central obstruction

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 6:03 pm

increasing pressure in the presence of central apnea usually makes it worse, you should have lowered your pressure vs. increasing it.

I would lower down to 8 or 9 and keep Cflex no higher than 2. Are you using Ramp? if so what is it starting at and how long? and is falling asleep difficult (not insomnia, but breathing)?

jnk · Post by **jnk** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 8:35 pm

Tansey,

My only other recommendation is that you answer Snoredog's questions, if you know the answers, because snoredog can help you know exactly what to do between now and that sleep study, and beyond for that matter.

jnk

GumbyCT · Post by **GumbyCT** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 8:46 pm

birdshell wrote:This is one probably best answered by a sleep tech, but...

I would want to talk with a sleep doc about it but that is me.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 9:10 pm

I strongly disagree with snoredog. The following is Tansey's first post on this forum.

viewtopic.php?p=283759&highlight=#283759

tansey wrote:Hi, I'm new to the forum but not to the OSA. I've been on cpap for 5 years with a setting of 7 cm h2o. About 3 months ago I began to totally stop breathing with the cpap on, so I bumped it up to 9, fine for a few weeks then I quit breathing again so I bumped it up to 10.5 and it is working well now, for 3 weeks. During this time I've felt pretty bad- or should I say pretty nothing, my brain just fells tired and empty and zero motivation, I feel it is lack of oxygen or too much co2. Is this to be expected after a while on the same setting. Is there a danger in setting the wind too strong?
I hope I am not irritating with the newbie questions. I am kind of on my own with all this as I have no insurance and I can only see the Dr. once a year.
Also I am an avid cruising sailor and I have everything set up 12v solar powered and it works very well, I would be happy to share any info on setting up cpap off grid on a shoestring budget.
All the best, Tansey

And then he went to a doctor.

OK, to be more precise: I saw the doctor and he said he "thought" it might be central, I set my own machine higher and higher until I no longer stopped breathing, I did this because I could not get an appointmant and had no other option I could see, I told him this and he was fine with it

At this point, Tansey, you should go by how you feel, and if you no longer stop breathing, that is the pressure you should stay at.
The doctor heard your story the way we did, mentioned central sleep apnea based on what you told him - but he may have been thinking out aloud. That was not a diagnosis.

Christinequilts who was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea described her waking up from it as calm, no gasping or anything.

None of us know what is disturbing Tansey's sleep right now, and there is no reason for him to take the pressure down to where he was feeling so bad on it.

O.

jskinner · Post by **jskinner** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 9:21 pm

tansey wrote:I saw the doctor and he said he "thought" it might be central, I set my own machine higher and higher until I no longer stopped breathing

Do you know what made the Dr suspect you where having central apneas? The fact that you increased your pressure and problem improved would lead me to think that infarct you just just have obstructive sleep apnea. Only a PSG will tell for sure.

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 10:17 pm

ozij wrote:I strongly disagree with snoredog. The following is Tansey's first post on this forum.

viewtopic.php?p=283759&highlight=#283759

tansey wrote:Hi, I'm new to the forum but not to the OSA. I've been on cpap for 5 years with a setting of 7 cm h2o. About 3 months ago I began to totally stop breathing with the cpap on, so I bumped it up to 9, fine for a few weeks then I quit breathing again so I bumped it up to 10.5 and it is working well now, for 3 weeks. During this time I've felt pretty bad- or should I say pretty nothing, my brain just fells tired and empty and zero motivation, I feel it is lack of oxygen or too much co2. Is this to be expected after a while on the same setting. Is there a danger in setting the wind too strong?
I hope I am not irritating with the newbie questions. I am kind of on my own with all this as I have no insurance and I can only see the Dr. once a year.
Also I am an avid cruising sailor and I have everything set up 12v solar powered and it works very well, I would be happy to share any info on setting up cpap off grid on a shoestring budget.
All the best, Tansey

And then he went to a doctor.

OK, to be more precise: I saw the doctor and he said he "thought" it might be central, I set my own machine higher and higher until I no longer stopped breathing, I did this because I could not get an appointmant and had no other option I could see, I told him this and he was fine with it
At this point, Tansey, you should go by how you feel, and if you no longer stop breathing, that is the pressure you should stay at.
The doctor heard your story the way we did, mentioned central sleep apnea based on what you told him - but he may have been thinking out aloud. That was not a diagnosis.

Christinequilts who was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea described her waking up from it as calm, no gasping or anything.

None of us know what is disturbing Tansey's sleep right now, and there is no reason for him to take the pressure down to where he was feeling so bad on it.

O.

jnk · Post by **jnk** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 6:28 am

Great point, ozij:

The doctor heard your story the way we did, mentioned central sleep apnea based on what you told him - but he may have been thinking out loud. That was not a diagnosis.

And perhaps another important point for Tansey is that whatever the diagnosis is, there will likely be many possibilities for dealing with the problem, such as, maybe, a different kind of machine, if centrals are in fact occurring.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/central-sleep ... tment.html

Diagnosing and treating an underlying condition will alleviate CSA in some patients. Other patients will need additional assistance. Options may include:

Supplemental Oxygen

Various forms of oxygen are available, as well as different devices to deliver it to the lungs.

Positive Pressure Breathing

. . . The technology is continually evolving, but current options include:

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)

Bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) - Lowers the level for exhalation

Auto-adjusting positive airway pressure (PAP) - Automatically increases the pressure if breathing stops and lowers it again when breathing is normal

Adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) - A newer device records a patient's normal breathing pattern and then uses that data to normalize breathing as necessary

Medication

Drugs that help modify breathing patterns may help some patients.

(I added bold attribute to the text from Mayo site.)

So don't worry, Tansey. Take it a day at a time and find some joy in each moment.

tansey · Post by **tansey** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 8:22 am

Thank you all for your good advice and kindness. I've been off line since my last post yesterday. My cflex is set on 2 and my pressure 10. I don't think I have stopped breathing in almost a month. Carol listens for me and checks on me every time she awakens. she is a luxury for doing that for me. So I await my night at the clinic and I will let you know the out come. I saw the doc Friday but the clinic has not notified me yet. Patience-
All the best, Tansey

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 10:19 am

it seems as csa is more complicated.

do you exercise regularly?
do you drink or eat before sleep?

mckooi

tansey · Post by **tansey** » Tue Aug 05, 2008 1:54 pm

Anonymous wrote:it seems as csa is more complicated.

do you exercise regularly?
do you drink or eat before sleep?

mckooi

__yes to exercise and drink, but I rarely eat past 7 PM_______________

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): CSA