n00b with AHI 47

Woohoo, saw the doctor after my sleep study.

My AHI was 47, and he prescribed me 6 ramping up to 8 after 20 min.

I got a machine and Activa nose mask on loan.

I am so happy to finally have an explanation and treatment option after over a decade of having no energy and no life.

When the doctor told me I had "severe sleep apnea" , I was overjoyed and said "cool!". He reacted almost as if offended and said, "not cool! You understand you'll have to possibly use cpap for the rest lf your life?"

To me , adjusting to cpap seems like a walk in the park in comparison to all the immense struggles I had to do on a daily basis to be functional.

Wow, that is a low pressure for severe OSA.... and 20 mins of ramp at 6 may be hard to adjust to. Most of us find the ramp a nuisance, and with a low pressure it seems almost silly. Anyway, good luck. You will find tons of info here on this site. Go to the wiki at the to (yellow lightbulb) and begin to read there.

What machine did they give you as a loaner?

You are about to being a learning curve that is quite interesting. Once you have a copy of your sleep study (and you are entitled to a copy of the report), you will be able to know more of the details about your sleep situation. You should also get a copy of your titration report. Did you do that or is the loaner machine to monitor your sleep to see it a pressure of 8 works? You weren't clear about that. Some folks do a home 'titration' with a machine that is data capable, and then they use that data to determine your pressure and Rx.

Let us know of your progress!

The doctor said there was both obstructive and central apneas. The machine I have on load is ResMed AutoSet II (set to CPAP not APAP mode), but the doctor recommend that I buy the ResMed S9 when it's time to buy.

My 2nd sleep study where they do the titration stuffs is happening in 2 weeks.

I also had a woohoo moment when I got my diagnosis, finally had an explanation and a treatment for this problem!!

Whatever machine you get in the end, make sure it is fully data capable (records AHI, leaks), and get the software to view it (software will be an additional cost but well worth it).

Welcome

Has nobody tried writing an open-source software to read the data? I should do that if nobody else has. There is no reason why software should be expensive.

"when it is time to buy..." Do you have insurance? If you are buying this out of pocket be sure to look at all your options on machines, and do choose one that is fully data capable. If you do have insurance, find out what they cover, what your co-pay might be, if they are providing it outright or is it a rent to own contract. Sometimes, co-pays on a monthly rent to own contract can be more expensive than buying your own machine outright.

I was not able to get a machine via my insurance that was data capable or with the features I wanted. They flat out denied my doctor's Rx. Amazing, really.... I decided to buy my own and not deal with their nonsense. I researched machines and chose the one listed below. It is a new model out this month, and it won't break the bank to get it.

Best of luck!

Knabino wrote:Has nobody tried writing an open-source software to read the data? I should do that if nobody else has. There is no reason why software should be expensive.

now that is the right idea.
Are you willing to undertake this task?

I also have the S9 autoset it is a great machine, and has made a great diffierence in my quality of life I actually have energy to do things now not just around home but get out with the boat or whatever FAMILY FUN AGAIN look out.

I started out at 9cm and found that using RAMP did not give me enough air and felt a little claustrophobic. Find the S9 nice and quiet

About the low pressure, maybe my doctor wants to start me off easy while I get used to the treatment and then adjust me after the titration session..

The pressure setting has nothing do with the severity of the sleep apnea.

It is very individual. Whatever pressure will keep YOUR airway open so that your AHI is below 5 and most events are prevented is fine.

There are people with severe apnea and using quite a low pressure while some with mild apnea have a high pressure.

Severity and pressure setting are not related.