Update: Re: "Daytime Sleepiness"

[jwerley]

Last night I finally got the numbers right....after a lot of reading and numerous posts of with a lot of you wonderful people.....Remember Pugsy last week we were trying to figure it out....Well last night I thought I would take the advice of someone here and lower my EPR to 2...I was under the impression that 3 was the best and gave you the most comfort....not so.....I slept for nine + hours.. going to sleep at 11:00 PM and getting up around 7:30AM to potty and back to sleep until 8:45AM!!
I have not slept through the night in years.......I am almost afraid to get too excited about it for fear it is not real

I have never had an AHI under 4.......nor have I had a day where I wanted to do anything but sleep for a very long time!!!

I sure do hope that this is my answer.....it almost seems too simple...Let me know if this has happened to anyone else, and again thank you for all your suggestions and help!!

Janice

[SleepyToo2]

Congratulations on those excellent numbers! I found that on my machine not only did I need to reduce the C-Flex number, but I also had to remove the + after the C-Flex. My setting has been at C-Flex x1 since November 7, 2010, and I have had an AHI of 1.07 over the last 35 days (I have made a couple of minor pressure changes over that time, so I now have what I believe are my optimum settings (until I lose a bit more weight, that is!). Just remember to keep the same settings for at least a week before making another change. Also, make note of how you "feel" about the changes. If you feel better, great. If not, continue to look for reasons why! This is definitely an "adventure," isn't it!

[MaxDarkside]

As the sun sets over the beach in California, another success story gets chalked on the board of Champions GO jwerley!
(ya, let's hope it sticks... As they say, your results will vary, literally, but well done!)

[2 B Sleeping Soundly]

jwerley wrote: I sure do hope that this is my answer.....it almost seems too simple...

Janice,

It can indeed be your answer and also be that simple. There seems sometimes to be no rhyme or reason, but everything just clicks! Try as we might, it is often hard to say what small tweak/change or combination of them made it happen. I do believe strongly that some of the head scratching, unexplainable, positive changes that can happen to us in this therapy, is the ability of our bodies (over time), to adapt, overcome, and even heal itself of damage, to whatever degree is possible (especially if it is given what it needs to do this). Look how our bodies kept us alive before PAP therapy. It is truly amazing when you think about it! That same ability to sustain our life each night while we attempted to sleep, is also the one that now takes all the odd, alien things we do each night (using our machines, masks, and hoses), and can use them to produce a wonderful, almost mind blowing sleep experience.

jwerley wrote: I am almost afraid to get too excited about it for fear it is not real

When you are finally blessed to be able to hit that 'sweet spot' in your therapy, when everything just seems to click, please don't hold your breath (it could be scored as an OA event ) or wait for the other shoe to drop, embrace it and enjoy it... it could be the start of a long series of wonderful sleep filled nights .

John

[ozze_dollar]

Its taken me over a year now but i no longer need to nap through the day.I still look forward to the time when i can sleep all through the night but that just may be too much to expect.Its still a battle but i am winning.

[jen4700]

Way to go! This is great news! Doesn't it make you feel good that you took control of your own therapy (with help)? Do you feel empowered?

[jwerley]

Thank you all for your kind, positive and encouraging comments....and yes I do feel empowered!! I had another great night last night...AHI of (1).....I did not do this alone!! Again many "Thank You's" to those of you who took time out of your day to offer me suggestions....I will be forever grateful.

May everyone find the peace and joy of a good nights sleep!

Janice

[Suzjohnson]

Oh Janice, I'm so happy for you! Makes me think of that old adage, "Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves". I too have been amazed at the difference since adjusting the EPR from 3 to 2. I still feel like it is a work in progress but that's ok. It sounds like heaven to sleep so long. You deserve this good result so relax and enjoy those great numbers!

Suzanne

[tschultz]

Congrats, glad to see you are making progress and doing better.

As for EPR, that is simply for patient "comfort" but I have seen a cause-effect where for me if I increase EPR I see a corresponding increase in pressure needed to control events, and more events. I finally settled on an EPR of 1 but have considered turning it off altogether. I'm reluctant right now though as I'm trying to straighten out few other issues and don't want to change things all at once.

Don't be surprised that as you progress in your treatment and your body adjusts to actually getting decent sleep that things will change somewhat. Stay on top of monitoring things, but don't get caught up too much on any single day, and you will know what's working and what isn't.

[2 B Sleeping Soundly]

tschultz wrote: Don't be surprised that as you progress in your treatment and your body adjusts to actually getting decent sleep that things will change somewhat. Stay on top of monitoring things, but don't get caught up too much on any single day, and you will know what's working and what isn't.

+1 - Excellent advice tschultz!

John

[Pugsy]

WTG Janice. I am so happy for you.
Sometimes the least little change makes a big difference. I know it may seem like it wouldn't but you never know till you try.
Sounds like your body likes EPR of 2 better. That's great.
Sounds like your experience was a lot like mine when I stumbled on to bilevel. Just a little change with a marked difference and we are all different so what works for one person might not work for another but the important thing is finding that something that works for you.