AHI question>>>>>>>>

blondie · Post by **blondie** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 8:17 am

I am on my 7th night of Cpap usage and it has gone pretty good. My AHI average for the seven days is 7.3. Is that good or bad?? I don't think I have had any leaks to speak of. I have not felt any more energetic yet.....please tell me that will happen soon.

Thanks.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 8:32 am

Your AHI should be under 5.0

It looks like you need a higher pressure. You will feel better eventually .

Emilia · Post by **Emilia** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 8:50 am

We need more information to guide you better. What was your titrated pressure, and what is your machine set to? Are you using a set pressure or a pressure range? Do you have the software with which to monitor your overnight therapy and 'see' where the issues may lie? You may have some leaks, you may need to tweak your pressure, you may need to fix a mask issue. If you could provide us with as much detail as possible on these questions, we can offer better advice on how to get better therapeutic results.

An AHI should, ideally, be below 5 and the lower the number the better.

nanwilson · Post by **nanwilson** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 8:57 am

Guest wrote:Your AHI should be under 5.0

It looks like you need a higher pressure. You will feel better eventually .

Blondie
DO NOT do this. You have only been at this a week and 7.3 is a good place to be this soon. The experts say that your ahi should be under 5 to be good treatment. BUT you are just starting, give it a chance, you are headed in the right direction.
I don't know how many ahi's you had prior to cpap therapy...what ahi means is apnea hyponea index average per hour. If you had ...say 20 or 30 average per hour...7.3 is really good progress in a week. I takes time for you to reach your sweet spot and catch up on all the lost sleep prior to cpap. Keep up the good work, you will get there.
Cheers
Nan

pap4life · Post by **pap4life** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 9:07 am

7 days on the CPAP therapy and your 7 day AHI number is 7.3... So what. You have a great attitude toward your therapy and the 7.3 AHI is not earth shaking at all. Remember, thats an average.. day 1 might have been 25 and the 7th day 0. Don;t worry about your AHI at this point, and don't even consider changing any pressure setting at this time.. Patience... the good feeling and more energy will come soon. Stay with your great attitude and be compliant and I'll bet the AHI will steadily come down as the nights go on. Good Luck

ameriken · Post by **ameriken** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 9:08 am

blondie wrote:I am on my 7th night of Cpap usage and it has gone pretty good. My AHI average for the seven days is 7.3. Is that good or bad?? I don't think I have had any leaks to speak of. I have not felt any more energetic yet.....please tell me that will happen soon.

Thanks.

Hi blondie, I'm a newbie at this as well, just 4 weeks on this darned machine. But from what I've read and have been told, is it could take time before the energy levels come back (days for some, weeks or months for others). Depending on whether you've got mild, moderate, or severe sleep apnea and for how long you've had it, your body has been working overtime and under stress to compensate for low oxygen levels, and it's even possible some damage has been done and needs repair. So it may take time.

I've got no technical know-how to give, just some cheerleading to encourage you to keep up the good work and keep monitoring what you're doing. An AHI of 7 is probably a pretty good start (heck, I'm still trying to get to a 7) so I think your therapy is working as it is. I wouldn't advise jumping into any pressure changes yet, it is probably way too early to do that.

Give it some time, stick to the routine, and stay faithful to the therapy as it is, and you should start feeling better little by little, day by day. I hope you'll stick around the forum, there's a lot to learn and it's always good to have some more positive minded people.

If after a while you're really not noticing any difference or improvement, then that may be the time to get some new ideas. Good luck!

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 9:38 am

How about getting the software so you can see more than that pitiful 7 day average? I wouldn't be satisfied with AHI 7 day of 7. I would want to see each night in detail. Averages are too easily skewed.

Read here for your options.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=64906&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Then send me a PM if you want additional information on EncorePro.
You have 4 options. 3 are totally free.

I have the same machine you have listed in your profile. If you don't have the clinician manual to take advantage of understanding your machine's functions, send me your private email address and I can send you the manual as pdf attachment (can't do attachments with forum email).

blondie · Post by **blondie** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 3:55 pm

Thanks guys you all helped me so much.....my ahi prior to cpap was 55. I have sever apnea with oxygen dropping to 80%. I am happy with progress so far and it makes me feel better to hear you guys as you know the docs kinda throw you to the wolves once your diagnosed. I do not have the software but the guy who gave me machine said I could come in and he would do a print out for me. Thanks again.

blondie · Post by **blondie** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 3:57 pm

P.S. my pressure is set on 11. I cannot change it myself.

Bobby269 · Post by **Bobby269** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 4:03 pm

Contact Pugsy about the software. The installed software will let you know if your mask is leaking. A bad leak will keep your AHI from dropping.

Emilia · Post by **Emilia** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 5:38 pm

Got here: http://www.apneaboard.com/CPAP%20Adjustment.htm and you can email the site admin and request the clinician's manual for your machine. They will email this to you for free, but donations are appreciated. This manual will get you 'under the hood' so you can adjust the settings as needed.

You have several choices of software.... some are free to use. Those who use them and know more can advise you.

cflame1 · Post by **cflame1** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 7:58 pm

you also can run Sleepyhead or Onkor in order to read your card. They are both free.

Judy in CA · Post by **Judy in CA** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 9:01 pm

cflame1 wrote:you also can run Sleepyhead or Onkor in order to read your card. They are both free.

Do u and I have the same machine?
I have been reading about these above programs.
I guess i don't know whereto put the card into my computer .........maybe on a stick
I'm so new at this
i can look up some info on the screen but I want to know for instance, just how high the pressure went last nite and how big the leak was
Judy

cflame1 · Post by **cflame1** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 9:29 pm

you have a newer version of my machine... I have a smart card... you have an SD card.

wolewyck · Post by **wolewyck** » Fri Jul 08, 2011 10:21 am

Blondie - 55 to 7.3 (as your first week's average) sounds like fabulous progress to me. It may well drop further over time, with no changes on your part other than keeping up the therapy. I have been tracking my AHIs over months since starting last September, and there was a consistent downward trend in AHI that occurred over the course of the first months particularly-- without any changes to the machine settings, masks, etc. I think my body was just getting used to it and responding better.

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Mask

Additional Comments: My pressure is set at 6 and need it at 24 'if' I roll onto back