When do you get used to it?

virginiainok · Post by **virginiainok** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 10:22 am

I've had my cpap for 5 nights now and I have a ff mask.
I like the mask since it encompasses my mouth too and I tend to be an open mouth sleeper. I haven't had any issues with sores or marks ... yet. I'm a side sleeper and so far I haven't had any issues with rolling over either.
When I first turn on the machine, I set the ramp-up feature and it ramps up from pressure setting 4 to 6 with in 20 minutes.
The first night was great. The second night and the past four nights since have gotten progressively worse. Last night I couldn't even take it nor did I even drift off as I anticipated the full pressure to kick in and I took the mask off and slept without it. I feel like the force is too much when the full pressure kicks in. I have asked my doctor if I can adjust it down and he does not recommend doing that.
I really have high hopes of this helping since I don't think I've had a good night's sleep for about 10 years. When do you get used to it?
When do you not feel retarded with this "thing" on your head?
When do you stop crying because you feel like you'll never be normal?
I know I'm stronger than this but I don't think I can take it.
Any advice? Any advice would be great!

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 10:33 am

Welcome to the forum.

Fill out your profile so that the more experienced round here know what machine and mask you use. Do you have software to monitor your machine? ... a machine that provides worthwhile data?

Lots to learn at first but once you get it all figured out, life is good.

betts · Post by **betts** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 10:44 am

Hi DreamStalker It takes some time, but when you do get use to it you will not want to sleep without it. Give yourself some time and try to keep it on at least for some of the night. I still remember when I first got it too and remember thinking I will never be able to do this, now I could not go to sleep without it....13 yrs. later..good luck Betts

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 10:47 am

You'll get used to it when you set your frame of mind to "accept it".
If your actual pressure is 6 cm., that isn't all that much......and a starting Ramp pressure of 4 would make many of us feel suffocated for that 20 minutes. Maybe skipping the Ramp and just starting out at your prescribed pressure will get you past the anticipation of waiting till it gets past the lower Ramp pressure.

The sooner you take control of your own therapy, the better off you'll be.

Den

tattooyu · Post by **tattooyu** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 10:53 am

I'm on week five myself, and I think I can honestly say I'm used to it now, but I think I'm the exception. From what I read around here, most people take a few months to really acclimate to xPAP therapy. Remember, your brain is getting used to something very foreign. Think about how many years you slept without therapy. Give it some time, be patient, and most of all, be persistent. If you hate, it keep using it. If you can't sleep well, keep using it. Once you get used to it--and I thought I never would truly be able to sleep comfortably--you will thank yourself.

To fill out your equipment profile, click on "User Control Panel" right below the search bar at the top of this site. Then, once there, click on the Profile tab and then Edit Equipment on the left. My suggestion would be to write your pressure settings in the comments field there as well.

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 11:02 am

betts wrote:Hi DreamStalker It takes some time, but when you do get use to it you will not want to sleep without it. Give yourself some time and try to keep it on at least for some of the night. I still remember when I first got it too and remember thinking I will never be able to do this, now I could not go to sleep without it....13 yrs. later..good luck Betts

No no ... you talkin to the wrong person. I have slept with my hose ... err uh, xPAP machine for over 32 months with excellent results.

virginiainok is the one you want to direct your encouragement to.

Kiralynx · Post by **Kiralynx** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 11:13 am

virginiainok wrote:I really have high hopes of this helping since I don't think I've had a good night's sleep for about 10 years. When do you get used to it? When do you not feel retarded with this "thing" on your head? When do you stop crying because you feel like you'll never be normal? I know I'm stronger than this but I don't think I can take it. Any advice? Any advice would be great!

Two keys in your comment: first, you had high hopes of CPAP working. Second, that you're stronger than the situation you find yourself in.

Those will give you the stubbornness to see this through.

I cried when I came out of the doctor's office with a prescription in my hand for a titration because I had sleep apnea. Cried because it was yet another health challenge I did not feel equal to. (I'd had cancer surgery five months before, and was still hurting from a 24" incision across my gut.) Cried because I am terribly claustrophobic and could not face the notion of a suffocating mask all over my face, making me sweat like a pig.

I learned here to find a mask which worked for me -- and did, before the titration. It looks stupid, but I decided to call it my "Darth Vader Meets a Klingon" look, which was funny enough to get me through that.

I was diagnosed because a very good pain managment doctor sent me for a sleep test. Her reason was that she had observed that chronic pain without any apparent physical cause was often due to sleep disordered breathing. (My surgery pain was lasting longer than it should have, and I'd had hip pain which woke me multiple times in the night to take anti-inflammatories, resulting in exhaustion and badly fragmented sleep.)

I decided I could deal with this around my third or fourth night. Because I made it through most of the night, waking briefly once or twice, and for the first time in six and a half years, I was not waking because of pain.

I still spend a lot of time frustrated because I'll never be "normal," but then, I learned in 2001 that I wasn't normal. I have gut issues which require a special diet. One day, I may heal enough that I can have some of the forbidden foods, but I can't just grab a slice of pizza if I'm out and hungry, or a burger and fries. I have to plan ahead, and bring safe food with me. Given the TSA's liquid and gel rules, this makes travel an adventure. Now, in addition to getting safe food past those illegitimate ego-maniacs, I have to get my Bipap past them.

But pain is a amazing motivator. I will dare a great deal in order to sleep pain free.

The fact that you recognize that you're having an issue with this demonstrates that you can and will overcome this. I've been on my Bipap almost 5 months. I can look forward to going to bed now because I know I'll not be waking in pain multiple times.

I'm lucky in that I have an astoundingly supportive husband. He tried on my mask and offered a suggestion or two. He has given up several things he'd like in order to buy some of the out of pocket things I needed, like a host manager, and side sleeper pillows, my hose cover, and Pad-a-cheek mask cover. He even helped me decide how best to introduce my new sleeping style to our fur children, a pair of standard longhaired dachshunds (think Irish setters on short legs) who sleep with us. I could just see them attacking the hose and mask....! Huh. Not now! One morning I woke up with hot air coming in the mask, to discover that my Galoot had wrapped himself around the hose. Cool air through the hose gave him an under-fur air conditioner, and me heated air. I'm strongly inclined to doubt, though, that either the TSA or the airline would believe that Shadow is a "necessary piece of medical equipment" when it comes to flying.

I found that I did better without the ramp. I couldn't breathe in at the start setting of 4. So I don't even bother with the ramp. I get my mask almost in place, turn on the machine, then pull my mask into place with the first blast of air. That means that first blast doesn't go right up my nose, and by the next breath, I've already adapted to it. No waiting and dreading.

I learned I was a mouth-breather, and since there was no way I could tolerate a full-face mask, I found a way to solve that with my "brandy keg."

I still have other health challenges. You may, too.

Take each problem and tackle it... it's not nearly so overwhelming then.

There's a wealth of information on this board, and under the yellow light bulb at the top of the page. You will find friends who have been there and done that, and found a solution which may work for you, too. You may find unique solutions which will help others.

Adapting to CPAP or BiPAP is a life altering experience... altering your life for the better.

Welcome to the xPap Train....

roster · Post by **roster** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 11:27 am

virginiainok wrote: ........
When do you not feel retarded with this "thing" on your head? ..........

I have always been "intellectually challenged". I actually feel a little smarter with it on.
It reminds me I have learned through training, experience, and perseverance to do something that many people can't.

virginiainok wrote: ........
........
When do you stop crying because you feel like you'll never be normal?
..........

I never was normal and never had any desires to be normal. Observing humanity, I don't think there is a "normal". Some people just go to great lengths to hide their brokenness.

virginiainok wrote: ........
....
Any advice? Any advice would be great!

Go to the user control panel, find the equipment profile and fill it out (text please). Also note in there what your prescribed pressure is. It helps the experienced members give you better answers if they have this information. So please ask any question.

virginiainok wrote: ........
I know I'm stronger than this but I don't think I can take it.

Virginia,

I am glad to hear you are a strong person. Make a determination today to persevere with CPAP therapy. Good people here will help you.

If you are like most of us were when starting out, you have had sleep apnea for years and are worn down. Once you start having some success with the therapy, you will get stronger mentally and physical. Then the nice circle you want starts to work: CPAP therapy -> stronger -> improve CPAP therapy -> stronger.

Everyone here will be pulling for you,

OutaSync · Post by **OutaSync** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 11:28 am

Virginianinok,

I hope that you are still with us..... Wulfman gave you good advice. If your prescribed pressure is 6, you do not need the ramp feature. Waiting for your pressure to reach 6 is keeping you awake. Six is not a high number to get used to, but you must use it and know that it is not a choice.

Some people can fall asleep anywhere, any time. These are the people who have no problem getting used to CPAP and feel better right away.

Then there are those of us who are light sleepers and are always aware of our surroundings. It takes us longer to get used to things and much longer to fall asleep with contraptions on our faces. I have been faithfully using mine for a year and a half and last night it took me over two hours to finally fall asleep and then my sleep was interrupted multiple times by the uncomfortable mask and the tiny little streams of air blowing on my cheek that drive me crazy. My starting pressure is 13 and several times during the night it spikes up to 23. I have only slept through 2 nights in the last year and a half. I live in an exhausted state. I no longer expect to get used to it, but a long time ago, I decided that I would use it anyway, because I know that the consequences of not using it can be life threatening, or even fatal.

So, hang in there. Try to think of something other than your breathing. Soon you will find yourself breathing normally against the force. And keep coming back for support. We have people here in all stages of their therapy. some people have it figured out, and some of us are still trying to figure it out. We help each other.

Bev

Or maybe you just miss being in VA?

pfann447 · Post by **pfann447** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 9:32 pm

Virginia,
I hope you're still here and still trying. I'm a newbie myself but I wanted to comment on one thing that you said. You said you are thinking of yourself as "not normal". I want to encourage you to not use this kind of negative thinking. The truth is many, many people are walking around and in your life today that are not entirely "normal". Some may take medication for their blood pressure or their diabetes. Many have colostomies. I was surprised when I became a nurse and learned about people's medical histories just how few people are entirely "normal." The other day one of my co-workers told me she was frustrated because her insurance would not longer pay for her breast prosthesis -- I'd worked with this woman for two years, and never knew she'd had a mastectomy for breast cancer!
So this is our challenge. It could be worse; we have to use a device to help us sleep and it takes some getting used to. But in the end, it has the potential to completely control the symptoms and possible consequences of sleep apnea. My grandfather died in his sleep at age 52. He had a heart attack, and I feel very sure that he had sleep apnea. I am 49 and I am not ready to face heart disease and death if there is anything I can do to prevent it.
Granddad didn't have the choice to use CPAP. We are blessed indeed to have this technology.

so hang in there. I agree that it stinks, but when I feel the air on my face I try to think of it as a blessing, the air that's going to make me well.
Pfann

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