AHI 131 !! - Help me understand my SleepStudy & CPAP results

Here's night #3 with the Aloha nasal mask. Another great night with no leaks since the leak line (see below) for the Aloha mask at my 20 pressure is 28 L/min. So I'm staying right there along the 32 L/min line which is amazing considering the massive leaks I was having using the Mirage Quattro and ComfortGel FFM's. I had contact with my new DME (US Med) - so I'm getting that ball rolling.



Monday night's data - Night #3 with Aloha Nasal Pillow:

Just checking in to see how you are doing with the Aloha mask. Looking good man!

...everytime a CPAP user changes masks, a DME gets its wings!

That one made me chuckle out loud for real. I recently changed my pillow size on the Swift FX from small to medium and it made a big difference for me, but I am no where near your pressure. I will probably try the Aloha at some point anyway. You never really know what better is until you try, right? Besides there are a lot of DMEs out there that need their wings!

Curious question....do you remember waking up around the 4:20 mark?
Not a big deal if you don't remember. I am just trying to figure out how common PB is when there are known wake ups involved.

When you have time could you zoom in on those PB times....see if there is much really going on...more for my education than anything else. I don't think there is cause for concern so don't go worrying about it. We all have them from time to time. No big deal. Yours definitely isn't associated with centrals anyway because you didn't have any get flagged last night.

Ugly snores again but that's going to be normal for you for a while till we figure out if we are going to get you an Auto machine or if you want to worry about them. If you are sleeping good...if it ain't broke....you know the rest.
Besides..we know you can also have times when the snores aren't so ugly.

NotLazyJustTired wrote:Just checking in to see how you are doing with the Aloha mask. Looking good man!

...everytime a CPAP user changes masks, a DME gets its wings!

That one made me chuckle out loud for real. I recently changed my pillow size on the Swift FX from small to medium and it made a big difference for me, but I am no where near your pressure. I will probably try the Aloha at some point anyway. You never really know what better is until you try, right? Besides there are a lot of DMEs out there that need their wings!

Thanks for checking in on me. I am sooooooo happy with the Aloha mask. Not fighting that FFM night after night is such a relief. I know believe I wasn't even properly fitted - they gave me a Medium FFM and I'm really more a Small (I'm right at the Med/Small line). Thats why I was having so many problems the the nose and my eyes. Even tho I have a big ole melon head, who woud have thought I had a small nose and CPAP face.

I still have a Swift FX mask from Pugsy to try out. But it was very well used (yellow) and from a smokers house. I've boiled the pillow/hose, but it still smells a bit - hoping it will just air out so I can at least try it for comparison.

Pugsy wrote:Curious question....do you remember waking up around the 4:20 mark?
Not a big deal if you don't remember. I am just trying to figure out how common PB is when there are known wake ups involved.

When you have time could you zoom in on those PB times....see if there is much really going on...more for my education than anything else. I don't think there is cause for concern so don't go worrying about it. We all have them from time to time. No big deal. Yours definitely isn't associated with centrals anyway because you didn't have any get flagged last night.

Ugly snores again but that's going to be normal for you for a while till we figure out if we are going to get you an Auto machine or if you want to worry about them. If you are sleeping good...if it ain't broke....you know the rest.
Besides..we know you can also have times when the snores aren't so ugly.

I normally do not remember much at night, as I'm a sound sleeper - especially now that I'm not being woken up by the gushing air leak sound or FFM jamming into my eyes. Maybe I changed sleep positions?

To a fellow CPAP user, this thread is as interesting as a novel.

It is a detective novel, in a way.

Kenwood wrote:I still have a Swift FX mask from Pugsy to try out. But it was very well used (yellow) and from a smokers house. I've boiled the pillow/hose, but it still smells a bit - hoping it will just air out so I can at least try it for comparison.

The Swift FX was donated to me...I can't smell so good so I didn't detect any odor. Probably because I used to smoke a while back.
Anyway...I didn't have another Medium size nasal pillow to send or I wouldn't have sent the offending nasal pillow because I normally prefer to send brand new nasal pillows if I happen to have the size needed.
I buy in bulk from EBay so I can afford to donate a brand new unused cushion. Something about a used cushion just goes against my gut feeling...while I know they can be sterilized easily, I have always felt that when someone tries a used pillow they aren't getting a good feel for what the mask will do...like maybe used beyond getting a good seal.

The headgear is pretty indestructible and not a big deal. I just didn't have any other Swift FX stuff to add to this particular donation. In the past I have always included brand new nasal pillows...I just didn't have the size probably needed in this case.
I felt it would be unusual for a man to use an XSmall or Small which I have plenty of.
If I had known about the odor I would have included a Small just to try for size...but I didn't.

I have a nasal pillow allowance available from my insurance. I will go to my DME today and get a Medium and send it to you to try. I really want you to be able to try the Swift FX and even without the odor....trying a used nasal pillow isn't a good test. I don't know how long it was used.
I was in a rush to get Ken a nasal pillow mask to try due to his leak situation with the FFM.
I am not eligible for a whole set up mask till summer....but I can still get my monthly allowance for replacement pillows.

So hold off on the Swift FX experiment for now...use the Aloha and I will get you a size that is brand new...it's a better test anyway.

Also...check out the short hose itself...I hate to say it but it may have absorbed some odor also. I don't have another short hose. Unfortunately it is the most expensive part of the mask even on EBay.

Kenwood wrote:Maybe I changed sleep positions?

Maybe...it isn't impossible by any means. Just because we don't think we move or change positions doesn't mean we don't.

Thanks for the zoomed in PB. It looks more PBish than what I usually see. Not that it really matters anyway. It's so short lived it doesn't really matter. Sometimes the machine flags PBs that we really have to stretch our imagination to see the waxing and waning of the flow. Yours is pretty obvious though.

If you have the headgear, I have a new, unused Small FX pillow I would be happy to send to you if you would like to try it. The DME gave me two smalls and I switched to medium and never used the second. It's yours if you want it. Just PM me if interested.

Hey Ken,

Before I go to DME and get a new pillow...do you think Medium is okay or do you think Large might be better?

Pugsy wrote:

Kenwood wrote:I still have a Swift FX mask from Pugsy to try out. But it was very well used (yellow) and from a smokers house. I've boiled the pillow/hose, but it still smells a bit - hoping it will just air out so I can at least try it for comparison.

The Swift FX was donated to me...I can't smell so good so I didn't detect any odor. Probably because I used to smoke a while back.
Anyway...I didn't have another Medium size nasal pillow to send or I wouldn't have sent the offending nasal pillow because I normally prefer to send brand new nasal pillows if I happen to have the size needed.
I buy in bulk from EBay so I can afford to donate a brand new unused cushion. Something about a used cushion just goes against my gut feeling...while I know they can be sterilized easily, I have always felt that when someone tries a used pillow they aren't getting a good feel for what the mask will do...like maybe used beyond getting a good seal.

The headgear is pretty indestructible and not a big deal. I just didn't have any other Swift FX stuff to add to this particular donation. In the past I have always included brand new nasal pillows...I just didn't have the size probably needed in this case.
I felt it would be unusual for a man to use an XSmall or Small which I have plenty of.
If I had known about the odor I would have included a Small just to try for size...but I didn't.

I have a nasal pillow allowance available from my insurance. I will go to my DME today and get a Medium and send it to you to try. I really want you to be able to try the Swift FX and even without the odor....trying a used nasal pillow isn't a good test. I don't know how long it was used.
I was in a rush to get Ken a nasal pillow mask to try due to his leak situation with the FFM.
I am not eligible for a whole set up mask till summer....but I can still get my monthly allowance for replacement pillows.

So hold off on the Swift FX experiment for now...use the Aloha and I will get you a size that is brand new...it's a better test anyway.

Also...check out the short hose itself...I hate to say it but it may have absorbed some odor also. I don't have another short hose. Unfortunately it is the most expensive part of the mask even on EBay.

Pugsy.....it's really not a big deal at all. I am VERY, VERY, VERY APPRECIATIVE of what you did for me and I don't want to appear ungrateful. You have soooo made a difference in my CPAP treatment. I was just causally mentioning that I was letting it air out - as the smell will go away - then I would try it.

I boiled the pillow for 5 mins...but I was worried about the hose (thinking I might damage it) so I put it in the boiling baking soda water, but took it off the stove. Rookie mistake I'm sure....

Pugsy wrote:Hey Ken,

Before I go to DME and get a new pillow...do you think Medium is okay or do you think Large might be better?

I'm using the medium pillow on the Aloha with a perfect seal.

You are probably a Medium in the Swift FX if the Aloha fits perfect in a Medium. I can wear both the Small and XSmall easily and that's how come I have a stock pile of those sizes.

I haven't ever boiled the short hose assembly...been a bit scared...too expensive to replace.

Since we aren't in a rush now...let me get you a Medium pillow new...if the short hose is stinky we will cross that bridge if we need to.
I do want you to be able to try the Swift FX even though the Aloha is obviously working well. Sometimes we just like a change.
I like having options so I would like other people to have some options if at all possible.

Even if the pillow wasn't stinky..it isn't a good test because it has been used. It may leak to high heaven and you hate it and think they are all that way and believe me...they aren't. Mainly was sent to see if you could tolerate the headgear setup with the thought of fine tuning later. See if you even liked nasal pillows in general. I knew the FX had a lot more miles on it than the Aloha. You can tell by looking...even if it was from a non smoker household.
Now we know and can proceed accordingly.

I don't mind going to the DME and picking up another nasal pillow I have to go over to Lowe's in that town anyway and it is just down the road from them. Not a big deal and not out of my way at all.

Pugsy wrote:

Kenwood wrote:Maybe I changed sleep positions?

Maybe...it isn't impossible by any means. Just because we don't think we move or change positions doesn't mean we don't.

Thanks for the zoomed in PB. It looks more PBish than what I usually see. Not that it really matters anyway. It's so short lived it doesn't really matter. Sometimes the machine flags PBs that we really have to stretch our imagination to see the waxing and waning of the flow. Yours is pretty obvious though.

How does it look obvious? Or more PB'ish?

Here's what I see most of the time with my PR S1 and PB flags..a gently waxing and waning (up and down of the flow with no flat lines)...remember the definition...waxing and waning of the air flow for 2 minutes or longer...that's the definition.
There are lots of different kinds of PB..most of them don't mean anything and even if we see the scary Cheyenne Stokes Respiration breathing every now and then..it only is a problem when we see it in large % of the night...not these tiny segments here.




compared to this where there is more marked reduction down to a flat line...this is rare for me