bjhunt01 therapy help thread

[bjhunt01]

So here is last' night's screen after
1. using a big rougher knitted cap to keep Scunci's in place - it did a pretty good job
2. using a little tape vertically on jaws and lips
3. a cervical collar
4. slanted my bed up a little so not laying flat

It's really frustrating to not have my mouth drop inside my throat no matter what techniques I use - it causes those leaks you see and piggy motorboat noises and worst of all interrupted sleep. But way fewer leaks than the night before so that's progress. But I had more hypopneas than before.

I'm REALLY tired. Will go to bed earlier. I've always needed 9.5 hours of sleep so I guess that's why I'm so beat because otherwise the screen doesn't look that bad does it? Except for the flow limits. Welcome any and all suggestions. Thank you!

[Dog Slobber]

Sometimes "humor" is be described by citing Freud.

And sometimes by citing Thomas Harris.

Bride_of_Hannibal.jpg (258.19 KiB) Viewed 512 times

[chunkyfrog]

" . . . Is be described . . . "
Did I do THAT?

[bjhunt01]

Sometimes "humor" is be described by citing Freud.

And sometimes by citing Thomas Harris.


Bride_of_Hannibal.jpg

Oh.My.God!!!! You have entirely too much time on your hands!!! FOCUS man FOCUS!!! (Or is Dog Slobber a female??) Look at my Sleepyhead screen!
Crazy bunch of comedians. You should all go on the stage...the next one to Fort Worth!

[palerider]

Sometimes "humor" is be described by citing Freud.

And sometimes by citing Thomas Harris.


Bride_of_Hannibal.jpg

Oh.My.God!!!! You have entirely too much time on your hands!!! FOCUS man FOCUS!!!

Looks like it's in focus to me...

[djams]

Look at my Sleepyhead screen!

Could you get rid of the mask pressure chart and replace it with the snore chart? Seems like it'd be helpful in this case. Also turn off the right hand pane.

Everything I see tells me you need more pressure. Both min and max. Your pressure is riding the upper limit and you're still snoring. And that flow limitation graph. I don't understand the "for her" FL chart, but it sure looks bad.

[Pugsy]

don't understand the "for her" FL chart, but it sure looks bad.

It is bad ...even for a "for her" graph.
She needs more pressure all the way around but more pressure brings on a serious visit from the aerophagia monster and trying to keep him away for now.
Figured one problem at a time and that's try to sleep better to start with and tame the leaks first.

[bjhunt01]

don't understand the "for her" FL chart, but it sure looks bad.

It is bad ...even for a "for her" graph.
She needs more pressure all the way around but more pressure brings on a serious visit from the aerophagia monster and trying to keep him away for now.
Figured one problem at a time and that's try to sleep better to start with and tame the leaks first.

Sorry for not getting back sooner. I was in a workshop all day and will be Sat. and Sun. too.
So I redid the screen removing mask pressure and putting in snore for the previous chart and also for last night.
I am getting a little desperate. In spite of tape and Scunci's I am still getting nasty messages that I have too many leaks so I
was going to ask you all if I should change any settings and lo and behold in reading your most recent messages, it looks
like you have some ideas along those lines. I will say there are a lot less leaks the last two nights. They aren't the Bleep. They
are my tongue coming off the roof of my mouth I'm 99.9% sure.

So what setting changes do you recommend? Seems like I read somewhere that the "For Her" setting looks worse than others. The options
on the machine are Autoset For Her, Autoset, CPAP.

I'm good with making any setting and pressure changes you suggest. You all have gotten me a long way from where I was when I started
so bring it on!

[zonker]

So what setting changes do you recommend? Seems like I read somewhere that the "For Her" setting looks worse than others.

wow! look at the difference in ahi between those two nights. and the leaks have gone down.

i'm one for exercising caution. i would recommend sticking with what you have and see how it plays out for another night or two.

caveat: if one of the experts tells you differently, GO WITH THE EXPERT!!

[Pugsy]

How are you sleeping and feeling?

I don't know that I would change anything for a little while. I would run with these settings for now and try to establish a consistent result before messing with stuff again.

[bjhunt01]

Hi Pugsy: I'm sleeping much better through the night so that is definitely an improvement! I have not been waking up several times or waking up around 4 to 6 and being awake for 2 hours. This is a big deal!!!

I am feeling tired but I believe it's because the past few nights I've only gotten 7 ish hours of sleep and I normally need 9.5 - all my life! I'm a night person so it's hard for me to get into bed when I should. The next two nights will probably be rugged because I have to be at a workshop at 8:30 am on Sat. and Sun. so I expect to be tired. Unfortunately they gave us homework otherwise I'd be in bed now. Sunday night to Monday morning I should be able to get the amount of sleep I need. I'm eager to see what a difference that will make. I do have much more energy and clarity of thinking than I did before I began CPAP. I was a mess and could barely function because of fatigue.

I have a major goal to be in bed at 11:00 more or less and it's been one of the hardest things to accomplish because it's not natural for me to be in bed that early. But I believe that the only way I will feel better is if I begin doing that. So come heck or high water, I'll get there. It's just a habit to work toward changing.

So I'll take your advice and not change anything and we'll see how it goes. Thank you as always for looking at my screens and advising me! Barbara

[bjhunt01]

So what setting changes do you recommend? Seems like I read somewhere that the "For Her" setting looks worse than others.

wow! look at the difference in ahi between those two nights. and the leaks have gone down.

i'm one for exercising caution. i would recommend sticking with what you have and see how it plays out for another night or two.

caveat: if one of the experts tells you differently, GO WITH THE EXPERT!!

Hi Zonker: Thank you for looking at my screens and giving me feedback. Looks like you and Pugsy are in agreement so that's what I am going to do. I don't think there is anything else I can put on my head or neck or face!!!!

[zonker]

Hi Zonker: Thank you for looking at my screens and giving me feedback. Looks like you and Pugsy are in agreement so that's what I am going to do. I don't think there is anything else I can put on my head or neck or face!!!!

i'm stunned that i'm starting to get enough knowledge that pugsy agrees with me!

yeah, i think the only thing left would be to put a fish bowl over your head and i'm pretty sure that wouldn't help.

i'm with you ,btw, on that getting up early thing. just knowing i have to be somewhere at a particular time in the morning can rally wreck my sleep.

[djams]

don't understand the "for her" FL chart, but it sure looks bad.

It is bad ...even for a "for her" graph.
She needs more pressure all the way around but more pressure brings on a serious visit from the aerophagia monster and trying to keep him away for now.
Figured one problem at a time and that's try to sleep better to start with and tame the leaks first.

Sorry for not getting back sooner. I was in a workshop all day and will be Sat. and Sun. too.
So I redid the screen removing mask pressure and putting in snore for the previous chart and also for last night.
I am getting a little desperate. In spite of tape and Scunci's I am still getting nasty messages that I have too many leaks so I
was going to ask you all if I should change any settings and lo and behold in reading your most recent messages, it looks
like you have some ideas along those lines. I will say there are a lot less leaks the last two nights. They aren't the Bleep. They
are my tongue coming off the roof of my mouth I'm 99.9% sure.

So what setting changes do you recommend? Seems like I read somewhere that the "For Her" setting looks worse than others. The options
on the machine are Autoset For Her, Autoset, CPAP.

I'm good with making any setting and pressure changes you suggest. You all have gotten me a long way from where I was when I started
so bring it on!

bjhunt, I missed the fact that you suffer from aerophagia. Raising pressure isn't the best advice. Focus on getting the mouth leaks under control for now as suggested.

Thanks for adding the snore chart. It isn't nearly as active as I expected. It's good. That spike up to 5 in 2nd chart looks like an anomaly.

So yes, try to settle in and get comfortable with all your new sleep gear, and work the leaks.

[Dog Slobber]

I am feeling tired but I believe it's because the past few nights I've only gotten 7 ish hours of sleep and I normally need 9.5 - all my life!

Remember for the last few years (perhaps a lot), you've been accustomed to 9.5 poor quality interrupted sleep. Now that you on therapy, though not optimized yet, the sleep quality is less interrupted , higher quality and you may not need as much.

You can't always compare sleep needs in hours, pre and post-therapy.