I'm a dentist treating myself! CPAP Results... Advice please?

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 20, 2020 7:10 pm

If you look inside the knob where it attaches to the metal you will likely see a little break in the plastic.

Super glue?

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 21, 2020 6:16 am

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 20, 2020 7:10 pm

If you look inside the knob where it attaches to the metal you will likely see a little break in the plastic.

Super glue?

I did not try super glue on the one I had that was broken. It was a donated machine and the part that was broken off was really critical to gripping the little metal thingy that actually turns things and I was afraid that super glue couldn't compensate for that missing piece of plastic.
Some sort of epoxy might be able to do it but I was afraid it wouldn't be able to make that grip and I would be stuck with something cemented on that would make the machine unusable.
Since the knob was easily found for around $7 at the time...I chose to just replace the knob. The machine was a System One BiPap Auto which was too nice of a machine for me to make it unusable.

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 21, 2020 7:33 am

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 21, 2020 6:16 am

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 20, 2020 7:10 pm

If you look inside the knob where it attaches to the metal you will likely see a little break in the plastic.

Super glue?

I did not try super glue on the one I had that was broken. It was a donated machine and the part that was broken off was really critical to gripping the little metal thingy that actually turns things and I was afraid that super glue couldn't compensate for that missing piece of plastic.
Some sort of epoxy might be able to do it but I was afraid it wouldn't be able to make that grip and I would be stuck with something cemented on that would make the machine unusable.
Since the knob was easily found for around $7 at the time...I chose to just replace the knob. The machine was a System One BiPap Auto which was too nice of a machine for me to make it unusable.

Ah, yes I saw how the little break in the plastic. What a terrible design! Fortunately, I can easily turn the metal thingy without the knob itself.

If you can find the broken piece and glue it then that might work but if your talking gluing the knob to the shaft then it's there forever and it can't be removed if for some reason you would want to take it off.

squid13 wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 21, 2020 9:36 am

If you can find the broken piece and glue it then that might work but if your talking gluing the knob to the shaft then it's there forever and it can't be removed if for some reason you would want to take it off.

That was why I didn't try gluing because it might not come off and it still might not grip well enough to turn the knob.
Plus if someone has nimble enough fingers....it's easy to just grab the little metal thingy and turn it if adjustments are wanted.
If not nimble...little needle nose pliers easily works.

Not to mention I wouldn't want to risk getting glue or something inside the machine itself.

I wonder if the S9 knob would work.

https://shop.altraservice.com/products/ ... b-r360-775

prodigyplace wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 21, 2020 11:33 am

I wonder if the S9 knob would work.

https://shop.altraservice.com/products/ ... b-r360-775

You would think that these machine manufacturers would be smart and not change but the knobs between the 50 series and 60 series system one machine were different. Go figure that one.

I have no idea if the S9 knob would work or not but it's not horribly expensive so might be worth a try.

Hey all, I'm back from vacation, and this time I took the CPAP with me!

Here are two nights with the Bleep:


I got tired of the whole Bleep routine. Shave upper mustache, witch hazel, mouth tape, chin strap, etc. Just too much going on on my face, so I switched to the F30i mask when I got back home from vacation. Here are my results.


Without Mandibular Advancement Device:

With mandibular advancement device:


Honestly, my sleep feels terrible. I need extra coffee and the psoriasis on my face has blown up on me. I've tried the wide pillow (didn't fit well at all because I think my nose stick outward too much) and so I'm making do with the medium one. I get a little bit of leakage due to my facial hair, and if I tighten it it starts hurting my nose a lot. Are my leak rates acceptable? If so I'll keep sticking with this and seeing if I can make it work for me. I really like the idea of just wearing one thing on my face.

Your leak rate is fine. 0.01% Large Leak is excellent.
Your 95% is 10.8 LPM. Resmed states that anything below 24 LPM is good to go.
I have my red line set at 30 LPM and I am still getting good therapy when it bumps that. (seldom happens)
Even a little higher than that is OK.
Probably do not want that rate all night long, but short lengths that do not wake you up are fine.

Leaks that wake you up are not fine.

JPB

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:24 am

. . .
...little needle nose pliers . . .

Teensy vise-grips (the real ones) used to work for nearly everything.
Not sure how well the offshore copycats work, but they are not too expensive.
Of course, they made the best ones in DeWitt, NE.

jimbud wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 12, 2020 6:28 pm

Your leak rate is fine. 0.01% Large Leak is excellent.

The Bleep is unique though, in that, if you have it attached correctly, the only leaks you're going to get are mouth leaks.

Once I solved those, I get no leaks at all.

slowriter wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 13, 2020 4:17 am

jimbud wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 12, 2020 6:28 pm

Your leak rate is fine. 0.01% Large Leak is excellent.

The Bleep is unique though, in that, if you have it attached correctly, the only leaks you're going to get are mouth leaks.

Once I solved those, I get no leaks at all.

nee wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 12, 2020 5:23 pm

I got tired of the whole Bleep routine. Shave upper mustache, witch hazel, mouth tape, chin strap, etc. Just too much going on on my face, so I switched to the F30i mask when I got back home from vacation. Here are my results.

nee wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 12, 2020 5:25 pm

With mandibular advancement device:

0.01% Large Leak is excellent with the F30i. (with or without the mandibular advancement device)

JPB

Stephaniedp3 wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 09, 2020 5:56 pm

I had to look up scalloping on tongue and I have that. Is that related to sleep apnea?

Didn't read through the whole thread yet, but I wanted to comment on this as I have done extensive research into it in the past.

Scalloping tongue is not directly related to OSA, but the same factors that cause it can contribute it OSA.

I'll have to disagree with nee that it is related to bruxism. It's not, in my opinion.

Research has shown that modern humans have smaller, narrower mouths than our ancestors. No one seems to know why, but there are theories that we don't eat as many chewy, tough foods as children and that leads to inferior jaw development. I know that my children will always choose a soft food over something tough and chewy. We choose less tough pieces of meat or braise it. Etc etc. It's human nature. It's more enjoyable to eat softer foods.

It's gotten to the point that there are different branches of orthodontia. Some orthodontists pull teeth and then bring the the teeth in, narrowing the arch even further. And there is a smaller branch called functional orthodontia that does everything possible to NOT pull teeth and use the wires of braces to widen the arch. If children are brought into either type of orthodontist early enough, the ortho will do early intervention in the form of palate expanders which widen the arches. Both of my children have had that done.

The problem is that while the arch of the smile of modern humans has narrowed, the tongue doesn't know that (genetically) and continues to grow to the same size as our ancestors. Smaller mouth + same sized tongue = tongue scalloping and maybe OSA because the tongue falls into the airway during sleep.

I myself have undergone functional orthodontia. My teeth were straight. But I did have some weird malocclusion where my upper teeth were tipped back toward my tonsils a few degrees, forcing my lower jaw to be pushed back as a consequence. My orthodontist said that my arches were the same size as many children he saw. The braces did improve my airway a great deal. (there's a lot more to that story but I won't go into all of it here.)

My tongue still scallops because there is only so much orthodontia can do for an adult mouth, which is why nee is going for mandibular advancement surgery--LUCKY. I look forward to hearing how that goes.

Anyway, I hope that answers your question.

socknitster wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 14, 2020 8:50 pm

Research has shown that modern humans have smaller, narrower mouths than our ancestors. No one seems to know why,

It's been known for a long time that the shift to agriculturism/sedentism from hunter/gatherer caused smaller lower mandibles and dental malocclusion.

"Our analysis shows that the lower jaws of the world's earliest farmers in the Levant, are not simply smaller versions of those of the predecessor hunter-gatherers, but that the lower jaw underwent a complex series of shape changes commensurate with the transition to agriculture."

Those changes likely came from diet, as previous studies have suggested. Hunter-gatherers needed big, strong jaws to chew the uncooked vegetables and meat that often made up their menu. Early farmers, on the other hand, had a softer diet, consuming cooked foods like beans and cereals that didn’t demand such a high level of mouth strength. Over time, as jaws became smaller in response to these dietary changes, teeth didn’t follow suit, remaining around the same size. This likely directly led to the problem of adequate mouth real estate so common today. We've got modern jaws but a potentially outdated number of teeth.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/artic ... ne.0117301

socknitster wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 14, 2020 8:50 pm

I'll have to disagree with nee that it is related to bruxism. It's not, in my opinion.

There is a clear correlation. You might be confusing cause and effect. Bruxism is the effect. Sleep apnea is the cause.

Several studies have reported that sleep bruxism rarely occurs in isolation. Recently, in an epidemiological study of sleep bruxism and risk factors in the general population, it was found that among the associated sleep symptoms and disorders obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was the highest risk factor for tooth grinding during sleep. ...
The first showed 67 events of sounded tooth grinding, most of them appearing as an arousal response at the end of apnea/hypopnea events in both the supine and lateral postures. During the CPAP titration night most breathing abnormalities were eliminated and a complete eradication of the tooth grinding events was observed.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14592147

socknitster wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 14, 2020 8:50 pm

Scalloping tongue is not directly related to OSA, but the same factors that cause it can contribute it OSA.

The meaning of this statement is unclear. However, science has established that tongue scalloping and OSA are clearly correlated.

CONCLUSIONS:
In high-risk patients we found tongue scalloping to be predictive of sleep pathology. Tongue scalloping was also associated with pathologic polysomnography data and abnormal Mallampati grades. We feel the finding of tongue scalloping is a useful clinical indicator of sleep pathology and that its presence should prompt the physician to inquire about snoring history.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16360522