Lots of changes added up to:

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quietmorning
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Lots of changes added up to:

Post by quietmorning » Wed May 01, 2013 8:03 am

Here is a typical snap shot of a typical week's sleep before all the changes I've made recently:

Image

During this time, and previous to this time I started making changes.
We purchased a water-bed - which has eliminated the hip and lower back pain that got me good every early morning between 3 and 5am.
Then, in late March, I had a sleep study accomplished - and that week my pressure was increased to 10.
Then, a little over a couple of weeks ago, maybe, I purchased a water-based pillow - taking a week to fill it properly for what I need.
Then, I started wearing a night mask at night because the lights in my room tend to keep me from sleeping well - and they wake me up.
And last - Yesterday I had an appointment with my sleep doc - I asked him if I could raise my pressure a half a notch to knock out that middle early morning cluster I tend to have that kicks my REM back into slight sleep and wakes me up. The answer was 'no' - and then told me why - they tried to do this during the sleep study and my brain didn't like it and I ended up with centrals. BUT, they (the doc and his PA) understands my need for that middle of the night disturbance to go away - so they suggested that I turn my c-flex down. To start with 2 and then if I'm comfortable, go down to 1. I slept with 2 last night and was fine.

And this is what ALL these changes - a little at a time (directed at the ultra newbies here on cpaptalk) ended up with:

Image

THAT'S THREE SLEEP CYCLES!!! I can't believe I actually got HERE!!
My deep sleep is growing too - right now it is ranging between 35 and 49 minutes - where before I was lucky if it got above 20 minutes.

So. . .changes a little at a time can improve things if you are willing to try different things. It takes a while to work out the kinks. . .but so worth it if you will be patient with yourself and the issues and keep plodding through it.

Off to work -
Have an awesome day!

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Pugsy
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Re: Lots of changes added up to:

Post by Pugsy » Wed May 01, 2013 11:12 am

Sometimes the least little changes add up to significant results.
Maybe not one single thing but a combination of all the little changes...that and time and patience.

Your comments about the water bed pillow (that's what I like to call it because it is like a tiny waterbed with the support stuff inside) ...makes me curious. I have never tried one. I need a new experiment...this one is getting old and boring.
Guess I need to go shopping online again.
The cat did something bad to my buckwheat pillow so I haven't got it fixed yet. It may not get fixed...it was real bad thing she did. Current contour memory foam pillow is okayyyyyy but not what I really like.

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pandatx
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Re: Lots of changes added up to:

Post by pandatx » Wed May 01, 2013 4:26 pm

how wonderful! Everything is coming together for you. I'm so happy for you.

xoxox

quietmorning
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Re: Lots of changes added up to:

Post by quietmorning » Wed May 01, 2013 4:55 pm

Tomorrow I will be two years old on CPAP.

And I absolutely could not believe how I felt at five AM this morning when I got out of bed.

And I about fell over when I saw my Zeo report.

Ahi is still between the 1 and 2 range - but at least the events are not ganging up on me when they happen. I got A LOT of ideas to try certain things here. . .and some of it was my Father in Heaven looking after me, because it was some very out of the blue who'da thunks when they came across my plate. . .and I was SO OPPOSED to the waterbed!! **laughing**

Thanks be to God. I'm very very thankful.

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DoriC
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Re: Lots of changes added up to:

Post by DoriC » Wed May 01, 2013 5:42 pm

Good report! Can you tell me why the Dr thought the Cflex might be a factor and what difference did you feel with the decrease? Will you eventually turn it Off? These are some of the things that puzzle me while I try to optimize Mike's settings.

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Debijo
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Re: Lots of changes added up to:

Post by Debijo » Wed May 01, 2013 6:01 pm

How do you handle the mask with the water pillow? Do you sleep on your side? I had one in my shopping cart on Amazon, then thought it would be knocking my mask around? Thanks!


BTW, Congratulations!

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quietmorning
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Re: Lots of changes added up to:

Post by quietmorning » Wed May 01, 2013 7:56 pm

DoriC wrote:Good report! Can you tell me why the Dr thought the Cflex might be a factor and what difference did you feel with the decrease? Will you eventually turn it Off? These are some of the things that puzzle me while I try to optimize Mike's settings.
I don't know how far I'll turn it down, I'm gong to go down slowly until I am sure the exhale is something I can deal with - I hate feeling smothered. He suggested that I turn it completely off if I can tolerate it. He said that turning the c-flex off causes as very slight increase in pressure and also makes the pressure very even without the breaks for exhale. He said that some people who have been on cpap for a while tolerate it well, and turning it off reduces the clusters. That's exactly what happened last night - though I only reduced it to two from three. I'll report back on what reducing it further does. I hope I can tolerate it and that it continues the good stuff.

quietmorning
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Re: Lots of changes added up to:

Post by quietmorning » Wed May 01, 2013 8:00 pm

Debijo wrote:How do you handle the mask with the water pillow? Do you sleep on your side? I had one in my shopping cart on Amazon, then thought it would be knocking my mask around? Thanks!


BTW, Congratulations!
Oh my word. . . WONDERFUL!! NO leaks, none. ..no pressure on the side of my face. . . I can't sleep on my side for very long, so I only do it when I am having a hip achy night (had one three nights ago) - but there were no leaks, no movement of my mask, it was uber comfortable. . . but my ahi went up, because my lungs don't like sleeping on my side. . . even though I do.

I didn't buy from Amazon because I noticed that they are selling the original - I wanted the updated version, so I bought from Walgreens.

quietmorning
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Re: Lots of changes added up to:

Post by quietmorning » Wed May 01, 2013 8:01 pm

pandatx wrote:how wonderful! Everything is coming together for you. I'm so happy for you.

xoxox
Thank you Pandatx!!

quietmorning
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Re: Lots of changes added up to:

Post by quietmorning » Wed May 01, 2013 8:06 pm

Pugsy wrote:Sometimes the least little changes add up to significant results.
Maybe not one single thing but a combination of all the little changes...that and time and patience.

Your comments about the water bed pillow (that's what I like to call it because it is like a tiny waterbed with the support stuff inside) ...makes me curious. I have never tried one. I need a new experiment...this one is getting old and boring.
Guess I need to go shopping online again.
The cat did something bad to my buckwheat pillow so I haven't got it fixed yet. It may not get fixed...it was real bad thing she did. Current contour memory foam pillow is okayyyyyy but not what I really like.
**chuckles** Pugsy, when I think over the last two years - of this experiment and that experiment and what if this worked with that and on and on. . .lol. I'm so glad I'm on my way to getting truly healthy sleep, finally!!

I think my last stop for pillow shopping was going to be a buckwheat pillow. I was a little wary of having something not SOFT beside my face, though. I'm so glad this waterpillow is working out. . .lol. . .but I'll tell you, if the cats (Petra and Rodie) decide it's a good thing to claw up, we're going to go round and round!

My husband has one, now - and loves it too.

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Drowsy Dancer
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Re: Lots of changes added up to:

Post by Drowsy Dancer » Wed May 01, 2013 9:05 pm

Pugsy wrote:Sometimes the least little changes add up to significant results.
Maybe not one single thing but a combination of all the little changes...that and time and patience.

Your comments about the water bed pillow (that's what I like to call it because it is like a tiny waterbed with the support stuff inside) ...makes me curious. I have never tried one. I need a new experiment...this one is getting old and boring.
Guess I need to go shopping online again.
The cat did something bad to my buckwheat pillow so I haven't got it fixed yet. It may not get fixed...it was real bad thing she did. Current contour memory foam pillow is okayyyyyy but not what I really like.
I'm speculating about what the cat might have done. I assume it involves feline fluids of some sort?

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quietmorning
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Re: Lots of changes added up to:

Post by quietmorning » Fri May 03, 2013 4:50 am

DoriC wrote:Good report! Can you tell me why the Dr thought the Cflex might be a factor and what difference did you feel with the decrease? Will you eventually turn it Off? These are some of the things that puzzle me while I try to optimize Mike's settings.
Good morning, Dori!

The first two nights I turned the c-flex down to 2 on my machine (my machine has 1,2 and 3 for cflex settings) and had no noticeable difference in my breathing at all - it was quite comfortable. My AHI only came down one tenth of a point and then was up one tenth of a point the next night - so I'd say there was no noticeable difference in my AHI, as well.

Last night I turned the c-flex down to 1 (there is no zero). There was a very slight difference in my exhalation - very very slight - still quite comfortable, had no issues handling it at all. My AHI came down one and a half points with absolutely no clusters. Now this is just one and a half points- so I'd like to see what this does for the next few nights just to make sure - but I'm thinking that this might be something that really helps me to not have that cluster in the middle of the night. I was glad to get rid of the other two or three clusters I was having with the pressure change - but this is great to not have to do that heart race every single night.

Last night we had "Matins of the Twelve Passion Gospels" at church - and while it is a very quiet and dark service, it is a very emotionally stimulating one - so both my deep and rem where almost non-existent. It will be a few nights (after our Easter) before I can really report on how this effects my sleep cycles.

Tuesday or Wednesday after things have settled down a bit before sleep, I'll come back and post a few screen shots to give you a good before and after.

quietmorning
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Re: Lots of changes added up to:

Post by quietmorning » Fri May 03, 2013 4:54 am

Drowsy Dancer wrote:
Pugsy wrote:Sometimes the least little changes add up to significant results.
Maybe not one single thing but a combination of all the little changes...that and time and patience.

Your comments about the water bed pillow (that's what I like to call it because it is like a tiny waterbed with the support stuff inside) ...makes me curious. I have never tried one. I need a new experiment...this one is getting old and boring.
Guess I need to go shopping online again.
The cat did something bad to my buckwheat pillow so I haven't got it fixed yet. It may not get fixed...it was real bad thing she did. Current contour memory foam pillow is okayyyyyy but not what I really like.
I'm speculating about what the cat might have done. I assume it involves feline fluids of some sort?

Though probably not, as when it involves feline fluids, you usually have to abandon ship.

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khauser
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Re: Lots of changes added up to:

Post by khauser » Fri May 03, 2013 3:14 pm

I *really* miss my waterbed. There's just nothing as comfortable. The closest I've come is air, but it suffers the same fate as the waterbed ... (did I mention I have a cat for a sleeping partner?)

I woke up one day about to test my CPAP equipment as an underwater breather. That wasn't fun. Thank GOD for the liner! I really wouldn't want to explain all that to the landlord....

Now with the air mattress I only wake up on a hard bed bottom, no water. But it happens too often. And the mattresses don't last long anyway. I may invest in a grown-up air mattress (ie, something like a Sleep Number bed) where the bladders are significantly protected from claws, but that's a whole lotta money....

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Sir NoddinOff
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Re: Lots of changes added up to:

Post by Sir NoddinOff » Fri May 03, 2013 6:41 pm

We love good news, keep it coming.

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