Question on CPAP
Question:
I started on a CPA machine, set at 12, with nasal pillows two weeks ago . The first 5 or 6 days i felt tremendous, as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. That feeling has disappeared and whilst I still feel marginally better during the day, am wondering if my reactions are unusual. Michael Australia
Response:
michael thomson wrote: > I started on a CPA machine, set at 12, with nasal pillows two weeks ago . > The first 5 or 6 days i felt tremendous, as if a weight had been lifted off > my shoulders. That feeling has disappeared and whilst I still feel > marginally better during the day, am wondering if my reactions are unusual. > Michael Australia
No, not for many of us.
Response:
probably caught up with your sleep, mine lasted about 8 weeks then lost that initial feeling, but I was very severe 104 apneas/hr Warren "michael thomson" <mthom…@bigpond.net.au> wrote in message
news:GoYi8.6521$mp.28625@news-server.bigpond.net.au… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I started on a CPA machine, set at 12, with nasal pillows two weeks ago . > The first 5 or 6 days i felt tremendous, as if a weight had been lifted off > my shoulders. That feeling has disappeared and whilst I still feel > marginally better during the day, am wondering if my reactions are unusual. > Michael Australia
Response:
"michael thomson" <mthom…@bigpond.net.au> wrote in message <news:GoYi8.6521$mp.28625@news-server.bigpond.net.au>… > I started on a CPA machine, set at 12, with nasal pillows two weeks ago . > The first 5 or 6 days i felt tremendous, as if a weight had been lifted off > my shoulders. That feeling has disappeared and whilst I still feel > marginally better during the day, am wondering if my reactions are unusual. > Michael Australia
Happens to a lot of us. I think once your body discovers that the good sleep is going to be a regular occurance it starts working on clearing up the sleep debt from the OSA. I had to measure noticible progress in three month intervals – at three months able to run one errand after work a week, six months able to run errands on consecutive nights after work, nine months able to run multiple errands after work. As long as you are feeling better than you did before xPAP, just give yourself some time to catch up on the sleep debt (what happens when you do not get good sleep), and you should in a few weeks notice a gradual improvement. Steffeny
Response:
> I started on a CPA machine, set at 12, with nasal pillows two weeks > ago . > The first 5 or 6 days i felt tremendous, as if a weight had been > lifted off > my shoulders. That feeling has disappeared and whilst I still feel > marginally better during the day, am wondering if my reactions are > unusual.
Must admit I’m about 3 weeks in now and altho’ I feel mentally brighter I still fall asleep during the day. This makes me suspect that I may need the pressure turning up on my CPAP. *Keith*
Response:
"michael thomson" <mthom…@bigpond.net.au> wrote: >I started on a CPA machine, set at 12, with nasal pillows two weeks ago . >The first 5 or 6 days i felt tremendous, as if a weight had been lifted off >my shoulders. That feeling has disappeared and whilst I still feel >marginally better during the day, am wondering if my reactions are unusual.
That initial "lift" often fades as you get used to being awake, but it’s not unusual for someone to need a slight pressure boost after a short time. Your sleep doctor will probably prescribe one without re-titration. Tom
Response:
On Tue, 12 Mar 2002 06:22:32 +1000, "Warren" <ro…@rocky.tv> wrote: >but I was very severe 104 apneas/hr >Warren
You sound like me…I had 113 events in 45 minutes during my last sleep study. ScottSPM
Response:
G’day Michael, I have been using CPAP here in Australia for 12 months now. My experience was much like yours. I slowly got better, and then seemed to need naps during the day more often that ever before. Eventually (around the 8-month mark for me), my specialist advised me to tighten my mask to reduce leaks. I got the best night’s sleep in years, and haven’t looked back since. Hae a chat with both your sleep specialist, and also the people at the clinic where you did your sleep studies. Perhaps there is some usability thing you have overlooked they can help you with. Regards, Geoff in Melbourne
Response:
Leaking air involving a cpap mask could be rather involved. The level of air pressure your cpap pump has been set at could cause a leakage problem. In general, the higher the air pressure setting is, the tighter the mask has to be, to keep it from leaking; and of course, the lower the air pressure, the looser a mask can be worn. In other words, it is much harder to wear a cpap mask and not have air leakage when your pump is set at say a pressure setting of 14 than at 6. If the mask is too loose and you roll over on your pillow, it will begin to leak air. If the mask is set too tight, you may have a double-whammy —- a sore and painful face and an air leak as well. I was set at an air pressure setting of 14 from just about the very beginning of my cpap usage via the sleep lab determination. It was never comfortable, and I always had an air leakage problem. If I didn’t determine the air leak upon going to sleep, then sometime, usually about an hour into sleep I would be awakened by a dry mouth and a hurting face due to the tightness of my mask. The result was that I removed the mask and hoped I would be able to complete the rest of the night without waking up again—perhaps with the definite feelings in my chest denoting having had many aptneas. My weight was 203 lbs with a height of 5′8". I decided to attempt to lose some of my weight–using "Weight Watchers" and lost 26 lbs in about 14 weeks. At this point my nights were mostly filled with all the indicators of air leakage that one could count on—"dry mouth", etc. At this point my mask couldn’t be made any tighter without completely cutting off the blood supply to my face. It was then that I decided to open my cpap pump and lower the air pressure myself. Since I don’t have a pressure gage, I don’t know to what pressure I set it to. However, I now am able to sleep completely through the night for the very first time in my whole cpap experience of 6 years. My pump makes much less noise, uses less electricity, and my mask tightness setting is completely comfortable —-allowing me to sleep through EVERY NIGHT and wake up with the darn thing still on my face. In fact, I can even roll over on my side in comfort without an air leak. All of this so called comfort should have been from DAY ONE, but it was not the case. I did my (SLEEP STUDY) by myself at home; and have been, FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME experiencing a full day, day after day of a level of awakness I never thought but only hoped could be possible. I have passed this on to anyone who has the patience to read this, to prove that our sleep problem can be overcome. AND YES, being (over weight) dose increase the severity of "Obstructive Sleep Apnea". I am living proof. My cpap mask is the "Sullivan Mirage." I have just about tried them all and this one is by far the most comfortable one I have used. Chuck H. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -tmail.com> wrote in message news:3c8ee2a8_2@news1.prserv.net… > G’day Michael, > I have been using CPAP here in Australia for 12 months now. My experience > was much like yours. I slowly got better, and then seemed to need naps > during the day more often that ever before. Eventually (around the > 8-month mark for me), my specialist advised me to tighten my mask to > reduce leaks. I got the best night’s sleep in years, and haven’t looked > back since. > Hae a chat with both your sleep specialist, and also the people at the > clinic where you did your sleep studies. Perhaps there is some usability > thing you have overlooked they can help you with. > Regards, > Geoff in Melbourne
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -C. Hollander wrote: > Leaking air involving a cpap mask could be rather involved. The level of > air pressure your cpap pump has been set at could cause a leakage problem. > In general, the higher the air pressure setting is, the tighter the mask has > to be, to keep it from leaking; and of course, > the lower the air pressure, the looser a mask can be worn. In other words, > it is much harder to wear a cpap mask and not have air leakage when your > pump is set at say a pressure setting of 14 than at 6. If the mask is too > loose and you roll over on your pillow, it will begin to leak air. If the > mask is set too tight, you may have a double-whammy —- a sore and painful > face and an air leak as well. > I was set at an air pressure setting of 14 from just about the very > beginning of my cpap usage via the sleep lab determination. It was never > comfortable, and I always had an air leakage problem. If I didn’t determine > the air leak upon going to sleep, then sometime, usually about an hour into > sleep I would be awakened by a dry mouth and a hurting face due to the > tightness of my mask. The result was that I removed the mask and hoped I > would be able to complete the rest of the night without waking up > again—perhaps with the definite feelings in my chest denoting having had > many aptneas. My weight was 203 lbs with a height of 5′8". I decided to > attempt to lose some of my weight–using "Weight Watchers" and lost 26 lbs > in about 14 weeks. At this point my nights were mostly filled with all the > indicators of air leakage that one could count on—"dry mouth", etc. At > this point my mask couldn’t be made any tighter without completely cutting > off the blood supply to my face. It was then that I decided to open my cpap > pump and lower the air pressure myself. Since I don’t have a pressure gage, > I don’t know to what pressure I set it to. However, I now am able to sleep > completely through the night for the very first time in my whole cpap > experience of 6 years. My pump makes much less noise, uses less > electricity, and my mask tightness setting is completely > comfortable —-allowing me to sleep through EVERY NIGHT and wake up with > the darn thing still on my face. In fact, I can even roll over on my side in > comfort without an air leak. > All of this so called comfort should have been from DAY ONE, but it was not > the case. I did my (SLEEP STUDY) by myself at home;
There has been a good deal of discussion, here, about home testing and titration. I am very interested in the subject. Would you be kind enough to tell us more about your sleep study. TIA – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> and have been, FOR THE > VERY FIRST TIME experiencing a full day, day after day of a level of > awakness I never thought but only hoped could be possible. > I have passed this on to anyone who has the patience to read this, to prove > that our sleep problem can be overcome. AND YES, being (over weight) dose > increase the severity of "Obstructive Sleep Apnea". I am living proof. > My cpap mask is the "Sullivan Mirage." I have just about tried them all and > this one is by far the most comfortable one I have used. > Chuck H. > tmail.com> wrote in message news:3c8ee2a8_2@news1.prserv.net… >>G’day Michael, >>I have been using CPAP here in Australia for 12 months now. My experience >>was much like yours. I slowly got better, and then seemed to need naps >>during the day more often that ever before. Eventually (around the >>8-month mark for me), my specialist advised me to tighten my mask to >>reduce leaks. I got the best night’s sleep in years, and haven’t looked >>back since. >>Hae a chat with both your sleep specialist, and also the people at the >>clinic where you did your sleep studies. Perhaps there is some usability >>thing you have overlooked they can help you with. >>Regards, >> Geoff in Melbourne
Response:
From: NormC <no…@socal.rr.com> – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -C. Hollander wrote: > Leaking air involving a cpap mask could be rather involved. The level of > air pressure your cpap pump has been set at could cause a leakage problem. > In general, the higher the air pressure setting is, the tighter the mask has > to be, to keep it from leaking; and of course, > the lower the air pressure, the looser a mask can be worn. In other words, > it is much harder to wear a cpap mask and not have air leakage when your > pump is set at say a pressure setting of 14 than at 6. If the mask is too > loose and you roll over on your pillow, it will begin to leak air. If the > mask is set too tight, you may have a double-whammy —- a sore and painful > face and an air leak as well. > I was set at an air pressure setting of 14 from just about the very > beginning of my cpap usage via the sleep lab determination. It was never > comfortable, and I always had an air leakage problem. If I didn’t determine > the air leak upon going to sleep, then sometime, usually about an hour into > sleep I would be awakened by a dry mouth and a hurting face due to the > tightness of my mask. The result was that I removed the mask and hoped I > would be able to complete the rest of the night without waking up > again—perhaps with the definite feelings in my chest denoting having had > many aptneas. My weight was 203 lbs with a height of 5′8". I decided to > attempt to lose some of my weight–using "Weight Watchers" and lost 26 lbs > in about 14 weeks. At this point my nights were mostly filled with all the > indicators of air leakage that one could count on—"dry mouth", etc. At > this point my mask couldn’t be made any tighter without completely cutting > off the blood supply to my face. It was then that I decided to open my cpap > pump and lower the air pressure myself. Since I don’t have a pressure gage, > I don’t know to what pressure I set it to. However, I now am able to sleep > completely through the night for the very first time in my whole cpap > experience of 6 years. My pump makes much less noise, uses less > electricity, and my mask tightness setting is completely > comfortable —-allowing me to sleep through EVERY NIGHT and wake up with > the darn thing still on my face. In fact, I can even roll over on my side in > comfort without an air leak. > All of this so called comfort should have been from DAY ONE, but it was not > the case. I did my (SLEEP STUDY) by myself at home;
There has been a good deal of discussion, here, about home testing and titration. I am very interested in the subject. Would you be kind enough to tell us more about your sleep study. TIA – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> and have been, FOR THE > VERY FIRST TIME experiencing a full day, day after day of a level of > awakness I never thought but only hoped could be possible. > I have passed this on to anyone who has the patience to read this, to prove > that our sleep problem can be overcome. AND YES, being (over weight) dose > increase the severity of "Obstructive Sleep Apnea". I am living proof. > My cpap mask is the "Sullivan Mirage." I have just about tried them all and > this one is by far the most comfortable one I have used. > Chuck H. > tmail.com> wrote in message news:3c8ee2a8_2@news1.prserv.net… >>G’day Michael, >>I have been using CPAP here in Australia for 12 months now. My experience >>was much like yours. I slowly got better, and then seemed to need naps >>during the day more often that ever before. Eventually (around the >>8-month mark for me), my specialist advised me to tighten my mask to >>reduce leaks. I got the best night’s sleep in years, and haven’t looked >>back since. >>Hae a chat with both your sleep specialist, and also the people at the >>clinic where you did your sleep studies. Perhaps there is some usability >>thing you have overlooked they can help you with. >>Regards, >> Geoff in Melbourne
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Response:
"C. Hollander" <chuck…@optonline.net> wrote in message <news:2LSk8.15302$Wp2.4142008@news02.optonline.net>… > Leaking air involving a cpap mask could be rather involved. The level of > air pressure your cpap pump has been set at could cause a leakage problem. > In general, the higher the air pressure setting is, the tighter the mask has > to be, to keep it from leaking; and of course, > the lower the air pressure, the looser a mask can be worn.
I do not agree with the above as a general statement. > In other words, > it is much harder to wear a cpap mask and not have air leakage when your > pump is set at say a pressure setting of 14 than at 6. If the mask is too > loose and you roll over on your pillow, it will begin to leak air. If the > mask is set too tight, you may have a double-whammy —- a sore and painful > face and an air leak as well.
I started 10 years ago on 15 on a CPAP with a firm mask. This leaked most of the time. So I tried a bubble mask, which occassionally leaks. I’ve been on a bubble mask ever since on CPAP and APAP. With a bubble mask, the trick is to slacken the straps so you have this ballon of air that rolls around your face. Occassionally I’ve felt it might need vaseline/? as a sealant, but can not remember using it. On a APAP, the bubble mask doesn’t inflate as quickly and needs a little extra watching. It is my belief that if you have a solid mask, it will fit or not fit. Tightening the straps is not going to solve the problem that the mask doesn’t fit your face, i.e my complimentary mirage ultra is total crap. It just doesn’t fit my face and continually leaks. It also greatly restricted side sleeping as the headstock hits the pillow more often. And, I’ve had a moustache all this time (moustaches vary of course), but I mention this as the "salesperson" tried to say that if it leaked it would be because of my moustache. My 2c is to try different masks when being fitted and to initially buy different models to play around with at home, i.e. bubble and firm types.
Response:
On Sun, 17 Mar 2002 01:58:22 GMT, "C. Hollander" <chuck…@optonline.net> wrote: >AND YES, being (over weight) dose >increase the severity of "Obstructive Sleep Apnea". I am living proof.
Everything I’ve read agrees with you on this one. Trouble is it’s a lot easier for some people to lose the weight than others. Tony
Response:
To TIA and anyone else having an interest in Home Testing. I can only say that I did this simply on my own initiative. I can say this however, how I function during the day after a nights sleep will tell all, in so far as the accuracy of my air pressure settings. As I stated, I don’t have an air pressure gage and therefore, am shooting from the hip, so to speak. For all I know, a minor change of 1 degree of air pressure either up or down may make all the difference in the world to my awake quality of life. If I feel that I am not sleeping as well as I could, I will then increase the air pressure ever-so-lightly and then determine if I am feeling better or not during the ensuing day. This I will repeat till I reach a setting that seems to be optimal for me. This is what my sleep clinic lab was supposed to achieve—the correct-optimal air pressure for my air pump negating as many apneas as possible. Well, the truth is that they simply NEVER found the RIGHT AIR PRESSURE SETTING FOR "ME." I just assumed that they really knew what they were doing. That obviously proved otherwise. It’s just too bad it had to cost me so many years of sleepless nights. I don’t know if my reply to you was helpful. Sincerely, Chuck "NormC" <no…@socal.rr.com> wrote in message
news:3C9450C7.2010702@socal.rr.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> C. Hollander wrote: > > Leaking air involving a cpap mask could be rather involved. The level of > > air pressure your cpap pump has been set at could cause a leakage problem. > > In general, the higher the air pressure setting is, the tighter the mask has > > to be, to keep it from leaking; and of course, > > the lower the air pressure, the looser a mask can be worn. In other words, > > it is much harder to wear a cpap mask and not have air leakage when your > > pump is set at say a pressure setting of 14 than at 6. If the mask is too > > loose and you roll over on your pillow, it will begin to leak air. If the > > mask is set too tight, you may have a double-whammy —- a sore and painful > > face and an air leak as well. > > I was set at an air pressure setting of 14 from just about the very > > beginning of my cpap usage via the sleep lab determination. It was never > > comfortable, and I always had an air leakage problem. If I didn’t determine > > the air leak upon going to sleep, then sometime, usually about an hour into > > sleep I would be awakened by a dry mouth and a hurting face due to the > > tightness of my mask. The result was that I removed the mask and hoped I > > would be able to complete the rest of the night without waking up > > again—perhaps with the definite feelings in my chest denoting having had > > many aptneas. My weight was 203 lbs with a height of 5′8". I decided to > > attempt to lose some of my weight–using "Weight Watchers" and lost 26 lbs > > in about 14 weeks. At this point my nights were mostly filled with all the > > indicators of air leakage that one could count on—"dry mouth", etc. At > > this point my mask couldn’t be made any tighter without completely cutting > > off the blood supply to my face. It was then that I decided to open my cpap > > pump and lower the air pressure myself. Since I don’t have a pressure gage, > > I don’t know to what pressure I set it to. However, I now am able to sleep > > completely through the night for the very first time in my whole cpap > > experience of 6 years. My pump makes much less noise, uses less > > electricity, and my mask tightness setting is completely > > comfortable —-allowing me to sleep through EVERY NIGHT and wake up with > > the darn thing still on my face. In fact, I can even roll over on my side in > > comfort without an air leak. > > All of this so called comfort should have been from DAY ONE, but it was not > > the case. I did my (SLEEP STUDY) by myself at home; > There has been a good deal of discussion, here, about home testing and > titration. I am very interested in the subject. Would you be kind enough to > tell us more about your sleep study. > TIA > > and have been, FOR THE > > VERY FIRST TIME experiencing a full day, day after day of a level of > > awakness I never thought but only hoped could be possible. > > I have passed this on to anyone who has the patience to read this, to prove > > that our sleep problem can be overcome. AND YES, being (over weight) dose > > increase the severity of "Obstructive Sleep Apnea". I am living proof. > > My cpap mask is the "Sullivan Mirage." I have just about tried them all and > > this one is by far the most comfortable one I have used. > > Chuck H. > > tmail.com> wrote in message news:3c8ee2a8_2@news1.prserv.net… > >>G’day Michael, > >>I have been using CPAP here in Australia for 12 months now. My experience > >>was much like yours. I slowly got better, and then seemed to need naps > >>during the day more often that ever before. Eventually (around the > >>8-month mark for me), my specialist advised me to tighten my mask to > >>reduce leaks. I got the best night’s sleep in years, and haven’t looked > >>back since. > >>Hae a chat with both your sleep specialist, and also the people at the > >>clinic where you did your sleep studies. Perhaps there is some usability > >>thing you have overlooked they can help you with. > >>Regards, > >> Geoff in Melbourne
Response:
C. Hollander wrote: > To TIA and anyone else having an interest in Home Testing. > I can only say that I did this simply on my own initiative. I can say > this however, how I function during the day after a nights sleep will tell > all, in so far as the accuracy of my air pressure settings. As I stated, I > don’t have an air pressure gage and therefore, am shooting from the hip, so > to speak. For all I know, a minor change of 1 degree of air pressure either > up or down may make all the difference in the world to my awake quality of > life. If I feel that I am not sleeping as well as I could, I will then > increase the air pressure ever-so-lightly and then determine if I am feeling > better or not during the ensuing day. This I will repeat till I reach a > setting that seems to be optimal for me.
Curious to know how many days at a given pressure you need to determine if you feel better at a new pressure. Thanks in advance (TIA!!!) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> This is what my sleep clinic lab > was supposed to achieve—the correct-optimal air pressure for my air pump > negating as many apneas as possible. Well, the truth is that they simply > NEVER found the RIGHT AIR PRESSURE SETTING FOR "ME." I just assumed that > they really knew what they were doing. That obviously proved otherwise. > It’s just too bad it had to cost me so many years of sleepless nights. > I don’t know if my reply to you was helpful. > Sincerely, > Chuck > "NormC" <no…@socal.rr.com> wrote in message > news:3C9450C7.2010702@socal.rr.com… >>C. Hollander wrote: >>>Leaking air involving a cpap mask could be rather involved. The level > of >>>air pressure your cpap pump has been set at could cause a leakage > problem. >>>In general, the higher the air pressure setting is, the tighter the mask > has >>>to be, to keep it from leaking; and of course, >>>the lower the air pressure, the looser a mask can be worn. In other > words, >>>it is much harder to wear a cpap mask and not have air leakage when your >>>pump is set at say a pressure setting of 14 than at 6. If the mask is > too >>>loose and you roll over on your pillow, it will begin to leak air. If > the >>>mask is set too tight, you may have a double-whammy —- a sore and > painful >>>face and an air leak as well. >>>I was set at an air pressure setting of 14 from just about the very >>>beginning of my cpap usage via the sleep lab determination. It was > never >>>comfortable, and I always had an air leakage problem. If I didn’t > determine >>>the air leak upon going to sleep, then sometime, usually about an hour > into >>>sleep I would be awakened by a dry mouth and a hurting face due to the >>>tightness of my mask. The result was that I removed the mask and hoped I >>>would be able to complete the rest of the night without waking up >>>again—perhaps with the definite feelings in my chest denoting having > had >>>many aptneas. My weight was 203 lbs with a height of 5′8". I decided to >>>attempt to lose some of my weight–using "Weight Watchers" and lost 26 > lbs >>>in about 14 weeks. At this point my nights were mostly filled with all > the >>>indicators of air leakage that one could count on—"dry mouth", etc. > At >>>this point my mask couldn’t be made any tighter without completely > cutting >>>off the blood supply to my face. It was then that I decided to open my > cpap >>>pump and lower the air pressure myself. Since I don’t have a pressure > gage, >>>I don’t know to what pressure I set it to. However, I now am able to > sleep >>>completely through the night for the very first time in my whole cpap >>>experience of 6 years. My pump makes much less noise, uses less >>>electricity, and my mask tightness setting is completely >>>comfortable —-allowing me to sleep through EVERY NIGHT and wake up > with >>>the darn thing still on my face. In fact, I can even roll over on my > side in >>>comfort without an air leak. >>>All of this so called comfort should have been from DAY ONE, but it was > not >>>the case. I did my (SLEEP STUDY) by myself at home; >>There has been a good deal of discussion, here, about home testing and >>titration. I am very interested in the subject. Would you be kind enough > to >>tell us more about your sleep study. >>TIA >>>and have been, FOR THE >>>VERY FIRST TIME experiencing a full day, day after day of a level of >>>awakness I never thought but only hoped could be possible. >>>I have passed this on to anyone who has the patience to read this, to > prove >>>that our sleep problem can be overcome. AND YES, being (over weight) > dose >>>increase the severity of "Obstructive Sleep Apnea". I am living proof. >>>My cpap mask is the "Sullivan Mirage." I have just about tried them all > and >>>this one is by far the most comfortable one I have used. >>>Chuck H. >>>tmail.com> wrote in message news:3c8ee2a8_2@news1.prserv.net… >>>>G’day Michael, >>>>I have been using CPAP here in Australia for 12 months now. My > experience >>>>was much like yours. I slowly got better, and then seemed to need naps >>>>during the day more often that ever before. Eventually (around the >>>>8-month mark for me), my specialist advised me to tighten my mask to >>>>reduce leaks. I got the best night’s sleep in years, and haven’t looked >>>>back since. >>>>Hae a chat with both your sleep specialist, and also the people at the >>>>clinic where you did your sleep studies. Perhaps there is some > usability >>>>thing you have overlooked they can help you with. >>>>Regards, >>>> Geoff in Melbourne
Response:
On Mon, 18 Mar 2002 18:57:57 GMT, NormC <no…@socal.rr.com> wrote: >Curious to know how many days at a given pressure you need to determine if you >feel better at a new pressure. Thanks in advance (TIA!!!)
YMMV. Some of us lucky souls felt much improved when we woke up at 5 am during our titration with a leg cramp (except for the leg cramp, of course).
Response:
Charles L. Perrin wrote: > On Mon, 18 Mar 2002 18:57:57 GMT, NormC <no…@socal.rr.com> wrote: >>Curious to know how many days at a given pressure you need to determine if you >>feel better at a new pressure. Thanks in advance (TIA!!!) > YMMV. > Some of us lucky souls felt much improved when we woke up at 5 am > during our titration with a leg cramp (except for the leg cramp, of > course).
I probably do have a ‘deficiency’ here. Because of my cognition deficits, it would take at least three days (or three nights, depending on how you look at it) to recognize that I feel better or worse, during the day.
Response:
> There has been a good deal of discussion, here, about home testing and > titration. I am very interested in the subject. Would you be kind enough to > tell us more about your sleep study.
No-one has seemed to answer the exact point that I think you are looking for–how is the at home sleep test conducted. The one I had (two later ones were in a hospital), but the first one, they showed me at the medical office how to put on all the electrodes and sensors, checked me out with the equipment, gave me video instructions (VCR tape), and sent me home. At home, I installed everything, connected their modem to the telephone line that would be connected all night long. At the other end was a tech, monitoring my data by phone line. Next AM, I returned the equipment. Days later, after analyzing the data they had collected, (at 5 cm only), they chose what pressure they felt was warranted. To the best of my knowledge, the pressure did not vary during the night. No one was there to change it. I seem to remember the tech analysis as saying he was "extrapolating the data" to find what pressure they "felt" I needed. They felt that 5 or 6 cm was best, but a month later, when I told them the problems I was having, they moved me up to 7cm. About a year later, I had a titrated sleep test in the hospital, and they moved me up to 9 cm, and found my RLSD, as also a major part of my continued disrupted sleep. They gave me Zanaflex and Sinimet for that, which helps a whole lot. On overview, I was so very new and green at the beginning, so I didn’t know one type of test from the other, or even that a titrated test existed. Now, with some experience, my last two tests were titrated in a hospital setting, and I feel there is no comparison in the quality of the results. Maybe I just don’t like someone deciding what pressure is fine for me by "data extrapolation" and not actual human being "titration". I’m a person, not extrapolated data. If they want to see what pressure works best for ME, (or YOU) then try that pressure, don’t extrapolate the data and never change the pressure. It’s only my life we are dealing with here. I was falling asleep at work, and driving (not anymore). It is My health. So, I like them to test the pressures directly on me, and see what actually works for ME as an individual. Not extrapolated guess work. IMHO only. Best– Ron
