Tuesday morning, the ResMed myAir app reported 10.2 AHI. Even with so many sleep apnea events, I didn’t actually feel tired that day. However, it was more than enough to give me serious doubts about continuing with the F20; I immediately decided to switch back to the N30i until the arrival of my replacement DreamWear FFM in early October.
Later, I learned that fudged pressure settings were probably responsible for the high AHI. That night they were set to IPAP 14.0 / EPAP 7.0 / PS 0.0, essentially turning my BiPAP into a CPAP machine. Despite those findings, I ended up sticking with the N30i. The higher comfort of the N30i was worth the risk of poor early morning breathing.
Speaking of those breathing issues (aka the feeling like there isn’t enough air coming through at 5am), I can now safely say that the ResMed VAuto pressure learning system is not at fault. My settings of IPAP 7.0 / EPAP 5.0 / PS 2.0 make it so that the pressure doesn’t actually change (Max = 7.0–2.0 = 7 over 5, Min = 5.0 + 2.0 = 7 over 5). That leaves an off-center / partially collapsed cushion as the most likely possibility that comes to mind.
Unfortunately, adjusting the frame and straps of the N30i is something I’m really bad at. I’ve tried all sorts of frames, cushions and straps, but have been unable to find the perfect combination that solves it all.
Anyway, the DreamWear is set to arrive soon, so N30i adjustments and tweaks aren’t something I should give too much thought to. My current solution for dealing with the early morning breathing (aka walking around when woken, no side sleeping and forcing myself to get out of bed before 8am) is hacky, but it is effective enough that the poor breathing has not caused any seizures since July.
