APNEAS 30 SECONDS OR LONGER

Julie wrote:You can have 1,000 events, but if your AHI is low, it means the machine did its job in addressing the events. Stop looking for trouble!

I disagree. There is more to sleep apnea than ahi. Longer events allowed oxygen saturation to drop lower. Frequent longer events can cause you to drop in oxygen even before you got back up to normal.

Shortly after I started cpap, my mom admitted that she never felt like her cpap helped that much. After I got past my followup with my doctor, I let her use my full data machine for half a night. Her ahi looked nice, 3.4. But she had a cluster of events, 8 of them in about 10 minutes. One was over a minute. The other 7 were over 30 seconds long. AT that time, her pressure was a constant 10. My sleep doctor (and thus my mom's new sleep doctor) prescribed a ew full data machine with a range of 10-15. She now sleeps much better and FEELS much better.

That 3.4 ahi was still causing her problems. Long events and clusters can be just as important as ahi.

zoocrewphoto wrote:

Julie wrote:You can have 1,000 events, but if your AHI is low, it means the machine did its job in addressing the events. Stop looking for trouble!

I disagree. There is more to sleep apnea than ahi. Longer events allowed oxygen saturation to drop lower. Frequent longer events can cause you to drop in oxygen even before you got back up to normal.

Shortly after I started cpap, my mom admitted that she never felt like her cpap helped that much. After I got past my followup with my doctor, I let her use my full data machine for half a night. Her ahi looked nice, 3.4. But she had a cluster of events, 8 of them in about 10 minutes. One was over a minute. The other 7 were over 30 seconds long. AT that time, her pressure was a constant 10. My sleep doctor (and thus my mom's new sleep doctor) prescribed a ew full data machine with a range of 10-15. She now sleeps much better and FEELS much better.

That 3.4 ahi was still causing her problems. Long events and clusters can be just as important as ahi.

What you wrote makes a lot of sense.

Does anyone on the forum know what most docs look at when they decide a patient's treatment and settings are satisfactory. Or maybe all of them
do their own thing rather than adhere to a standard?

DeeCPAP wrote:

zoocrewphoto wrote:

Julie wrote:You can have 1,000 events, but if your AHI is low, it means the machine did its job in addressing the events. Stop looking for trouble!

I disagree. There is more to sleep apnea than ahi. Longer events allowed oxygen saturation to drop lower. Frequent longer events can cause you to drop in oxygen even before you got back up to normal.

Shortly after I started cpap, my mom admitted that she never felt like her cpap helped that much. After I got past my followup with my doctor, I let her use my full data machine for half a night. Her ahi looked nice, 3.4. But she had a cluster of events, 8 of them in about 10 minutes. One was over a minute. The other 7 were over 30 seconds long. AT that time, her pressure was a constant 10. My sleep doctor (and thus my mom's new sleep doctor) prescribed a ew full data machine with a range of 10-15. She now sleeps much better and FEELS much better.

That 3.4 ahi was still causing her problems. Long events and clusters can be just as important as ahi.

What you wrote makes a lot of sense.

Does anyone on the forum know what most docs look at when they decide a patient's treatment and settings are satisfactory. Or maybe all of them
do their own thing rather than adhere to a standard?

Dee Couple of weeks ago I had a follow-up with the PA at my sleep Dr. office. What she said her approach made a lot of sense to me. She starts by looking at the AHI, then looks at the make-up of they kind of events that make up the AHI. But the most important thing is how the patient feels, and are the symptoms that are typical to SDB being satisfactorily addressed? That is maybe the most critical factor in determining if the treatment is successful.

TASmart wrote:

DeeCPAP wrote:

zoocrewphoto wrote:

Julie wrote:You can have 1,000 events, but if your AHI is low, it means the machine did its job in addressing the events. Stop looking for trouble!

I disagree. There is more to sleep apnea than ahi. Longer events allowed oxygen saturation to drop lower. Frequent longer events can cause you to drop in oxygen even before you got back up to normal.

Shortly after I started cpap, my mom admitted that she never felt like her cpap helped that much. After I got past my followup with my doctor, I let her use my full data machine for half a night. Her ahi looked nice, 3.4. But she had a cluster of events, 8 of them in about 10 minutes. One was over a minute. The other 7 were over 30 seconds long. AT that time, her pressure was a constant 10. My sleep doctor (and thus my mom's new sleep doctor) prescribed a ew full data machine with a range of 10-15. She now sleeps much better and FEELS much better.

That 3.4 ahi was still causing her problems. Long events and clusters can be just as important as ahi.

What you wrote makes a lot of sense.

Does anyone on the forum know what most docs look at when they decide a patient's treatment and settings are satisfactory. Or maybe all of them
do their own thing rather than adhere to a standard?

Dee Couple of weeks ago I had a follow-up with the PA at my sleep Dr. office. What she said her approach made a lot of sense to me. She starts by looking at the AHI, then looks at the make-up of they kind of events that make up the AHI. But the most important thing is how the patient feels, and are the symptoms that are typical to SDB being satisfactorily addressed? That is maybe the most critical factor in determining if the treatment is successful.

Tas, you have a good doc. Going by numbers rather than how the patient feels is risky -- like the old saying, "The operation was a success, but the patient died." Doctors are severely rushed these days. The last sleep doc I saw (only once) *may* have looked at the data in my machine, but simply handed me a prescription and said, "Here, you look sleepy. Fill this prescription, you won't feel as sleepy." Bless your doc if you have a good one!

If anyone's interested I found a place to post May 29th SleepyHead data (this is the before). Soon I'll post a new one (the after) showing the results of a wonderful member's suggestion on how to fix the pressure settings. It was very logical and I think it's going to work. (I simulated sleeping positions that probably caused the obstructions. Will post results soon).

https://ibb.co/fcWoYF (click the image to enlarge)


P.S. if anyone's having problems posting to Imur, share this link if the one immediately above takes you to a SleepyHead image. It's a very easy to use alternative. https://imgbb.com/

Julie wrote:You can have 1,000 events, but if your AHI is low, it means the machine did its job in addressing the events. Stop looking for trouble!

Maybe he is looking for explanations and advice. I thought it was the point of this forum?

Julie: is your CPAP treatment going well? you seem to be quite cranky, as if you were not sleeping that well.

tedtomato wrote:

Julie wrote:You can have 1,000 events, but if your AHI is low, it means the machine did its job in addressing the events. Stop looking for trouble!

Maybe he is looking for explanations and advice. I thought it was the point of this forum?

Julie: is your CPAP treatment going well? you seem to be quite cranky, as if you were not sleeping that well.

Actually, I still need more info. I thought I had the pressure fixed and maybe I do. I had fewer apneas and hypopneas, and fewer leaks, but more leaks than necessary.

I'm wearing a chin strap thick elastic chinstrap, the pressure is more adjusted, but maybe it's the Dreamwear. I wear the chin band OVER my Dreamwear and no longer pull the gear off my head while sleeping (thanks to Pugsy telling me to increase the minimum pressure. Love ya, Pugs!).

tedtomato wrote:Julie: is your CPAP treatment going well? you seem to be quite cranky, as if you were not sleeping that well.

is that what passes for a witty putdown where you're from?

palerider wrote:

tedtomato wrote:Julie: is your CPAP treatment going well? you seem to be quite cranky, as if you were not sleeping that well.

is that what passes for a witty putdown where you're from?

I'd say it's the truth where he's from.