Sleep lab couldnt believe my `high pressure`

[Chivalry]

well .....

after 3 months of differnt masks i finaly found 1 that is leak free!

BUT!... now i have a leak free mask, it seems my machine can now start to do an accurate job of measuring and counteracting my apneas....
Unfortunatly that seems to mean being up around 19-20 for the majority of the night while im asleep... lol

So took a trip to the drop in clinic yesterday and told my technician about it and got her to have a good look at the graphs using the rescan software.... and she basicly refused to believe that i could possibly need that ammount of pressure, to the point where she took my machine of me and gave me a replacement as the only way she could accept those kind of pressures was to believe my machine must be faulty
SO.... a new machine and 1 nights sleep later.... still up over 19 for my 95th percentile
She said that in the entire 9000 patients registerd with there clinic she hadnt heard of anyone even getting close to needing 19-20 before... i guess im just 1 huge walking apnea... lol

i do find it strange myself as well though... i could maybe understand it if i was massivly overweight like some of the other people i see at the clinic as i understand this has a big bearing on how bad the apnea is... but im only 15 stone (yeah.. i never said i WASNT overweight..lol) and have a bit of a tummy on me but im in no way huge...as im near 6ft...

Personaly i think that if i am on my back (which is where i allways tend to end up pretty soon after going to sleep) then i do indeed need a massive pressure to keep my apneas at bay...

Anyone else get up to the 19-20 pressure on a regular basis? or is it as uncommon as my technician says it is?

[symmit]

I think TF is up in the teens, I'm down at 9min 15 max, seldom rises above 12.

[Chivalry]

meh.... no one likes a showoff!

[symmit]

meh.... no one likes a showoff!

My AHI was over fifty though - does that help?

[Tigers Fan]

Hi Chivalry

Symmit is right - I use 16.5cm every night, CPAP with setting '1' 'C'-Flex (EPR).

Last time at my 'clinic' I was using 17cm and the nurse wanted to take my machine away 'as we never use CPAP at 17 and over'. I was reluctant to change as I was well sorted and didn't even investigate her alternative. I think I will in August- next appointment - and see if I can't get an APAP and thus some decent data recording.

The thing with you is that it all changed when you went leak-free. Are you going to finish up with a BiPAP? Please keep us posted with your stats and then the outcome from your disbelieving medic. (Why didn't she just shove a manometer onto the outlet and test it for accuracy there and then?)

TF

[Chivalry]

i dont think she thought the actual pressure reading was wrong... more that the machine was misinterpreting my breathing/apneas and sending out an incorrect pressure that wasnt neccesarily needed....
At least thats the impression i got

Bipap? never heard of that.... off to investigate

[shuckie]

Hi Chivalry!

Please don't take this the wrong way, but do you happen to know if there are any contributory factors to your sleep apnoea besides your weight, such as your neck size or a set-back lower jaw? From your description you don't seem to be particularly overweight for your height, so I can only assume that there may be another reason for needing such a high pressure to keep your airway open.

I'm 5'10" and my weight fluctuates between 15 and 15.5 stone depending on how many chocolates I've been scoffing lol! The last doctor I saw at the clinic didn't seem to think I was overweight, whereas other doctors have said I need to lose some weight. In my case I do have a set-back jaw which contributes to my airway becoming obstructed in my sleep.


shuckie