CPAPtalk.com

SleepyNoMore wrote:Yes you are right, I should make a new post & quit hi-jacking this one...
Yup, female 55 years old, been on Premarin for years but just got off 2 weeks ago & started taking Estroven & Evening Premrose Oil.
My pressure stays between 12-15 now & I was titrated at 9, I use the M Series Auto with a-flex from 6-20 and I cannot use straight cpap!

I will anxiously await some reports because I love to look at them..
Off hand you might be like me, just need a higher minimum now for some reason so that the machine can get to the events quicker. I was titrated at 8 cm but even at 8 cm with 20 max, I still felt like total crap. My AHI's weren't so bad for a newbie (7-9). Once I increase the minimum to 10 cm, it was a world of difference. I too seem to go up to around 13 or so during the night. I too have poor overall sleep but from discomfort issues. There's always something it seems like to mess with us.

When you have time, share the reports so we can see what is going on. While no real big deal if you use this thread, your information won't get the attention it warrants stuck in here. Many people won't think to look in a poll thread.

SleepyNoMore wrote:I should make a new post & quit hi-jacking this one

Nah. It's a poll. So hijack away!

I don't consider any post asking for help or ideas to be a hijack, myself.

Now my, carbonman's, and rooster's foolishness--those are hijacks!!!

Newbie first post here:

Took the Stardust home test a few weeks ago. I feel so inadequate amongst all the high indexes around here.

My Index was 19.3 combined # of events per hour.
108 total events in 5 1/2 hours.
Average 23.2 seconds
Longest apnea was 64 seconds.

I did have some bragging rights with my snore index, though: 471.6/hour.

So I have now spent 8 nights on my Resmed S8 Elite Autoset. I started with the Zest nasal mask for a week but it almost drowned me until I took off the humidifier, plus it gave me a red, infected nose that would make WC Fields proud. Now I have been struggling with the Swift LT for a couple of nights and find it easier to get used to but I wake up feeling like I was punched in the beak. Having the infected nose from the Zest likely doesn't help that, andI think that getting the hang of the strap tension adjustments will help.

When I do wake up in the night I find the autoset sitting in the 6 -7 range right now. So far I have not much good to report on results, but I have to give this a good shot for my sake and my wife's...

Heavy Zs wrote:Newbie first post here...

Welcome aboard! Great folks and info here.

I am not sure if some of these medical references apply to Canadian products or not.. and I certainly don't know the meaning of them lol

But my sleep test results indicated that I stopped breathing approx 119 times an hour. I had 2 overnight tests a full 8 hour period. And it scared me to learn how serious my condition was.

Dx with AHI of 102, AI of 99, HI of 3, and minimum O2 saturation of 60%.

Titrated at 10 cm by sleep lab.

With help from this forum, pressure optimized to 11.5 cm resulting in average AHI of 0.4 during the last 2.5 years

AHI 26 Overall
RDI 46 REM
RDi 50 Supine

currently in the 1-3 nightly AHI range.

titrated at 8 cm. currently using 8-10 cm.

283 events in 6.1 hours = AHI 46.4
230 OA
46 mixed
7 central
longest 58 seconds
O2 - lowest 90% mean 97%
0 delta sleep and 0 REM
sleep efficiency 72.6%, 34 awakenings
75 periodic limb movements
Snored loudly

Titrated at 7-13 cm, snoring was controlled, and no periodic limb movements
sleep efficiency 78.1%
25 minutes of REM

Have since adjusted pressure to 10-13

AHI usually in the 2.3 - 4.5 range
90% pressure usually at or near max (do not want to raise since I still have and occassional Central or non-responsive apnea)
On a good night, pressure doesn't make it above 12, and stays aroun 10- 10.5 much of the night.

Now, I am just waiting for insurance "waiting period" to be over so I can start getting supplies (on their dime).

Was just diagnosed this week, my titration is in two days. My AHI was 36. I've been in a zombie state for years and am thrilled to know what my problem has been, but I can't even imagine what some of you have felt like with these triple-digit AHIs.

AHI of 54.9. Titration of 10 Cm H2O pressure.

Total sleep time 374.5 with 149 Arousals and 1 Awakening for a total of 150.

They woke me up at some time during the night and put me on a cpap to finish off the night and that way I didn't have to come back for any more study.

92.83

I'm barely worthy to be in such a group of HIGH AHI sufferers. Mine was 95.2.

We are all lucky to be alive!

Cathy

I was going to do the pole but didn't. I was going to list my original sleep study results over four years ago which shows way over 60 events an hour, I believe close to two a minute. However, I have had UPPP surgery and a tonsilectomy this past spring and my new results were read as .4 events an hour but I didn't sleep on my back. I used to sleep mostly on my back and have changed that over the past year. But to put a twist in on my last results, I had another tech who has been around longer and is a supervisor read my study. She came up with around 4 events but said I was having leg movements and was still waking up more than I should, however I did reach Rem which I had not been doing in the past.
However my doc and this supervisor agree that the numbers themsleves aren't all that matter. My sleep and how I feel is more important. Even though the data shows that I don't need to be on cpap my body is saying I still need it. When I use it I wake up feeling refreshed, when I don't use it I wake up tired and have a terrible headache. They both said keep using it.

The numbers are important, but aren't the whole answer they are part of the equation.

Gerry

DarkSideOfTheMoon wrote:I'm barely worthy to be in such a group of HIGH AHI sufferers. Mine was 95.2. ...

You and me both. At initial diagnosis my AHI (and yes, that's per hour) was 98. And it's worse for some people? Yikes!

During my next to last sleep study for BiPAP titration, my AHI at the best pressure was 14.6, with the SpO2 nadir was 86%. Unfortunately, in only two hours of sleep my central apneas were 39 (almost 20 per hour).

As I've noted elsewhere, due to a neurological issue, my brain stem ain't what it used to be. As I fall asleep I fail to breathe. So, I am anxiouxly awaiting an AutoSV unit.

My last sleep study was with with the AutoSV unit (again with less sleep than normal, but really good for me). That study showed ZERO apneas (obstructive, mixed or central). However, having the machine working to remind me to breathe properly did appear to increase the Respiratory Effort Related Arousals (RERAs) about 50 percent. Still that's better in my book than the central apneas.

Gerryk wrote:The numbers are important, but aren't the whole answer they are part of the equation.

Amen! In my case, the apneas as I fall asleep meant I was only getting two to four hours per night, which is nowhere near enough sleep. It's led to weight gain (I had been losing weight before my sleep fell apart). It's caused hypertension. Two years ago I had no problems with this. It's led to Type 2 Diabetes. Four years ago I had no problems with this. So, even if the AHI values are "mild to moderate" for me, the results on my body are horrid. How effective our sleep is (and thus how we feel) is much more important.

Everything snowballs on everything else.
I knew I had OSA as I was diagnosed and unsuccessfully treated five years ago. I had some injuries at work to my knees that slowed me down some so some weight gain. I quit smoking about 18 months ago, I don't remember how long I was a smoker but I may have been born with a cigarette in my hand. I had gone from slightly overweight at 6' and 180 pounds just over two years ago to a 240 pound eating machine by a year ago.
My doc told me I needed to get back on the cpap or I would not see my son graduate high school. I got back on the cpap and had my tonsils removed this spring and began a diet. I can now exercise but not to the point I used to and I am down to around 205 pounds.

I recently went in for a sleep study post surgery and the initial results were that I didn't need cpap any longer. However I did not sleep well without it. I had some minor events and leg movement which my doc said were probably events that weren't recorded as events. My doc also said that people like me who improve so much with surgery usually have to be weened off the cpap. So I am still on the BiPap. I am on an auto BiPap with the lower setting at 5 which I couldn't tollerate before without the feeling of suffocating.

I still have nights were I wake up more than once but my doc has said that will take time, that my body has become used to waking up all night long and running to the bathroom or walking. I usually just turn over and go back to sleep.

Time will tell. If I do well enough and don't need cpap then great but if I still need it hey it helps me live longer doesn't it? I don't really see a choice here but to use it.

Gerry