Sense Check - What AHI is bad?

[john_dozer]

Just left a Doctor who I think is an idiot.

I Understand data is far more involved than this. But just reading the AHI number off the machine in the morning, above what number would you feel is a Red Flag that your treatment may not be working?

Long story short, I started seeing a doctor about my apnea, primarily because my CPAP wasn't cutting it. But I also don't get enough hours a night. I have both problems. The second problem is partly work & personal life issues (transient but not short term) and over using caffeine to deal with both. Anyway, first visit, he wants to give me a new machine and bumps my pressure upper limit to 20 (APAP) formerly 16.5 and wants me to come back in a month. I think, ok, my machine is getting long in the tooth and I'll do the dance.

Month later I have the follow up and he hasn't even read the data and get in it about me needing more sleep and I try to explain those are transient issues I can't fix on a whim and then he starts throwing out words like 'drugs' and 'counciling'.

After I left the office, I felt like I should have said 'yeah genius, I need more sleep. But until I fix that its even more important that every hour of sleep I get is of meaningful quality'

I do have a legitimate 'hours' problem (5.5 on weekdays and 7.5 on weekends) but I get the feeling after bumping my pressure to 20, he really just doesn't have anything more to offer me for the Apnea and wanted to avoid admitting that.

I only have the AHI right now, because I have the latest and greatest 'eye in the sky' machine and didn't want to tinker and create a problem before my follow up.

[Wulfman...]

Just left a Doctor who I think is an idiot.

I Understand data is far more involved than this. But just reading the AHI number off the machine in the morning, above what number would you feel is a Red Flag that your treatment may not be working?

Long story short, I started seeing a doctor about my apnea, primarily because my CPAP wasn't cutting it. But I also don't get enough hours a night. I have both problems. The second problem is partly work & personal life issues (transient but not short term) and over using caffeine to deal with both. Anyway, first visit, he wants to give me a new machine and bumps my pressure upper limit to 20 (APAP) formerly 16.5 and wants me to come back in a month. I think, ok, my machine is getting long in the tooth and I'll do the dance.

Month later I have the follow up and he hasn't even read the data and get in it about me needing more sleep and I try to explain those are transient issues I can't fix on a whim and then he starts throwing out words like 'drugs' and 'counciling'.

After I left the office, I felt like I should have said 'yeah genius, I need more sleep. But until I fix that its even more important that every hour of sleep I get is of meaningful quality'

I do have a legitimate 'hours' problem (5.5 on weekdays and 7.5 on weekends) but I get the feeling after bumping my pressure to 20, he really just doesn't have anything more to offer me for the Apnea and wanted to avoid admitting that.

I only have the AHI right now, because I have the latest and greatest 'eye in the sky' machine and didn't want to tinker and create a problem before my follow up.

Are you actually using the P/R "Dreamstation" pictured in your profile?
Without actually seeing screen prints of reports from it, it would be extremely difficult to make a "guess" to try to answer your questions or situations.
We also have no idea of what all of your actual settings are either.
You speak of the maximum (?) pressure, but it's actually the minimum pressure that's more important.

Most users should be able to get their AHI numbers below 5.0. However, that's not a complete picture without looking at other event indexes and leakage info.
If you're only getting 5 1/2 hours of sleep during the week, that is problematic in my opinion and would need to be increased.

I'm not sure if the developers of Sleepyhead have perfected it for the new "Dreamstation", but you need to find out and get that software.


Den

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