3 nights under my belt

[oldgeezer]

I have my first cold in years so it has been a difficult start. But I made it 7 hours last night. Still feel like crap, but I'm sure it's the cold.
Anywho, I am looking for a patient person, or someone who can point me in the right direction. Looking for something like an IDIOTS GUIDE to managing my apnea. I see someone has developed sleepyhead and I think Resmed has software to, but am afraid of screwing up the data, and more importantly, not understanding what all this info means.
There is a ton of info here but hope someone can point me in the right direction where I can learn in SIMPLE terms (at least for now) what I should be looking for.
As always, thanks. I learned so much on how to deal with DME's and am ready to move on to next step.

Remember my motto when dealing with DMEs....

If you say "gullible" slowly, it sounds like "oranges"

[woodenbuick]

I was in your shoes 2 months ago, Was given a data capable machine and now look every day or so. I can tell when I do good and when I do bad.

Download Sleepyhead software from https://sourceforge.net/projects/sleepyhead/. It will work on both Windows and Macs.

Once you have it downloaded and installed it all only READ the data from your card. It will not mess or erase it.

Then comes the fun part, seeing what your AHI (Apnea/Hyponea Index) is.
The software also shows what type of events you have during the night weather they be Obstructive Apneas(OSA) or hyponeas or Central Apneas.

For information on all of these plus more reading go to http://www.medicinenet.com/sleep_apnea/article.htm

Good luck and it does get better. I feel better every day I am on my machine.

[Mary Z]

You can't screw up your data downloading from your machine.
The FAQ is a good place to start learing and there are CPAP definitions. At the very top of this page is also a link to CPAP Wiki Keep up the good work and keep us posted.

[teknomom]

I was scared of screwing up my data at first and found that I haven't so far. If you use a Mac, just be sure to lock the SD card before you read it and unlock it when you put it back in the machine. That's as complicated as it got for me. Good Luck!

[Kairosgrammy]

Using sleepyhead won't screw up your data at all and will give you a picture of how therapy is going. As far as reading it, you can take pictures of it with snipping tool and post it here and there are a lot of people to help you interpret. Also, if a stuffy nose is a problem, try raising the humidity on your machine. I have a gazillion allergies so I always have mine set fairly high or I stuff up and can't breathe. Also, keep in mind that healing can take time. Some have that instant, "Wow, I feel so much better." My son in law did. In fact, my daughter said he had way too much energy for her, lol. For me, it has been a slower process but a good one. I feel better but still have some ways to go. As I feel better, I eat less so I lose weight which makes you feel better. Be patient. As the old saying goes, "Rome wasn't built in a day."

I have my first cold in years so it has been a difficult start. But I made it 7 hours last night. Still feel like crap, but I'm sure it's the cold.
Anywho, I am looking for a patient person, or someone who can point me in the right direction. Looking for something like an IDIOTS GUIDE to managing my apnea. I see someone has developed sleepyhead and I think Resmed has software to, but am afraid of screwing up the data, and more importantly, not understanding what all this info means.
There is a ton of info here but hope someone can point me in the right direction where I can learn in SIMPLE terms (at least for now) what I should be looking for.
As always, thanks. I learned so much on how to deal with DME's and am ready to move on to next step.

Remember my motto when dealing with DMEs....

If you say "gullible" slowly, it sounds like "oranges"

[Pugsy]

So far we don't really have a good basic instructional guide to understand what all the data means in very simple terms. Something on my "to do" list but it is hard to explain things when I don't have a question to answer. I do so much better when I am addressing a specific question.

I have started a SleepyHead tutorial under construction thread where I am gathering questions and answers and will eventually have a polished product. You can read what I do have here viewtopic.php?f=1&t=72853&p=670483&hili ... al#p670483

For newbies...I suggest that they become familiar with AHI (the Wiki at the top of the forum has a ton of information) and what each component is. Generally speaking we like for the AHI to be under 5...the lower the better but don't try for AHI 0.0 as while it can happen for some...it is not a realistic goal and will drive you nuts trying to improve on an already acceptable AHI.
And the other thing is learn what the leak line means.
All the other stuff? Give it time and it will eventually be more easily understood.

So read up on AHI....Apnea Index....Hyponea Index...Central (Clear Airway Index) and what each means.