How to keep me from ripping mask off?

[RoboLobo]

With my new full face mask I have, for the past two nights, basically taken it off in the middle of the night. The first night I had absolutely no recollection of doing so, last night I remember doing it but don't remember why and obviously was not coherent enough to stop myself. So, any advice? I assume as a brand new CPAPer I am going through an acclimation period and things will get better ( ), but what can I do now? I have been thinking of putting socks on my hands to slow me down, but any othet tidbits of wisdom are appreciated!

[Mr Bill]

Just persist in putting it back on each time you wake up with it off. It takes a while for your sleeping mind to realize its a good thing. I slept with my pulse oximeter on for the first few months. I could see the oxygen desaturations every time I had my mask off. That convinced my conscious mind. Another thing. Make sure your mask is as loose as possible while still sealing. A tight mask can press on your sinuses and make your sleeping self think you are not getting enough air. This takes time. Just keep doing it. It will get better.

[LSAT]

The socks may work...or you could try a chin strap or try taping the mask onto your face. Pulling it off would hurt and wake you up. Have you tried wearing the mask in the evening for a while to get your face used to the feel?

[greatunclebill]

do yourself a favor and spend $80 on a recording fingertip pulse oximeter. leave it on all night and record your o2 data. when you view the results in the morning and see what your o2 rate was during mask use compared to when it was off, you will be scared into adjusting to the mask.

[Scott011]

I've gone through several mask types to figure out which is best for me. The full face seems to work the best but it's killing the bridge of my nose. I wake up in pain with a large red line across the top of my nose. I've tried the gel strips that go under the mask but for some reason it's not much better. Anyone else have this problem?

[Guest]

I woke up several nights with mask around my neck. Putting the mask on and starting the machine and reading before going to bed helped. I have been in therapy for 6 months now and have only pulled it off a couple of times since the beginning when I had a cold.

As for the nose bridge soreness - I have read lots of post about a product that is a liner for the mask and helps with the nose bridge. I had blisters on my nose in the beginning. I have used the gel pads successfully but it took a few nights to get the mask adjusted right with the pad. And it took about a week for the soreness on my bridge to go away. It is true, everyone doesn't have the same experience, but there is probably someone that has an idea that may work for you. Keep with it.

[bumper]

I've been on a cpap machine for over 20 years, and I've always used the nasal pillow mask. Causes less irritation, except for dry sinus and for some reason also keeps my mouth closed while sleeping. Don't know if is a good solution for anyone suffering with the full face mask, but it works for me. A CPAP machine does take some getting use to...took me almost a month before I stopped removing it in the middle of the night.

[RoboLobo]

Good morning everyone! Well, I succeeded in not ripping off the mask last night, woo hoo! The only changes I made were attaching a Breathe Right strip on my nose and trying out my new PAP Pillow which just arrived. I have a deviated septum and had this feeling I might have been freaking out from inability to take in air through my nose effectively, hence the Breathe Right action. But the pillow is pretty sweet, too.

On a slightly related note, greatunclebill mentioned Pulse Oximeters. Being the gadget lover that I am I started hunting around for a RECORDING Pulse Oximeter for about $80 (or so), but am not having much luck. Recommendations anyone?

Thanks again for all the great advice!

[Pugsy]

Being the gadget lover that I am I started hunting around for a RECORDING Pulse Oximeter for about $80 (or so), but am not having much luck. Recommendations anyone?

http://www.pulseoxstore.com/Downloadabl ... anchor_107

CMS 50D Plus Pulse Oximeter

compatible with SleepyHead too though I think that your cpap machine only gathers hours of use on the SD card so you may not care about SleepyHead.
You are aware that your machine offers no data beyond hours of use aren't you? I can't remember if it was mentioned in any of your other posts.

[RoboLobo]

Pugsy thanks for the info on the Oximeter.

In regards to my machine, when I got it two weeks ago I was being very accomodating (i.e. meek) with the DME, doctor and Blue Shield, and accepted what they gave me (my basic Phillips machine). I'm not sure if I have any recourse at this point. If it matters, my DME is Sleepmed.

On the other hand, I talk a good game but simply don't know if I would have the time and inclination to actively track my sleep data. I can say that I do feel better with my machine and can even see that empirically (body is working again), so I don't know if I need a more sophisticated CPAP machine, or an Oximeter, or a Zeo machine to confirm that.

But on the other other hand, they are all so cool!

[Pugsy]

I wouldn't have a machine that didn't offer data unless it was a backup machine and even then I don't know that I would have one.

One question for you.....what if you are having a truckload of events at some point in the night because the pressure is not quite optimal for some reason (i.e. supine position or REM sleep) and that is what is causing you to wake up feeling in a panic from not getting enough air? What if it isn't the deviated septum?
What if the removing of the mask is because of events themselves?
Granted it might be just the typical brain wanting to remove the alien on your face but what if there is more to it? How are you going to evaluate things? If you did get a pulse oximeter...what are you going to do if it shows nothing? or if it shows desats?

It might not be a big deal to swap out machines at this stage of things. Is your contract a rent to own or a straight outright purchase? How about asking?

Just because you don't feel the need to watch your data daily doesn't mean that at some point in the future you might actually feel the need to evaluate things....better to have the ability to see data and not need it...than to need it and not have it.

Up to you of course. 2 weeks into use is not long....and if you are in a rent to own contract...you have some leverage.

[NateS]

To pile on a little bit and add to what Pugsy said, if you don't get them to swap that machine out for a data capable machine, you are not the only one who will be forever in the dark about what happens to you on one bad night or on a long series of nights.

Guess who else will never know? - your Sleep Doctor! You could be having clusters of apneas night after night while asleep. Who would know? You could be having virtually silent mask leaks night after night which would reduce the efficacy of your cpap treatment. Who would know?

A good sleep doctor will want to periodically review those notes and flow charts. My doctor wanted to have them and review them before my last office meeting with him. If your sleep doctor isn't interested in getting and studying these charts and following your progress at night, how thorough is he/she?

And you know how many thousands of dollars an uninsured sleep study would cost if ordered too soon to be paid for by your insurance company. And even a sleep study for one night will not show what the printouts from a data capable machine will show.

Good luck, Nate