A CRY FOR HELP, Is this only sleep apnea

[Doce]

First, I am not a doctor or medically trained in any way or manner. This is simply my opinion.

You have quite a bit of symptoms going on, but honestly, I am really curious to how you will start feeling once you get your PAP settings dialed in and have good sleep for several weeks/months straight. It wouldn't surprise me if many, or virtually all diminish.

Raising your minimum pressure was probably wise. It appears it still needs to be raised as you're having quite a bit of OAs, and many are clustered together. I am curious to how you flow rate looks when you zoom in on an area that is having back to back OAs

[Barebones]

How would you feel about raising your minimum to 8.8? I'm going to guess that little flurry of CAs at the end of the night were transitional and so not much of a red flag. The higher minimum might continue to help you have fewer obstructive events.

I'd also suggest raising your minimum during ramp to something higher that you'd still be comfortable with -- your call what that might be. With an EPR of 3, a minimum of 7 is very comfortable for most people.

miss emerita thanks so much for the time you give to answering and providing help. i feel like i could handle that yes.. ive kept the settings the same for the last 2 nights and ive found the pressure okay and comfortable. The mornings are the hardest with concentration and brain fog. i will have a look at the machine and try changing the settings for tonight.

[Barebones]

First, I am not a doctor or medically trained in any way or manner. This is simply my opinion.

You have quite a bit of symptoms going on, but honestly, I am really curious to how you will start feeling once you get your PAP settings dialed in and have good sleep for several weeks/months straight. It wouldn't surprise me if many, or virtually all diminish.

Raising your minimum pressure was probably wise. It appears it still needs to be raised as you're having quite a bit of OAs, and many are clustered together. I am curious to how you flow rate looks when you zoom in on an area that is having back to back OAs

thanks for the reply. i certainly have noticed a difference in quality of life since the settings change. which i have this forum to thank.
ok thats interesting ill post a screenshot, let me know if its what your looking for .??

[Barebones]

How would you feel about raising your minimum to 8.8? I'm going to guess that little flurry of CAs at the end of the night were transitional and so not much of a red flag. The higher minimum might continue to help you have fewer obstructive events.

I'd also suggest raising your minimum during ramp to something higher that you'd still be comfortable with -- your call what that might be. With an EPR of 3, a minimum of 7 is very comfortable for most people.

what do you think?

[PatOnCPAP]

Hi, you still have a heck of a lot of Obstructions from what I can see on your chart. I'm sure the other guys will recommend upping your minimum pressure until those begin to disappear. Finding that sweet spot between getting rid of those and not having too much aerophagia is where you'll want to aim to be.

I am curious to see that you also have quite a few Central Apneas going on, which was something I was going to ask on your first post. Your list of symptoms is somewhat similar to what people with M.E. (Myalgic Encephalitis) suffer with, but more similar to someone with Cranial Cervical Instability, which mimics symptoms of ME. I see you've had glandular fever before which for some has been the cause of their M.E, so you may want to investigate that further. I will add that you need to find a Dr that specializes in diagnosing that, a regular GP will be of no use. Same for the CCI diagnosis. Central Apnea is very prevalent in CCI cases. There are a ton of Youtube videos on CCI issues, see if any of those resonate with you.

I have been walking a very similar path for the past 6 years, so I sympathise. Still looking for answers.

[Miss Emerita]

PatOnCPAP and Rick Blaine have made some interesting suggestions about the broader medical picture; I'm thinking mainly about the PAP results at this point. Even if the main issue lies elsewhere, getting your therapy optimized would be a plus.

We aren't yet seeing a clear trend, and you continue to have a mixture of CAs and OAs. Let me ask this: do you know the makeup of your AHI when you had your sleep test (OHs, CAs, hypopneas)?

[Barebones]

Hi, you still have a heck of a lot of Obstructions from what I can see on your chart. I'm sure the other guys will recommend upping your minimum pressure until those begin to disappear. Finding that sweet spot between getting rid of those and not having too much aerophagia is where you'll want to aim to be.

I am curious to see that you also have quite a few Central Apneas going on, which was something I was going to ask on your first post. Your list of symptoms is somewhat similar to what people with M.E. (Myalgic Encephalitis) suffer with, but more similar to someone with Cranial Cervical Instability, which mimics symptoms of ME. I see you've had glandular fever before which for some has been the cause of their M.E, so you may want to investigate that further. I will add that you need to find a Dr that specializes in diagnosing that, a regular GP will be of no use. Same for the CCI diagnosis. Central Apnea is very prevalent in CCI cases. There are a ton of Youtube videos on CCI issues, see if any of those resonate with you.

I have been walking a very similar path for the past 6 years, so I sympathise. Still looking for answers.

thanks so much for your reply. ive been checking here daily for support.
I do feel that the upping up min pressure is helping. regardless of other possible health conditions.. the fact remains i have a proven breathing disorder so fixing that should ,,i hope,,, and pray, and beg should improve my life. I have a severely deviated septum and breath through my nose. i think that could be contributing to so many Obstructions????

PatOnCPAP and Rick Blaine have made some interesting suggestions about the broader medical picture; I'm thinking mainly about the PAP results at this point. Even if the main issue lies elsewhere, getting your therapy optimized would be a plus.

We aren't yet seeing a clear trend, and you continue to have a mixture of CAs and OAs. Let me ask this: do you know the makeup of your AHI when you had your sleep test (OHs, CAs, hypopneas)?

no i cant remember at this stage what the sleep test said. ill have to find the print out and let you know. Ive made an Appointment with a sleep specialist at an Apnea clinic this week, and they are going to look at my SD Card data and try and help me work this out. im hoping they will help. Ive been drinking quite heavily recently to try and deal with all my burdens im not proud of it but i have been.. Alcohol could be contributing to clear airways????

[Pugsy]

Alcohol could be contributing to clear airways????

Possibly. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant and centrals happen when the brain doesn't send the signals to breathe...so part of the central nervous system.

Might want to read this. I don't know how much of an impact it might be doing but it sure isn't doing you any favors and is bad news.
The fact that you mention it means you know you are drinking most likely to excess anyway.

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/nutriti ... -and-sleep

[ChicagoGranny]

Alcohol could be contributing to clear airways????

It frequently contributes to poor sleep. If you are awakening often during the night, you might be having transitional apneas. These are not true apneas, but your machine does not know whether you are asleep or awake and records them as apneas. If our breathing is healthy when we sleep, it is rhythmic. When awake, everyone's breathing is irregular unless they are involved in cardio exercise where the exertion drives rhythmic breathing.

[msreef]

Please enter your symptoms at https://fixmyfog.com and see what conditions it comes back with. It's a great resource for people struggling with brain fog/fatigue etc.

[Barebones]

Please enter your symptoms at https://fixmyfog.com and see what conditions it comes back with. It's a great resource for people struggling with brain fog/fatigue etc.

i entered my symptoms into the website you provided and it came back as a strong result to obstructive sleep apnea