New to CPAP and struggling (sort of)

[2young2bawake]

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea as a teenager. Couldn't sleep on the CPAP then and quit. I had the Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty surgery and never went back to see if it was fixed.
Currently, 45 yoa, 205 lbs, 5'11" very active with 41 VO2max. Borderline hypertensive and borderline hyperlipidemia.
Tired of being tired......
Dr checkup says healthy and numbers are good (blood test)
I got a Fenix 6 pro health tracking watch. I noticed my sleeping O2 stats were in the 80's. Noticed I would wake up 8 times a night to pee and it was when my O2 stats were low (under 90).
At home sleep test says AHI of 12 and O2 in 80's. Same data the watch was recording so watch is close enough even thou it is not medical device.
Prescribed CPAP, Resmed Airsense 11 auto set with full face mask. pressures set auto from 6-12.
CPAP does not have SD card and transmits with cellular data.
I wake up multiple times a night and feel like I'm suffocating and have to remove the CPAP mask. Watch shows O2 at 84 and such.
The CPAP shows average 6-12 events per hour. I spoke with DME and they said my numbers look good????
Waking up feeling like I am suffocating takes me time to calm down and making me even more tired. The opposite of what I was hoping.
At one month of trying to adjust to CPAP. I am a mouth breather (nose with deviated septum) and can drool at night.
It feels like I am trying to suck air thru a wet paper straw.
I am so tired now that am about to just say throw it all away. Not to mention there is this compliance thing with insurance that I have to show its use or I get to pay for this device.
Sorry I did try to read the new user and apologize if I didn't follow all the rules. And if Pugsy asks three questions, I will try to answer all three.

[Pugsy]

Go buy an SD card and use it.
Get the OSCAR software program and use it.

The CPAP shows average 6-12 events per hour. I spoke with DME and they said my numbers look good????

I disagree....those are horrible numbers but before we can offer ideas on improvement we have to know what that AHI is composed of....that's where the software come in to play.

Only a couple of questions at this time.

How many hours of sleep (not just laying in bed) are you getting and are those hours fragmented with a lot of wake ups that you remember?

Do you take any medications at this time (even OTC) and if you do...what?

[Pugsy]

BTW any generic SD card will work (and won't mess with the cellular transmission of data).

Any SD card....doesn't have to be a huge capacity SD Card but it's getting hard to find those smaller size cards.
Last I looked at walmart the 16 GB was the smallest available.
No need for one of those large capacity fancy SD cards....save your money.

[2young2bawake]

So about 7 hours in bed. I can remember waking up all night long. Sometimes 4 times and others 8 plus.

OTC ... vitamin D3, vitamin K2, fish oil, b complex, sometimes zyrtec
Prescription - Dilantin 400mgs

I will pick up an SD card.

Is there any device that would pair with the CPAP that would show O2, so my Dr would be able to evaluate the therapy?
I have not had a titration study just the in home test.

[Pugsy]

Is there any device that would pair with the CPAP that would show O2

Yep there is but very, very pricey at about a grand.

Most forum members just use one of those overnight recording pulse ox devices. Compatible with OSCAR but not tied to the cpap machine at all. Priced between 50 and 120 bucks depending on how fast you want it and what features you might want.

OSCAR shows a list of compatible devices in its help section.

Frequent wake ups for any reason will seriously impact how you feel with or without adequate/optimal therapy.
At this point you therapy doesn't appear to be adequate or optimal...so lets start there and see what can be done or needs to be done.

[Julie]

Does your MD have anything to say about using Dilantin with Cpap? I checked it out and it doesn't look directly problematic, but there were a couple of things mentioned which you're probably aware of and I know you probably have no choice re taking it.

[2young2bawake]

Does your MD have anything to say about using Dilantin with Cpap? I checked it out and it doesn't look directly problematic, but there were a couple of things mentioned which you're probably aware of and I know you probably have no choice re taking it.

I have been on Dilantin since I was 16... On the medication I don't have seizures. I don't think the Dr's would chance changing meds when seizures are controlled.

[2young2bawake]

https://imgur.com/a/UIjcsL0

from oscar of the last month

[zonker]

https://imgur.com/a/UIjcsL0

from oscar of the last month

that's not useful as it doesn't show what makes up the ahi. and the smart folk here need to see that breakdown in order to help.

please read here-
viewtopic.php?t=158560

[2young2bawake]

that's not useful as it doesn't show what makes up the ahi. and the smart folk here need to see that breakdown in order to help.

I don't see any of the data like that. I even tried to use sleepyhead but it did not support the Resmed air sense 11.

So on 8/4/23 ... AHI 6.10, H 2.40, OA .40, CA 3.4

8/3/23 ... AHI 12.40, UA 2.10, H 1, OA 1.O CA 7.3

8/2/23 ... AHI 5.80, UA .2, H .4 , OA .4, CA 3.9

[Pugsy]

The SD card MUST be in the machine for someone to see/get their detailed data.
Right now your old data is just the summary data that is stored on the machine itself.
Any of the good detailed stuff has to be written directly to the SD card while in use.
So that's why you don't have any detailed data or more useful graphs....nothing to see....if the machine doesn't write to the SD card all you get are summary numbers.
Doesn't matter what software you use....if the machine doesn't put the data on the card then the software can't make it up.

[2young2bawake]

OK, that was my mistake, thank you. It will be in the machine tonight and from now on.

[zonker]

OK, that was my mistake, thank you. It will be in the machine tonight and from now on.

[ozij]

https://imgur.com/a/UIjcsL0

from oscar of the last month

that's not useful as it doesn't show what makes up the ahi. and the smart folk here need to see that breakdown in order to help.

please read here-
viewtopic.php?t=158560

Of course it shows the breakdown of the AHI - but that breakdown isn't informative enough. Because we need to know when and at which pressure each type of event happens.
What we know is that you still have obstructive events every night, that you have Clear Airvway breathing stops every night - the reason for which we don't know at this point, and that you seem to be hitting your maximum pressure every night, and for long periods. You can check each of my statements by placing the curser on the relevant colored column.

No wonder you feel bad.

[2young2bawake]

https://imgur.com/a/zwspG93

Data from OSCAR

I hope that works this time