Need help, suspect UARS. Want to try APAP - need advice and guidance.

[Pugsy]

Remember I told you some time back that the data from the machine isn't going to help you out much.
I knew that it would be boring...you don't have OSA.
Remember I told you that you need to be able to go on subjective feelings more than the data....so how you feel.

I don't know if those FLs mean much or not...you are going to have to experiment with various pressures to see
1...how you feel
2...how you sleep
3...if it makes any difference in the FLs or not and if it does do you feel any different or sleep any different.

The reports aren't going to be all that enlightening for you like they are for some people. The machine really isn't designed to show the level of detail to really help us out in that regard.
Which is why I have said that you can't really expect to evaluate anything until you can actually get some good solid and prolonged time using the cpap. Until then we have no idea if it will even help or not. And you are really going to have to tune in to how you feel and not rely much on the data you see because the data you see is probably going to be boring and not all that much help.

[canyouhearmeaya]

Remember I told you some time back that the data from the machine isn't going to help you out much.
I knew that it would be boring...you don't have OSA.
Remember I told you that you need to be able to go on subjective feelings more than the data....so how you feel.

I don't know if those FLs mean much or not...you are going to have to experiment with various pressures to see
1...how you feel
2...how you sleep
3...if it makes any difference in the FLs or not and if it does do you feel any different or sleep any different.

The reports aren't going to be all that enlightening for you like they are for some people. The machine really isn't designed to show the level of detail to really help us out in that regard.
Which is why I have said that you can't really expect to evaluate anything until you can actually get some good solid and prolonged time using the cpap. Until then we have no idea if it will even help or not. And you are really going to have to tune in to how you feel and not rely much on the data you see because the data you see is probably going to be boring and not all that much help.

Yeah I understand that. I suppose I wondered because the sleep study said 'upper airway flow limitation', and that I think you and someone else pointed out that my FL's were appearing high, that FL's may indeed but at least partially something to go off of. Ofc there's then the subjective element, i.e. do I sleep better when FL's are better etc, what I'm trying to figure out in this teething process is what allows me to fall and stay asleep with it.

If FL's are leading to pressure increases, and pressure increases correlate with me waking and removing it (which it seems to from the very limited data I have), then does minimizing flow limitations solve that.

It will be interesting to see how tonight goes starting at 8!

[Pugsy]

I don't think your FLs are bad...I have seen worse. See the image below...that's a bad FL graph
You need to remember that you are in the for Her mode and it is going to make the FLs look worse than they would in regular auto mode.
I have used both modes...I compared FL graphs with both modes. My regular auto mode barely showed any FLs to speak of but the for Her mode showed FLs very similar to yours. From what I have seen with my FL graphs...compared to yours...yours is maybe a teeny tiny bit more active than mine and I don't have FL issues.
At some point try the regular mode so you can see the difference that I am talking about. Use exact same settings when you do.

[canyouhearmeaya]

I don't think your FLs are bad...I have seen worse. See the image below...that's a bad FL graph
You need to remember that you are in the for Her mode and it is going to make the FLs look worse than they would in regular auto mode.
I have used both modes...I compared FL graphs with both modes. My regular auto mode barely showed any FLs to speak of but the for Her mode showed FLs very similar to yours. From what I have seen with my FL graphs...compared to yours...yours is maybe a teeny tiny bit more active than mine and I don't have FL issues.
At some point try the regular mode so you can see the difference that I am talking about. Use exact same settings when you do.

Do you know by what mechanism the 'for her' mode makes them look worse? And is it just a case of them looking worse, or actually being worse due to the mode?

I've yet to try the normal mode, my understanding is that the only difference in function in for her is the pressure changes are more gradual, is that correct?

When I spoke to resmed, they were talking as if the fact I'd ordered a 'for her' was crazy and she said 'female sleep apnea is totally different to mens' - which I find a little difficult to buy into. (equally, i'm not using it for sleep apnea anyway and heard that the more gradual pressure changes were better for UARS which was the reason for the decision.)

[Pugsy]

I've yet to try the normal mode, my understanding is that the only difference in function in for her is the pressure changes are more gradual, is that correct?

No, not correct. It's a different algorithm meaning it responds differently in more ways than just gradual pressure changes.

Do you know by what mechanism the 'for her' mode makes them look worse? And is it just a case of them looking worse, or actually being worse due to the mode?

It's the algorithm and the sensors making it look worse than it is. Your real physical flow limitations aren't going to change with the mode but the sensing and recording can make it look like they change.
I have also used a Respironics machine...and I never had FLs with it beyond an occasional one. Which coincides with pretty much what I see in regular mode. So Respironics and ResMed regular mode my FLs aren't particularly numerous or active but in the for Her mode they are much more active looking anyway. I don't think my airway is changing...I think the sensing and reporting changes.
The for Her mode is designed to be more sensitive to FLs...it stands to reason that it looks at FLs a bit differently.

[palerider]

How dare you call my data boring!!

I love boring sleep data... Nothing going on, nothing to fix... boring and calm like mine a couple days ago:

boring!

maybe that higher pressure will prevent it in the first place.

That's the basic idea, and with autos, and people that need varying pressure due to sleep stages or position changes, you want the min pressure to be high enough to prevent most events, and let the auto take care of the exceptions.

[canyouhearmeaya]

I've yet to try the normal mode, my understanding is that the only difference in function in for her is the pressure changes are more gradual, is that correct?

No, not correct. It's a different algorithm meaning it responds differently in more ways than just gradual pressure changes.

Do you know by what mechanism the 'for her' mode makes them look worse? And is it just a case of them looking worse, or actually being worse due to the mode?

It's the algorithm and the sensors making it look worse than it is. Your real physical flow limitations aren't going to change with the mode but the sensing and recording can make it look like they change.
I have also used a Respironics machine...and I never had FLs with it beyond an occasional one. Which coincides with pretty much what I see in regular mode. So Respironics and ResMed regular mode my FLs aren't particularly numerous or active but in the for Her mode they are much more active looking anyway. I don't think my airway is changing...I think the sensing and reporting changes.
The for Her mode is designed to be more sensitive to FLs...it stands to reason that it looks at FLs a bit differently.

Interesting, I might give regular Autoset in Comfort mode a go tonight, before I up the pressure, and see if I respond any different/better to that.

[tan]

Your leaks are quite horrible for a UARSer. You must address them first. Run them into the ground (mouth taping, using a different mask), and if you don't feel better, you will have to keep searching, but you first must not have leaks. Once things are fixed, you should feel an immediate relief.

[palerider]

Your leaks are quite horrible for a UARSer. You must address them first. Run them into the ground (mouth taping, using a different mask), and if you don't feel better, you will have to keep searching, but you first must not have leaks. Once things are fixed, you should feel an immediate relief.

Who are you talking to, and what are you smoking?

Or did you make the mistake of making a random comment about something wayyyy back in this long thread?

[tan]

Your leaks are quite horrible for a UARSer. You must address them first. Run them into the ground (mouth taping, using a different mask), and if you don't feel better, you will have to keep searching, but you first must not have leaks. Once things are fixed, you should feel an immediate relief.

Who are you talking to, and what are you smoking?

to the author of this thread, obviously.

Or did you make the mistake of making a random comment about something wayyyy back in this long thread?

I wonder what you are smoking if this is "something wayyyy back":
http://cpaptalk.com/download/file.php?id=1161

[palerider]

Your leaks are quite horrible for a UARSer. You must address them first. Run them into the ground (mouth taping, using a different mask), and if you don't feel better, you will have to keep searching, but you first must not have leaks. Once things are fixed, you should feel an immediate relief.

Who are you talking to, and what are you smoking?

to the author of this thread, obviously.

It may be obvious to YOU.

Or did you make the mistake of making a random comment about something wayyyy back in this long thread?

I wonder what you are smoking if this is "something wayyyy back":
http://cpaptalk.com/download/file.php?id=1161

There's absolutely nothing wrong with the leaks in that screenshot.

[canyouhearmeaya]

Well last night I stuck with 7, chucked it into regular Autoset and.......... ended up removing it after an hour.

Last night it felt like it was more difficult to breathe with the mask, whether that was due to congestion, or the change of mode I don't know.

I can see in sleepy head as you said, that 'flow limits' appear much lower in value.. But it certainly didn't feel like air was flowing better!! So I'm miffed by that.

I will play around during the day today and try to guage if it's easier to breathe in 'for her' and if it is, revert back to that for now.

[Pugsy]

The for Her mode blows air while awake exactly like the regular mode.
If you had difficulty while awake with air movement and comfort....it was the congestion not the mode.

[canyouhearmeaya]

The for Her mode blows air while awake exactly like the regular mode.
If you had difficulty while awake with air movement and comfort....it was the congestion not the mode.

Ah, okay that's good to know - thanks pugs!

Current battle is fine tuning my diet to alleviate it enough to use it. So far today I've not had an anti-histamine, the pollent count is very high and currently my congestion is pretty low - so fingers crossed if that carries over to tonight I might have more luck.

Currently it looks like the soonest ENT appointment might be September, which is a bit dissapointing. Waiting to hear from another clinic to see if they can see me sooner.

[tan]

Your leaks are quite horrible for a UARSer. You must address them first. Run them into the ground (mouth taping, using a different mask), and if you don't feel better, you will have to keep searching, but you first must not have leaks. Once things are fixed, you should feel an immediate relief.

Who are you talking to, and what are you smoking?

to the author of this thread, obviously.

It may be obvious to YOU.

Or did you make the mistake of making a random comment about something wayyyy back in this long thread?

I wonder what you are smoking if this is "something wayyyy back":
http://cpaptalk.com/download/file.php?id=1161

There's absolutely nothing wrong with the leaks in that screenshot.

Nothing wrong, if you have sleep apnea. But such leaks can be sleep disruptive for UARS.