Watching Data

[Stutz]

I can definitively show people how important it is to read data from a capable machine and I hope you newbees read this. Over the years I have read my own data on the various machines using sleepy head program. At first it was just curiousity, but after a while I began to take charge. I started off tweaking this, tweaking that, getting husk pillows, etc, all to get better sleep. I still struggle with that but for the last couple of years I usually had an AHI around .5 to 1.0, which is fabulous. Since I routinely would see these numbers I got lazy and just did not watch things a lot. Well about mid December my DME gave me new pillows for my swift fx mask. They were large and not the normal medium size but I thought ok well, the bigger openings might be good for me. So I put them in and for the last month have used them without much thought. Well today I read my data and now I am consistently in the 2.5 range to 3. Yes that is still great, but I notice more leaks, more stuff going on than at any time before and maybe more tired. Do I think it might be the pillows, yes but that is not my point. My point is without seeing the data, and by having you all teach me what was right, and by being concerned with my own well being, I would never had any inkling of stuff going wrong. I simply would have done what millions of patients do and that is simply do what the Dr. says. On a similar note and within the same topic, when my brother in law visits, and which he has the same machine as me but never checks stuff he is one of those, well if the Dr. says, it is so. I say this because when I go by his room I notice he is a mount breather and has no strap!!! as such his therapy is minimal nd never reads his data. So two instances where if you have the data, you can take control of your own life and maybe make it better. Me without following through on a normal basis, and he, never taking control of this own therapy. So be warned, without this data, you are in the deep woods without a compass. For all you struggling, take it from someone who does try to make his life better, and has been at this a while that the only way you can do it is if you are the one driving the train. No one else will to the same degree as you will. So if someone is selling you a non-data capable machine, no way. Also if you have the ability to read the data, take charge and make adjustments whats best for you, and last, don't get complacent. Things change and it creeps up on you. Last, listen to these people on the forum, they rock

[kteague]

Words of wisdom indeed. I too tend to get lax about my data when it is so routine for so long. After one period, I found my leak rate had been up for months. Upon investigation found a small hole in my hose near the lower end. The next time I skipped several months, upon the next check I found I've been having increased centrals for months. Not high enough to be scary, since they are scattered throughout the night and I wake up a lot during the night. But I've always woke up a lot at night, so this is a change for me. Just something to keep an eye on since I do have lung disease. Your words are timely - it's been a few months since I saw those centrals and haven't checked my data since. Thank you for the 2x4 upside my hard head.