my sleep tests, comments please

I would appreciate any insights and comments on these studies

The top one is the sleep study and the bottom one the sleep study with cpap. They only did the 2 pressures.



I don't think I slept enough after the pressure was put up to 5 to tell me anything. And I am concerned about the central apneas that happened with cpap and I didnt have without cpap.

I currently set my machine to lower pressure 4 and highest 11cm with a view to lowering the top pressure every week until it is down to 7 or 8 (depending on what happens as I lower it)

I tried 2 days with the pressure at 5 to 12cm but really suffered so put it back to 4 to 11

If it were me, I'd try to convince the doctor to prescribe the Respironics REMstar Auto with A-flex M series machine, set at 5 - 10, with A-flex at 3.

Inhaling with pressure coming in is not usually a problem. Exhaling against that incoming pressure can be a problem.

Even though the pressures you're using are extremely low, if the pressure bothers you....it just does. I'd bet it's the exhaling that is causing you difficulty though, and the machine you're using has no exhalation relief feature at all.

The Auto with A-flex gives extremely smooth treatment for many people who've tried it. See if you can get your doctor to switch you to that machine. Might make a tremendous difference for you.

I was told to buy a s3 spirit from resmed. I assume he meant an s8 as I couldn't find an s3. However the supplier he told me to goto wanted 2,000 euros for one (with a mask included). I thought this was expensive so bought the devilbiss for 1400 euros from another supplier. Still upset about that as I see they should not be that expensive and apart from it being quiet I dont think its as good as others , especially when it comes to the stats you get from it.
btw: 1400 euros is higher than the average monthly salary here so at the moment I dont have any options but to work with what I have.

what i am really worried about is the central apneas i get when i use cpap. and the fact the sleep study is possibly inconclusive

Assimilate wrote:what i am really worried about is the central apneas i get when i use cpap.

That mere handful of centrals that popped up when you were getting a very short titration time with cpap in the sleep lab are not significant compared to the over one hundred obstructive apneas you were having without CPAP.

The centrals you had during the titration could have been temporary ones that were going to subside anyway as your body got used to the pressure.

Since you can't go for another study, I'd just assume the centrals during titration were temporary ones that were going to disappear when you got used to the pressure. I wouldn't start worrying about the possibility of Complex Sleep Disordered Breathing (cpap causing centrals) because, frankly, there's no way you can find that out without another sleep study titration at a lab that understands CSDB.

CPAP got rid of the BIG problem -- obstructive apneas -- so I'd not worry about the few centrals that happened. They may or may not be happening to you now. You're treating the major problem you had. That's what matters because you can't look into it further at this time.

Thank you for your responses, rested gal. It puts my mind a little more at ease. I will go for some more sleep studies through our health system, and if that comes out the same they should pay for the equipment.

I got caught up in bureaucracy (trying to use my state health system) and with the apnea it makes it hard to deal with anything logically. So I did the initial phase privately. Now its under control a little I can attack the bureaucracy and use the state system and get this all paid for. Its just going to take a lot longer than paying for it did