edit: here are my latest screen shots, leaks r better!

lost your bet with echo???


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Hi dreamon, how was YOUR night last night?

I slept on my back because the hose went up over my head, I had a flat line on snoring, which is usual, and I did not tape my
mouth, or use a chin strap, and my leaks were way down!
So I think its the "droopy hose" syndrome, oh that doesnt sound good!
Your chart will be great to take to my doctor! woo hoo, great idea, thank you!

I will try pressure ten tonite, I knew nine was too low too, but I know I need to get used to it..
sometime I can try a really narrow pressure range too on apap...
Geez, when the light bulb goes off, and you see your data, the world is your oyster!
Thank you for your help!

droopy hose syndrome

progress is looking good! keep it up (straight cpap I mean ).

I'm not quite sure the conditions of the bet have been met yet, you still need a few more nights on straight cpap in order to prove Den wrong Go for it! Even so, I'm not sure what *I* won in this bet besides hopefully setting you back on the right path (which is more DreamOn's doing in any case, and nice charting btw mr cartographer ). So Den, what -were- the stakes in this game of pressure-roulette?

Another interesting bet will be the pressure at which your central's become an issue. For me it's 11cm. How high can -you- go?

sorry that was a lot of LOLs in this post, it's weirding me out!

echo wrote:droopy hose syndrome

progress is looking good! keep it up (straight cpap I mean ).

I'm not quite sure the conditions of the bet have been met yet, you still need a few more nights on straight cpap in order to prove Den wrong Go for it! Even so, I'm not sure what *I* won in this bet besides hopefully setting you back on the right path (which is more DreamOn's doing in any case, and nice charting btw mr cartographer ). So Den, what -were- the stakes in this game of pressure-roulette?

Another interesting bet will be the pressure at which your central's become an issue. For me it's 11cm. How high can -you- go?

sorry that was a lot of LOLs in this post, it's weirding me out!

Yeah, you're right. Actually, it might end up being a "draw".....as we were both pretty much on the same wavelength.

Hard to tell with potential Centrals. Statistically, the threshold pressure is 10 cm. (Ala ResMed's A10 algorithm), but they can occur at higher or even lower pressures.

"Droopy hose" syndrome??? Sounds like insufficient therapy pressure to me.


Den

elena88 wrote:I slept on my back because the hose went up over my head, I had a flat line on snoring, which is usual, and I did not tape my
mouth, or use a chin strap, and my leaks were way down!

Yes, it's quite amazing that you wore no chin strap or mouth tape and slept on your back, yet your leak rate was acceptable. It's amazing what a difference small changes can make. I can't tell how much of the time you were actually asleep from the chart (10-minute view of the Flow graph may give some clues), but you're finally on the right path in regard to leaks!

Your chart will be great to take to my doctor! woo hoo, great idea, thank you!

You're welcome. Glad I can help in some small way. I think the progress chart will help your doctor to see the trends, but the REAL story is told on those ResScan graphs, so be sure to take those too!

echo wrote:....(which is more DreamOn's doing in any case, and nice charting btw mr cartographer ).

Um, that's "Ms. Cartographer."

Wulfman wrote:"Droopy hose" syndrome??? Sounds like insufficient therapy pressure to me.

I hope you sleep well tonight, Elena -- and everyone else too!

Hi dreamon!

Yes, not using tape OR chin strap sleeping ON my back, and having a good leak rate, woo hoo..

that just goes to show how serious a condtion D.H.S. (droopy hose syndrome) can be..

We must all be on the look out for that now!

I will take your charts to the doc, ms. cartographer, and the rescan graphs too, I wonder if she will be surprised!

Okay echo and wulfman, it cracks me up your betting on pressures!

Im going to the big 10 tonight!

Come to think of it, betting on pressures could be quite a fun thing to do!
Just think, every newbie that arrives would could all start a betting pool on what their pressure or range will end up being..
but they have to show their graphs!

I have no idea where the centrals start or stop, I had a few in my sleep study without the cpap, but I guess everyone does..

Okay, have a great night of sleep everyone, and dont let your hoses droop!

DreamOn wrote:

echo wrote:....(which is more DreamOn's doing in any case, and nice charting btw mr cartographer ).

Um, that's "Ms. Cartographer."

oopsy! yes, I really need to start getting to bed earlier, my attention has not been at its peak lately. I even got into a fender bender last week first accident since I got my driver's license 17 years ago (not including the accident I got into 2 months after getting the license!). I'm chalking it all up to "stress" . On a more positive note, I haven't broken a single wine or drinking glass in weeks! (well that would be nearly impssible anyway, since all 6 new wine glasses are now all 6 broken wine glasses. shoddy material methinks! and no, the breaking happens _before_ I pour the drink, sort of the "my brain thinks I've got a hold of the cup but my motor function's lagging a microsecond behind"!).

echo wrote:oopsy! yes, I really need to start getting to bed earlier, my attention has not been at its peak lately.

Yeah, we've all been through times like that. I hope that you'll be sleeping better soon.

I even got into a fender bender last week

I do hope that nobody was injured and that your car's okay.

On a more positive note, I haven't broken a single wine or drinking glass in weeks!

I break my share of drinking glasses too. My husband suggested not long ago, "Maybe we should just get plastic glasses!"

DreamOn....can up put up one of those charts without Elena's numbers? I guess I could use "white out".

I would love to use it to chart my progress too. While I'm asking, could you also make it bigger......

Elena,
This tread has helped me to Elena, as I have all the information, but didn't know how to put it all together until I saw your charts. All the charts don't mean a thing if you don't know how to read them, or what your looking for.

DreamOn Thanks, you may have help more people than you know with you charts and answers

hey, jaz, ms. cartographer is a miracle worker!
I tried to make a graph from mine and white it out for you but it was too small.

Well, straight cpap pressure ten last night and here are the results!
I did not do very well... however, my husband got up right before one thirty am, because I had a big whooshing leak, he tried to adjust my
pillows (I had turned on my side) as he did that, I woke up screaming... already in a total panic attack mode.. this happens everytime he tries to
fix a leak.. I dont know why that happens, I dont know if Im in that mode the whole time with the pressure, or just when the leaks happen, but
there was an event exactly the same time as the leak.. Instead of the machine reading leaks as events, I think I may be having events while
I leak is in progress, because I have them so frequently..
It took me awhile to get to sleep, and after that leak, I didnt get back to sleep.. the pressure was really getting to me while I was awake.
I think I need the ramp every time, and for longer, and with more epr, I just cant do it when Im awake, and I dont know how welll I deal with it
while Im sleeping.. but Im trying!
Not much to show, sorry..

My suggestion is to leave pressure as it is for at least a few days, at CPAP 10. You should get used to exhaling against that pressure. You were at higher pressures than that for most of the night on APAP! But if you still have difficulty after a few days, then maybe you can use EPR full time with set pressure bumped up a bit. I suspect that you're going to need the pressure a bit higher anyway, but let's see how you do at 10 on nights when you're sleeping longer and don't have so much of a leak problem.

Continue to work on the leak problem. Regarding your mask, look at factors such as nasal pillow size, strap adjustment (they may need to be either looser or tighter, especially the top strap on the Opus 360), you may need to stabilize the nasal pillows with one of the Lab Rat fixes. Also, evaluate your hose suspension system (make sure you have enough "give" to move around freely) and your bed pillow. It's possible that the Opus 360 just isn't the best mask for you. You may be losing therapy air from your mouth too, perhaps when you're deep asleep. Although last night's leak rate was higher than the two days before that, it was better than the earlier dates on your progress chart.

Your AHI and Central AI were just fine, and zero obstructive apneas. But those results are based on only about an hour of sleep, so not a very good representation.

elena88 wrote:Instead of the machine reading leaks as events, I think I may be having events while I leak is in progress, because I have them so frequently..

Well, a lot of people have obstructive apneas during leaks. That's because the therapy air is escaping and therefore isn't doing its job of keeping your airway open. You probably had the central apnea when your husband woke you because you were terrified and gasped (held your breath).

That's my non-expert take. What say ye others?

Just a word of warning about the ramp. Overuse of it nearly killed me, and I'm not exaggerating. When I first started cpap I went downhill faster than a brick dropped in water, and I attribute that directly to me using the ramp as directed by the doctor (to hit it every time I woke up to help me get back to sleep). It was set too low for too long. Since I woke up every few minutes, I was spending nearly my entire night in ramp, and at a suffocating pressure. I was one who fell asleep instantly, just couldn't stay asleep. That left me unprotected during any sleep I got. During ramp one's needs are not responded to. It's a recipe for trouble. Not saying ramp shouldn't be used, just with knowledge and restraint, at the highest comfortable pressure for the shortest amount of time.

That's a really good point, Kathy! I feel the same way about Ramp, and particularly if the ramp start pressure is low. You are "unprotected" during that period if the lower ramp pressure isn't sufficient to keep your airway open. What IS your ramp start pressure, Elena, and how long is your ramp?

Pressure of 10 really isn't all that high. I'd prefer to see you adjust to that pressure with no Ramp and no EPR, but everyone's different. I don't know if your reactive airway disease or nasal/airway structure may make it more difficult for you to breathe out than it is for me.

Hi dreamon, thank you for the new chart, sorry I didnt sleep longer.
Hi kteauge, oh, when I first got my apap, all I did was press that ramp button every few hours just like you, but that was a system one,
and I dont know how to press the ramp button on the s9. When I shut it off last night, every time it came back on at pressure ten, and even
though I think I can take it while Im asleep, I sure cant take it awake..

So, I turned to nine.. couldnt take that, turned it down to eight, couldnt take that, turned it down to six, and I couldnt take that..
So I turned to back to apap from five to fourteen with a forty five minute ramp and a epr of one..
(edit, I will cut the ramp back after I settle down again)

I cant start the cpap at ten, it was just too much.. I struggled with it at nine the night before, my husband just kept rubbing my legs and trying to
calm me down, until I fell asleep. He tried it last night, but I just could not handle that when Im awkae.. Im feeling sort of down about it,
so I think I need a break from the cpap for a night..

I FINALLY GOT SOME SLEEP! YAHOO!!!
I played around with the machine again last night, and I tried to up the pressure, but I just could not handle it while I was awake..
I was so tired, I went back to apap. I started it at seven, couldnt sleep, went to six, same thing, and ended up way back down to five again..
My favorite pressure is four.. wish my titration was five!
( I slept in all positions last night, I had a dream, and I didnt use tape or a chin strap. )
Dreamon, I tried a lab rat fix for the opus! Thanks for that link, I came up with my own.. I think youlll see my leaks are down, and I
even had a "droopy hose" as I couldnt get comfy last night with it going up.. so I took one of my stretchy slim headbands, and put it around my
nasal pillows and the back of my head over my ears. The headband was wrapped on the very tip of the nose pillows, so I think that kept them pretty
snug! Im going to use the headband every night! Thanks so much for the tips, that wasnt the tip on the lab rat fix, but it did give me the idea..
Here are my graphs from last night..

I think you are probably sick of putting up the charts, so if you want this to be the last one, thats fine.

Question, I dont think all my centrals can be caused by leaks, can they?

oh, for those of you wearing nasal pillows and struggling with leaks, here is what i used last night which really helped to keep my pillows
from dislodging a lot more than they usually do..

I used a slim one inch wide velour/ velvet headband.. I found some on the net to show you.. these come in all colors so guys could use grey or
black.. they are easy to find in most stores..