This site is GREAT! Thank you all!

[sleepapy]

First, I would like to say what a help this site is to a newbie.. It has answered questions I didn't know to ask.. I was recently diagnosed with severe OSA and severe hypoxemia. Still trying to figure out just what all that means...

Day 1- last night I lasted 5 1/2 hrs with mask on. Woke to chest / lung / back pain. Since I have a slight heart issue, I was concerned. Removed mask and tried to go back to sleep. After moving around a bit I realized, the pain was in my back. Although my lungs felt as though they had had a workout, the pain was not radiating from there. I came to the conclusion that while wearing the mask, I must have been subconsiously afraid to move or roll over during the night. Staying in one position for over 5 hrs. Hence the back pain. Tonight I will adjust the hose, so it will work with me.. over the headboard of my bed.
I am confident this will work for me. No headache when I woke this morning. It is early afternoon and I haven't yawned or felt I needed a nap yet!

Sleepapy

[Pugsy]

Welcome to the forum.

Depending on your pressure needs the lungs can feel like they have had a bit of a workout.
Exhaling against the pressures can be a bit more work than a person realizes and thus the lungs can get more of a workout than usual.

Some people also find that they sleep "harder" with less movement like tossing and turning and will wake up with new aches and pains from staying in one position most of the night.

So a combination of things can cause some new aches and pains. You will quickly figure out how to deal with them and with time...they will fade away and not be a bother.

Yeah to the no more morning headache. That and the nocturia I had were the very first signs that I had that the treatment was working.

You are off to a good start and it will get easier and better with time and experience.

[sleepapy]

Thank you Pugsy. I am still working on the settings.. The Resmed is automatic.. so hope that will autoset. Humidifier is set to the lowest setting.. had to start somewhere.. I am using the nasal mask. I am not sure how the fit was last night overall. It went from happy face to sad (adjust) several times before I fell asleep. I had ordered the nasal pillow mask and somehow ended up with the nasal mask. They are sending me the other, but it hasn't arrived yet. Hopefully I will have better luck with that mask.

[Pugsy]

Are you getting a nasal pillow mask similar to what I am using? If so you will find it easier to keep a good seal.
If nothing else simply less surface area to cause problems. I started off with the nasal pillows type of mask and other than a couple of brief experiments, it has always been my main mask.

Did you know about the software available to monitor your therapy and leaks (to see if they are really bad enough to impact therapy) ?

SleepyHead will work with the ResMed machines.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/sleepyhead/

There is also ResScan which is ResMed software. You can find a link to a download in Uncle Bob's signature.
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=38643

Tutorial explaining how to use the ResScan software here
http://montfordhouse.com/cpap/resscan_tutorial/

All this may seem overwhelming at first but you will quickly settle in and understand the terms and how they related to each other. When you have time you might play around with the software just to see how things are going.
If nothing else it is a nice validation to see that things are going well.

You've got a great machine and a great attitude. Will there be some bumps along the way? Sure but none that someone here hasn't experienced also......so lots of people here willing to support you and offer ideas to help minimize those bumps.

[sleepapy]

I am getting a nasal pillow mask.. not sure if it's like yours. Guess they aren't all alike. I did opt for the climateline thin tubing.. seems to work well..
I knew nothing about the software.. I will check that out. Thank you !
So much to learn..

[chunkyfrog]

Sleeping in one position can result in some aches.
I do some gentle stretching when I notice it.
That may be all you need--remember to be gentle and slow.

[Pugsy]

There are several nasal pillow masks offered from different manufacturers. Some have "For Her" sizing. Usually slightly smaller headgear and nasal pillows will have 3 sizes available...XS, Small and Medium for smaller women.. The regular sizing will have a slightly larger headgear and the nasal pillows sizes will include Small, Medium and Large. For Her masks may have more brightly colored straps and wraps.

When I first started cpap therapy I used the ResMed Swift LT for Her and when the ResMed Swift FX for Her was released I changed to it and it is what I use now. I have tried a few of the others... The Opus 360 is quite popular and Respironics has a new GoLife for Her nasal pillow mask which hasn't been out very long. Respironics also has the Optilife nasal pillows but I didn't like it.. Too much stuff on the face. I haven't tried the GoLife but most of the others i have tried. The Opus 360 is quite decent. I personally had trouble with the headgear but this was way back when I was first starting therapy and inexperienced. I imagine I would do well with it now.

The headgear will last a long time. The nasal pillows....well...some people get months of uses out of them (I do) but others do well to get a couple of weeks out of them. Insurance replacement schedules for the nasal pillow itself will vary, so if you decide it will be a keeper for you then best to check to see what the replacement schedule is.

The whole mask set up should come with 3 sizes so you can experiment to see which works best for you. Unneeded sizes can be swapped. We actually have an ongoing thread here at the forum where we post what we have and what we want. I am lucky, I can use the XS and Small comfortably and effectively. Also EBay is a good source for extras and possibly cheaper than DME if deductible or co pay is high.

Depending on the brand of nasal pillows there are also some comfort features available.
Padacheeks is a great source for all kinds of items to make this therapy easier or more comfortable. The owner is actually a forum member here.
http://www.padacheek.com/

The Climateline hose is something I wish I had. Respironics is supposedly coming out with a heated hose machine but probably not till sometime next year.

Keep reading. I think I spent about 2 weeks reading and being totally lost and gradually picking up on all the terms.
Eventually things will fall into place and it won't seem so overwhelming.

[sleepapy]

You are right Pugsy, I am a bit overwhelmed by all the info. But I will learn.. I am really grateful for a site like this.. just happened to hear about it from someone on craigslist.. lucky me! I would hate to have to figure out all this on my own..