Another Newbie joins the club - questions below

[gagging]

Hi
I just received my CPAP SleepStyle 200 machine with a Mirage Swift2 nasal pillow mask. Its set to pressure of 10.

I read with fascination that some of you...actually were excited to get your CPAP and couldnt wait to use it. Ive beeen dreading this day, and am depressed about the prospect of using this contraption for years.

Thing is..i sleep like a baby. I never knew i had Apnea. It wasnt until i went for a sleep study that the data showed i had "severe apnea" with an event occuring every minute - all night. Oxygen levels dropping to 85% from 99% when awake. (not sure what this percentage really means but whatever).

I used machine/mask last night for first time. I actually fell asleep at some point. I dont know if it "worked" or not. How do you know??

Another question i have is: I know i sleep on my back due to a large gut (damn beer!) and i sleep with my mouth open (not on purpose - just happens that way). So when the nasal pillows are blowing air into my nose...it seemed to just come out my mouth. I dont know if its clearing the obstruction. My doctor knows this but recommended the nasal mask. I think he reacted to my fear of a full facial mask. But now im wondering if he made an error. Not that i want a facial mask...but am i wasting my time with a nasal mask if my mouth is open?

If im going to be miserable - at least it should WORK. Ill try again tonight, although im worried its not working.

Thanks

[Wulfman]

Welcome to the forum.

If your therapy is going to work, you can't have air leaking out your mouth.....period! Either a full face mask, tape your lips shut or get some Polident adhesive denture strips to seal your lips shut.

Your machine is about as "basic" as they get. If there's any chance of getting a better one that records sleep statistics, I'd say twist some arms to get one.
Personally, I can't imagine someone trying to make this therapy work without being able to know what's going on at night.

Be sure to go up to the yellow light bulb and read "Our Collective Wisdom".

And, the reason we "enjoy" our therapy is because we don't want to go back to feeling the way we did before we started. If we don't make it work, we'll die a lot sooner than we want to.

Den

[JZ]

gagging,

Welcome. Glad to hear you are ready to take care of your sleep apnea. If your mouth is open, your therapy is not working. Some people train themselves to sleep with their mouth closed, but that is not the easiest thing to do. I recommend you give one or more full face masks a try. Some people adjust to them just fine. A full face mask is more likely to cause an initial claustrophobic reaction. You may have to consciously make yourself relax while you are getting used to it. If the full face mask is not for you, you can try chin straps to help keep your mouth closed (they don't always work), or as Den said, consider mouth taping or use of a Polident strip between your lips. You can search for those topics here and read about others' experiences.

Most importantly, hang in there, be willing to try masks until you find one that works for you, and keep posting here with your questions and experiences.

Janna

[DreamStalker]

Sounds like your sleep healthcare pros have set you up for failure in order to milk you and the insurance for maximum profit (a common tactic in the sleep apnea treatment industry).

You need to visit this forum as often as possible and get yourself up to speed and educate yourself about your condition and treatment. A few are lucky enough to have competent and caring health care pros that actually know what they are doing but most who find their way here to this forum start out just like you.

Don't forget to fill out your profile to better enable the more experienced members to help answer your questions. It is not an easy treatment but you can consider yourself lucky to have found this forum ... welcome and best of luck upgrading your equipment.

[deerslayer]

nother newbie here. on my 9th night so far and already noticing much deeper sleep than i have realized in years. man and this is only the beginning. hang in there brother !! *adapt & overcome *