Newly Diagnosed

need_some_sleep wrote:If I may ask, what machines would you consider "bricks"?

What are Compliance Tracking machines?
Compliance tracking machines (often referred to as "bricks") are machines that only track the numbers of hours the machine is used. These machines do not track any advanced information such as AHI or leak rate.

What are Data Capable machines?
Data capable machines track your therapy progress and performance over time. Therapy data can be used to spot issues and used to see how changes to your CPAP setup effects your overall treatment. You and your doctor can use the therapy information to make changes in your setup, like changing your mask, or increasing or decreasing your pressure to see if your therapy performance improves and ensure you are getting effective treatment.

The data capable machines, not only let you know how many hours the machine was used, like pure compliance tracking machines, but also tracks advanced information such as AHI, Leak Rate, and Average Pressure (if using an APAP).

The information listed above was found at cpap.com. Here is a link to their excellent overview of the different types of xPAP machines available:
https://www.cpap.com/cpap-faq/Machines.html#FGID-2

About two-thirds of the way down that page on the left-hand side, they list all the current "data-capable machines". They also list machines that only give compliance data (a.k.a. "bricks").

newcpap wrote:That is the thing, my experience is not consistent thus far. The numbers look OK but I don't feel OK. I can only think of one of three reasons:
1. I have another condition in addition to sleep apnea. I pray to God that this is not the case. After 10 year of miss-diagnosis I don't want to start looking for answers again!
2. My body just needs sometime (and probably some pressure tuning).
3. I still encounter apnea/hypopneas while using the S9, but the numbers generated by S9 are not accurate. Hence, another sleep study might help verify the accuracy of the S9 numbers. any thoughts?

1. Even if there is something more going on, treating your OSA is an important of your puzzle. Resolving this one thing can make the picture clearer for discovery of other issues - if they exist. I have PLMD (Periodic Limb Movement Disorder}. Treating my OSA gave me at least a fighting chance. My sleep was still screwed, but at least I wasn't also dealing with the consequences of low oxygen and the stresses on the body of sleep apnea. Treating my OSA gave me just enough of a boost to have the strength to then address the other issues. It was an uphill climb, but without treating my OSA, I was in a nose dive and unable to stop the decline.
2. Quite likely.
3. The numbers from any machine may not be perfect, but I trust them to give me a very good idea of what's going on with my breathing when asleep.

How does your sleep feel? Hard to go asleep? Hard to stay asleep? Wake up and can't go back to sleep? Restless? Maybe a detailed description could offer clues.

I agree with you kateagu on #1 100%, that is pretty much what keeps me going...

Today I feel a bit better (after raising my min pressure to 8 ). When I feel bad, I feel body weakness, irritable, not able to focus, and pretty much all the symptoms I listed in my original post.

The thing that might be worth mentioning is that even when I felt good at the beginning of APAP therapy, I was still waking up at night and tossing between my left and right sides (I never sleep on my back) and then get back to sleep right-away. When I mentioned this to my sleep doctor, he told me that this is not sleep apnea and it could be the anxiety I am suffering from.



regards,

newcpap