Help hubby is claustophobic

[meister]

If he can't do it the tried and true "go slow" method of putting the mask
on for a couple of minutes at a time while he is awake ... (Heck, I had
to carry the mask around in the car a couple of days before I got up
the courage to even put it on my face!) Instead, you could learn some
empathy, by you wearing the mask to see what it is like. It may take
some serious therapy to overcome serious claustrophobia. How are you
doing with spiders and snakes? Not every one can just pop the mask
on and fall asleep. It takes time. He needs love and encouragement,
not badgering. I never had success even getting my father to do a sleep
study. It is not easy, but with patience, time, and good support, he
can achieve relief. There are alternatives like Dental Devices to look
at, before Surgery. Be patient and give him love and support.

[jskinner]

:I really think he needs to get used to it don't you?

It usually takes a while to get used to wearing a mask while sleeping. Often starting slow helps. He should try wearing the mask _before_ going to bed. Have him put it on say 1/2 an hour before going to sleep so that he can get used to it. Then every night try keeping it on a bit longer. After a while it will become normal. Its hard at first but hang in there.

[SelfSeeker]

Welcome Darlene and Husband to CPAPtalk ,

Sorry but this will be a long post, since I want to cover many different things.

Dear Husband, Keep thinking that you will get this right, no matter what and work through all the issues one at a time. For most of us, getting traeatment to work is a process, not instant.

If something is off for any reason, a person will not get used to it. (Actually I think, it may even make matters worse.) There is a big difference with ok, this is a new feeling I will get used to it and I want to rip it off my face and my body is tense.

See if you can find a DME, that lets your husband try masks on at home and exchange them if he does not like them. This is so important. Will save you money. (Unfortunately, many places will not let him try Nasal Aire II or the hybrid.)

Laying down for fittings at his pressure is a good way to try on masks.

Can he try on different interfaces at a sleep lab?

this is already his second mask in over a week. I don't care how much it would cost if it would work but I really think he needs to get used to it don't you? The first was the nasal mask so now we have 2 of them. Our insurance only paid for one and that was 80% and now we got the full face mask. He says it seems better but now is afraid of falling asleep. He catches himself falling asleep with the mask on and jerks awake in a panic mode. I certainly will post or register the machine. It is set at 7 1/2 now. I know it is a Respironic full facial machine and mask. Do I need to register the numbers too? I keep trying to encourage him and it seems like all of you here are so inspriing. Thanks and anytime input would be appreciated. God bless, Darlene

I am claustrophobic as you can see by the post below, (it is a post from the link the College Girl gave.)

I still get a tight chest 4 months after getting a panic attack trying on a mask, if I think of that mask.

I think it is really important to get comfortable with a mask on during the day. Your husband should be able to put it on and take it off with his eyes closed during the day. At night, when you are a zombie and in panic mode, is not a good time to realize, you are having trouble freeing yourself from your interface.

It has been a while since I type the post below. I have found that the best nasal mask for me is the Nasal Aire II. Your husband would need to tape his mouth, (which is not easy when claustrophobic, I had issues with taping, I do not need to tape now) I can not even tell I am wearing the NAII.

NAII: https://www.cpap.com/productpage/innome ... re-ii.html

For a full face mask I like the Hybrid, it has pillows and a mouth piece. Nothing in front of my face, I can wear my glasses when sick and in bed, I drift to sleep, not worried about opening my mouth because my nose is totally congested.

Hybrid: https://www.cpap.com/productpage/RespCa ... -Mask.html



Since you mentioned CHF, read this topic started by Kathy. It was a real eye opener for me:

viewforum.php?f=1

Tell your husband about this forum and chat. We would love to chat with him and answer any questions he has. Let your husband know you want the best for him, but it is his treatment, and he will need to figure this out on his own.

Like Den said, the pressure may be to low for him, maybe there is a kink in the hose etc.

Welcome to the boards needlenana,

Do you know what kind of fears you have?

Is it the idea of anything in front of your face?

Is it fear of a mask, from a previous expereince?

Is it fear of strangulation from the head strap by your neck?

Is it the need to be able to see far?

Is it the panic of something heavy on your face?

Did you try on a mask and you could not breath through it, sending you in a panic?

Most of those fears/claustrophobia/panics are what I feel with interfaces on. I have yet to find the right interface that does not leak.

The one that I am most the most comfortable with is the Comfort Curve. I still want to the Nasal Aire II. If these two do not work, I may consider the Swift agian, I found it dried my nares at the DME, but I will be using a heated humidifier, (even if it is a resmed product)

For an interface, I would like to try on the hybrid. The mask starts below your nose. So I am hoping it will be ok for me.

The ComfortLite 2 was somewhat ok, but I felt this overwhelming desire to push the center part that goes upwards away from me.

Someone else who I talked to found the Nasal Aire type the best for them. I am curious about how noisy it is.

The best advice I can give you is to find a DME that lets you try on some masks without having bought them and has a good exchange on masks/interface after a month or so of home trial.

For mouth breathing, you may want to try taping it. (I have not done it, but many here do.) I have ready many post about chin straps, it either works or it does not. Not all chin straps are the same. (I have no experience with chin straps.)

What is the pressure you will be using, what is the mininum pressure for each of the interfaces you like.

I wish you much luck on your quest.

Keep us posted.

Hello all: I am new to this CPAP thing and am having a huge problem because of my "fears". I have been given a full mask because of mouth breathing and I am not doing well at all. Any suggestions??? Thank you so much for any help. This looks like a great board to get some much needed answers.

[snorin747]

When I started out, I found that I was waking up and taking the mask off. Maybe a solution to let him go to bed with the mask on and let him take it off when he gets uncomfortable with it. I find that I am keeping the mask on longer and longer. I've actually gone a couple of nights with the mask on though the whole night.

I don' think jumping in with both feet always cures a phobia. Sometimes we just need to take the little steps.

-747

[mdcwjen]

He pretty much was supposed to take the sleep study a few years ago. Then it got to the point where he was not sleeping at all, so I pretty much begged, threatened and did what ever it took to make him go. He didn't wear it at all last night and I really think he slept really well. We have a doctors appointment this morning and he is going to talk to him about it all. He feels like his head is stuffed all the time but that has been going on for awhile now. He is thinking maybe the surgery he is hearing about might help. He has been dealing with CHF since July. Feet and ankles really swelling up. Now they looked good this morning. I just hope we find an answer soon. Thank you all for your input and support and my God Bless you all for being there for anyone dealing with this. Darlene

[Wulfman]

Darlene,

Good luck to you both, too.

Den

[SelfSeeker]

Darlene,

I got congested everytime I put on the interface. I started using the Aussie heated hose. I now wake up with a totally clear nose, (even if I went to bed with a bit of congestion.)

Here is a post about it:

viewtopic.php?t=16648&highlight=aussie+hose+congestion

Here I described the problem of becoming congested with the cpap:

viewtopic.php?t=15521&highlight=heated+hose

Darlene does your husband's feet get more swollen when he drinks more water?

Darlene, I wish you and your husband the best.

Please update us when you get back.

[gregnga]

FF Mask not a good choice for the claustrofobic I was told by my RT. I've never had one, however, so I cannot speak from experience. I did have a traditional nasal mask and then I switched to a Comfort Lite 2 Nasal Interface pillow type mask. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and forget I even have a mask on. One time I got out of bed and almost pulled the hose out of the machine because I forgot to take the mask off on the way to the bathroom.

[cajapato]

I too have claustrophobia. I would rather walk up 20 flights of stairs than get in an elevator. If I have to get in the engine room of my boat, it takes a good dose of my friend Jim Beam to help me
Plane rides are an ordeal but I hate driving long distances. The back seat of a 2 door car is out. Attics, crawl spaces, no way! Those are my credentials.
That being said, the Swift works well for me. There is little on your face to make you feel confined. I did at the beginning though. But, it was because my beginning pressure was to low (4). I felt like I was sucking hard to get air and couldn't. I was suffocating, in my mind. My beginning pressure was raised to 5.2 and my claustro really eased.
I did spend a good deal of awake time with the mask on to get acclimated.. When I watched TV, it was on. Reading the paper, it was on. Not just using the dead mask either. I wore it running at pressure. Getting used to it while being distracted by other things is a help. Just keep encouraging and supporting him.