Thanks from a newbie

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 12:34 pm

Hello and thanks from a newbie both to the forum and to CPAP/OSA in general. I found this forum after my first (miserable) night on my home APAP machine three nights ago. That first night I'm surprised I slept at all. The nasal pillows on my Mirage Swift were irritating and kept leaking no matter how I adjusted the straps, and the hose kept going everywhere, dragging the mask loose whenever I moved.

I got three great suggestions from my reading and searching here the next morning.

One was the idea of using a hair-scrunchie hooked a foot above head-level to run the hose through. That worked great at keeping the hose out of my (and my wife's) way. No more feeling like I have to sleep and wrestle a snake at the same time!

Another was that maybe I was using too small a size of nasal pillow. The tech at my sleep study had compared my nose to the "large" size nasal pillows and declared my snoz as needing "medium". They were irritating during the sleep study and just as irritating at home. But someone here had discovered the large size worked better for them no matter what size their nose was supposed to be, so I decided to try it.

Another suggestion was using some sort of lubricant on the outside of the nose, to help with comfort and seal. All I had around was some generic-brand petroleum jelly, but a thin coat of that combined with the large-size nasal pillows took the pillows from being a constant irritation to where I could almost forget I even had the things on. I had far fewer leaks that night and was even able to sleep on my side. That was what really did it for me, going from "how am I going to get through the rest of my life with this?" to "I can find ways to make this work".

I've still got a few problems to tackle (back head strap tends to ride up, back buckle presses into back of head, mouth sometimes pops open...) but now, thanks to you folks, they seem more solvable and challenging than insurmountable and depressing.

Thanks again.

bdp522 · Post by **bdp522** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 12:59 pm

You should register and fill in your profile. This way you can ask more questions and get better answers! Check out padacheek.com for a pad to keep that buckle from digging into your head. Do a search on mouth taping for the mouth that pops open.

Brenda

JP · Post by JP » Thu Oct 26, 2006 1:05 pm

Botheration, I did register but forgot to log in before posting.

This OUGHT to be me. We'll see...

bdp522 · Post by **bdp522** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 1:11 pm

Here are links to the swift strap slipping;

SWIFT STRAP FIXES

Brenda

JP · Post by JP » Thu Oct 26, 2006 1:38 pm

Hmm. Velcroing it to my head. What the heck, I'm gonna try that.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 1:51 pm

JP wrote:Hmm. Velcroing it to my head. What the heck, I'm gonna try that.

"What the heck"....a phrase that's run through my mind many a time when I pickup up a hacksaw to attack a mask.

I see a lab rat in the making in you, JP. Good.

CandaceN · Post by **CandaceN** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 3:35 pm

javascript:emoticon(':idea:')
IdeaYou may want to try different head gear. I've tried many and found that the nasal pads just don't work for me and each one I tried irritated my nose. Course this could be because I've got a big schnoz. I've got the Breeze Dreamseal and just love it, very comfortable. I also drape the hose from my mask to my machine around the bed post or anchor it under a small pillow above my head to keep the mask from siding around.

JP · Post by JP » Fri Oct 27, 2006 5:50 am

I bravely tried head velcro-ing ... for about 15 minutes. The back of my head is about the only place I HAVE any hair left, but the hair's just too thin (always have had thin hair, even back when it covered all of my head). It helped keep the strap down a bit better, but I could feel the little velcro teeth biting into my skin through the hair.

Tonight's experiment: strips of old mousepads. I have a pile of them lying around (they're good for vibration/sound dampening under things like small desk fans and aquarium bubblers, and okay, because I never throw anything away) and am evaluating each for underside "grip" and squishiness. I might be able to deal with the strap buckle irritation that way too...

I wondered briefly why this kind of home engineering was called "lab-ratting" rather than "McGyvering", when it occurred to me it's because you're experimenting, and on living critters - i.e. yourself. I wonder how much I can freak out the wife and kids practicing my evil-genius maniacal laugh while wielding a glue gun.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 6:10 am

JP wrote:Tonight's experiment: <snip> old mousepads. I have a pile of them lying around (they're good for vibration/sound dampening under things like small desk fans and aquarium bubblers,

And Puritan Bennett xPAP machines!!!!

Thanks JP .

O.

oldgearhead · Post by **oldgearhead** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 6:14 am

JP - I think you have the perfect attitude to make it through all of the little bumps in the hosehead road..

Keep smiling
':D'

JP · Post by JP » Fri Oct 27, 2006 8:06 am

ozij wrote:
JP wrote:Tonight's experiment: <snip> old mousepads. I have a pile of them lying around (they're good for vibration/sound dampening under things like small desk fans and aquarium bubblers,
And Puritan Bennett xPAP machines!!!!

Thanks JP .

O.

Whoa, I thought it'd be like months before *I* could help anybody out. Hope it helps!

JP · Post by JP » Fri Oct 27, 2006 8:08 am

oldgearhead wrote:JP - I think you have the perfect attitude to make it through all of the little bumps in the hosehead road..

Keep smiling
':D'

I try, but it makes the mask leak.

Gotta find a fix for that.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 10:40 am

JP wrote:
oldgearhead wrote: Keep smiling
':D'
I try, but it makes the mask leak.

Gotta find a fix for that.

ROTFL!!