Good Morning Cpap User

I just wanted to see how everybody is doing. I been using my cpap for a week now and I'm feeling a little better I know it will take time but I could feel the diference in getting some sleep. I just hope I can keep it up and not let of it. I know this treatment will help me and I'm happy for that but lately I hate the fact I have to wear a mask to sleep at night. I feel my freedom is taking a little. Well all of you on this board have A Bless And Safe Day.

Hi, Candy. I'm glad you're having success with your CPAP.

Still kinda rocky going for me. I've had two good nights out of about four weeks. My main problem seems to be the Breeze headgear being pulled off my head by the hose, even though I have the hose anchored to my headboard. I'm going to change the configuration of the straps and see if that helps.

I can't wait to feel 'the difference' that so many of you have mentioned!

I have been on treament for a month and have found it to be affective to the extent that I am compliant. If I use the machine every night, go to bed at a decent hour, eat right and exercise, I feel great! If I let any of those slip, I can really feel the difference. I have had the energy to do things that I haven't in years. I have lost 10 pounds, and though that's not a lot, I feel pretty good about myself today. I am looking at this as a change in life style. It can't be a "I'll use it when I feel like it"; it has to be all the time. It's like when you diet to lose some weight, and when you reach that goal, you quit dieting and all the weight comes back (sometimes more ). But if you don't go on a diet but change your eating habits the weight has a tendency to stay off (until you revert to old habits ). I have been through that cycle enough! I lost 50 pounds, was running every day, and felt great. I maintained that loss for over 5 years and thought I had it made. Then life threw a curve at me and I quit the running, started eating poorly and "poof" 45 of the 50 pounds were back on. For the last four years I have tried to get back into running and eating right but I was always too tired to keep it up. Since I have been on the machine I have been able to be much more consistent.

Wow, I didn't mean to break into a ramble, sorry. I just want to encourage you to hang in there. The discomfort and the hassles start to go away as you get used to sleeping with a mask strapped to your face and tethered to a machine. One thing that I found to help me, I try to stick with the same mask every night. You hear about different types of masks, some people are great salesmen for their particular favorites. I understand that, I am quite pleased with my comfort lite. It came with both a nose mask and a nasal pillow. I started with the mask and was sleeping pretty good. I heard so many good things about the pillow that I decided to try it. I found things right away that I liked better than the mask. When I tried to use it I would fall asleep quickly, the seal was great with minimal leaks; I thought I had found the perfect solution. But with in two hours it was so painful that I had to take it off. I tried very hard to make it work; nothing helped. Finally, due to exhaustion I quit trying and went back to the mask. Good seal, comfortable fit, few leaks, sleeping well. The point (after another ramble, sorry ) is to limit your testing to when you are feeling well and can afford the loss of sleep. Testing when tired or under the pressure of a heavy schedule will set you up for failure. I will try the nasal pillow again but I will schedule a time when the testing will have the least negative impact on my life.

Sleep on!

DrainedDad - have you tried to use a smaller sized nasal pillow? I had real problems with pain on my swift when I first tried it, but when I moved down a size it stopped hurting. Then, after a while on the smaller pillow, I went back up tp large and now I get on fine with that! Keep experimenting.

As for getting use to CPAP - we're all different, but the down side has to be the mask - I couldn't get on with masks, they drove me mad, thank goodness for nasal pillows!

I believe the manufacturers recommend the smaller pillows to avoid the pain you mention but most on this site favor using the largest you can tolerate in order to get a better seal. Sleep apnea treatment is fiddle, tweak, optimize, and experiment.

CandyADiva wrote:I just wanted to see how everybody is doing. I been using my cpap for a week now and I'm feeling a little better I know it will take time but I could feel the diference in getting some sleep. I just hope I can keep it up and not let of it. I know this treatment will help me and I'm happy for that but lately I hate the fact I have to wear a mask to sleep at night. I feel my freedom is taking a little. Well all of you on this board have A Bless And Safe Day.

Glad you're starting to feel some improvement. Your post made me reflect back on my early days and I re-read an earlier post I made of my progress. Several months on, I'd forgotten how hard I found it in the early days, and how much better I now feel. This is the link if anyone is intereted:

viewtopic.php?t=1177&highlight=diary

Glad you are doing well, just hang in there!! I have been using it for 19 years, and would not even consider taking a nap without it!

Thanks for the Diary Littlebaddow, It sounds alot like me, it's been a roller coaster for sure, but I keep thinking there is light at the end of this tunnell and thanks for all of your wisdom, humor and encouragement!!!!

Great to read your diary littlebaddow and see that I will hopefully get to where you are now. It gives me hope...Thanks

sir_cumference:

The comfort-lite that I have came with large and medium pillows and masks. The medium mask works great! I have tried both the large and medium pillows but both give me a lot of pain after a couple of hours of use. I have tried some of the suggestions that have been posted to no avail. I will look into purchasing a small pillow and test it when lack of sleep won't hurt my schedule. I'm feeling great right now, so why mess with success? (If anyone has a small pillow for the comfort lite that they don't use PM me. I'd be happy to take it off your hands. Oh and I would be more than happy to give away the large mask and nasal pillow. If you're interested PM me. Better someone get some use out of them than having them collect dust in my drawer.)

Nitro Dan wrote:

I have been using it for 19 years

Sweet tap-dancing Jesus!!! 19 years!! Wow!

So, tell us, what were the machines and masks like back then? Was there any support?

Enquiring minds want to know!

19 years, yes it's true, thanks for asking!

The first machine I started with was called a Sleep Easy 2, made by Remstar. It sounded like a small vacuum cleaner and had no humidifier. I didn't get started with humidifiers until several months after treatment started due to the fact that there weren't any. I had a horrible time for a while, waking up with my sinuses feeling like they were on fire, and all plugged up. Sometimes I would constantly sneeze throughout the day. Then one day the hospital called me and said they had a "device" the wanted me to try out and get my opinion of. I went over and picked it up, and to my suprise, it had been designed to fit under the Sleep Easy 2 and was called a "passive humidifier." I thought Hmmm, what will this do? The first night I used it was fantastic!!! No more raw sore sinus problems!! No more constant sneezing! Even though it didn't heat the water, it worked out great! No more issues...

After I wore out the Sleep Easy 2, I purchased a Remstar Choice, a much quieter unit, (one that I could go camping with) I continued to use the same non heated humidifier.

After the Remstar Choice blew up, I purchased the new "high tech" Remstar Plus, with the heated humidifier. WOW, what a difference!! I had really been missing out. Even more comfort!:D

You will know when the machine is on it's last leg when you turn it on, and it sounds like a jet engine spooling up along with the whine.....

I had been using the same mask up until a few months ago, when they stopped making them. It was just a simple contour silicone mask that worked very well, and lasted a long time. It was also made by Remstar.

When I went to purchase another mask along with the head gear, they informed me that my good ole' mask was no longer available, and the next best mask was $150.00, plus another $50.00 for the head gear. I politely told them where to get off. So I did a web search and found this place. I got a mask and headgear, with all the other bells and whistles for about $55.00. (their customer service is awesome, very knowledgeable and friendly staff) I see that I can also buy my next CPAP machine here as well at a hugh savings. (my current machine is about 8 years old, so one of these days....) I have been paying for the machines and supplies all along as I never have had insurance, and now I find out I was being ripped off big time as well.

Really never had any support. It's nice to see a forum like this where newbies can seek help and advice, it would have been a great help for me back in my early days.

Dan

Wow, Nitro Dan, respect
Some of your experiences make what us newbies are going through seem relatively insignificant.
You must have a wealth of knowledge to share so I'm glad you found this forum.

More then happy to help out where I can. Not really up to speed with all the new "High Tech" CPAPS out there. They have certainly come a long way from the dinosaur I'm using now.... I will be asking all you guys about the best new machine to buy!

Woops, that's me up there^^^ Got logged out somehow..