yet another noob

[___H]

Hi. My name is Jeff and I have sleep apnea . This is my first meeting.

Just figured I'd give a brief intro before jumping in other threads and asking eleventy-billion questions. I've been lurking (and searching topics) here for a few days, trying to absorb some helpful info. I just turned 43, and was recently diagnosed with severe OSA. I had been aware of it for a few years, but never did anything about it. I am now sleeping - well attempting to - with the aid of CPAP. After dealing with being brutally tired for 20+ years, and more recently, the fear of waking up dead, I'm ready for some restful sleep. I've been using the machine for a little over a week now, and while I feel somewhat better, I haven't had the skies open up and angels singing when I wake up in the morning either. Never been much of a morning person, though. That's what coffee is for!

Anywho, I am heading back to the sleep lab tomorrow to discuss other mask options. I had a Comfort Classic (i think that was it's name?) on for the second night of my sleep study, and given the choice between that mask again and a fork in the eye - pass the fork! I was fitted for, and supplied with, an OptiLife, which seemed to be a whole lot morebetter. While sitting in the office, anyway. Real world - it isn't ideal for me. I am entirely too restless in my sleep most nights. I'm hoping they will prescribe an Aura or HeadRest or whatever it is called this minute.

Anyway - i guess brief is now out the window! HELLO!

[Moby]

Welcome Jeff

I hope you find a comfortable mask soon.

Can't supply any angels, but here's a little devil for you

Di

[Slinky]

Welcome, Jeff. To the forum and to the world of CPAPping. For most of us, CPAPping takes patience. Not too many of us wake up to the angels and birds singing our first CPAP morning or even week of CPAP mornings.

If ever there was a world of trial and error, CPAP mask selection and fitting is it!!!!

If you are not the bashful type, take a blanket or sheet and a pillow w/you your next mask selection/exchange visit to your DME supplier if they don't supply a bed for you to lay on during the mask fitting. Ask to see a variety of all three types of masks: full face, nasal cushion and nasal pillows. Just to look at. Narrow the field to a couple you want to try. Don one of those sitting up, adjust the headgear loosely, the mask should still feel like it is a fraction away from falling off.

Now lay down on the bed or cot or your blanket/sheet on your back. Adjust your pillow comfortably. If the DME supplier doesn't provide a CPAP at your pressure to fit masks, bring your own CPAP w/you. Plug it in, attach to this mask and turn it on. Lift the mask from your face just a skosh to let it fill w/air. Let it lay back down on your face and make any adjustments to the headgear straps you need. The mask should fit comfortably, NOT tight. Don't worry about minor leaks at this point. For them you don't tighten but rather you run your fingertip along the seam between the mask's outer cushion cover and your facial skin. That should eliminate the minor leaks/

For leaks near the eyes (NEVER tolerate eye leaks!) lift the mask from your face a skosh, once it refills w/air let it lay back down on your face a trifle low on the bridge of your nose. Now slide the mask just a skosh up to the bridge of the nose to where you want it. That should both seal any minor leaks AND turn the edges of the mask cushion cover UNDER so it doesn't cut into the skin.

For leaks under or around the lower part of the nose try twitching your nose, or wagging your jaw back and forth or screwing your lips up every which way. Often that's all that is needed to seal those minor leaks.

Now flip over to one side and make any necessary minor adjustments for leaks as above. Then flip over to your back and to your other side making any necessary MINOR adjustments. AT NO TIME should the mask fit too tight or uncomfortable. The longer you wear the mask like that the tighter and more uncomfortable it is going to feel.

If none of this works, or it is obvious from the git go none of this is gonna work, forget this mask and try another until you find one that seems like it is gonna work for you. THAT is the one to take home. Its gonna take another week at home for you to be sure you can live (sleep) w/this mask for sure.

When you find a mask that almost works be sure to look it over good and compare it to the next one you are interested in trying. Look closely at the distance between the nose cushion inside top of nose area and the cushion at the inside bottom of the nose (or chin or lower lip if a full face). Had the one you tried felt like it was too long or too short? How does this other one compare in that length?

The same holds true for the width distance both at the bridge of the nose and lower at the cheeks and around the mouth. Its the inside opening of the cushion that is important, not the outside measurements.

Many of us need to be able to adjust the angle between the forehead and the bridge of the nose. The wrong angle can account for a lot of the discomfort at the bridge of the nose. The ComfortLite 2 is a popular nasal pillows OR simple nasal cushion mask that allows for adjustment of the length or distance between bottom of nose fit and forehead or bridge of nose.

Figuring out and understanding WHY one mask won't work for you is a big step in finding out which mask IS the right mask for you.

Good luck and Happy CPAPping! Here's to a life full of restful nights.

[Goofproof]

Remember if you choose a Nasal interface, you may have to deal with mouthbreathing, with a FF Mask you don't, Jim

[neverbetter]

Welcome to the forum. You can get a lot of help here. I went through more than 10 masks before settetling down with one for over a year now. Everyone's face and nose is different, so it's just a matter of taste, and even then, you'll probably have a second favorite to give the first favorite a break.

[___H]

thanks for the replies..

so far, so good on the mouthbreathing thing. I had no issues with it during my sleep study, and no issues at home, either. My problem so far has been with comfort and/or air leaks. If I leave the interface loose enough for comfort, I can't move much without causing a leak. Make it tight enough to move and my nose is sore after a few hours. It has been a week and a half of trial and error with different adjustments as well as swapping nasal pillow sizes. I've also managed to knock the mask off during the night on two separate occasions, and also awakened with the hose under me as well as partially wrapped around me. Since the hose route on the OptiLife is straight down, there doesn't seem to be much I can do about that. That is why I'm hoping to try an interface with a hose that routes up and over my head.

[Slinky]

Maybe consider the Respironics Simplicity. Its a simple nasal cushion, very lightweight, the hose can go over the head (there's an included stabilizer clip) or any direction, very easy swinging swivel, and runs about $75 at cpap.com so not outrageous in price.

You also might want to consider purchasing a PAPpillow, or a good down pillow or even a Memory Foam pillow to rest your head on and yet allow for the mask and hose.

[___H]

Had another bad night last night. I seem to alternate - good night/bad night. The previous night I slept great, so I left all of the mask adjustments alone. Last night it was like the shape of my head changed, or something. Nothing I did worked. Woke up a few minutes before 2 with my nose throbbing, and didn't get a whole lot of rest after that.

I do seem to have lost the night sweats, so far, though.

[ozij]

Welcome Jeff,
The equivalent of a "bad hair day" is a "bad mask night". I never thougt of it, but you're right, our heads must change their shapes for one night to the other...

One thing that might help is making double sure your face and seal are very clean.

Good Luck!
O.

[geoDoug]

Welcome, Jeff!

If you haven't already noticed, this place is fantastic. It's been a god-send to me. I shudder to think how long--if ever--it would've taken me to get the amount of information I've gathered here in a few months. I would've spent a lot of time and money just assuming that I had to put up with a crappy machine and DMEs could push me around. It's been great for the intangibles like giving me the confidence to stand up to my DME and insurance company, as well as knowing where and how to start navigating the information overload!

Anywho, I am heading back to the sleep lab tomorrow to discuss other mask options. I had a Comfort Classic (i think that was it's name?) on for the second night of my sleep study, and given the choice between that mask again and a fork in the eye - pass the fork!

Great way of putting it. That was my first mask also. Miserable experience. The eye leakage was horrible. It may have had something to do with the architecture of my face. I'm not sure. Regardless, I didn't know better, so I accepted an inadequate mask. Ugh.

If ever there was a world of trial and error, CPAP mask selection and fitting is it!!!!

Truer words were never spoken. The perfect mask--the one that fits your face perfectly, is comfortable, doesn't shift at the slightest movement, blahblahblah--really is the Holy Grail of CPAPitude, isn't it?

Doug.

[geoDoug]

The equivalent of a "bad hair day" is a "bad mask night".

I thought it was just the opposite. Headgear causes serious bed-head.

Doug.

[sharon1965]

Hi. My name is Jeff and I have sleep apnea . This is my first meeting.

LOL, jeff great sense of humour you've got there...welcome to the boards!

sharon1965

[AdmiralCougar]

Welcome fellow Newbie I have yet to receive my machine, which I look forward to (can't wait for another decent night sleep like the one I got at the sleep lab), but I sure don't look forward to going through the mask quest that you are currently on. Good luck!

[rested gal]

Cool introductory post, Jeff! Glad you're here!

[Snoredog]

it takes a lot of patience starting out on this therapy, takes the average person (non-wiener types) a good 4-6 weeks to get used to it.

Some nights you may only be able to tolerate it for an hour, other nights you may wake at 3AM and find you can't tolerate it, but after a while you'll wake up from using it all night and you'll feel the difference.

Masks: they are a personal thing, you will go through a dozen before you find one you can tolerate. Hopefully, one of the first few you try will be a Soyala nasal mask, get it larger than you think you need and you will at least have it in your drawer to fall back on. But you won't find a quieter mask out there. It also doesn't need a lot of strap pressure to stop the leaks and made the seal.

Any conventional mask you get that has those nasal prongs will be noisy (compared to a soyala), those more noisy than others. You also feel all the turbulence of the air hitting directly into your nares with those types. Conventional masks tend to diffuse that incoming air so its not so direct.