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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on April 4, 2013 at 5:15pm

If we needed more evidence to convince us to use our machines here it is from Australia.

I know I was having an AHI of 18.6 as a six month average.  The doctor said since I didn't desaturate if I felt ok we would  leave things as they were.  The alternative was an ASV machine.  I decided to have a sleep test with the ASV machine.  I was still having excessive day time sleepiness and lingering med resistant depression.  I have never looked back.  I am doing so much better on the ASV.  No  more mandatory naps, but naps some days just for fun. My AHI is 4-8.  My depression lifted. What's good for the brain is good for life.

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Permalink Reply by ZolliStar on April 19, 2013 at 11:53pm

Mary Z said:

If we needed more evidence to convince us to use our machines here it is from Australia.

I know I was having an AHI of 18.6 as a six month average.  The doctor said since I didn't desaturate if I felt ok we would  leave things as they were.  The alternative was an ASV machine.  I decided to have a sleep test with the ASV machine.  I was still having excessive day time sleepiness and lingering med resistant depression.  I have never looked back.  I am doing so much better on the ASV.  No  more mandatory naps, but naps some days just for fun. My AHI is 4-8.  My depression lifted. What's good for the brain is good for life.

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Permalink Reply by ZolliStar on April 20, 2013 at 12:03am

I've been away for a while so it was GREAT to return to read your good news, Mary. Daytime sleepiness reduced; depression lifted. Wow! I'm really, really happy for you!

 

BTW, Dr. Barry Krakow (author of SOUND SLEEP, SOUND MIND) says the ASV is now the gold standard.  I have to wait three more years before I can replace my machine, but oph! How I want the next one to be an ASV!

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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on April 20, 2013 at 11:23am

Zollistar, when you mentioned Dr. Krakow   I Googled him with ASV and came up with some links to YouTube videos.  One of them- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmkjYUcbcyI- is about insomnia and ASV.  He says he very seldom prescribes CPAP any more preferring AUTO, or AUTO BiLevel.  I used to think that at lower pressure levels CPAP was the machine of choice because they are the least expensive.  When you consider comfort considerations the other machines are best.  I think the ASV is certainly the most comfortable machine I have used and I have used all modalities  I wish everyone would be prescribed an ASV in the beginning.  Perhaps as demand increases the price will come down.  I think compliance numbers would improve.

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Permalink Reply by ZolliStar on April 21, 2013 at 6:15pm

Thanks for these links, Mary.

btw, I no longer Google: I Bing! (fwiw)

Mary Z said:

Zollistar, when you mentioned Dr. Krakow   I Googled him with ASV and came up with some links to YouTube videos.  One of them- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmkjYUcbcyI- is about insomnia and ASV.  He says he very seldom prescribes CPAP any more preferring AUTO, or AUTO BiLevel.  I used to think that at lower pressure levels CPAP was the machine of choice because they are the least expensive.  When you consider comfort considerations the other machines are best.  I think the ASV is certainly the most comfortable machine I have used and I have used all modalities  I wish everyone would be prescribed an ASV in the beginning.  Perhaps as demand increases the price will come down.  I think compliance numbers would improve.

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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on May 11, 2013 at 9:20am

I believe that CPAP will be cycled out of the equation.

 

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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on May 11, 2013 at 12:28pm

Good the see you Rock. Do you mean CPAP as opposed to BPAP, AUTO, and ASV?  Barry Krakow has several videos on YouTube talking about this subject.  Many people just don't tolerate CPAP.  Dr. Krakow said the central apneas that begin when one starts CPAP do not usually resolve as was previously thought.  CPAP, BPAP, and AUTO may also influence insomnia, making it worse because of arousals during the night.  He has found ASV works for people with insomnia and concurrent anxiety or PTSD.  When one fails all the usual modalities ASV is the natural next step.  I am example of that.  I failed all other therapies and after four years of compliant use was still excessively tired and depressed while taking antidepressants.  Within six months of using ASV those problems resolved.

 

I used to think CPAP was the therapy of choice for uncomplicated sleep apnea at lower pressures, say 10 or under for comfort concerns.  Then once the consensus among users tended to AUTO for everyone, I began to see the merit in that.  On the forums I see many more people on ASV than two years ago, and the majority probably have the AUTO machine.

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