Success at Last!

SleepyGuy · Post by **SleepyGuy** » Thu Jun 09, 2005 11:52 pm

I've been here for six months, but was not doing very well until the last week or two.

I am claustrophobic and that was a big problem. I tried using a nasal mask figuring that would be less claustrophobic for me, but had problems with my nose becoming congested after a few hours. I had the turbinate reduction procedure, but that did not help the congestion.

I was scheduled for surgery to prop my nose open, but before that I finally bit the bullet and decided to get a Mirage Ultra Full Face Mask. I figured I could never use one due to my claustrophobia. It took a while, but it worked for me!

It took a while to get it adjusted properly so it wouldn't leak much and was comfortable. I would often wake to find I had taken off the mask and turned off the machine with no recollection of having done so. I put a cardboard box over machine and put velcro straps between the machine and the box to make it tougher to turn off without remembering. This helped even though I still woke once in a while to find it off.

I had to break one very bad habit. About 5 or 6AM, I would often give up and sleep the rest of the night without the mask. Once I woke up feeling halfway decent and turned off the machine. Forty five minutes later I woke up dizzy, apparently from apneas. I now realized I must keep the mask on as much as possible especially late in the morning. This seems to be when I get some of my deepest sleep and when I was having some of my worst apneas. Keeping the mask on late, is a big help.

A month ago, I woke to find I had slept nearly seven hours without removing the mask except to get up to go to the john. This was a HUGE breakthrough.

About ten days ago, I slept over seven hours with the mask for the first time, but I did not feel good. I felt more groggy than usual. I had an outbreak of blisters across my right hand which I suspect was related. I checked my machine and the AHI was only 3.8, so my apneas/hypopneas were good.

Over the next week, I slept at least six hours with the mask every night. I slept as much as eight or nine hours. I still felt lousy though. I even fell asleep at my desk at work at lunch time.

Finally in the last three days I started feeling much better. I've been a bit tired during day, but not that bad, and I feel pretty good at night.

I finally feel better than I have in ten years. I'm not normal yet, but I am definitely getting there.

littlebaddow · Post by **littlebaddow** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 1:24 am

SleepyGuy, that's great news. It sounds like you're beginning to get the pay off for your perseverence and I hope your progress continues.

Remember how you feel now and that will help you get through any setbacks.

Thanks also for taking the time to report on your progress. If it provides the support and inspiration that even one other person needs to make this work for them, it was time well spent.

All the best.

ahujudybear · Post by **ahujudybear** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 6:45 am

Great to hear of your progress SG....

But SIX MONTHS??? We were hoping that this therapy would have me bright-eyed and, well, you know, by the middle of July!!! (started in April, I think?)

I have slept as much as I ever do (fitfully for 5 or 6 hours), but the mask will often wake me up. Lately it has been the noise. It will howl if moisture gets into the exhaust ports!. So I wake up and if jostling the mask doesn't help, I take it off and give it a couple of good shakes, run my finger around the inside of the ports, etc., then hold it back to my face to test it. But by then it becomes a huge effort to raise my head enough to put the headgear back on, so I lay there trying to decide if it's worth it or what the easiest method might be It would probably be easier to turn off the heater!!!

- JB

SleepyGuy · Post by **SleepyGuy** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 7:53 pm

JB,

I put up this thread partly in the hope others might avoid my mistakes. For example, if you have nasal congestion that is keeping you up, try a full face mask. I spent too much time trying to make the congestion go away.

Many people here do report feeling much better after a night or two. Maybe you will be one of them, but others take months to get used to this.

I see you are having trouble with rainout. I've seen some messages that say you MUST have a humidifier. Maybe most people do need one, but not me. For one thing the heat and humidity contribute to my claustrophobia. I just plain don't need one. I might wake up with a dry throat once or twice per night, but I just drink some water when I do. Try it without the humidifier if it is causing problems. Only you can determine if one is necessary.

FairSpirit · Post by **FairSpirit** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 7:55 pm

SleepyGuy, that is good news. I also appreciate the report, as was already said, your experience being shared will likely help others. I'm a new CPAP user and I get lots of encouragement reading about the progress of others. Thanks and I hope you continue to do well.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 12:03 am

Diarys:Back in February, littlebaddow posted the following Diary of a new hoser which was a tremendous help for me.

Humidifier I'm beginning to find that with my humidifier it's a question of finding the point of where the humidity is just enough for my comfort, and not enough to create rainout the will wake me in the early morning...
O.

Dan01 · Post by **Dan01** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 1:45 am

I put water in the humidifier but don’t turn the heat on. If I do have a sore throat before I go to be I might turn the heat on for an hour before even putting the CPAP on.

As for leaks: Sometimes the mask leaks because the hose gets pushed. Sometimes it may get pushed against the wall, or the pillow. That is something I need to watch for.

Dan

PS great news BTW

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 7:08 am

the mask will often wake me up. Lately it has been the noise. It will howl if moisture gets into the exhaust ports!

Aussie heated hose ("heated cpap tube") from sleepzone.com.au

SleepyGuy · Post by **SleepyGuy** » Mon Jun 13, 2005 11:25 pm

Another four days have gone by. I was off Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I slept a lot and felt a bit worse, but today I felt pretty good. I felt better today than I have in a long long time. I still don't have the energy I should have, but I am getting closer.

It does seem that when I sleep more, I feel worse, but it is what I need to do to get better. Sleep is good, but my body has to get rebalanced as I get better.

Machine	Mask

Success at Last!

Success at Last!

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