The Talking Hospital

Just a little encouragement for the newbies on the boards. This place is kind of like a hospital, full of sick people looking for help and a highly trained and experienced staff of professionals who provide outstanding advice.

I say "kind of like" a hospital because there are some differences. For one, the medical services are free. Try to find very good medical services in the real world for free. Good luck with that. For aonther, the medical professionals here are almost all wanna-bes and operate anonymously to avoid prosecution for practicing medicine without a license. But that's ok because from what I have read they are giving far more useful advice and information than the "medical professionals" who have a license to steal (oh, I mean "charge") for their *services*.

But now to my main point: people who successfully use their xPAP don't tend to hang around here. Remember, the comments you're reading are mostly from peple in the process of trying to figure this out. I just wanted to add some encouragement, after enjoying yet another full-night's sleep with my xPAP, that getting there is possible. I don't have a data-capturing machine and I have no idea how many total hours I've logged but I don't care to know the details. I feel great. I haven't slept this well since I was a teenager, all night, every night, flat out, and I wake feeling very refreshed every morning, with that magical buffer fully restored in my system. Hundreds and hundreds of nights in a row, thousands of hours.

It's priceless.

It's within your reach. It takes some time for your brain to adjust enough to everything so you can actually sleep with your equipment, but keep at it. I remember when I first got setup with my xPAP. The only thought in my mind: "You have got to be #$#%$%@#$@ kidding!" Over and over. I've come a long way since then.

I'm here to tell you that you'll figure it out. Stop lurking, register, and ask all the questions you want. Even the seemingly onery people on the boards don't really bite and almost everyone here offers helpful and well-informed advice. Find the right mask. Find out about equipment desensitization. Take in all the advice you can. Keep at it and you'll get there.

Well said sleepguy!!!

For those that are struggling Sleepguy makes a wonderful product that helps -- it is called pursleep. It is a wonderful product and many on the forum use it nightly to help. It is aromatherapy that you put near the intake of your cpap. Nothing goes in the cpap itself.

Email him for free samples -- hope you don't mind my suggesting it Sleepguy.

THIS IS NOT A PAID ENDORSEMENT -- I am not affilated or associated with Sleepguy in any way. Just a grateful user.

All the hassles of using your equipment nightly is well worth it -- at least to me!! I am finally among the living now, before I wasn't so sure.

Good luck to you newbies, please register and ask questions if you need help.

And I'm here to tell you: even if you are thick-headed, bull-headed and have COPD these guys and gals in this forum will get your sleep where you want it when you finally accept the advice and try the "tricks" that make sense to you first and if that isn't working try a few of the ones that don't make as much sense to you but might work. For instance: chin straps "do" help somewhat w/"the lip flutters" and opening your mouth at night doesn't ALWAYS wake you up due to the noise and horrible feeling.

Taping or sealing your lips w/PoliGrip Denture Gel or Strips DOES reduce the Leak rate. And reducing the Leak rate DOES improve your sleep and data. I read that, I tried the PoliGrip Gel, I knew that it worked, but I was too lazy. I wouldn't try a chin strap. Ha! I wouldn't have lasted as long as I did in the wrong bi-level mode w/o that chin strap!

Despite your doctors NOT being concerned about your Leak rate, LISTEN to our forum members, GET THAT LEAK RATE UNDER CONTROL!!!