How to read C-PAP #'s

[Buck52]

Anyone know  just how to read c-pap numbers

I had to increase my air flow on my c-pap

But here is what the VA set them to in the beginning. (Jan 2016)

C-pap pressure 9.0 CM EPR FULL TIME

Apnea Index 0.9 Hypopnea Index 0.0 AHI 0.9

OBSTRUCTIVE :O.8  Central Unknown 0.0 

this was set about 5 years ago..I had to re-set these # since then because  I kept waking up at night..and I seem to think that the c-pap was not giving out enough air flow for me to sleep , so I adjusted the C-pap as to where the air flow was more stronger  and that seem to help with my sleeping.  so these #'s have changed (Right)

The VA SLEEP CLINIC is still is using these first #s they had set when I first got the C-pap.

in my medical records.

[broncovet]

My advice:  Go to the sleep doc and have them change your CPAP numbers, if you think they are off.  I dont suggest changing them yourself.  Bring your cpap.  That is what I did.  Im pretty sure they dont want you messing with them.  

Its like changing your medications.  If you think the dose is too high, or too low, you should contact your doc to discuss changing the dose.  

(Its ok, if you did it ONE time..say if you had pain and took 2 pain pills when it was severe, but I wouldnt change most meds without consulting your doc.  Now, for me, that does not include if I decide to discontinue a med.  If its bad for me, I quit..maybe I will remember to tell the doc, when I see him.  Some meds, tho, you are not supposed to quit without discussing with doc)  

[GBArmy]

Buck I agree with Broncovet. You need to call them and talk to the tech/doc. Most machines now send the data electronically back to the VA whether you know that or not, but you should discuss it with them. They may ask you to come in or not. It might depend partly at least on when the last time was that you had an in person eval. But you really don't want to do the adjustments yourself without talking to them IMHO.

[bwilson]

The major downside to CPAP therapy is that it can take some trial and error: your doctor may need to change the prescribed pressure a few times so that you use the most effective and comfortable setting but after that they are done with us. I have had a cpap for 20 years and have found the interaction with sleep medicine doctors to be lacking. Thanks to the new advancements in computer chip usage you can take more control over treatment plan. Over time, we have health changes, changes in medications, new pains or operations and over all changes in life all affect sleep. I was having huge problems with worse pain and increasing pain medication after I got the sleep program OSCAR and started downloading the sim card from the cpap and learned just what it is showing me. I then had to buy a O2 monitor that had an alarm to wake me up if my O2 dropped below a set point. When we go to a doctor and try to explain we are feeling worse after that medication change they tend to say keep taking it will go away. Walk in with the charts of before the change and after reading the hard data they start talking. In my case the stopping the new pills that had my O2 dropping to 74% was back to 90% drops in two days and I started to  feeling much better. Have not taken those pain medications since and am now working with a ENT to fix issues with my nose and TMJ that would have never been addressed. But if you are having to battle the cpap and your doctor and sleep doctor are not helping find a different sleep doctor. Good for you wanting to know what those numbers mean.
Source: https://www.talkaboutsleep.com/sleep-apnea/

[Buck52]

bwilson

Thank you for this information.

As for as going to the VA and ask questions  I have did that several times  and get no results , they test my c-pap machine and say everything is working fine   so use it...I do but still  can't sleep good during the night, I wake up and  read adjust my mouth piece to fit better/ tighter ...and I mess with the air flow setting to where the air is stronger  and I sleep much better,,,I don't really need the numbers , no claim I am filing or anything like that...But what I do seems to help   the VA Clinic Dr's seem to just look at the machine and test it for working correctly..

This is why I just adjust it myself.

[bwilson]

On 10/7/2020 at 11:15 AM, Buck52 said:

Anyone know  just how to read c-pap numbers

I had to increase my air flow on my c-pap

But here is what the VA set them to in the beginning. (Jan 2016)

C-pap pressure 9.0 CM EPR FULL TIME

Apnea Index 0.9 Hypopnea Index 0.0 AHI 0.9

OBSTRUCTIVE :O.8  Central Unknown 0.0 

this was set about 5 years ago..I had to re-set these # since then because  I kept waking up at night..and I seem to think that the c-pap was not giving out enough air flow for me to sleep , so I adjusted the C-pap as to where the air flow was more stronger  and that seem to help with my sleeping.  so these #'s have changed (Right)

The VA SLEEP CLINIC is still is using these first #s they had set when I first got the C-pap.

in my medical records.

Google search OSCAR software for cpaps

 

[Buck52]

Roger That Thank You.