Newcomer thanks and progress

[Doze]

Hi folks. I want to start off by saying thanks to the board hosting/sponsorship, and to all the members for sharing. I've been reading various posts and some of the wiki for just over a week now, and am done with my first week of CPAP therapy. The information and advice here definitely helped.

My scores aren't as good as many of yours yet, but I feel like I'm off to a solid start. After the first full week, my 7-day average AHI is down to 3.6, from a first night AHI of 5.8, and it's been trending down every night except one. I'm not sure how to relate this number to AHI, but my doctor categorized my Apnea situation as 'severe' and showed me various parts of my sleep study results, with my first few hours of the split night averaging 47 Apnea events per hour. Later, the DME offhandedly said something indicating my AHI was in the twenties, so I don't know if that's an average for the whole night of the study or just the way the AHI calculation works once the hypopneas are averaged in. In any case, I'm sure glad it's under 5 now, vs the twenties-or-higher I baseline from.

My DME experience was a little stressed at one point - I had to be firm and assertive for an Auto vs the CPAP at prescribed pressure (12 cmH2O) they initially presented in front of me. But thanks in part to the experiences detailed here, I went in knowing exactly what I wanted and why, and my DME eventually sent me home with exactly what I asked for (listed in my profile). Thanks!

For now, I'm sticking with my doctor's original prescription/recommendation of 12 on CPAP, but am thankful that I have a machine that allows me to switch to Auto when I decide the timing is right for me.

I can't believe how many years I ignored this problem, despite so many telling me "you need to get that snoring checked out". But there's no way to reach back into years past, and can only be positive that it's finally getting better now. My mood has improved and I generally feel better, but I expected that if only from the initial placebo effect. The real solid clue to me that "it's working", is the nearly complete disappearance of coffee as a *requirement* in my morning routine. I previously couldn't even contemplate functioning in the morning or early afternoon (nearly all day, really) without coffee, and LOTS of it! And throughout this first week, I've barely even wanted or bothered to brew any at all.

[DoriC]

Welcome Doze, you're off to a great start and you've got yourself the newest machine that just came out. You really did your homework. I wouldn't call what you're feeling the "placebo" effect, it's probably the "oxygen" effect you're feeling. My husband's complexion went from pasty white to his usual ruddiness the first day although it took several months before he felt the real benefits of cpap therapy. Good luck and keep us posted. Dori

[Doze]

Thanks Dori, you're almost certainly right about the oxygen effect. My split study showed a floor-level of 75 for my oxygen saturation without therapy, and then a floor-level of just under 90 during the titration. My doctor dismissed that second value as non-representative, and seemed to assume it was recorded during a portion of the titration that was probably far under my prescribed pressure. I'm searching the board now for oximeter posts - that may be my next mini research project, trying to ensure that I am indeed comfortably in the mid-to-high 90s during the night.

[jweeks]

I can't believe how many years I ignored this problem, despite so many telling me "you need to get that snoring checked out". But there's no way to reach back into years past, and can only be positive that it's finally getting better now.

Doze,

I know what you are saying. I don't even want to think about how many years passed between when I was aware that I had a problem and when it finally got too bad for me to work or drive. I think of it as the cooked frog syndrome. You may have heard of the old story about how to cook a frog--you put it in water and slowly turn up the temperature. The frog isn't aware that the temperature is going up until it is too late. That is the same thing with OSA. It gets worse over time, but it also dulls you senses so you don't even realize how bad it is getting. It is good to see that you have gotten your diagnosis and have started treatment. Thanks for sharing.

-john-