Biguglygremlin

Thank you RebeccaR

I simply switched browsers for now.

I might go back and try to fix Google Chrome some other day.

Ok Google Chrome is working for me now.

I found a site with both linear and log scale graphs of the relevant data.

Graphic Differences

As you can see there are significant differences in the visual impression.

I'm not sure what it all means but I don't think it puts Australia in a good position unless we get a vaccine fairly quickly.

A long time ago I drove out of Hobart across the Tasman Bridge and, some minutes later, as I was winding through the hills to the north in my old Vanguard I heard on the radio that the bridge had collapsed.

Cars went down with the bridge and some drove off the edge afterwards but a couple of cars managed to stop, only just, with their front wheels hanging over the abyss.

This photo says it all: Tasman Bridge Collapse

I think that is how Australia has dealt with this virus so far. Only just managed to stop but now hanging over the abyss.

It's hard to see how we can really move forward, like opening schools and borders and such, without unpleasant consequences, at least until an effective vaccine has been widely distributed.

The final death toll in many countries is likely to finish up close to 1,000 per million if they have an elderly population and in the few locations that it has impacted in isolated locations in Australia it has killed more than 30% of the most vulnerable.

We are still several months from having a vaccine by the most optimistic estimates so it will be interesting to see how we manage to find a balance over that time period.

It's more than just idle curiosity on my part because back in 1975 most of my work was on the other side of that gap and that's also true today.

I used to have problems because the straps were sliding around with my hair so I kept my hair trimmed really short but then I lost too many teeth and started losing air through my mouth so I started using a chinstrap and although I still keep my hair short it probably isn't necessary because the straps tend to support each other.

It's uncomfortable and I hate it but the upside is that, in conjunction with an effective chinstrap, stretching and tension are not such an issue because there are too many straps for them to slide around very much.

I think there are two significant physical factors that increase obstructive Apnea events.

Lying on you back because gravity helps collapse the airways.

Anything that causes the chin to drop towards the chest because it also compresses the airways.

Extra pillows could potentially contribute to both factors.

I like the way that graph shows so much information all piled on top of each other but it is very misleading in it's visual impact which makes me wonder who set the parameters and for what purpose.

Australia has less than 4 deaths per million over 64 days

UK has more than 469 deaths per million over a similar period.

Because the Y Axis starts at a percentage and increases exponentially it effectively merges them so the real differences seem to be significantly reduced.

It also creates an artificial curve even in the face of sustained or accelerating growth.

Imagine what the simple data above would look like on a fixed gradient.

I don't think low oxygen levels are always caused by events.

There must be forms of Hypopnea and CHS or other variants that are still central in nature but not solely caused by events or anatomical issues like pulmonary disease or airway restrictions.

I thought this was an interesting article, not because of the primary subject, but because of the broader discussion about differential diagnosis. "vocabulary of disease"

We are further into the 'other side' illusion than most countries and many of the basic stock items are back on the shelves, but items that are truly essential, and probably sourced from countries that are still in serious circumstances, are very hard to find.

Items like Flu Vaccines and Asthma medications.

Our government is busy removing social constraints because it is the only way to preserve some semblance of 'normal' but I think it will just provide the kinder-ling for the next flareup. :)

Hi mus429 Dare I presume you are an Aussie?

This is an interesting concept considering how many discussions the forum has about Oxygen levels.

I have been refused release from nearly every hospital I have ever attended, even decades ago, due to low oxygen levels so I do wonder how relevant it really is and what is truly 'normal'.

Perhaps there is a form of stealth chronic central apnea that does not cause clear events but suppresses breathing, a faulty setting in the operating system, or maybe it is just a natural reaction to certain signals or triggers like allergies, pain or depression?

Yet another thing for Sierra to research! :P

I presume you mean these: Clips

No I've never seen those before.

The mask that I have been using is the Nuance and it has velcro adjustments on the straps.

With my first mask I washed it a few times at the beginning and it disintegrated and stretched rapidly beyond the scope of the velcro but I persisted with it for 2 or 3 years literally holding it together with staples and rubber bands.

The second one also stretched fairly quickly and the velcro fastenings became unreliable and would come undone during the night but what killed it after I had been using it for a few years was that the gel filled nasal pillows ruptured.

My third one is only a bit over a year old now and still ok but I will need to get another mask shortly if only as a backup for when this one becomes too problematic.

I'm reluctant to spend money on myself and EXTREMELY reluctant to spend money on CPAP equipment.