I've been reading all of your posts (and that's a lot) over the last 2 weeks. I don't know how you guys post all the little pics of your equipment so I will just have to tell you mine.
I have a Respironics REMstar pro 2 with c-flex
ResMed Mirage Nasal Mask S Activa
Respironics heated humidifier
I don't know what all the medical scribble is about on my report, I will post it and maybe you can break it down for me. I only know that I feel horrible most of the time because of lack of sleep and combined with a heart condition, asthma and a deviated septum, this is getting more than I can deal with. I will be unable to have the nose fixed until August of next year because after having a stint placed in my heart, I am on plavix and can not have any surgeries until I am off the medications.
I had such hopes for this when they said it would make it better. I will keep trying. I won't give up. However, every night when it comes time to put that thing on my face all I can think of is ALIENS sucking on my face and when I wake up I swear that it is a jellyfish. I have also found it laying beside me when I wake up. I have no clue how I got it off, all hooks still hooked where they should be. Last night, my 4th night with it, I actually slept for 3.1 hours. I feel like I am in a hurricane when I wake up. I have no clue how I managed to sleep.
Medical jabber:
Latency to stage-1 was 30.6 minutes, with REM latency of 350 minutes. Stage 1, 44.1 percent. Stage 2, 52.2 percent, Stage 3/4, 0 percent and REM 3.6 percent of sleep time.
There was 191 obstructive apneas. There were 214 hypopneas with at least a 4% associated desaturation. AHI is 79.9.
There were frequent oxygen desaturations below 90% with an oxygen nadir of 60%. Respiratory arousals averaged 79.9 per hour.
Sinus rhythm with an average heart rate of 68. An additional 57 episodes of UARS with 3% desaturation with an arousal index of 11.8 and 49 episodes of UARS with 1-2% desaturation with an arousal index of 10.2 for a combined 22.0.
Axis A. Obstructive sleep apnea, chronic, severe with excessive daytime sleepiness 327.23
Axis B. Polysomnography 89.17
Axis c. Hypertension. 401.0
Cpap pressure: 13
Ramp of 45 minutes
Well, there it is. I guess I just want someone to say, "I know. It will get better, I promise." As I said, I've read all of your mesaages. I think I just want to know that this isn't going to kill me outright because I hate having an alien on my face.
New to this...Hello all
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DreamStalker
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Not only will say hang in there it will get better ... we encourage you to register to become a member ... that way you can post all the little pics of your equipment.
Lots of detailed information in your post but it would also help to know what your prescribed pressure is and what pressure(s) you machine is set to.
Anyway, welcome to the family ... come back often as you can and things will get better for you sooner rather than later.
- roberto
Lots of detailed information in your post but it would also help to know what your prescribed pressure is and what pressure(s) you machine is set to.
Anyway, welcome to the family ... come back often as you can and things will get better for you sooner rather than later.
- roberto
President-pretender, J. Biden, said "the DNC has built the largest voter fraud organization in US history". Too bad they didn’t build the smartest voter fraud organization and got caught.
Mimmie,
Not all masks behave (as Jan from Colorado once said:) "Like a lovesick octopus". That is trademark behaviour of the Activa.
You may want to try other masks....
As for the medical jargon:
It basically says what you know and told us: You have a severe problem, your sleep gets disrupted more than once a minute, your body doesn't get enough oxygen at night. No wonder at all that you're feeling horrible.
Take a look a this video for Understanding sleep apnea <--(Click on the dark blue text)
Sleeping with a cpap and mask won't kill you. I'm not sure about sleeping without them.
Your kind of machine has software that will let you monitor the correlation between the pressure and your breathing disturbances - it's worth buying if you can afford it - don't worry about being computer savvy, people here will guide you if need the help. That's Encore Pro, and you can buy it from cpap.com, hosts of this forum. The reader is cheaper if you buy it from
Taiwan.
Good luck!
O.
Not all masks behave (as Jan from Colorado once said:) "Like a lovesick octopus". That is trademark behaviour of the Activa.
You may want to try other masks....
As for the medical jargon:
It basically says what you know and told us: You have a severe problem, your sleep gets disrupted more than once a minute, your body doesn't get enough oxygen at night. No wonder at all that you're feeling horrible.
Take a look a this video for Understanding sleep apnea <--(Click on the dark blue text)
Sleeping with a cpap and mask won't kill you. I'm not sure about sleeping without them.
Your kind of machine has software that will let you monitor the correlation between the pressure and your breathing disturbances - it's worth buying if you can afford it - don't worry about being computer savvy, people here will guide you if need the help. That's Encore Pro, and you can buy it from cpap.com, hosts of this forum. The reader is cheaper if you buy it from
Taiwan.
Good luck!
O.
_________________
| Mask: AirFit™ P10 Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear |
| Additional Comments: Machine: Resmed AirSense10 for Her with Climateline heated hose ; alternating masks. |
Wecome MimmieD,
Took me better part of two months to get a better nite sleep than before sleeping cpap, the first week I was getting about 3 hours sleep, and waking up not feeling great like others said I would, but each week I progressed, trying changes in humidty, not taking any naps durring the day to be tired so I might sleep better.trying different sleep positions,etc. I now at about 6 hours straight sleep, then getting back to sleep for about a hour, feeling much better on less sleep, have more energy, and finally not concentrating on cpap when waking or turning over in sleep. I was diagnosed with irregular heart beat and went for the electo paddle shock, it was succesful, and thats when the cardioligist noticed while I was sedated that I was snoring and breathing badly, and told my wife I should seek a sleep study, and thought that was propably the caues of the heart condition. I sure am glad he got me back into rythem, and onto cpap.
Keep at it don't get discouraged you to will get there.
Hurricane
Took me better part of two months to get a better nite sleep than before sleeping cpap, the first week I was getting about 3 hours sleep, and waking up not feeling great like others said I would, but each week I progressed, trying changes in humidty, not taking any naps durring the day to be tired so I might sleep better.trying different sleep positions,etc. I now at about 6 hours straight sleep, then getting back to sleep for about a hour, feeling much better on less sleep, have more energy, and finally not concentrating on cpap when waking or turning over in sleep. I was diagnosed with irregular heart beat and went for the electo paddle shock, it was succesful, and thats when the cardioligist noticed while I was sedated that I was snoring and breathing badly, and told my wife I should seek a sleep study, and thought that was propably the caues of the heart condition. I sure am glad he got me back into rythem, and onto cpap.
Keep at it don't get discouraged you to will get there.
Hurricane
Since no one has yet I will comment on your ramp start pressure
In my opinion too low. I can't breath at 4. 6 min for me and 7 is better. With 13 you probably don't want to go without a ramp (been there an 13 right of the bat is quite a blast of air)
By the way I also have a titrated pressure of 13.
Hang in there and keep working on sleeping with the mask, it will definately get better.
Consider changing the ramp pressure to 6.
In my opinion too low. I can't breath at 4. 6 min for me and 7 is better. With 13 you probably don't want to go without a ramp (been there an 13 right of the bat is quite a blast of air)
By the way I also have a titrated pressure of 13.
Hang in there and keep working on sleeping with the mask, it will definately get better.
Consider changing the ramp pressure to 6.
Minnie,
Welcome! I'm pretty new to this myself, having been on CPAP for only about a month. However, I can tell you that I feel a LOT better. Your numbers are very similar to mine untreated.
I also noticed that you said you have a deviated septum. I take that to mean you need a septoplasty. I will tell you that it makes all the difference in the world for successful compliance with CPAP. In my case, I never knew I had a deviated septum. I pretty much breathed through my mouth for as long as I can remember. I just thought it was normal. During my first split sleep study, when they tried to put a full face mask on me, I absolutely couldn't tolerate it. The nasal mask or pillows were worse. So, they sent me to an ENT who diagnosed me with a deviated septum. I had the septoplasty and turbinate reduction. After a healing period, I had a titration study. This time, I fell asleep right away with a full face mask. However, during the night, I woke several times with the mouth-full of air problem. I was prescribed Ambien for this and the first few days at home with the CPAP machine to help adjust (didn't need it after a few days). Anyway, the study showed I needed 12 cm H20 to eliminate all apneas.
When I went to get the CPAP machine from the DME, the several full face masks they had me try were really unsatisfactory. The RT then suggested I try the very popular Swift. Much better!
I guess the moral of the story is that there is hope for everyone. You just need to find what works for you. My thinking is that you probably won't be comfortable with CPAP until you get the septoplasty. Until then, it will probably be a real struggle. But, stick with it. The information and support on this forum has been invaluable for me.
Good luck!
Welcome! I'm pretty new to this myself, having been on CPAP for only about a month. However, I can tell you that I feel a LOT better. Your numbers are very similar to mine untreated.
I also noticed that you said you have a deviated septum. I take that to mean you need a septoplasty. I will tell you that it makes all the difference in the world for successful compliance with CPAP. In my case, I never knew I had a deviated septum. I pretty much breathed through my mouth for as long as I can remember. I just thought it was normal. During my first split sleep study, when they tried to put a full face mask on me, I absolutely couldn't tolerate it. The nasal mask or pillows were worse. So, they sent me to an ENT who diagnosed me with a deviated septum. I had the septoplasty and turbinate reduction. After a healing period, I had a titration study. This time, I fell asleep right away with a full face mask. However, during the night, I woke several times with the mouth-full of air problem. I was prescribed Ambien for this and the first few days at home with the CPAP machine to help adjust (didn't need it after a few days). Anyway, the study showed I needed 12 cm H20 to eliminate all apneas.
When I went to get the CPAP machine from the DME, the several full face masks they had me try were really unsatisfactory. The RT then suggested I try the very popular Swift. Much better!
I guess the moral of the story is that there is hope for everyone. You just need to find what works for you. My thinking is that you probably won't be comfortable with CPAP until you get the septoplasty. Until then, it will probably be a real struggle. But, stick with it. The information and support on this forum has been invaluable for me.
Good luck!
PSG - AHI= 73.21; Low SaO2=62%
Titration result: 12 cm H20; AHI-0.4; lowest SaO2=95%
Titration result: 12 cm H20; AHI-0.4; lowest SaO2=95%
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DreamStalker
- Posts: 7509
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 9:58 am
- Location: Nowhere & Everywhere At Once
Snoregirl is right about your starting pressure. In addition, you may want to lower your ramp time to the amount of time it usually takes you to go to sleep after you get into bed. I’m not familiar with how to change settings on your specific machine but there are many others on this forum that can help you with that if you need. You may want to get yourself a clinician’s manual (either thru e-bay or some member on this forum). Most will also recommend that you get the monitoring software for you specific machine which is generally a good idea since treatment for sleep apnea is (or should be) a lot like treatment for diabetes … the patient has the utmost responsibility for educating themselves and actively becoming involved with all aspects of their treatment.
At your pressure of 13 you may have trouble with gas bloating of your stomach … the c-flex feature of your machine may help with that so make sure it is enabled. Also, at your pressure, mouth leaks may become a problem so keep that in mind when choosing interfaces.
There are numerous masks (interfaces) and every person is unique with regard to fit, comfort, and effectiveness … finding the best one for you may well be the most difficult part of the treatment.
Your AHI is a rate index of the average number of Apneas and Hypopneas per hour … your’s is considered severe.
The latency to stage numbers refer to how long it took you to get the various sleep stages. Looks like you never made it to stage 3 or 4 (a common symptom of sleep apnea) and it took you almost 3 hours to get to your tiny 3.6 percent of REM sleep stage.
Your oxygen desaturation was pretty significant indicating that your sleep apnea was probably causing you to have morning migraines and muscle aches.
Make sure you get the original prescription from your doctor and keep it in a safe place as it will not expire for a long time.
Others will likely give you more info on interpreting your sleep report within the next day or two. Continue visting this site as there is always something new to learn.
Good luck and stick with it!
- roberto
At your pressure of 13 you may have trouble with gas bloating of your stomach … the c-flex feature of your machine may help with that so make sure it is enabled. Also, at your pressure, mouth leaks may become a problem so keep that in mind when choosing interfaces.
There are numerous masks (interfaces) and every person is unique with regard to fit, comfort, and effectiveness … finding the best one for you may well be the most difficult part of the treatment.
Your AHI is a rate index of the average number of Apneas and Hypopneas per hour … your’s is considered severe.
The latency to stage numbers refer to how long it took you to get the various sleep stages. Looks like you never made it to stage 3 or 4 (a common symptom of sleep apnea) and it took you almost 3 hours to get to your tiny 3.6 percent of REM sleep stage.
Your oxygen desaturation was pretty significant indicating that your sleep apnea was probably causing you to have morning migraines and muscle aches.
Make sure you get the original prescription from your doctor and keep it in a safe place as it will not expire for a long time.
Others will likely give you more info on interpreting your sleep report within the next day or two. Continue visting this site as there is always something new to learn.
Good luck and stick with it!
- roberto
President-pretender, J. Biden, said "the DNC has built the largest voter fraud organization in US history". Too bad they didn’t build the smartest voter fraud organization and got caught.
your OSA is SEVERE, most likely contributing factor/cause of your heart disease.
Be sure to stay on the Plavix and aspirin with the stent. They have been in the news a lot lately but you have to weight the good with the bad, as long as you stay on the antiplatelet agents you should be fine.
Your sleep study reports you don't get any deep sleep or REM, these are the areas of sleep where it is thought you get the most restorative effects of sleep. So if you have felt extremely tired that and the heart condition is probably why.
Your equipment is good, I wouldn't go changing much if anything that mask is probably the best for starting out on cpap. However, I do agree with Snoregirl that your starting Ramp pressure is a bit too low, 5.0cm or 6.0cm would probably be better. A sign it is too low is the air will seem stuffy or humid, or you may notice the formation of water droplets in the mask. By increasing the Minimum pressure it will flush out more CO2 and the air will seem a bit cooler but more refreshing.
But if you don't notice that problem falling asleep, then don't worry about it. I also suggest clicking on Ozij's Sleep Disordered Breathing link above and watching the video, that is the best representation of SDB that you will find.
Pay special attention to the structure of the airway and how snoring can impact SDB etc. You will also see why a UPPP surgery doesn't work.
Be sure to stay on the Plavix and aspirin with the stent. They have been in the news a lot lately but you have to weight the good with the bad, as long as you stay on the antiplatelet agents you should be fine.
Your sleep study reports you don't get any deep sleep or REM, these are the areas of sleep where it is thought you get the most restorative effects of sleep. So if you have felt extremely tired that and the heart condition is probably why.
Your equipment is good, I wouldn't go changing much if anything that mask is probably the best for starting out on cpap. However, I do agree with Snoregirl that your starting Ramp pressure is a bit too low, 5.0cm or 6.0cm would probably be better. A sign it is too low is the air will seem stuffy or humid, or you may notice the formation of water droplets in the mask. By increasing the Minimum pressure it will flush out more CO2 and the air will seem a bit cooler but more refreshing.
But if you don't notice that problem falling asleep, then don't worry about it. I also suggest clicking on Ozij's Sleep Disordered Breathing link above and watching the video, that is the best representation of SDB that you will find.
Pay special attention to the structure of the airway and how snoring can impact SDB etc. You will also see why a UPPP surgery doesn't work.
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