I'm a dentist treating myself! CPAP Results... Advice please?

[Pugsy]

Can you zoom in a little closer on that cluster?
Maybe 04:45 to 04:53.

[nee]

Sure thing. I changed the y-axis to -80 to +80 as well.

Screen Shot 2020-01-29 at 8.46.25 AM.png (38.04 KiB) Viewed 1385 times

[Pugsy]

Hard to tell for sure but some flagged stuff in that cluster might be arousal related....that first one even has a big gulp of air right before the flagging....so it's a bit iffy in my mind.
When things are iffy in my mind I always default to it being real though...better to err on the side of caution.
Which doesn't really surprise me...OA causes brief arousal and you get arousal flagged event and you go back to sleep and you get another one and the cycle repeats itself.

My best guess...supine related or REM related...or maybe a combination of both. I used to see stuff like this but mine was just REM related. I did some testing and I still had them even if I was up against a wall and couldn't get on my back.

I think a good chunk of that cluster is more arousal related than anything and I wouldn't do anything or worry about it at this time.
Now if I started seeing a lot of this stuff then I might think about a pressure adjustment but I wouldn't do anything based on this one ugly cluster that has some arousal related flagging mixed in.

[Pugsy]

FWIW....the machine responds even to SWJ flagged stuff because it doesn't know any better.
So don't assume that because the machine responds that they are asleep flagged events.
I see this stuff happen all the time and the flagged events aren't even close to iffy. They are so blatantly arousal related that a blind man could see it.

[nee]

FWIW....the machine responds even to SWJ flagged stuff because it doesn't know any better.
So don't assume that because the machine responds that they are asleep flagged events.
I see this stuff happen all the time and the flagged events aren't even close to iffy. They are so blatantly arousal related that a blind man could see it.

Thank you. Between 4:40 - 5:00 I see an increase in pressure due to the flagged events, followed by a higher leak rate and flow limit. Could too high of pressure cause flow limitations? And if so, and if these flagged events are just SWJ, should I cap my max pressure?

[Pugsy]

Too much pressure doesn't cause flow limitations.
Flow limitations cause pressure increases.

I see no reason to cap the pressure just because it goes up from SWJ stuff unless it starts really disturbing your sleep or something and you see it all the time.

Sometimes we just have ugly crap happens and we don't know why. Restless in bed for some reason or other that we don't remember a lot of tossing and turning.

I would rather just shrug my shoulders when I see SWJ pressure increases than risk having some real events not get treated because I have tied the machine's hands. It hurts nothing to let it try to kill the SWJ stuff....and there were probably a few real OAs in that mix.

[nee]

Too much pressure doesn't cause flow limitations.
Flow limitations cause pressure increases.

I see no reason to cap the pressure just because it goes up from SWJ stuff unless it starts really disturbing your sleep or something and you see it all the time.

Sometimes we just have ugly crap happens and we don't know why. Restless in bed for some reason or other that we don't remember a lot of tossing and turning.

I would rather just shrug my shoulders when I see SWJ pressure increases than risk having some real events not get treated because I have tied the machine's hands. It hurts nothing to let it try to kill the SWJ stuff....and there were probably a few real OAs in that mix.

Yeah I don't remember waking up which is just fantastic. The more I get used to the Bleep the more I like it!

[Pugsy]

I wouldn't do anything about the ugly from last night. Just shrug my shoulders and blame it on an alien visit is my usual routine when I see stuff like that.
We never know when they are stopping by to mess with us.
I gotta run.....need to get ready and go over to help my mom.

[zonker]

I wouldn't do anything about the ugly from last night. Just shrug my shoulders and blame it on an alien visit is my usual routine when I see stuff like that.
We never know when they are stopping by to mess with us.
I gotta run.....need to get ready and go over to help my mom.

aliens.jpg

[Okie bipap]

We all have nights we can't explain. I will have several nights in a row where my AHI is near zero, my leaks are near zero and all is well with the world. Then, I will have one that looks absolutely horrible on paper, but I will sleep through everything and wake up in the morning feeling just fine. I think I get these nights just to keep me in my place. It took a while, but I eventually learned that how I feel is more important than what the charts show.

[nee]

Well, throughout all of this I still haven't woken up once feeling well rested in the morning.

At least, now I am less tempted to nap in the afternoon, feel more alert while driving to and from work, my weightlifting numbers have been going up, I crave sugar much less, and my body fat has been slowly dropping. Slow and steady improvements!

I'm tempted to sell my machine and get a BiPAP... might as well shoot for the best

[Okie bipap]

I was one of the people that did not notice an immediate benefit from treatment. I made very gradual progress. After a few weeks of treatment, I noticed I could sit and work the crossword puzzle in the morning paper and not fall asleep, and I could sit and watch TV without dozing off. My wife, on the other hand, noticed improvement almost immediately after starting treatment, even before they got her pressure adjusted correctly. It does get better, eventually. As far as switching to a bi-level machine, I don't see any reason not to try one. My wife and I both have always had bi-level machines, so I cannot do an impartial comparison between the various kinds of machines. However, most of the people here on the forum that have mentioned a voluntary change from an APAP machine to a bi-level machine have been happy with the change. The bi-level does give you more options for your treatment.

[zonker]

Well, throughout all of this I still haven't woken up once feeling well rested in the morning.

At least, now I am less tempted to nap in the afternoon, feel more alert while driving to and from work, my weightlifting numbers have been going up, I crave sugar much less, and my body fat has been slowly dropping. Slow and steady improvements!

I'm tempted to sell my machine and get a BiPAP... might as well shoot for the best

it may not seem like it to you, but you haven't been a "hosehead" for very long. just over three weeks, innit?

as okiebipap stated, it can come upon us as a gradual thing. it can also take a while to get the full benefit. i'm not saying you wouldn't get more from a bilevel machine, but why spend the money at this point?

stick with what you have and see what the next few weeks will bring, is my opinion.

[palerider]

Could too high of pressure cause flow limitations? And if so, and if these flagged events are just SWJ, should I cap my max pressure?

Almost certainly no, but flow limitations will cause higher pressure, which can cause leaks.

Only cap your max if you want to prevent the machine from being able to respond to you if you have real needs. (actually, about the only time I think it's legit to cap the max pressure is if you're having aerophagia problems.)

[palerider]

Well, throughout all of this I still haven't woken up once feeling well rested in the morning.

At least, now I am less tempted to nap in the afternoon, feel more alert while driving to and from work, my weightlifting numbers have been going up, I crave sugar much less, and my body fat has been slowly dropping. Slow and steady improvements!

I'm tempted to sell my machine and get a BiPAP... might as well shoot for the best

Nope, you do NOT want a "BiPAP™", because BiPAP™ is a registered trademark of Philips Respironics, and you probably wouldn't like their lethargic auto algorithm.

You want an AirCurve 10 VAuto.

I run a MinEPAP of 13 with a PS of 5, and I like it. (MaxIPAP of 25, but it don't think it's ever hit that).

The minor Xerox™ rant over, for some people, the benefit sneaks up on you... ask Chunkyfrog about her "AHA! this cpap thing IS working for me" moment.