Sierra

1) I don't think it is critical one way or the other, as long as you are getting treatment for apnea. If you are taking insulin for diabetes it would be a good idea to let your boss of fellow employees know, just in case you get into trouble with a low BG.

2) As a first try I would get a APAP machine. The "A" stands for automatic pressure control. I would recommend the ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet machine as the first choice, and the DreamStation Auto as the second choice. If COPD turns out to be an issue, then a BiPAP may be helpful. They provide more pressure, and more differential between inhale and exhale pressure. As a result they can provide some limited breathing assistance, in addition to keeping the airway open. My wife was diagnosed with an AHI of 83 and she uses a ResMed APAP, and averages under 1 for AHI. Here is a package ResMed machine complete with the ClimateAir heated hose.

ResMed AutoSet Package

3) The mask has a vent on it that purges air whether you are breathing in or exhaling. If the machine goes off you will continue to breath in and out through that vent. It is not the most comfortable, and you will wake up fairly quickly in most cases. You will not suffocate.

4) Most people figure out a way to sleep on their sides or back while using a full face or nasal cushion mask. Full face masks tend to be less comfortable, and more problematic with leaks that can be irritating. I would try a nasal cushion type first. The ResMed P10 mask is a common one. There are DreamWear masks that have the hose go over your head instead of down from the nose. Some like it that way.

5) Most machines come with a humidifier and I would highly recommend it. They can also be fitted with an electric heated hose that keeps the air moist without having it condense in the hose (rainout). I would recommend that too.

6) If you have a prescription there are many on line companies that will ship you a machine overnight. However, they may or may not work with your insurance company. The big issue with going on line is that you don't get to try different masks. Getting the mask that you can work with is the hardest part of CPAP. So, you may have to jump through the insurance company hoops. It is unfortunate they are not giving you better service.

I am also diabetic, and I found that using a CPAP has done nothing for my diabetes, despite my ill informed sleep technician telling me it could cure my diabetes. It did not make a difference at all, not better, or not worse.

Hope that helps some. Any questions just ask.

The main difference between a ventilator and a CPAP/BiPAP/ASV) seems to be that the ventilator is more invasive compared to a normal mask. A tube is actually inserted to direct air/oxygen to and from the lungs. Air exhausted is filtered to remove an virus material to prevent contamination of the room. Here is a news article that explains a bit about it.

What is a Ventilator?

For those of us on a CPAP it seems to me that staying at home and self isolating may be a better approach than going to a hospital if medical advice supports that approach. Our treatment in the hospital may be compromised to prevent spread of the virus, by taking away our CPAP. Something to be discussed with your doctor if one does get diagnosed with COVID.

If your diagnosis AHI was 5.4, and you are now getting an AHI of 3.4 to 11 with CPAP treatment, that indicates your CPAP is not providing much help, and may in fact be making your apnea worse (AHI 11). If your apnea is central or clear airway in nature, a CPAP may not be of any help. or may make central apnea worse. This is something you should discuss with your sleep doctor or sleep clinic.

Sometimes when they set the machine up they set it to have a ramp, but leave the ramp start pressure at minimum which is 4 cm. That can be very uncomfortable and almost suffocating. There is another setting called ramp start pressure that lets you set the start pressure of the ramp at anything up to your minimum pressure.

There are a lot of crazy things going on. The media are now saying there is a shortage of prescription medications and we should not ask for more than 1 month supply. I normally get 3 months at a time. I think it is just a scam to collect a dispensing fee for two more orders in a 3 month period. And the part I really do not like is going to the pharmacy to pick them up 3 times instead of once. I also hope long hair is coming back in, as I was getting due for a hair cut and they forced all the barber shops closed. The only hair cut I am getting these days is on the stock market...

Which specific model do you have? Is it a fixed pressure or automatic machine? Here is a link to a technical manual for the ResMed AirSense machines.

ResMed AirSense 10 Technical Manual

I have no personal experience. I run on the assumption that if my apnea is under control then I will not have significant oxygen desaturations. I found this on a quick google search on how to understand the results from a sleep study.

"Oxygen Desaturation

Reductions in blood oxygen levels (desaturation) are recorded during polysomnography or limited channel monitoring. At sea level, a normal blood oxygen level (saturation) is usually 96 - 97%. Although there are no generally accepted classifications for severity of oxygen desaturation, reductions to not less than 90% usually are considered mild. Dips into the 80 - 89% range can be considered moderate, and those below 80% are severe."

Understand the Results of a Sleep Study

What make and model machine do you have?

Ordinarily I would say yes, I would be happy to comment on your OSCAR Daily Report screen shot. However, The system of dragging a file to the message to upload it does not seem to be working.

No way that I know of.