just diagnosed

[Guest]

so I just walked out of the sleep clinic this morning. went to bed around 9:20 last night, was asleep covered in sensors by 9:30 (I usually fall asleep in 7 minutes). at 1 am the nurse woke me up and put the nose mask on me, well it was so painful and uncomfortable I ended up unhooking it from the head gear trying to get it to fell better, the nurse came back in and put nasal pillows on me, they were much more comfortable other than the fact they made me feel like I was about to suffocate. I tossed and turned for the next 2 1/2 hours and never got to sleep. every 10th breath or so I felt like I had been holding my breath too long and had to gasp for air through my mouth. she came back in again and told me I would have to come back in another night so she could get readings on me wearing the thing so she will know what pressures I need to be set at. I have spent the whole day reading about cpaps and different masks and since I have a mustache and goatee it appears that a full face mask would be best for me. I have slept with a full face respirator on before (I always nap on my lunch break) so I figure a full face would be more familiar to me and less likely to keep me from sleeping. she also suggested I get a sleep aid from my primary doctor so the next time im in there I will get to sleep.

I dunno, this is a lot for me to process right now, how do people live like this? is this really a better alternative to dying from heart disease or a heart attack a few years earlier than living with this thing for the next 30 years or so? will this contraption really make me feel better? (I feel fine now and im not really all that tired during the day, the only reason I even went for this was to shut my fiancé up because she says I snore like I'm being strangled).

how did you guys deal with this when you first started with a cpap? sleeping pills? chamomile tea? melatonin pills? Benadryl? hold your breath until you pass out (which doesn't work while hooked up to a cpap btw)

[SUZUKIBRUCE]

I posted that, I don't know why it didn't post under my username... mods, can you fix this please?

[Julie]

For now, do whatever you can to not sleep on your back - it should make a difference.

There are no mods but don't worry, your next posting should be ok.

[kteague]

Hello and welcome. I found that things I considered intolerable early on became no big deal later. Takes a while to get used to all the new sensations, for the brain to see these as your new normal and be able to relax about it. I encourage you to follow the suggestion to have your doc prescribe a pill for your next study. Don't self treat on this as some things you mentioned are less reliable for inducing sleep or known to potentially adversely affect continuity of sleep. If you choose to experiment with non prescription aids after you get home at least the study isn't at risk then. My guess is once you've got your treatment dialed in an have found your best mask, this treatment will become little more than a minor inconvenience. For those of us who have experienced a degree of improvement to our health and well being, we will be big CPAP proponents. Also, for those off us with permanent health damage from being undiagnosed or untreated for too long, we will tell you that this treatment is far easier than the consequences of not using it. The alternative can't be predicted to be swift and final. More likely to be stuck somewhere between healthy and dead for a lot of years. I'm betting in a few weeks/months you'll be thanking your girlfriend for pushing the issue. Good luck with everything.

[MyIdaho]

I don't breath well through my nose so I would have been completely miserable and on the fight is someone tried to fit me with a nasal mask! Do ask for a full face mask, it will be much easier for you. Also, they may start with a very low pressure such as 4 which can be a problem. I felt very panicky at 4 but bumping the starting pressure up to 7 solved the issue for me. Good luck! Hang in there!

[Caymangirl]

Hang in there. You have made progress just by joining this group. People are very helpful and they want to see you succeed. You will find stuff here that doctors, technicians and DMEs don't tell you. Once you work out the kinks and get the right mask, you will never want to be without your CPap machine.

[poppi2]

... You have made progress just by joining this group. ...

I second Caymangirl's comments. I wish I had found this site before my sleep study. Good luck, Earl