And away I go!!!!

[polishpower]

Just wanted to let you all know that I finally recieved all my equipment and am very excited to begin my journey. I will keep everyone posted how it goes and want to thank you all again for the support.

[aroche]

Good luck! If you experience was anything like mine, it will be eye opening and joyful. The fog being gone if the best part of the whole thing!

[OutaSync]

Not too many of us have that machine, so it would be interesting to see how you do.

Good luck! And welcome to the forum!

Bev

[pdean44]

I have spent my 1st two nights on my gear. so far so good for me. I hope everything goes well for you.

[polishpower]

Ok so here's the skinny. I hooked everything up, set my humidification to 1.5, and settled in for a good nights sleep. I ended up with a slight sore throat, so I'll be adjusting humidifier too 2.0 this evening. Checked the data this am, machine showed 4.2 hrs asleep and AHI of 0. I feel about the same this morning, and am realistic so I'll be patient. The only complaint is that the bridge of my nose is sore, and the base of my nose is inflamed, mask too tight? I'll be experimenting with fit this evening. The good thing is there were no leaks detected and the times I did wake up, it wasn't due too leaks. On too night two, wish me luck!!

[KatieW]

That's a very good 1st night! You kept the mask on, and slept 4 hours. After 5 months, I'm still tweaking the humidity and my mask. Is just part of my normal routine now.

[jnk]

Ok so here's the skinny. I hooked everything up, set my humidification to 1.5, and settled in for a good nights sleep. I ended up with a slight sore throat, so I'll be adjusting humidifier too 2.0 this evening. Checked the data this am, machine showed 4.2 hrs asleep and AHI of 0. I feel about the same this morning, and am realistic so I'll be patient. The only complaint is that the bridge of my nose is sore, and the base of my nose is inflamed, mask too tight? I'll be experimenting with fit this evening. The good thing is there were no leaks detected and the times I did wake up, it wasn't due too leaks. On too night two, wish me luck!!

Don't go away, STAY! Oh, wait, you meant the start of the journey, didn't you? OK. I get it now.

Masks these days are often designed to be worn relatively loose. I think most of us start out with our masks too tight.

The slight sore throat often happens when someone is starting out, I think, even when you have your humidification perfect. Experimentation is good, to see what is best for YOU, but regardless of how well you do that, your upper airway still takes a little time to get used to the pressurized air. So, keep experimenting, but don't consider it a failure if you notice your nose and throat adapting to the changes.

Keep us up to date. A new masker is always an exciting thing for all of us.

Realistic and patient. Like you say. That's exactly what it takes, so you will do well at this, I'm sure.

jeff

[LinkC]

Let me echo that you did really well the first night! And frequent mask adjustments are, unfortunately, just part of a normal startup. (About the time you get it right, it's time for a new mask! )

Keep us up to date on your progress.

[polishpower]

First off, I want to thank everyone for their positive remarks and tips. Night number two went this way: I swapped the nose piece in my mask and loosened it just enough not to cause leaks. I still woke up during the night and this morning with the bridge of my nose sore and the skin surrounding the area very red. I spoke with a few co-workers who use CPAP, and decided to call my DME and order the swift fx nasal pillows. So I will continue to try the mirage micro settings until the swift arrives. On to the night: humidification was bumped up too 2.0, no sore throat this morning, yaa! My AHI was 1.0 and my time was 5.5. I feel slightly better this a.m, and am looking for even better results to come.
My wife informd me that the machine is so quiet, she doesn't even know it's on except when she looks over and see's me with this huge mask on my face,haha. Oh well, not the sexiest thing I guess.
Sweet dreams all.....

[jnk]

. . . she looks over and see's me with this huge mask on my face,haha. Oh well, not the sexiest thing I guess. . .

Well now, that depends. My wife, for example, appreciates anything that helps to cover my face. (That is, in fact, why she requires me to wear a mustache and glasses during the day, too. She must have a thing for Groucho.) As a reminder, the intimacy stuff should generally occur while you are AWAKE; for most of us, the machine and mask are only for when we are ASLEEP and the lights are out. Your mileage may vary, of course.

[polishpower]

Hello all, Just about one full week into my cpap therapy. I have noticed a considerable change in my alertness and ability to focus on things longer. My nights have been getting progressively easier to tolerate. I have not had any nights where i could not use the machine and mask for the entire night. My avg. time on cpap per night hovers around 7 hrs, i'd say i've taken to this pretty well.
Only two things have been a problem, my nose still hurts on either side, i've tried to adjust the mask as much as possible without initiating leaks, switched to the large nose piece on my mirage micro, but no luck. I called the DME and am awaiting my swift fx to arrive, i hope this takes that problem away.
The second thing I've noticed is that my eyes are very heavy just before fully awakening. Is this due to being in a deeper state of sleep? Any answers?
I so far am glad to have decided on cpap therapy, it's really staring to turn my life around. Now if i could just lose that extra 30lbs, i'd be set.

[JohnBFisher]

... Just about one full week into my cpap therapy. I have noticed a considerable change in my alertness and ability to focus on things longer. ...

Glad to hear things are going so swimmingly for you!

... I called the DME and am awaiting my swift fx to arrive, i hope this takes that problem away. ...

Hope so too. The right mask makes all the difference in the world.

... The second thing I've noticed is that my eyes are very heavy just before fully awakening. Is this due to being in a deeper state of sleep? ...[/quoter]
Probably. Sounds as if you are just coming out of REM sleep before you awaken. That's pretty normal. And as you may know, during REM sleep our bodies are supposed to disable movement. Some folks suffer from a lack of that mechanism. They then often act out their dreams. It can be fairly disruptive and dangerous for themselves and bed partners!

But if that is happening, then you might be capturing the tail end of what would be sleep paralysis. If you awaken even earlier, you would feel as if you were completely paralyzed.

... Now if i could just lose that extra 30lbs, i'd be set. ...

Better sleep makes that possible. You will tend to eat less, be more active, take more walks, and before you know it, you should be able to drop some weight without major changes.

Best wishes as you continue your journey.

[polishpower]

Well I called the dme today, my swift fx won't show for another 4-5 days. Guess it's being delivered pony express.
In the mean time, I finally used my brain and realized that since i'm in the medical field, I have access too the sleep lab techs and dr's easier than the average joes. I took a chance and went to see them about my nose issues, they were able to help immediately, by setting me up with an Activa Lt until my swift arrives. Let me tell you, what a difference!!!! I was able to get excellent sleep last night, the mask didn't irratate my nose anymore and I even woke up on my side without the mask leaking and blowing air into my eye. I am extremely happy about this and my poor nose is happy as well.
I think that because I've been having such positive results since starting cpap, my brain actually functions sharper than before. Wonder what I'm able to acomplish next, maybe solve the worlds dependency on foreign oil,lol. Stay tuned.
Hey John, you were right, the right mask makes all the difference.

[Arizona-Willie]

polishpower, many of us go through several masks until we get one that works for us.
A sore nose is par for the course, especially when using nasal pillow type masks.

You're test driving an Activa now and that's a good mask.
I used it for a couple of years then went to the Quattro which allows you to mouth breathe and you don't have to mess with taping your mouth shut etc.

You seem to be very fortunate in getting good results quickly.

It was over 2 1/2 years before I began to really improve.

But then I had probably had sleep apnea for 40 + years.
Sometimes it takes a long time to overcome that.

Congrats on joining the Royal Society of Hose Heads.

[newhosehead]

It was over 2 1/2 years before I began to really improve.

But then I had probably had sleep apnea for 40 + years.
Sometimes it takes a long time to overcome that.
.

2 1/2 years, that is a very long time. Makes me feel pretty whiny about complaining after almost three months. Your remark about how long you feel you had apnea makes me think as well, because I feel fairly sure I have had it for around 10 years, maybe more. Glad you finally got to the good part and I hope I do as well.