Need help with Hc245 numbers... many questions!

Hi, I had a fixed cpap for 8 years ( set to 10) but I had a bariatric surgery, and after surgery, the setting was too high, I was swallowing too much air. My doctor suggested to change for a auto-pap and I bought the HC254. But I just cannot sleep well with it. I wake up often and frequently burps by swallowing too much air. I just got the software, so I could check my setting myself. I need help to understand some of the numbers.First the sens-awake shows 45 detections by night... Isn't it high? Should I disable the sens-awake?
Second, the leaks are 48 l/ min is this in normal range?
And third, since I lost 85 lbs, how do I know when I won't need my cpap anymore, if I can get rid of it some day? I don't sleep well with it, but I don't sleep well without either. My settings are 4-10 and my mean pressure is 6 to 9,1 . I still have 5-15 AHI per hour. I though of lowering my pressure range, to help my air swallowing. Do you think it would help?
Can someone help me understand those numbers? Thanks!

salem4444 wrote:Hi, I had a fixed cpap for 8 years ( set to 10) but I had a bariatric surgery, and after surgery, the setting was too high, I was swallowing too much air. My doctor suggested to change for a auto-pap and I bought the HC254. But I just cannot sleep well with it. I wake up often and frequently burps by swallowing too much air. I just got the software, so I could check my setting myself. I need help to understand some of the numbers.First the sens-awake shows 45 detections by night... Isn't it high? Should I disable the sens-awake?
Second, the leaks are 48 l/ min is this in normal range?
And third, since I lost 85 lbs, how do I know when I won't need my cpap anymore, if I can get rid of it some day? I don't sleep well with it, but I don't sleep well without either. My settings are 4-10 and my mean pressure is 6 to 9,1 . I still have 5-15 AHI per hour. I though of lowering my pressure range, to help my air swallowing. Do you think it would help?
Can someone help me understand those numbers? Thanks!

After all those years on fixed pressure, your sleep is probably being disturbed by the changing pressures.
Swallowing air is called aerophagia. It can be a sign of GERD. Different things work for different people. Some do better with a range of pressures and some do better with straight pressure.......some with exhale relief and some without......and some end up going to Bi-Level machines if they can't find the solution. If you go up to the forum Search line and put in "aerophagia" and alternately "GERD", you'll find lots of reading material.

I would recommend going back to single pressure.......maybe 9 cm. Your AHI is going to be higher with an APAP because the machine needs "events" to trigger pressure increases......and those events count in your AHI. With that low of a starting pressure, you could very well be mouth-breathing, which could add to the aerophagia. If you have your humidifier cranked up, I would recommend turning down or off. And, if you're not, do nasal cleansing before bedtime. Too much humidity can make nasal congestion worse.

Since you use a nasal mask, keep in mind whether or not you may be mouth-leaking or mouth-breathing.
If you don't know what the leak rate is for your mask and you didn't get the user manual with it, you can download the user manual from the manufacturer's website. The leak rate chart (Vent Flow Rate) is in there.

I'm not familiar with that particular machine, but you could try switching between having the sense-awake on or off and see which works better for you.

Don't get your hopes up about getting off the machine. Thin/normal-sized people have sleep apnea, too.


Den

Thank you for all your explanations. I could have mouth leaks, as my nose is frequently congestionned. I use a moderate amount of humidity. I don't have GERD. I never had this problem of swallowing air before surgery.Maybe it's because I now have a smaller stomach? I feel it is when the pressure is at higher ends. I stop the sense-awake yesterday, and I slept a little bit better. I think trying a fixed pressure will help too. My doctor once told me that I have a very small throat and that even if I lose weight, I may still have to have a cpap. That is not the reason I had surgery. But as my pressure is lower since I am losing weight, and as I lost 3 inches from the neck, I am hoping to get rid of it. But I know maybe I won't...

Thanks a lot for your help!