Understanding Flow Rate (ASV)

Uncle Flapp wrote: Sleeprider, just a quick note of thanks for your suggestions. I'm not quite there yet but the number of episodes have decreased along with the total AHI when using the slightly higher pressure. I may bump the EPAP another 1/2 point in a few days to see if they continue to decline.

Thanks again.

- Flappy

Glad to hear of the positive direction for you. Hopefully that can soon translate to also feeling more rested.

dreamless wrote:Flappy,

Do you have insomnia as well as frequent awakenings ? And CSA ?

Hi Dreamless. I don't know if my centrals are xPAP induced or otherwise. I'm unaware of any physical reasons for it - labs and EKGs are all normal. No history of trauma.
I have a little insomnia but not terrible. I do wake frequently mostly to scratch an itch (under the mask) but fall back asleep right away. There are occasions I wake and can't fall back asleep but that is usually a few hours in. I'll get up, surf the web, and get back to bed an hour or so later.

I suggest you start a thread and post one of your nightly graphs to solicit feedback. Make sure you update your profile so that it reflects the equipment you are using. There are plenty of folks here that will try to help.

- Flappy

Guess I am not ready to let this thread die on the vine just yet. Hope y'all don't mind that I have another related question.

At Sleeprider's recommendation, I raised the EPAP by 1cm and am seeing better overall results. I still have the funky breathing pattern but it appears to be shorter and less frequent. Nightly average AHI (as reported by the machine) has dropped from the sixes to the twos. Now for my question: could these chains be related to PAP-induced low CO2 levels and if so, do you think it would be beneficial to lower or eliminate the EPR? My Rx is at min 6cm EPAP (although I raised it to 7cm) and I am accustomed to an EPR setting of 3.

To experiment, last night I tried lowering the EPR to 1 but had a horrible time. I'm lucky if I got two hours of sleep. I suppose in time I could get used to it but do you think the juice is worth the squeeze?

As always, I appreciate your thoughts.

- Flappy

My inclination would be go back to the best overall prescription and hang out a while there. Get a feel for its variations. I have personally tinkered myself into worse AHI at least once, and it serves as kind of a lesson that sometimes good is good enough. I wouldn't hesitate to play with settings one at a time in small increments in the future, but since we're kind of new with the current success, I'd probably let that settle in a bit.

Tom

Hey Sleeprider - night before last I had a new record low. W00t!



Last night's score was good too - 2.0. Definitely digging the new pressure and feeling the results. Thanks again for all your help.

- Flappy

Wow, I'm impressed. Wish I could claim to actually know why that worked.

Flappy,

Thanks so much for your reply. I'm looking forward to being able to post some of those nightly graphs. I'm currently looking into getting a card reader so quick as that happens... I've been to four neurologists and I just know that someone out there is going to be able to help me cause the neurologists sure haven't !

Dreamless

Unfortunately, success seems short-lived. I am back to having that weird breathing pattern again. Here is last night's:


There were three cycles in all. You can see them as HYP clusters on the event flags graph. Sure would be nice to know how to prevent these.

- Flappy