Best night in a while BUT (oximeter?)

Woke up feeling pretty darn good. Took a break from my trials and tribulations in taming the Hybrid and just slept with my SwiftLT last night.

Pressure line almost flat. Machine responded (apparently) to some hypopnea clusters, but leak rate was very good as well. It felt good to just sleep and I probably could have slept longer, but.... it's a work day.

My AHI was like 3.5 and that was all comprised of hypopneas. I'm still seeing lots of hypopneas being scored by the machine. So here's my dilemma...

Do I just leave it alone if I feel ok? OR should I get an oximeter to see what those hypops are doing?

For about $139 I can get that CMS50E that many have. Some like it. Some have it falling apart like a cheap toy. If I can get a few nights out of it and consider it a throw-away after spending $139 on it, that's a bit harsh. BUT if I spend closer to $200 I can get the wrist-worn one with finger probe. I'm thinking (hoping?) that one might be a bit more durable. I think it's the CMS60F model but I'd have to look again (I looked around a lot last night).

Anyways.... I don't want to get caught up in the "chasing numbers" game, but I AM curious as to whether or not I'm desatting during the hypopnea events enough to warrant making pressure changes to try to eliminate them or cut them down a lot.

thoughts?

Think it would be worth it to get an oximeter or are hypops less significant and I'm probably fine? I really don't know how much hypopneas affect o2 sats.

Hello there friend,
I hear you still seeking that perfect therapy set up. If I were you, I would look at the way you feel overall first. If you have energy, and have brain power and are not waking up repeatedly during the night for potty breaks, you probably have a pretty good therapy going there.
Nights will vary with many things, and like days, some will be better than others.

As far as the Pulse Oximeter, I got that one you are refering to that goes only on your finger with no wires. Howard has worn it over night and I have worn it overnight and we have gotten some useful information from it. I do not see it as worthless, and it does not seem to be a piece of junk to me. That being said, since there are people who have had problems with it, I will be gentle with it and protect it from damage as much as I can.
I have only had it for a couple weeks and I am pleased with it. It works and is easy to use.
I will say I also ordered the protective hard case for it when I ordered it, and I did not know that it comes in a nice protective metal case, so save yourself $22 if you decide to order it. I think it is a useful thing to add to the devices I have to measure the success of my therapy as well as to get an idea of how my husband is doing. By the way his O2 levels remained at 95-96 all night without any CPAP. Lucky dude he is, no sleep apnea there.
The thing I like about having the pulse oximeter is the definitive record for the effectiveness of various methods for treating sleep apnea. If I were to try the dental device for example I would be able to see how effective it works.
Good luck there and I hope you soon get a set up so that you can live a long and healthy life.

Karen

I agree with Karen. I have the CMS 50E and have had it for several weeks. I have used it every night and never had an issue with it. That being said, there are a good many posts about it with complaints. The price was right and comparing the data from it with my ResScan software, it is pretty accurate.

I agree that it validates the efficiency of my APAP therapy. Based on the data obtained from my CMS 50E, I increased the starting pressure on my APAP range and significantly lowered my AHI score. By changing my sleeping position, thanks to the posts from Rooster and Robertmarilyn, I am down to an average AHI of .03-3.5 maximum each night now.

Ok... well I just bought one too so we'll see how this goes.