Help reading VPAP III data

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 6:49 am

This time your AHI is only 6.5 - and you spend half as much time in apnea.

Good going.

O.

HelpMeBreath · Post by **HelpMeBreath** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 12:27 pm

I know it.. Its great isn't it? I like to look at that, then at the first post in this thread from 2/20:

*************
Hi,

I posted before but I dont think I was logged in. I have a VPAP III machine. I have checked the daily results
Leak .10l
vt 350-700
Resp Rate 9-18
MV 5.2-9.8
AHI 49.8
AI 33

**************

Pretty amazing... I felt like the walking dead.. Im still really tired, but nothing like I was...

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 1:27 pm

Yes, I was thinking of that too.

O.

dsm · Post by **dsm** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 2:07 pm

HMB

Looking good - these numbers could be acceptable but you might even do better. If you are willing to do a further adjustment tonight, drop Ipap from 17.6 to 17.2. What I am looking for with that is to see if it increases or decreases your HI number.

Overall this is a balancing act, juggling ...

AI, HI, Breathing Rate, MV, ipap to epap gap. Aerophagia, mask comfort, SpO2.

Sometimes adjusting one causes a decline in another but then the question becomes which was the lesser evil.

I'll be out of contact for the next 3 days, if 17.2 doesn't improve your HI, take it back to 17.6 then the night after try 18.0 See which feels best & gives best numbers.

Overall I would like to see your MV average more towards 1000 ml.

DSM

HelpMeBreath · Post by **HelpMeBreath** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 5:05 pm

Will do.. I had a meeting with the owner of one of the oldest home audio companies today (Koss), I was pleasantly alert, I still get tired and start to fall asleep when I sit in front of my computer for hours at a time, but no yawning in the meeting. Enjoy whatever youre doing for 3 days.

HelpMeBreath · Post by **HelpMeBreath** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 6:18 am

Looks like it was a good move. Still need to work on the breathing thing. I think I woke up quite a bit last nigh.

dsm · Post by **dsm** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 2:06 am

HMB,

That is looking very good - much better than my own AHI for the past 4 nights
which ranged from 6.8 to 4.5 (mostly HI with AI always less than 0.5).

What is interesting is your MV appears to have gone up.

DSM

HelpMeBreath · Post by **HelpMeBreath** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 9:30 pm

Still some tweaking to be done. I thought you werent back until tomorrow, I will post the past couple days in the morning.

HelpMeBreath · Post by **HelpMeBreath** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 5:56 am

Seems like my numbers go down for one night when I make changes, then start to go back up again. The night before this was OK. Then this:

So I went back up to 17.6 last night, I really didn't sleep well, I woke up a few times, and popped awake at 5 am this morning before my alarm went off. Right before I woke up, I was having really vivid nightmares about some PTSD stuff that I have. On the detail chart it looks like you can see my breathing increasing during that time, I am wondering also if the spikes are when I woke up. I try to look at the clock when I wake up so I can map it on the next mornings reports. Might be a little obsessive. Looking at the clock isnt a problem, I always go right back to sleep.

I have been trying this wave breathing and I feel like there was a portion of my lungs that I had not been using, because after a day of it, my lungs hurt really bad like after a few days of coughing, I also started yawning uncontrollably. I dont know if there is any physiological reality to this, but I guess with the body anything is possible.

Day light savings time has caused the clock on the machine to be an hour slow. I guess it doesn't really matter.

On a side note, the effects of this on my life are noticeable. On Sat morning I went to a gourmet cooking class, yesterday I went to brunch, cleaned my house like a madman, then went grocery shopping with my GF for two hours last night. This last thing was a miracle, I don't go to the grocery store, my patience is zero and I cannot handle it, after ten minutes I need to get the hell out of there. My GF said that last night was probably the most conversation we have had in a year or so. SA has been destroying my relationship and things are starting to improve. Thanks to you.

How about those leaks eh?

KHENAULT · Post by **KHENAULT** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:21 am

First off I'd like to congratulate you on the great progress you've made. Based on my limited experience, and other posts on this board, you should not judge the effectiveness of a particular setting based on one or two nights. I see some pretty significant variability night to night without making any changes. Whenever you do make a change, run with it for at least a week, and look at the average results.

dsm · Post by **dsm** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 3:13 pm

HMB,

I agree with previous poster & think you should now stick with these settings 12.6 & 17.6.

After a week or so & if your AI stays low, we could look at lowering the ipap just a little but the main reason for that would be to see if that improves comfort. It may also lower HI a little but for some people it can send HI the other way.

It is great that you are noticing a good difference in well being because that is the best sign you have of effective therapy. You should see that improvement continue for quite a while.

Am very pleased at how well you have done.

DSM

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 4:44 pm

I will leave it where its at. Now the fun part is weaning myself off the ambien, not looking forward to that.

As far as comfort goes, its the best it has been, I dont feel the mask when its on, maybe too tight . I ordered some new gel pillows but I think I have pretty much conquered the leaks so I might not need them anymore. I am now going to work out a way to stay off my back, unfortunately it is my favorite sleeping position.

HelpMeBreath · Post by **HelpMeBreath** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 6:02 am

Well last night was the best night for AI's, I still woke up quite a few times, I was really happy to see AI was at 0 at 4 a.m. Had some leak issues.

Unless something spectacular happens, I will take a break from posting daily images and do an overall for the week.

dsm · Post by **dsm** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 1:17 pm

HMB

Thanks for putting up those charts - they are very educational and pretty well show a good path to effective therapy.

The best result is you feeling increasingly alert and if that persists as I am sure it will, you should find you have a lot more energy then may be able to loose a bit of weight. Most of us starting out on cpap tend to have increased weight - as much from lack of energy to keep it off as any other reason.

If you do lose weight - you will find you can start lowering the epap/ipap settings.

Lets say as a start that losing 5-6 lbs will allow you to drop ipap/epap by 0.6 to 1.0 CMS.

That in turn eases the burden of fighting leaks etc:

Good luck & your success is well deserved.

DSM

HelpMeBreath · Post by **HelpMeBreath** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 12:33 pm

Doug, I made those changes we spoke of last night, probably the best night I have had yet. I actually stayed in bed for almost 10 hours, and probably could have gone longer but I had a cooking class today. My nose is getting sore from the hyrbrid. I have developed a leak on the left side of my nose, it might be from it being sore, but last night it was a major pain in neck, or nose I guess.

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