Newbie...and a few questions...HELP!

Hello all!

I have been using this forum for a few weeks now to get myself through the process of my sleep study. You are all very helpful for me and I decided to join the forum. I have a few questions I'd like some help with, if you all don't mind.

First, these are the numbers my Doctor gave me from my first SS. Apnea: 0 Hypopnea: 75.7 Oxygen Saturation: 73%. She said I responded very well to the CPAP at a pressure of 8. I don't really know what these mean. Can anyone help me? Is this bad apnea? Is 8 a lot of pressure?

My doctor has recommended me for the CPAP machine. What parts are essential? Humidifier? What does insurance usually cover? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

You are all an inspiration for me to get this problem taken care of! I look forward to talking with you all soon!

-B

Hello Brondeau,
Welcome!
Yes your obstructive sleep apnea is severe - basically you half choke 75 times an hour, and the amount of oxygen in your blood plunges way beneath what it supposed to be.

The good news is that the pressure needed to stop your hypopneas is not very high. A humidifier is essential for many, porbably most - not all - people. My pressure is low - yet I need a humidifier.

Try to get a machine with software that will help you follow your nightly treatment results. All automatic (i.e. self adjusting) machines have that software, and some non-automatics do as well.

While automatics seem to be good for most apnea sufferers, you should be aware that this is not necessarily so when the events that disturb your sleep are hypopneas. Automatics have a batch of instructions tellin them how to identify certain events, and how to react to them - my machine, the Puritan Bennet auto (420E) will not automatically raise pressure when a hypopnea occurs. Derek's experience with the Respironics Remstar auto is that it is preferable to use it in straight Constant PAP - that is CPAP mode.

Insist on a machine with software that lets you monitor your nightly events. There are some straight CPAP machines with that capabillity. I don't know about Resmed's, but Puritan Bennet has a 420S, and Respironics a Remstar Pro 2 (don't forget the "2") which are capable of reporting event etc.
There are other machines around - try to get info about them.
Good Luck
O.

ozij wrote: While automatics seem to be good for most apnea sufferers, you should be aware that this is not necessarily so when the events that disturb your sleep are hypopneas. Automatics have a batch of instructions tellin them how to identify certain events, and how to react to them - my machine, the Puritan Bennet auto (420E) will not automatically raise pressure when a hypopnea occurs. Derek's experience with the Respironics Remstar auto is that it is preferable to use it in straight Constant PAP - that is CPAP mode.

Wow, Oz - I feel like yelling "hey, look, everyone!!" because that's the first time I've seen this point. Most of my events - I was sleeping on my back - were hypopneas.

Diagnostic results: total sleep time 96 minutes, all non-REM. Sleep latency 16 minutes. "Severe sleep-disordered breathing". 6 obstructive apneas, 1 central apnea, 131 hypopneas. Average duration of apneic periods = 13 seconds, longest = 71 seconds. Oxygen sat went from 97 to mean of 93 with lowest 86.5. Overall RDI = 86.

Thanks O!

So, this apnea/hypopnea thing could be one of the reasons why I wake up every day feeling just as tired as when I went to sleep? I hope I can get a handle on this. Does apnea/hyp. effect dreaming at all? I can never remember dreams and sometimes I wonder if I have any dreams at all. My girlfriend wakes up every day saying something like "OMIGOD, listen to this crazy dream I just had!" And I am like, OK, sure.

Have any of you really noticed a difference after CPAP? Does anyone out there have similar diagnostic numbers to mine? I'd be interested to see if it was helpful for someone with similar numbers.

Thanks!

-B

Yes it effects dreaming. You don't dream if you don't get tp REM sleep. At least thats the theory. With HI of 75 you probably don't get to REM. But don't get all choked up about it . Whth your cpap you will be dreaming soon.

:twis ted:

Hi, all. Haven't written in a long time, weeks, but this last post made me cry. Good cry. I guess these past few weeks have really helped me. I've been on the machine now since June 2nd and I've been dreaming like crazy again. I'd have to say, every night. When I read the part about getting to the REM stage again, I started to cry. Well, I guess I am really getting help. I am still up a few times a night adjusting the leaks on my Activa, and for some weird reason 4 AM, I am up every single night without fail looking at the clock, don't even have to look at the clock, it's going to say 4:00, but I am actually sleeping. But I dream every single night, so CPAP is really helping in more ways than I imagined. Pleasant dreams is more than a catchphrase. Hang in there everyone. It will happen to you, too.

Brondeau,
Having sleep apnea is like someone taking you by your shoulder and shaknig you awake at each event.

You sound like you need some more info about sleep apnea.
Here's a link ((found by Meister) to a video presentation about Sleep Disordered Breathing created by Resmed. You need Macromedia flash to run it.

There are additional, fascinating videos on Resmed's site.

You can find a link to variuos other videos if you click on the words "CPAP Videos" above the messages table.

O