Still struggling...and need suggestions for a 2nd mask...

BrensTiredMom · Post by **BrensTiredMom** » Fri Jun 15, 2007 1:14 pm

Well, 1 week later and things aren't going as wonderfully easy as I'd like! I seem to be fine with my machine, settings and mask when I first go to sleep...but sometime during the night I wake up and for some reason cannot fall back asleep with the mask on. I just lay there for hours and finally give up. I actually feel worse than I have in a long time, at least before I was sleeping 8 hours a night even if it wasn't fully restorative sleep. And to top it off I got a nasty cold on Monday so for 3 days I couldn't wear the mask hardly at all...put it on, would sneeze and...you get the picture, don't want to be too graphic...LOL! I spoke to my Dr. who Rx'd Sonata to have on hand...said to try that if I couldn't get BACK to sleep during the night. Tonight's the first night I'm really feeling like my nose is clear enough that it will be ok to wear the mask again so we'll see.

The Quattro seems ok, although I have nothing to compare it to. It's relatively comfy when I first put it on and I seem to get a good seal...but if I get a nose itch or forgot to turn off a light or whatever and have to take it off I then have a hard time getting a good seal again. It's hit or miss and I haven't been able to figure out what I'm doing wrong. It seems to have an intermittent leak around the elbow too...did I read something about that here? Any fixes?

Also, I'm thinking I want to have a 2nd mask on hand also, maybe trading off when I'm having trouble with one will help. Any suggestions for a 2nd ff mask to try? Maybe the Liberty?? My insurance WILL pay for it.

Thanks for any input!

Coleen

seth2007 · Post by **seth2007** » Fri Jun 15, 2007 6:23 pm

I have got to say that I was told that it would take up to three months before I started to feel good. When I first went on cpap I would wake up in the am and be amazed to be able to sleep without being awakened mutiple times during the night. I never ever want to feel the way I did before we discovered what was wrong with me. It even took me a while to figure out that I needed to increase the pressure, because I started to get tired again and sick. Give it time and soon it will hopefully be just another routine thing to do to take care of yourself. Barb

bdp522 · Post by **bdp522** » Fri Jun 15, 2007 7:56 pm

This is only your first week, and for 3 nights you were ill. Ya gotta give it a chance. It can take a long time to adjust to all of this. 4 - 6 weeks seems to be about average. It can be less, it can be much more. Just remember, every time you remove the mask and go back to sleep it erases all the good that was done by wearing the mask.
If you have to get up during the night just disconnect the hose from the mask. Just be sure any children in the house know what you look like with the mask on! A second mask is a good thing to have, but you need to get used to this first. I think if you start off with changing things too soon it takes longer to adjust. Your first couple of weeks(at least) you shouldn't make changes unless you are really not able to cope(like if it is causing pain). Of course this is only my opinion, YMMV.

Brenda

gasp · Post by **gasp** » Sun Jun 17, 2007 8:25 pm

While the Comfort Gel isn't a magic mask for me, it's close. However, one thing I've learned is one person's favorite doesn't work at all for another person.

Will your sleep center allow you to come in and try their masks on your machine - without staying overnight? Sleep centers are able to disinfect the masks so perhaps they would let you try for a nominal fee to cover their cost in having to disinfect the masks after you try them.

DMEs should have this service - wouldn't that be nice?

Hope you find your 'magic mask.'

goose · Post by **goose** » Sun Jun 17, 2007 8:47 pm

It does take some time -- I'm on day 11 and I'm doing ok....not great, but getting used to the whole thing. I've got the comfort gel mask and it seems to be good for having a mustache (I'm surprised it seals, but.....). I think I need a smaller size so I have a meet with the DME to try it out.
One thing they told me about getting up in the middle of the night was to disconnect it from the machine (I've got the Mseries with C-Flex) instead of the mask and just carry the hose with me -- and that seems to work pretty well....it's a hassle to disconnect from the mask or take the mask off and get it back on again while half asleep. I have the additional problem of having to wear earplugs (wife snores worse than I ever did -- needs the sleep test, but thus far is in denial) so when the mask leaks I have to feel it rather than hear it so not having to re-fit the mask in the middle of the night works for me. Side effect is that if you have animals in the house at night it can be rather humorous watching their reaction to the "alien" walking through the house!!
I generally go right back to sleep, so I can't help ya there...
Stay with it -- you'll feel better before you know it!!!
good luck
cheers
gg

Sergey45 · Post by **Sergey45** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:16 am

Hi there!
As you can see from my report I am currently trying mask #5. So far there is none which is giving me complete comfort. Good luck
http://www.sleepapneasymptom.medgrip.com/cpap_mask.html
Sergey.

BrensTiredMom · Post by **BrensTiredMom** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 6:43 am

Thanks for the replies. I'm hanging in there...you all are right, I need to give it some more time...just really impatient!! I woke up wearing the mask the last 2 mornings...so this is progress. Sunday morning I awoke to the wind rushing into my eyes, major leak, and have no idea how long that went on. This morning it was still sealed when I woke...progress! My forehead is killing me from the stabilization piece...I don't have it too tight but I like to sleep on my side/stomach so I think my head is laying on it. Have to keep working on a solution to that.

The suggestion not to remove the mask if I have to get up is a good one...and I tried that this weekend. Also, I can try on additional masks at my sleep center I'm sure...they're pretty accomodating. They didn't have the Liberty for my mask fitting...they had lent it out...so I'm going to give it a few more weeks and then see if I can try that and a few others.

Thanks again!!

bdp522 · Post by **bdp522** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 7:01 am

You can get a padacheek pad for the forehead. You can check it out at http://www.padacheek.com

Brenda

BrensTiredMom · Post by **BrensTiredMom** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 7:35 am

I didn't know they had forehead ones!!!! YAYAYAYA!!!!

gasp · Post by **gasp** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 8:40 pm

goose wrote:...One thing they told me about getting up in the middle of the night was to disconnect it from the machine (I've got the Mseries with C-Flex) instead of the mask and just carry the hose with me -- and that seems to work pretty well....it's a hassle to disconnect from the mask or take the mask off and get it back on again while half asleep.

I really didn't like toting the hose with me so I practiced taking the hose off on the mask end. I found it comes off easily if I use my thumbnail between the mask end and the hose end, breaking the seal and keep pushing it off with my thumb. It comes off in one movement now. For me it sure beats keeping track of it when needing free hands for the bathroom visit. : )

Now if I'd just stop sleeping through the night and have to get up to use my new found skills : 0

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 1:13 am

if you wake up in the middle of the night and cannot fall back asleep, before giving up for the night, just try pushing the Ramp button on top of the machine.

This will immediately drop the pressure down to the Auto:min pressure where you started the night or if you have Auto:Ramp configured with a lower pressure and time it will drop down to that lower pressure for the specified time.

Use of the Auto:Ramp is to allow you to more easily fall back asleep. Lower pressure means less noise, less leaking and greater comfort so you can fall back asleep. Once timer has elapsed, therapy returns to autopap mode. It is not good to give up on therapy for the night because it is the early morning hours of sleep where you may experience the most OSA.

ComfortGel: Not a bad mask, just a bit noisy compared to others. If you want one that seals with less strap pressure and is silent by comparison, check out a Soyala nasal mask. Soyala tends to run smaller size wise, so if you are using a Small, get a medium, if using a medium, get a large. The quick release clips are a whole lot better also.

BrensTiredMom · Post by **BrensTiredMom** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 4:25 am

I may try a comfortgel on for size when I get the chance. Does the Soyala have a ff mask?

Woke up with the mask on this morning! I did wake during the night...not sure why...so I disconnected the hose right at the mask (it was easy) and went to the bathroom...I did feel like I needed to take the mask off so I did, wiped my face with some cold water...and then promptly put it back on! Once I reconnected and laid down I was able to fall back asleep. Progress!!

Oh, and anyone reading this...please say a prayer or have a good thought for a colleague at work. Has been seeing 'specialists' for 7 years to find out why he's exhausted. Same as me he went through the MS, fibromyalgia, etc. route with no results. And just recently was diagnosed with OSA, his AHI is 54! He parked himself in my office for an hour yesterday after another co-worker told him that I was now the resident 'sleep expert' LOL!! and I told him all of the wisdom I'd learned so far. He's awaiting his machine...I told him to call me when he goes to pick it up so I can tell him if he should keep it or not!

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): hose, AHI

bdp522 · Post by **bdp522** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 6:19 am

Congrats on keeping the mask on! See, it really does get better!

As for your co-worker; with you helping him, he'll do fine! Keep up the good work!

Brenda

gasp · Post by **gasp** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 9:00 am

[quote="BrensTiredMom"]I may try a comfortgel on for size when I get the chance. Does the Soyala have a ff mask?

Woke up with the mask on this morning! I did wake during the night...not sure why...so I disconnected the hose right at the mask (it was easy) and went to the bathroom...I did feel like I needed to take the mask off so I did, wiped my face with some cold water...and then promptly put it back on! Once I reconnected and laid down I was able to fall back asleep. Progress!!

Oh, and anyone reading this...please say a prayer or have a good thought for a colleague at work. Has been seeing 'specialists' for 7 years to find out why he's exhausted. Same as me he went through the MS, fibromyalgia, etc. route with no results. And just recently was diagnosed with OSA, his AHI is 54! He parked himself in my office for an hour yesterday after another co-worker told him that I was now the resident 'sleep expert' LOL!! and I told him all of the wisdom I'd learned so far. He's awaiting his machine...I told him to call me when he goes to pick it up so I can tell him if he should keep it or not!

jasper · Post by **jasper** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 9:11 am

If you happen to break the seal during the night, try pulling the mask straight out, and let it settle back against your face. I've found that this works better than trying to move it around side to side.

Still struggling...and need suggestions for a 2nd mask...

Still struggling...and need suggestions for a 2nd mask...

1 week

Magic Mask

Re: Still struggling...and need suggestions for a 2nd mask..

Disconnecting Hose.

Mask	Humidifier

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