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Permalink Reply by Ernestine Webster on April 22, 2011 at 9:38am

thanks for letting me know this, i am going to keep trying , got to , like rooster told me life is not for sissys and i tend to agree with him on that one. will keep trying , last night i did fall asleep with it on so that is good, at first i was having very short panic attacks when the air first started flowing in the mask but that was better last night so i am making progress. i am putting it on during the day to try to get used to it being on my face so that is not bothering me as much but am glad to know it takes as much as 30 to 60 days to get used to it . 

thanks again

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Permalink Reply by Chris H on April 22, 2011 at 4:57pm

Hi Ernestine, I bet it took you a skinned knee or two to ride a bicycle. You can do this, it is a good thing,you will adjust if you keep at it, no it is not easy, you will be ok, calm your mind any way you can,meditate,music,prayer,Breathe breathe breathe the machine is helpful ,no fears necessary,zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.Good Sleep,Chris

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Permalink Reply by Ernestine Webster on April 22, 2011 at 7:08pm

yes it did take me a couple if skinned knees to learn to ride a bike and i am making progress, do put it on when i even lay down and take a nap if i can. i have been having trouble falling asleep anyway and now add the mask and trying to go to sleep with it is not easy but doable .

thanks for the encouragement . will keep trying.

Hi Ernestine, I bet it took you a skinned knee or two to ride a bicycle. You can do this, it is a good thing,you will adjust if you keep at it, no it is not easy, you will be ok, calm your mind any way you can,meditate,music,prayer,Breathe breathe breathe the machine is helpful ,no fears necessary,zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.Good Sleep,Chris

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Permalink Reply by D. W. Conn on April 23, 2011 at 3:57am

When first learning to wear my nPAP there were many issues. This foreign object on my face was the first obstacle. It was hot, tight, and just plain didn't like it. The “Hot” was an easy fix for me. Made sure room temp was never above 70 degrees. I also have a hurricane fan blowing on my face. (west Texas boy use to high winds). Throughout my day I would wear my mask for an hour at a time while watching TV or reading. This did help some.
Odd that I did have some leg cramps at night that would send me into the floor. That was the result of the dose of HCT to control fluid retention. A glass of Gatorade and vitamin supplements corrected that issue.
Still I would throw off the mask from time to time and wasn't making it through the night wearing the mask. The Doctor prescribed me an aid to help with anxiety and help me rest. No it was ambien, sonata or anything such as a sleeping pill. This did the trick and slept 9.5 hours wearing my mask.
This medication was used every other night for a couple weeks and then I had no problem keeping the mask on. The issue I have now is if the power goes out during a storm I can not sleep without the mask. Another trick I use is before bed I take a very hot shower and shave. This releases tension and helps me make a better seal. Currently using a fisher paykel nasal mask. I have my stand by a profile lite blue gel and a full face mask for those stuffy nose nights. CLEAN YOUR MASK DAILY.

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Permalink Reply by Ernestine Webster on April 23, 2011 at 8:15am

oh do i hope to get to this point in time where i cannot sleep without it. still am having problems with being able to sleep with it on . i do see an improvement in the way i feel about having more engery but i do think it is where i am getting alittle more oxygen then before . my oxygen reading went down to 82 % during the sleep study.  thought about taking an ambien one night to see how i would sleep with the mask on, i have a full mask and that is the only mask i have . i will try the hot shower thing tonight and see if that will make a difference. my tech called yesterday to see how i was adjusting but i was not at home when he called, got home too late to call him back but am calling monday and talk to him about suggestions as well and see if he can get me a prescripton for a sleep aid, i have ambien but it does not work well anymore.  

thanks for the suggestions    

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Permalink Reply by Ernestine Webster on April 24, 2011 at 5:35pm

well people, by george i think i've got it ! finally fell asleep with my mask on for 2 hours, i did not sleep at all last night and this morning we went to sunrise service and my husband was the guest speaker this morning so we had to leave home around 5;30 am but i did not sleep at all last night, had even took a sleeping pill, well a half one before i went to bed last night hoping to get a decent nights sleep but did not happen. we left to go to church and they served breakfast and it was good, we came home around 8 am this morning and i said i was going to lay down and i did , put the mask on and turned the machine on and laid down. before i knew it i was asleep and woke up 2 hours later feeling so rested, had forgot how good a good sleep was. did not have a headache , did not have the feelings of i had been fighting all night and lost , none of the feelings i had before, i just left rested . oh so good ! then later i got sleepy again and went back to bed and put my mask on and went back to sleep and slept for another hour .

oh such sweet sleep !

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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on April 24, 2011 at 5:46pm

Ernestine, how are you doing?  Any more leg craps?  How are things going with the machine?

Hope you're doing better.  By the way, in my little over three years on CPAP I've never suffered from leg cramps.

Mary Z.

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Permalink Reply by Ernestine Webster on April 24, 2011 at 7:08pm

thanks for asking, i am doing better , no more cramps so far, i have started taking magnesium and eating a banana every day . i think i am getting used to the cpap and the sounds and air. not having anymore panic attacks when the air first start coming into the mask so that is making headway. i stil think i am going to call the sleep doctor tomorrow and ask him if he will write me a prescripton for something to help me sleep. the cpap so far has not helped with getting to sleep and staying asleep but it is helping with the way i feel when i wake up and the way i sleep, the quality of sleep seems better when i can get to sleep. the machine is very quite so i am pleased with that.the mask seems to fit well so i am thankful for that.i think this is doable just will take some time

ful for , how are you doing?  Any more leg craps?  How are things going with the machine?

Hope you're doing better.  By the way, in my little over three years on CPAP I've never suffered from leg cramps.

Mary Z.

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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on April 24, 2011 at 7:30pm

Sounds like you're on the right track, Ernestine.

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