Self Diagnosing need help reading and using machine

Miss Emerita · Post by **Miss Emerita** » Sun Aug 09, 2020 10:53 am

DD, in case you see this before you post a chart with your revised settings, I wanted to mention I'm wondering whether you'd benefit from trying to sleep on your side. Some people with BMIs similar to yours find that their breathing is restricted when they lie on their backs by the pressure of the flesh that their torsos are carrying. I'm going to guess that the same might be true for stomach sleeping. Side-sleeping can reduce that pressure somewhat.

So the question for you is whether side-sleeping is conceivably an option. I know that some people just can't, e.g., because of joint problems. But for people who just prefer other sleep positions, retraining themselves is often possible.

Julie · Post by **Julie** » Sun Aug 09, 2020 10:57 am

Sounds good, but in fact many who sleep 'prone' (on their stomachs) find it easier to manage, and that their breathing is better - not sure about the rationale, but it is a known thing.

DDWills95 · Post by **DDWills95** » Mon Aug 10, 2020 7:19 am

I have decided to stop this journey. I have been feeling worse using the cpap. Wake up feeling like I can't breathe with a heaviness on my chest. Husband has uses a cpap so this will be a back up for him. Husband wants me to try elevated sleeping. Tried to convince him into doing a home sleep study and he's not having it. Thank y'all so much.

Dog Slobber · Post by **Dog Slobber** » Mon Aug 10, 2020 8:10 am

DDWills95 wrote: ↑
Mon Aug 10, 2020 7:19 am
I have decided to stop this journey. I have been feeling worse using the cpap. Wake up feeling like I can't breathe with a heaviness on my chest. Husband has uses a cpap so this will be a back up for him. Husband wants me to try elevated sleeping. Tried to convince him into doing a home sleep study and he's not having it. Thank y'all so much.

Feeling poorly when first starting CPAP is very common. You have replaced one form of poor sleep for another. But, learning to sleep with the mask does second nature and for many welcome.

Your data, graphs and device responses strongly suggests you have sleep apnea. You really need to consider a sleep study as well.

DDWills95 · Post by **DDWills95** » Mon Aug 10, 2020 8:24 am

At home sleep study here is $250 which is not bad. Seeing for the results is another cost. Really trying to kiss up to my husband to at least save some money back for it. Ill probably get my way because he knows I can't breathe when I get up

Miss Emerita · Post by **Miss Emerita** » Mon Aug 10, 2020 10:13 am

Hi DD. Did you try minimum of 10 and EPR of 3? If you did, I'd be curious to see your Oscar chart for those settings.

You can get a WatchPat home sleep study for as little as $189 from Lofta. They have a $16/month payment plan if that helps.

WatchPat studies aren't entirely ideal, but their results are highly correlated with the results of in-lab polysomnographic studies, which are the gold standard. It'd be very good if you could get a study done. I really hope you'll do that.

@Julie, thanks for the information about prone sleeping.

DDWills95 · Post by **DDWills95** » Mon Aug 10, 2020 10:54 am

Miss Emerita wrote: ↑
Mon Aug 10, 2020 10:13 am
Hi DD. Did you try minimum of 10 and EPR of 3? If you did, I'd be curious to see your Oscar chart for those settings.

You can get a WatchPat home sleep study for as little as $189 from Lofta. They have a $16/month payment plan if that helps.

WatchPat studies aren't entirely ideal, but their results are highly correlated with the results of in-lab polysomnographic studies, which are the gold standard. It'd be very good if you could get a study done. I really hope you'll do that.

@Julie, thanks for the information about prone sleeping.

Forgot to put sd card back in. Will look into that too. The hospital here has a sleep lab. I felt like I was still looking for air. Ill do some research thank you.

DDWills95 · Post by **DDWills95** » Mon Aug 10, 2020 11:06 am

Miss Emerita wrote: ↑
Mon Aug 10, 2020 10:13 am
Hi DD. Did you try minimum of 10 and EPR of 3? If you did, I'd be curious to see your Oscar chart for those settings.

You can get a WatchPat home sleep study for as little as $189 from Lofta. They have a $16/month payment plan if that helps.

WatchPat studies aren't entirely ideal, but their results are highly correlated with the results of in-lab polysomnographic studies, which are the gold standard. It'd be very good if you could get a study done. I really hope you'll do that.

@Julie, thanks for the information about prone sleeping.

My memory is horrible. Was distracted when I was putting data in the other day and forgot to take it out of my laptop. Is the lofta sleep study any good if you even know...im just trying to figure out what route to take. The lofta seems more affordable.

Miss Emerita · Post by **Miss Emerita** » Mon Aug 10, 2020 2:14 pm

I get so annoyed with myself when I forget to put the card back in the machine!

About the Lofta test, I don't have any knowledge of or experience with the company. I do know a little about the type of test they offer.

In a sleep-lab polysomnographic study, you will get very accurate, direct information about your sleep stages via EEG, and typically you'd have an airflow monitor and several other monitors that home tests don't include.

The WatchPAT produces data about your peripheral arterial tone (PAT), plus your body's position, your heart rate, your respiration rate, and your O2 blood saturation levels. It uses algorithms to deduce from these data what sleep stage you're in, and of course what's going on with your breathing. For what it's worth, I'm in the Kaiser medical system, and their standard sleep test is a WatchPAT test.

Here's more information about WatchPAT vs polysomnography:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17903588/

If you go ahead and give Lofta a call, you might want to tell them the circumferences of your wrists and your fingers. You want to be sure the "watch"-like device will fit you, likewise the O2 monitor that clips onto your finger.

DDWills95 · Post by **DDWills95** » Mon Aug 10, 2020 2:55 pm

Miss Emerita wrote: ↑
Mon Aug 10, 2020 2:14 pm
I get so annoyed with myself when I forget to put the card back in the machine!

About the Lofta test, I don't have any knowledge of or experience with the company. I do know a little about the type of test they offer.

In a sleep-lab polysomnographic study, you will get very accurate, direct information about your sleep stages via EEG, and typically you'd have an airflow monitor and several other monitors that home tests don't include.

The WatchPAT produces data about your peripheral arterial tone (PAT), plus your body's position, your heart rate, your respiration rate, and your O2 blood saturation levels. It uses algorithms to deduce from these data what sleep stage you're in, and of course what's going on with your breathing. For what it's worth, I'm in the Kaiser medical system, and their standard sleep test is a WatchPAT test.

Here's more information about WatchPAT vs polysomnography:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17903588/

If you go ahead and give Lofta a call, you might want to tell them the circumferences of your wrists and your fingers. You want to be sure the "watch"-like device will fit you, likewise the O2 monitor that clips onto your finger.

I will call them. I go to I guess whatever you would call a pay by what your income is Dr office. What I would like to do is make a appointment with her and try to get her to give me a referral to the sleep lab. Found out they have a form for financial assistance. Which would only be for the in lab study. With my bmi and other health problems I know that would probably be the best way to go. Thank you for all the information.

Miss Emerita · Post by **Miss Emerita** » Mon Aug 10, 2020 6:20 pm

Good luck, DD, and let us know how things go, would you?

DDWills95 · Post by **DDWills95** » Mon Aug 10, 2020 7:15 pm

Miss Emerita wrote: ↑
Mon Aug 10, 2020 6:20 pm
Good luck, DD, and let us know how things go, would you?

If anything happens yes. I've had a sleep study when I was younger because of my moaning and how loud it is. Don't really remember what was said other than everything is normal. I'm not really worried about the moaning even though its extremely loud at times because its not really snoring. Hoping for the best for whatever comes next. Thank you.

DDWills95 · Post by **DDWills95** » Tue Aug 11, 2020 7:01 am

I somewhat want to keep using the cpap. Husband is on the cautious side of it because of me waking up with the heaviness on my chest and trying to catch a breath. I do not want to harm myself trying to use this machine. Could it be the mask? I still want a sleep study done. Not sure if its the best idea to use the machine then go get a sleep study done. I know I keep going back and forth but I'm just tired. Really tired. Thank y'all.

Julie · Post by **Julie** » Tue Aug 11, 2020 8:23 am

You're not going to hurt yourself by using the machine unless you do something really extreme - i.e. turning up the pressures to their highest numbers or something, but if I were you I'd see my doctor just to be sure nothing else is going on that you might have discounted thinking it's the machine.

palerider · Post by **palerider** » Tue Aug 11, 2020 8:54 am

Julie wrote: ↑
Tue Aug 11, 2020 8:23 am
You're not going to hurt yourself by using the machine unless you do something really extreme - i.e. turning up the pressures to their highest numbers or something,

That's not going to hurt anybody either, please don't post misinformation like that, it unnecessarily scares people.

At max pressure, a CPAP can't even blow up a balloon,much less harm someone.

Self Diagnosing need help reading and using machine

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