HITTIN' SOME BUMPS IN THE ROAD

[agadoresmama]

Well.....it's happened....I was warned and here it is...lol....

I am having problems STAYING asleep.....my mask keeps moving.....I can't seem to get the pillows to settle correctly...and I keep waking up to leaking.....

Called the DME and said HEY THERE I have been on CPAP 2 years and NEVER got anything new...like pillows, hose, etc.....so I am picking up another mask in the morning. My mask --the cloth frame--seems to have stretched out, as has my chin strap. Has that happened to anyone? I am wondering if I have the right size mask...?

So....right now I am wayyyy short on sleep....but hopefully this won't last long.

And THANK YOU for this wonderful forum.......

[robysue]

Called the DME and said HEY THERE I have been on CPAP 2 years and NEVER got anything new...like pillows, hose, etc.....so I am picking up another mask in the morning. My mask --the cloth frame--seems to have stretched out, as has my chin strap. Has that happened to anyone?

Wow. My first FX head gear got too stretched out to keep a decent seal after about 5 months. And the cloth backstrap was shot at around 4 months. The pillows? They last me two months or so---and that's by alternating pairs of pillows almost every night. First hose (a Resmed Slimline) started to develop leaks at the cuffs about 2 1/2 or 3 months into therapy. I used duck tape to limp along until accumulating two more with machine changes due to a change in therapy and a swap of machines due to warranty issues.

I don't use a chinstrap. But I'd imagine they are like bras or ace bandages---both of which stretch out to the point of being unusable after extended wear. And you've been wearing the chinstrap every night. How long would a bra last you if you wore it every day?

So I'd say you're way, way overdue for replacing those consumable parts.

So....right now I am wayyyy short on sleep....but hopefully this won't last long.

Hopefully replacing the mask and chin straps will solve those pesky problems that are now waking you up.

[agadoresmama]

thanks for the input.....well...I went thru a LOT once I was diagnosed with sleep apnea....several emergency eye surgeries, unpaid sick leave....After receiving a bill from the DME when I had NO income, I tried to take it back. They refused to take it and told me to not worry...just pay when I can. Well- I wasn't gonna use something I couldn't pay for. So I threw it into a closet for 22 months....and just a couple months ago got it out and hooked it up.....

Since getting on here I have learned how to set the pressure from the initial 20 (which wasn't doable) to 10. I have been sleeping SO WELL and have become so rested! But, now the mask is stretched, the pillows seem realllllly soft and I think they need replacing...they are, after all, still 2 yrs old...I think the pillows would still start to get less pliable just from age....


I cannot believe the difference a good night's sleep makes....and am looking forward to getting some more once I get some new pillows..etc...