PLEASE HELP TIRED OF BEING TIRED MISERABLE!!

[Bighack]

Hello everyone I'm new to this site. I have been using. A bipap for almost 2 years well I guess almost. I still have not gotten used to it I find myself ripping it off in the middle of the night and getting frustrated and just not using it at all. The first test I had they set me on a 24 pressure . About a year later I had another test done and they said that was way to high and put me on a 10. It doesn't matter I can not use this thing. I have gotten different masks pillows mask liners everything I can think of and it will not work. I woke up this morning starting the old ways I would wake up with a extremely bad headache from not enough oxygen and my memory is gone I just need help bad anyway possible

[Bighack]

Its getting bad enough im falling asleep when i drive home from work everyday something has to give....

[Mikebear]

We need more information. What EXACT machine do you have name and model number, what are your settings, what mask do you use, etc, etc.

Think of the last two years as training wheels. IF your machine is data capable, and you can get data off of it and post it here, perhaps things can be tweaked so you will finally be getting true cpap therapy.

[Bighack]

I can get all that info when I get off work but having data might be a problem I have to sleepl on my stomach I can't sleep any other wayg believe me I have tried in the middle of the night not even 30 after I put it on I guess I yank it off and wake up with it on the floor then I just get frustrated and don't use it the next night. Any suggestions

[Bighack]

The mask I use is a Quattro fx medium but it doesn't seem to work I have to Singh it down real tight to get the leaks to stop it has a para cheek liner on it and yes I have a big beard. The machine I'll have to get that info later it's bipap with heated humidifier and heated hose

[Pugsy]

Please add your equipment to your profile.
wiki/index.php/Registering_Equipment_in_User_Profile

For the mask...pick the one you would be trying to use right now and not what failed in the past.

Until you can quit removing the mask in the middle of the night or whenever and then choosing to not sleep with it the next night....you aren't going to have any chance in hell of feeling better. Cold hard fact of life.

Some limited data is better than no data...even if it is a very short time frame. We have to try to figure out if the therapy is sub optimal or you just can't keep the mask on for whatever reason.
If the therapy is sub optimal...make adjustments. If the therapy is doing what it is supposed to be doing at least during the time you use the machine and it's keeping it on that is the problem then we work on how to keep you from removing it for whatever reason.

If you don't have the clinical manual for your machine...go here and request if via email
http://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-p ... tup-manual
You are going to need to be able to go into the clinical setup menu area to see all your settings and it explains how..

If you have a bipap/bilevel device most likely it will work with SleepyHead...get it so you can see the detailed data for what is happening during the time you might be using the machine.
https://sleep.tnet.com/equipment

In the meantime if you really are a danger driving...don't drive. I know it sounds harsh but

Its getting bad enough im falling asleep when i drive home from work everyday

isn't acceptable. If you are that sleepy that you fall asleep every day when driving...don't drive. Talk to your doctor.

[Julie]

Can you even consider shaving in the interests of staying alive (and maybe keeping others alive too)?

[Mikebear]

<snip> Any suggestions

Yes, RELAX and pull yourself together, I can pretty much assure you that things WILL now get better for you!

Now that you've finally asked for help, do as Pugsy says below, and as I asked. FIRST fill out your profile so we can see what we are dealing with.

Even babies learn how to crawl, before they can walk. You are now just before the crawling stage. Disregard what you've been forcing yourself to do the last few years on cpap, and how bad you think it's been. Today is a NEW day, and start looking FORWARD to resolving what's been going on in the past.

[lucas7bm]

Hello everyone I'm new to this site. I have been using. A bipap for almost 2 years well I guess almost. I still have not gotten used to it I find myself ripping it off in the middle of the night and getting frustrated and just not using it at all. The first test I had they set me on a 24 pressure . About a year later I had another test done and they said that was way to high and put me on a 10. It doesn't matter I can not use this thing. I have gotten different masks pillows mask liners everything I can think of and it will not work. I woke up this morning starting the old ways I would wake up with a extremely bad headache from not enough oxygen and my memory is gone I just need help bad anyway possible

Hello, Bighack, it's really nice to have you here. Welcome to this forum.
People here will definitely help you. I believe that this is the best place for someone with sleep apnea. We will understand your situation (since we are in the same), we will help you along your treatment and we will motivate you until you have a life without problems related to sleep apnea.

The first thing that anyone here will need to help you is information. Detailed information about almost everything. The model of your machine, the mask you're using and how and why you're using it, the maximum data that you could get from your nights (usually in SleepyHead) and your personal feelings after each night.

So I will try to enumerate some of the things that you and us will need to consider when helping you get your optimal treatment:

1- Which equipment you're using for your treatment (machine, it's configuration and mask).
2- The reason why you're using them (for example, why are you using your mask and not others, for example - your doctor should have told you this).
3- Considering you have had problems acclimating to the treatment, which are the greatest problems that you are facing (like noise, uncomfortable mask, air leak, lack of expiration relief, and so on).
4- Data: The best scenario would be SleepyHead along with a full-data CPAP machine, but anything would be helpful now. Even you're own personal experiences with leaks, arousals and quality of sleep.

Don't you ever give up, OK? We're here to help you and, trust me, a few weeks in this forum can help you get the best treatment that you've ever had.

[mesenteria]

I will be direct in answering you since it's the most ethical way to deal with a man who is apparently in crisis. You can't get a decent seal around your face and keep a beard. Period. I was in the Army in Canada for many years, retiring in my 30th year, and got to know the inside of a gas mask intimately, including learning how to eat with one in place and how to sleep an entire night in one. They don't seal if you have facial hair. It's your health, so you are free to do as you please, or not to do. If you were to shave your beard you would find that you need less pressure to get the fit, and the mask might not be so intrusive in your desire to relax and be comfortable.

I am five weeks into my CPAP treatment and still wake up a couple of times each night to wiggle my nose mask to encourage a better fit. Blow by does waken me by having air flutter my eyelashes. I have to use surgical tape over my mouth because I become a mouth breather as I slide into sleep. I have gotten used to the blowfish feel of my cheeks all night long. The big thing is that my AHI have gone from 30 to 1.1 with 10 cm H2O. You MUST get down near 3 or less right away, and that means you must shrug, mentally, and just warm up to the appliance.

I wish you success.

[Okie bipap]

I shaved my beard which had for over 30 years the day I had my sleep study and have never regretted it. It took a few days to get used to not having facial hair, but I feel it was well worth it.

[Mikebear]

Hopefully OP comes back with the needed info, so we can help him.

[Mark55]

Ditch the shaggy beard,.... trim it very close,.... or find a way to use nasal pillows. Also,....find another way to sleep. I can't see sleeping on your stomach working very well with any mask.

Of course there will be others along that will say they sleep flat on their face with no problems, so YMMV.

[Matt00926]

Sadly a beard does not pair well with a full face mask. However, the best FF masks I have personally tried are the ResMed F20 and F&P Simplus - at least when it comes to maintaining a seal. But everyone's face is different so you just have to experiment until you find the right one. CPAP dot com offer return insurance so you can try out masks and return them if they don't work out.

I would advise to just take everything a step at a time - overwhelming yourself is not productive or beneficial to you. Let's see some data from SleepyHead and also have you list out your current settings.

[chunkyfrog]

Vanity is for when we are young and pretty, and staying that way will not harm our health.
When we are grown up, we put away childish things--
And grab all the health we can, whatever the cost.
My plan is to stick around so long that the kids will scream for a closed lid.