find an hour and put it aside and not allow anyone to call or disturb me so I can read them myself in future.

I will revisit this only if i start to bounce around, but am hoping for it to stay under 5.


Once again, I know you aren't fond of praise so I will only say, Thank you...........but you are brilliant......LOL.........and I am forever in your debt

(sorry but i just HAD to throw that in there one more time)

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Re: Baffeled by last nights extremely low AHI for the first time

Post by Guest » Sun Jul 20, 2014 6:17 pm

It might be interesting in a few days to see if you sleep well with the nasal pillow mask PLUS the nasal flush/rinse. Without the congestion, you may have an extra option for masks.

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Re: Baffeled by last nights extremely low AHI for the first time

Post by ShelaghDB » Sun Jul 20, 2014 7:05 pm

OK I am not supposed to be posting as i am supposed to be sitting and watching my apneas for the next 5 days in order to see if they improve, or if leaks develop and i need to do a higher pressure etc.

BUT, i had such a great set of results last night I just had to post this in fear I never see this happy face again


I should add, that i moved to the other bedroom last night as everything is about to be painted in here. Turns out that there must be a loose plug OR a loose extension cord OR a bad set up as i only got 1.5 hours in last night.

Went to sleep and a short time into it, I Think but am not sure, that in my sleep I pulled the machine and it almost fell off a table OR, it came out of the plug. Im not sure what happened. All I know is that the air suddenly stopped so it woke me up and my machine was dead.......as if it weren't plugged in so I just pushed the plug in and it started up again. I might have knocked the plug when I pulled it in my sleep.

So I put it on again and i see to recall it going off again and my taking the mask off that time but not being awake enough to wake up so i slept all night without the mask.

BUT even so...................even in 90 minutes I havent gone below an AHI of 3 point something yet.
So when I opened up Sleepyhead just to see what happened, this huge grinning happy face kept blinking and i didnt know why until i realized i didnt have ANY AHIs

AHI 00 for the first time ever....

Image

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