Born Skeptic - Questioning Results

Good Evening All,

My first post on here, with many more to come. About a month ago I had a sleep study done and was diagnosed with severe OSA (59 events per hour). My doctor prescribed CPAP and I just received my machine 7 days ago. What an ordeal dealing with the DME! But thats another story! It is a Sleepstyle 244 and using a Zest Nasal Mask. Being the born skeptic I am, my first weeks results are making me wonder. Is it really possible to go from 59 per hours to a 7 day AHI average of .3 all night? It seems too good to be true. My leak rate is an average of 48 lph with the mask accounting for 33.5 of that. I unfortunately can't gauge it by the way I feel because I am what my Dr. says is asymptomatic, never tired, never napping, etc.

Maybe its a case of don't look a gift horse in the mouth but I have always been a skeptic and that isn't changing now!

Any and all comments and questions are Appreciated.

Zeke351

Welcome to the forum.

I'd say it's highly unusual, but I'm sure it's "possible".

What pressure is your machine set to?

Take care of that "horse".


Den

Did you have significant desaturations during the sleep study?

If so, you could use an oximeter to check oxygen levels. That would offer an alternate method of evaluating your therapy. You may need to establish a baseline without the CPAP, depending on what you see.

What are your dreams like now? Before CPAP?

Why did you get tested? What did yu observe, or others observe?

If your leak rate is too high, or you are mouthleaking, the numbers being shown will be incorrect. If your are being properly treated reguarding leaks and pressure, it's possible to do that well, but the rules must be followed and the data needs to be correct. Jim

Zeke,
It's not too good to be true. I see it every night I work(I'm a sleep tech). That little magic machine does do wonders!

Thank You for the replies. I wll try to answer the questions posed.

Wulfman - The pressure is set at 10. During the sleep study the titration at 9.5 to 10 produced the best results.

Unadog - I am away from home at the moment so i don't have my actual numbers from the study with me. My oxygen level was donw into the high seventies though.

Dreams are there a little more now but I have never remembered them so i can't be positive.

I had a physical done and my ekg had a blip so my PCP referred me to a cardiologist. We did a number of tests and he noticed my heart was thickening. He said that is usually the result of High Blood Pressure or Sleep Apnea. No high blood pressure, but my wife had noticed I stopped breathing sometimes, I am overweight and my neck is 18" So the cardiologist refered me to the Sleep Dr.

Goofproof - According to the Sleepstyle 244 manual anything below a 60 leak rate is acceptable and I am at a 48 average.

I don't think I am mouthbreathing but I am going to try some headgear when I get home just to make sure.

Sleepmba - Thanks, and I hope you are right.

Thanks again all. Zeke351

Of course it's possible. I went from 105 to 1.2 on my first night.

I've been below 1.0, usually around 0.3 to 0.5 EVERY night since starting CPAP and my AHI on the sleep study was 77. It's not so surprising--you hold the airway open with a splint--in this case positive pressure--and you breathe all night.

Thanks for the replies.

I was just surprised that the numbers changed so quickly. It seems nothing leading up to getting this machine has gone smoothly. Dealing with the DME, Carecentrix and Cigna was a pain (and still not over) so I was figuring my bad luck would hold. LOL

Zeke351

I'm in no way expert on this, but it would seem logical that the air pressure would stop the obstructions, therefore it's very probable that a huge change can occur the first night.

The machine works great.

The humans, not so much . . .

Janknitz wrote:The machine works great.

The humans, not so much . . .

Ain't it the truth!!!

Zeke, welcome to the forum. It's great that you're getting such fantastic results right away! Sleep well!

DreamOn wrote:Zeke, welcome to the forum. It's great that you're getting such fantastic results right away! Sleep well!

Thank You Dreamon...according to the machine I am

zeke