Newbie here - How long does it take to get use too...

[PatCat]

Hi Guys,

I'm feeling so fed up. I've only had my machine for 5 days.

I know it's very early days for me, but I'm finding it so hard to get use too. How long did it take you, am I ever gonna have a good nights sleep ever again?

Everything about it is so annoying, the mask, the holes, the air, my nose gets blocked, mouth dry and I find it extremely hard to fall asleep and when I do it's for an hour or two, here and there.

I miss the nights where I could just jump in bed and fall asleep.


Thanks
Pat x

[Arlene1963]

Hi PatCat and welcome to the forum!

I felt the same way at first and now several years later can't imagine sleeping without CPAP.

Yes it takes a while to adjust, but what can really help the transition is to make sure all aspects of treatment are going as well as possible. Please read Pugsy's sticky thread for newbies and provide all the details so that we can help you.

For many of us taking charge of our own treatment right from the start makes a huge difference. You get some control back and this really helps.

[MVPinBoynton]

I have used mine for 5 nights also. I am already quite comfortable with it even though I have had an upper respiratory infection for the last 3 days. I do adapt to things quickly though. I see that you are using the N20. That is what the DME recommended for me. When I tried on the N20 it felt rather strange and restricting. I got the P20, which was much more comfortable for me, which I had planned on getting based on the many forum threads I had read. Perhaps that is why I am having an easier time. Since I am a newbie with CPAP, you will get better advice with more experienced folk on this board.

[Julie]

Just a reminder to pay attention to ambient humidity - whether or not it's (relatively) humid - not hot, steamy, but not dry, possibly in a coastal location - and whether or not you really need added humidity with the machine. If you live e.g. in Seattle or NJ, you're less likely to need it than if you're in Arizona or Colorado, and if you find you get congested when using it, try lowering the setting and/or even not using it for a few nights and see how you feel. Adding humidity in a location where it's not needed is not smart, and if you wake up 'dry' look at other reasons, such as leaks, or a hose that directs too much condensation to you vs going back to the machine, especially with a full face mask. Seasons also matter - you might not need extra hum. in summer depending on where you live, but might need it in winter if using central heat in a cold area.

Of course many people do need it, lots of it, to the point where a floor/room machine added on is needed, but you should experiment for yourself and then decide (and look again when seasons change).

[PatCat]

Thank u for the information. As you can see it's 2am, I can't sleep but atleast I had some messages to read.


Thanks
Pat x

[shaneequa79]

Newbie here also...
10/12 days used
3/12 days 4+hrs used
Leak 11L/minn
AHI: 0.1
Total AHI: 0.1

I can now fall asleep with it on, where I never was able to before, even when I attempted treatment about 12 yrs ago and gave up after 4 nights. However now, as per usual, Cpap or no Cpap...am only getting about 4 hours of sleep. I’ve only had 3 days with 4 or more hours used and for the past two uses, my mask has filled up with water, even with the temps and humidity turned down.

I’m sticking with it. The more data the better, but this is sure taking its sweet time. I figure we might be in the same boat in our journey.

[Sheriff Buford]

It took me about three weeks, but I had a real tough time.... probably the same as you. What made me a believer was I woke up one morning with the most refreshing feeling I haven't felt in decades! It was my ah-ha morning. Like going fishing for a long time and not catching any fish. Then you go out one day, and you catch a mess of em'. You're hooked! It was recommended here that you try another mask. I'm not sure you are experiencing typical "cpap adjustment" or a problem with your mask. We need to look at your numbers to make sure everything is ok.You need to tell your body "this is how it's gonna be whether you like it or not"!! Trust me, your body will give in and it will be the best thing that happened to you in a long time. Wear the mask in the evening, while watching TV or reading. This will help you get used to the mask.

You can do this! Just keep going! We'll be here for you. Bring all your issues here, and we'll help you out.

Sheriff

[Sheriff Buford]

Newbie here also...
10/12 days used
3/12 days 4+hrs used
Leak 11L/minn
AHI: 0.1
Total AHI: 0.1

I can now fall asleep with it on, where I never was able to before, even when I attempted treatment about 12 yrs ago and gave up after 4 nights. However now, as per usual, Cpap or no Cpap...am only getting about 4 hours of sleep. I’ve only had 3 days with 4 or more hours used and for the past two uses, my mask has filled up with water, even with the temps and humidity turned down.

I’m sticking with it. The more data the better, but this is sure taking its sweet time. I figure we might be in the same boat in our journey.

Make sure the machine is LOWER than your head. Water cannot travel uphill (naturally). You also keep it up! You are doing good!

Sheriff

[PatCat]

Hi,

Thank you all for your messages and encouraging words. Hopefully one day I'll get to your stage and be able to encourage others too.

Can I just ask, when I fall asleep and the pressure goes from 4 to 9/10, is this pressure set by the hospital that gave me the machine or is the machine automatically detecting what's needed, because this is another thing that wakes me up, sometimes the air feels too over powering.

Sorry if I'm asking silly questions, I know I've got a lot of reading and research to do still before I fully understand everything that's going on.


Thanks
Pat x

[D.H.]

Some adjust immediately, and others take time.

I'm not sure why you're using a full face mask. You might want to consider a different mask, possibly a different type (such as a nasal mask).

Much more attention is usually paid to the machine than the mask. Yet it's the mask with which the patient has direct contact.

[PatCat]

Hi DH,

The hospital said I'd be better off with a full mask because I sometimes snore and sometimes sleep with my mouth open, so I went along with their advice.

Thanks
Pat x

[Gaurhoth]

For me, I'm 17 days in and still struggling with the mask a bit. I apparently mouth breath at least enough to turn my mouth into clumpy paste. I still wake up at least 3-4 times a night either due to dry mouth or a leak. However, my energy level has increased, when I wake up... I *feel* awake and not groggy, and I've not had a single morning headache in the last 17 days. Prior, I would wake up with a horrible headache at least 3-4 times a week. Despite being tired, taking naps actually made me feel worse because of the apnea.

All that said, yes the mask/machine is somewhat of a pain still at 17 days... but I wouldn't trade it for what I was dealing with before. Humans have the ability to adapt to almost anything given time and proper mindset. Think of the long term benefits and goals and less about the immediate inconveniences.

If you wake up, don't stress about it. Remember if you have OSA, then more than likely your brain was already waking you up numerous times throughout the night to get your breathing on track... you were probably just so O2 starved that you didn't realize it Getting 5 hours of cpap sleep is still better than 8 hours of untreated sleep (imo).

[CPAPSteve]

I remember my first few weeks were anything but tolerable. Like yourself, I would wake from the pressure increases and then breathing at higher pressures was weird if not outright uncomfortable. I had nightmares of the face mask eating my entire face and I would occasionally freak out and yank the mask off.

It took me about two - three weeks to really settle down and some adjustments to my treatment pressures but now I don’t even think twice about papping. Just stick with it and you will evtually get the hang of it.

[Julie]

The doctor orders (prescribes) the settings - e.g. 4 and 20, and then overnight the machine raises the min. pressure (forget the max altogether for now) to intercept apneas when it feels the need, so I don't know whether your scripted min. setting is 4 or 9 (you didn't say and should know that - ask the dealer - regardless). Now what might change that would be if the script were for 9 min. but you use the ramp feature for a set time (30 mins, 30 mins) to reach the prescribed setting of 9, at which point the ramp would stop doing its thing and 9 would be your min. prescribed setting, able to rise to even 20 should it be needed to intercept events above 9. Most people stop using the ramp altogether very early on, especially if their min. setting is relatively low (below 10=15) to begin with as you are only parrtially treated while ramp is on until it reaches the min. setting.

I also suggest ignoring advice from DH as he is notoriously wrong.

[Pugsy]

When the pressure goes to 9 or 10 during the night it is doing so because something is going on with the airway trying to close up so that it feels the need to increase the pressure in an effort to keep the airway open.
While you feel that it is the pressure increase that is causing the wake up (and it might be) it also might be that the airway trying to close up is causing you to wake up and it's not the pressure itself causing the wake up but the pressure is just a secondary response to the airway closing.

Next time it happens turn your machine off and back on again...this will give you a clear demarcation line so that when you get SleepyHead software installed and up and running you can see exactly what was happening right before you turned the machine off.
You might see a couple of flagged apnea events right before you turned the machine off and maybe they woke you up and the pressure wasn't the culprit.

Can you normally breathe through your nose just fine during the day or do you have chronic nasal congestion issues that can't be cleared up? Sometimes the mouth breathing done at night that causes people to think they need a full face mask is nothing more than gasping for extra air because of the apnea events. Remove the apnea events and we no longer gasp for air.
Unless you have chronic really bad nasal congestion issues....if you want to try a nasal mask of some sort then go ahead and try it.
Want to is good enough reason to do anything.