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Permalink Reply by bonesigh on March 20, 2009 at 9:29am

I'd have to agree with Duane's post. Try a bi-pap machine. That's what I had to do. I don't know what your pressure is but if I can get used to a pressure of 18 over 14 I know you can do it! You could blow dry your hair with my pressure. Hang in there!. Also if you are having trouble with the moisture in the mask try tucking the hose inbetween the mattress and boxspring at the head of the bed so your hose is warmer. It's also nice to have the hose coming from the top of the bed instead of the side because it makes it easier to turn over. Make sure that your machine is not too low though or the moisture will run back into the machine. If you keep the machine lower than the level of your head and have the hose dip lower than the machine so it forms a "U" the water collects in the "U" and doesn't bug ya. And yeah, wash your mask every day. Good luck

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Permalink Reply by Mike Rohde on March 23, 2009 at 4:00pm

I'm on my 4th day with a CPAP and a micro mask. This morning was the first where I woke and thought "where's my mask?" before realizing that it was on my face. So, I think I'm starting to acclimate to the new setup.

I've actually not felt well rested either, and today I wondered if maybe it's my body shifting to the new reality of getting good sleep. Since I was sleeping so poorly before, I'm suspecting my body doesn't know what to do with a situation where I'm breathing well all night and I'm thrown off.

This morning I felt pretty good, and I can tell I've been a more active dreamer each night with the CPAP in place.

So, I'm encouraged and looking forward to getting fully into rhythm with the CPAP as the weeks go on.

Hang in there Anne! :-)

Mike

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Permalink Reply by Mike on March 23, 2009 at 4:03pm

What you're experiencing, Mike, is exactly what I went through when my therapy started to work (after having gone through a number of false starts). dreaming is one of the first things that kicks in when you're sleeping properly again. it means you're finally getting the REM sleep your body so desperately has been wanting for so long. hang in there. you're going to feel amazing in a few weeks.

Mike Rohde said:

I'm on my 4th day with a CPAP and a micro mask. This morning was the first where I woke and thought "where's my mask?" before realizing that it was on my face. So, I think I'm starting to acclimate to the new setup.

I've actually not felt well rested either, and today I wondered if maybe it's my body shifting to the new reality of getting good sleep. Since I was sleeping so poorly before, I'm suspecting my body doesn't know what to do with a situation where I'm breathing well all night and I'm thrown off.

This morning I felt pretty good, and I can tell I've been a more active dreamer each night with the CPAP in place.

So, I'm encouraged and looking forward to getting fully into rhythm with the CPAP as the weeks go on.

Hang in there Anne! :-)

Mike

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Permalink Reply by Mike Rohde on March 23, 2009 at 11:20pm

Mike, this is encouraging. I'm very positive about the CPAP and I'm sensing my body is just shifting to a new way of sleep, which I'm sure takes a little while. Today I've felt pretty good, so I'm positive about the next few weeks really improving slowly and steadily.

Thanks for creating this forum -- it's great!

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Permalink Reply by Mike on March 23, 2009 at 11:28pm

you're welcome. although the thanks really belongs to the members of this community who encourage and help people get well with sleep apnea each and every day. believe it or not, you're actually progressing much more quickly than i did -- after 4 days on CPAP my first machine was sitting on my closet floor, never to be used again. it wasn't until i found out about auto-adjusting machines with expiratory relief that i was able to tolerate CPAP. so, Mike, you're WAY ahead of the game. and you have the right attitude. your body/mind is just settling in and everything will come together. please keep us informed -- our members "wins" are at least as important to hear about as when problems occur, although of course we spend most of our time on this forum dealing with the latter.

Mike Rohde said:

Mike, this is encouraging. I'm very positive about the CPAP and I'm sensing my body is just shifting to a new way of sleep, which I'm sure takes a little while. Today I've felt pretty good, so I'm positive about the next few weeks really improving slowly and steadily.

Thanks for creating this forum -- it's great!

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Permalink Reply by Butch Hernandez on March 23, 2009 at 11:34pm

Hang in there! Your doing great so far! If anything, your ahead of the curve already by using 6-7 hours! Kudos ;)

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Permalink Reply by Anne Pf on March 24, 2009 at 9:54am

Hi all,
Well, it's been about 2 weeks. It still feels very strange. I hate the sensation of the prongs in my nose, and I spend a few minutes each night getting them adjusted. I don't know how long I keep it on at night -- I am sure I take it off at some point in the night. I often wake up with it on but a distinct memory of having taken it off.
My machine is data capable, of course, and it says I average 7 hours a night. Would the machine know if it were running but I had taken it off?
I just received my order from "pad a cheek" and it does help that the facemask is now nice and soft. It was so scratchy on my face before.
Anne

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Permalink Reply by Mike on March 24, 2009 at 1:04pm

Anne, an average of 7 hours a night is off the charts great. and good job getting a data capable machine -- the thing you in particular should do is check the leak rate each night. if the machine is still running and your mask is off, your leak will be ridiculously high. check the leak rate and let us know what number it shows.

Anne Pf said:

Hi all,
Well, it's been about 2 weeks. It still feels very strange. I hate the sensation of the prongs in my nose, and I spend a few minutes each night getting them adjusted. I don't know how long I keep it on at night -- I am sure I take it off at some point in the night. I often wake up with it on but a distinct memory of having taken it off.
My machine is data capable, of course, and it says I average 7 hours a night. Would the machine know if it were running but I had taken it off?
I just received my order from "pad a cheek" and it does help that the facemask is now nice and soft. It was so scratchy on my face before.
Anne

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Permalink Reply by Paul R on March 24, 2009 at 1:15pm

Hi Anne:

You're doing great, keep up the good work! Here's the deal: It is indeed a completely unnatural experience to sleep with a freakin silicone mask velcroed to your face as air is forced through your nostrils. But for me, the temporary discomfort seemed like a small price to pay for a decent night's sleep, something that had eluded me for about 10 years. My early days with CPAP were just like yours. I remember fighting with the damned thing every night, tearing it off my face, and then eventually put it back on. It helped when I found a mask that I liked better than the first one they gave me.

It's been more than a decade now since I was treated for severe sleep apnea and I couldn't sleep without CPAP if I tried. If I should travel somewhere while leaving CPAP behind, I can expect to spend the entire night staring up at the ceiling in angry frustration.

Have patience, Anne. You'll get the hang of it too!

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Permalink Reply by Anne Pf on March 24, 2009 at 1:29pm

The average leak is 28.6 L/min. I have no idea what this means.
Anne

Mike said:

the thing you in particular should do is check the leak rate each night. if the machine is still running and your mask is off, your leak will be ridiculously high. check the leak rate and let us know what number it shows.

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Permalink Reply by Mike on March 24, 2009 at 2:18pm

that sounds like a pretty low leak rate. but you are getting an average, and not just last night's data, right? in other words, do you have the software/smart card reader, or are you just going off the LCD screen? If you have a Respironics M Series Machine, and you don't have the software/smart card reader, you should get it (you can get the bundle at www.apnealife.com for a fair price). not doing this means you rely on the paltry data provided by Respironics on its LCD screen, and you have no idea of just how you did last night.

Anne Pf said:

The average leak is 28.6 L/min. I have no idea what this means.
Anne

Mike said:

the thing you in particular should do is check the leak rate each night. if the machine is still running and your mask is off, your leak will be ridiculously high. check the leak rate and let us know what number it shows.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Pf on March 24, 2009 at 4:05pm

Would I need both the reader and the software? I looked at that website -- it's $280!
Don't think I can swing that much money. I could just bring it to my RT at the DME and have her look at my data for me.
Anne

Mike said:

that sounds like a pretty low leak rate. but you are getting an average, and not just last night's data, right? in other words, do you have the software/smart card reader, or are you just going off the LCD screen? If you have a Respironics M Series Machine, and you don't have the software/smart card reader, you should get it (you can get the bundle at www.apnealife.com for a fair price). not doing this means you rely on the paltry data provided by Respironics on its LCD screen, and you have no idea of just how you did last night.

Anne Pf said:

The average leak is 28.6 L/min. I have no idea what this means.
Anne

Mike said:

the thing you in particular should do is check the leak rate each night. if the machine is still running and your mask is off, your leak will be ridiculously high. check the leak rate and let us know what number it shows.

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