7 months of Hard Time

johnnygoodtimes · Post by **johnnygoodtimes** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 3:21 pm

As the subject says, I have had my Cpap for around 7 months now..and am still having a difficult time with it.

I originally had a nasal mask...but that bruised the bridge of my nose. Then I got the Breeze with nasal pillows...that was better for awhile(despite the 'rainouts' I was having in the wintertime). But for the past couple of months...I have been waking up a lot and most of the time I find the mask on the floor. I must rip it off in my sleep! (either that or the boogeyman is playing games with me) The Breeze also started leaking air out of the plastic seams...so I decided to try something else and am getting the Swift soon.

I am just very frustrated. I want this to help me...but am starting to lose faith that I can do this forever! I can't win!

Any suggestions! I am only 29...and am becoming very depressed!

yawn · Post by **yawn** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 4:27 pm

Hi Johnny, I'm having a frustrating day too so I may not be helpful to you. I just want to urge you to hang in there long enough to get some encouragement/advice from others on this board. This is the place to be....especially if you're frustrated. Try and hang in there and read as much as you can on this board. It can really be helpful
Amy

Nitro Dan · Post by **Nitro Dan** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 4:29 pm

You can win! I've been CPAP'ed for almost 20 years. It's like second nature now, I don't even think about it. Just hang in there, keep positive. There has been more then one occasion that my mask has flown across the room, (sometimes with the hose attached) but I just chill out and put it back on, and go back to sleep....

NeurosurgeryNP · Post by **NeurosurgeryNP** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 4:29 pm

Johhny,

Have you tried the Redmed Activa? It's a great nasal mask - but for me at least, it doesn't leave marks. It's a great started mask. I spent a few hundred dollars trying out other masks, but went right back to the Activa. Jen

yawn · Post by **yawn** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 5:23 pm

I agree with Jen. I've been using the Activa and I occasionally have some redness from the mask but it disappears very quickly (we're talking minutes). It's a good mask....especially if you're an "active" sleeper.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 7:03 pm

Sounds like you are very frustrated with many things. I'd like to offer a couple of suggestions:

1) Cut yourself some slack by focusing on the big picture. Despite the frustrations, are you feeling better now (overall) than you did before you started CPAP? If so, recognize that optimizing treatment is a process that is ongoing and, can be lengthy.

2) Remind yourself that there are many factors that impact the success of treatment and that these factors are dynamic. For example, the machine and mask might be perfect, but the weather changed suddenly and your allergies kicked in. You got stuffed up during the night and didn't do as well as you did the night before. This does not mean that treatment is failing, it just means that you need to take a look at the weather, etc., before you go to bed and take the appropriate steps to deal with it.

3) Recognize that masks wear out, even if they don't look like they have worn out. You did well with Breeze for some time, then it stopped working for you. Perhaps it just wore out and needed to be replaced.

4) Accept that success with treatment is, in part, an artifact of attitude. When I got over my fear that OSA was going to kill me, and then addressed my anger at having a disability and having to have a machine attached to my face like the creature out of "Alien," I found that things improved significantly. I had taken my anger and directed it toward learning all I could about OSA & treatment and, toward optimizing my treatment on a day-to-day basis.

5) Take the time to do a thorough assessment of every aspect of your treatment. You mentioned problems with rainout -->did you get a heated hose or buy/make an insulating cover for your air hose? If not, why not? Build an insulating hose for the small hose that is part of the mask as well. Do everything that you can to optimize your treatment.

6) Give yourself a healthy reality-check.

I want this to help me...but am starting to lose faith that I can do this forever! I can't win!

Some days you win, others you don't. Just try to win moreso than not. Also, remind yourself that every night that you use your machine, even if it is not a great night, you are doing yourself a favour and are winning.

Hang in there!

WillSucceed · Post by **WillSucceed** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 7:06 pm

Got 'guested'! That last post was me.

johnnygoodtimes · Post by **johnnygoodtimes** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 8:42 am

Thanks all---

I guess I'll just keep on truckin!

christinequilts · Post by **christinequilts** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 9:57 am

WillSuceed had some good suggestions but I want to add that if you like the openness of nasal pillows with the Breeze you may want to try the ResMed Swift nasal pillow system. I used the Breeze 2 years ago when there were a lot less choices available (it was Breeze or Nasal Aire) but there are more choices now. In additon to Breeze (fragile, can be difficult to get adjusted properly/keep adjusted), Comfortite (pretty comfortable but cumbersome and fragile over time), Snapp (more Nasal Aire-like, not widely available, wouldn't be my first choice), and the Swift (compact, flexible, durable- I've used it for over 8 months).

I also recomend having 2 masks that you like so you can switch out when needed. No matter how perfect the mask it can have a 'bad hair day/night' where it just will not cooperate. If you use nasal pillow style mask regularly you might want to have a nasal mask for backup.

WillSucceed · Post by **WillSucceed** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 11:02 am

I also recomend having 2 masks that you like so you can switch out when needed. No matter how perfect the mask it can have a 'bad hair day/night' where it just will not cooperate.

Truer words were never written. Absolutely have more than one mask on hand.

I like, and use, Breeze, Swift, Comfort-Lite and Snapp. All of them work for me, all of them have up and down sides. If one of them is having a 'bad-hair day' I pitch it back into the drawer and pull out the next one. I refer to them all as 'the usual suspects' and find that one of them always 'did it'. LOL

I should mention, I have only used Snapp for two nights and, I'm kind of liking it. Breeze and Comfort-Lite are my favourites, but Snapp is not bad at all. I'm thinking that I maybe should have ordered Large instead of Medium but, it still seals pretty good and the software shows a decently low leak.

I do like Swift, but I find that I don't like the Nike swooshes that it leaves on my porky cheeks and, the silicone on the pillows is a little harder than I would like it to be. Breeze, Comfort-Lite and Snapp all have very soft, pliable silicone pillows.

GoodKnight · Post by **GoodKnight** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 11:28 am

Hi Johnny,

If you want to give the nasal mask another try or to just switch between the two, I have a suggestion to help with the bruising of the bridge of your nose. Use a Band-Aid Advanced Healing gel strip, regular size across the bridge of your nose before putting on the mask. The mask seals well against the surface of the Band-Aid and the adhesive comes off very easily in the morning. The Band-Aid is soft and cushiony and will keep the mask from digging into your nose.

I agree with the advice the other posts have given. They are right on.

Mask	Humidifier

7 months of Hard Time

7 months of Hard Time

thanks