New CPAP user

[Pugsy]

Those people who say they used the machine one night and feel like a new person...I turn pea green with envy when I read about them.
I had essentially 2 major improvements pretty much immediately....nocturia went away and the killer morning headaches from lack of oxygen went away. Other improvements were very, very gradual as I found that my sleep quality itself gradually improved. Took several weeks for me to just stop waking up to feel the mask on my face...took even more weeks to gradually increase the hours of sleep.
I can count on 1 hand in over 6 years the number of "miracles" that I felt...those days where you wake up and feel on top of the world and it lasts all day.

I have other issues that affect my sleep and how I feel in general and I take some meds that also affect how I feel. No way around it...cpap can't fix those other issues and it is an unrealistic expectation to think that it can fix all the things that are wrong with me....no matter how much I wish it could.

One day you will likely have a chance or need to sleep without the machine for some reason...and you might be like me when that happens and realize that while you maybe don't feel as good as you might want...you really are doing a lot better than you were doing pre cpap.
About 3 or 4 years into therapy (used it every night unless I had the stomach bug that prevented sleeping in the bed due to urgent bathroom trips) I had to go without the machine one night because I went somewhere and forgot my long hose and it was too late to do anything about it when I realized what I had done...so I slept without the machine and I got a rude awakening as to just how bad I COULD feel if I wasn't using the machine. I decided that it was helping a whole lot more than I was giving it credit for.

[Tdub210]

It took me 6 weeks to feel any increase in energy. Some it takes a few months. And I've only in the last couple of weeks gotten to where I dont wake up when I move in bed because I'm worried about the mask. It takes time.

[pontifex]

used it all night again. although last night i kept waking up because my mouth was dry. must have been breathing through my mouth.
I also had my window open and I am wondering if that contributed to me breathing through my mouth?

[Wulfman...]

used it all night again. although last night i kept waking up because my mouth was dry. must have been breathing through my mouth.
I also had my window open and I am wondering if that contributed to me breathing through my mouth?

Categorically......
More than likely.
I seriously doubt it.

Suggestions:
Training or otherwise sealing the mouth to stay shut.
Too much humidity can cause nasal congestion and contribute to mouth-breathing. (maybe lowering HH settings)
Nasal cleansing before bedtime to be able to start with good nasal air flow.


Den

.

[pontifex]

used it all night again. although last night i kept waking up because my mouth was dry. must have been breathing through my mouth.
I also had my window open and I am wondering if that contributed to me breathing through my mouth?

Categorically......
More than likely.
I seriously doubt it.

Suggestions:
Training or otherwise sealing the mouth to stay shut.
Too much humidity can cause nasal congestion and contribute to mouth-breathing. (maybe lowering HH settings)
Nasal cleansing before bedtime to be able to start with good nasal air flow.


Den

.

I do have a chin strap but not sure it works well. tried it twice and 1st time it slipped off and the 2nd time i think I ended up taking it off because it was uncomfortable.

I think I mentioned before that my left nostril seems to get stuffy while wearing the mask. right now i have humidity set to 6. it was originally set to 4. I could try to drop it down again and see what happens, although I was thinking the air was a bit dry at 4. 8 was too high as I was getting moisture in the hose and mask.

I talked to my therapist today and she said that the doctor approved the climateline heated hose so they will order that for me. I still haven't received the other mask (cloth frame instead of silicone) I asked if I could change that for a full face make instead. They said I could, so once I receive the other pillow mask I can take it to their office for the exchange and try to fit for a full face mask. Since I saw someone posted the padacheek site with the mask pads i'll try those, and since I only get the 1 free exchange in 30 days and then have to wait 90 days for insurance to pay for another mask, this seems to be the best route.

[Tdub210]

If you make humidity adjustments I'd suggest one increment at a time.

[pontifex]

The therapist has 4 FF masks at their office.

Fisher-Paykel Simplus
Resmed Airfit F10
Resmed Airfit Quattro
Amara View

She said they keep their bestsellers in stock.

I saw someone else mentioned in the F10 as a good one and in another forum I saw. I'm going to try them on at the office, hopefully this week. Any suggestions on these 4 or another model I should try?

[Tdub210]

I have the F&P Simplus. Though I am a newbie (almost 2 mos), and it's the only mask I've had, I do like it. It settles well once you've got it at the right amount of tightness, not too tight. The outer soft rubbery part has to "inflate" a little when it comes on. It's comfortable to the point I hardly feel it.

[pontifex]

I ended up getting the Resmed Airfit F10 without the forehead support thing. It felt the most comfortable of the 3 (instead of 4 like she said originally) she actually had there.

I'll use that one tonight and see how that goes. My Nuance pro came with a small hose that connects to the mask but the Airfit did not and the hose from the Nuance Pro does not fit the Airfit (hose end is too small for the connector on the Airfit).

I also got the ClimateAir hose today as well. I think this hose is shorter than the original one I had. Also, without the extension hose, I don't have as much room to move, although when laying down it seems like it might be ok anyway. I guess if I used an extension that would defeat part of the heated hose's purpose.

So now I have 2 different masks. The Nuance Pro nasal pillows and the Airfit F10 full face mask. Apparently when I need to re-order supplies, I can only order for 1 mask that insurance will cover.
I have to decide which mask I will use as primary and get supplies paid or by insurance, and then use my own money for supplies for the secondary mask (if I even decide to continue to use 2).

Can you recommend good supply companies? I did a search for the replacement nasal pillows for the Nuance pro and I found 1800cpap.com has them for $9.99 and I can even get free shipping. Other sites like cpap.com, cpapsupplyusa.com, etc want $25 or more for the replacement pillows, and that doesn't include shipping (if applicable). I see Amazon has them for $15 with free shipping from Sleep Apnea Solutions.

Is 1800cpap.com a reputable company? They seem to have a very good rating on resellerratings.com (http://www.resellerratings.com/store/1800cpap_com)

[Goofproof]

The therapist has 4 FF masks at their office.

Fisher-Paykel Simplus
Resmed Airfit F10
Resmed Airfit Quattro
Amara View

She said they keep their bestsellers in stock.

I saw someone else mentioned in the F10 as a good one and in another forum I saw. I'm going to try them on at the office, hopefully this week. Any suggestions on these 4 or another model I should try?

They probably keep their best sellers in stock, by giving out the most profitable nasal masks to patients. Jim

[pontifex]

the f10 wasn't bad. more comfortable than I expected.

had a few leaks where I had to adjust the mask.
1 thing that sucks is that if you have an itch under the mask, you have to take the mask off, haha

[yippeekia]

Some people notice changes right away. Others it is more of a process. Recognize that it takes awhile to get used to it. Be kind to yourself. Also start working on the small things that improve sleep quality.
Is there a better pillow that will interfere with the mask less? I changed to a buckwheat pillow that I love.
Could the machine be placed differently to be more quiet for my partner? I placed a shelf board between the mattress and the box spring overhanging just enough for my machine to be on, secured with Velcro.
Are leaks caused by mouth breathing? I used tried and used a chin strap for 3 months. Now I no longer need it as I somehow am "trained" to keep my mouth closed. (The wonders of being a human being never cease to amaze me!)

You will have different challenges perhaps, but challenges others have faced and found assistance with on this board.

Be patient you have come a long way in a short time. You still have further to go.

Best Wishes!

[pontifex]

I tried to use my nasal pillows last night but I couldn't get comfortable with them for some reason so I used the FF mask again. I think I'm finding the ff mask more comfortable (probably because of my mouth breathing).

its funny because after my experience with a ff mask at the lab i was sure i didn't want one.

[yoshi]

I'm super new, I started only 2 days ago--those who have used cpap longer may have better/differing opinions than me. But a couple of things I've noticed with me is that as I'm drifting to sleep I have a tendency to drop my jaw. It's just not comfortable for me to clamp my jaw shut, as I wake up with jaw pain. I suffer through year-round indoor and outdoor allergies; although my nose isn't stuffed (thanks to UPPP surgery 4 years ago) I thought I had carried on a lifelong habit of mouth breathing during high pollen counts. I was surprised when the DME told me that I don't appear to be a mouth breather, despite my history of waking up with a dry mouth and a very wet pillow. A few months ago I realized my jaw drop tendency and an experiment I've been "planting" my tongue on the roof of my mouth as I am drifting to sleep. I noticed that my jaw still can drop to where it's comfortable but I'm not a huge drool monster. On day 1 of cpap, while getting accustomed to the machine, I tried laying with my tongue relaxed at the bottom of my mouth and heard leaks, but if I planted my tongue the hiss was gone. I checked my resmed report and it was showing no leaks with the tongue plant method. Another thing I noticed while playing around is the ramp feature at 4-5 was really hard for me to exhale. But that might be a noob/mental thing for me. I felt like I had to do the deep abdomen breaths like what singers do, and then it felt like my heart was racing. Once my ramp got over 5, it felt like the breathing more natural. Night 2 I turned off the ramp, and it seemed a lot easier for me. But granted, my auto pap RX pressure is a 5-10 and the machine so far is saying my average pressure is a 9.

[pontifex]

I got a barrel cozy and pads to cover the rubber part that goes against my face for the Nuance Pro mask.

I also got a cover for the F10

These items make the masks more comfortable but i think they are a bit expensive for what they are.


I guess I do feel a little better in the mornings after using the cpap machine but so far it's not the incredible life changing affect I see people go on about. I wake up in the middle of the night to adjust the mask, which doesn't seem to be very helpful.