its been two weeks....

[MartyR]

its been a tough 2 weeks. i know getting used to this wouldnt havent "overnight". i can say i am fianlly used to the contast stream of air....the auto helps.

my biggest problem is still trying to get comfortable with the mask. still hard for me to sleep mroe than 2-4 hours with it on. the pressure on my face is so annoying when trying to sleep. i feel like i have a good mask- i just think it doesnt matter what kind I have-

well all can do is keep working at it. i took a nap today with the mask on, nad it was easiest i have been able to fall asleep while wearing it...thats a good sign

[sleepycarol]

Good job Marty!!

It will get better -- it just takes time!!

Is there anything we can do to help you tweak your mask to make it feel better?

What is happening? What is it doing? What are you using?

[Favabean]

Marty I had just logged in to post my "One week with cpap" thread and I read yours, basically you said everything I feel.

It took me a week to get used to the constant pressure -- I don't even bother with the ramping already. However the masks (I have a nasal mask and a full face) annoy the piss out of me. I find that I wake up and take the damn thing off or I remove it in my sleep. In fact on Wednesday night, I removed the mask, shut the machine down, put it all in a nice tidy pile and all apparently without waking up, because I have zero recollection of it.

Sleepycarol -- for me, it's just a nuisance. It's tough getting used to having something on your face. When I was a teenager, I had to wear headgear for my braces at night, same issue. I also find my mouth drifting open when wearing the nasal mask and awake to my mouth becoming a wind tunnel.

[MartyR]

i have taken my mask off as well most nights w/o knowing it. i will wake up and put it back on for a while.

i am toying with the mask trying to get it to be more comfortable. i do think there was a night or two i had it too tight. some nights i wake up do to leaks and have had trouble fixng them. the mask will shift due to my or turning...

but the big problem is comfort. hurts my face at times.

i iwill say that one night i didnt wear it at all i did feel like crap the next day. so even a few hours of being able to tolerate it is making feel a little better. i just hope i get to the point i can wear the maks all ight and notbe annoyed by it.

[ozij]

i feel like i have a good mask- i just think it doesnt matter what kind I have-

It does matter, Marty. A mask can't just be "good" it has to be good for your very own specific face.

Maybe the mask you have needs more tweaking to make it fit you better. Maybe you should try a different way of routing the hose.

I understand the Quattro is a very tweakable, with a dial that gives it many positions.

Whatever you do, don't just "grin an bear it". Respect your discomfort and look for ways to solve it.

O.

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

[Nodzy]

Yep, yep.... good points ^ there.

Tha mask fit and reduced or absence of unwarranted leaks are key to successful and health-beneficial therapy. Discomfort plays a major role, too, in not getting good therapy. Keep trying.... it's a process of choices for most of us... and not just a simple "do it" situation.

Nodzy

[hades161]

Ditto on the mask points. The first hurdle is getting use to the machine when breathing after that the rest of your treatment depends about 80% or more on your mask and its comfort. If it's not comfortable, causing pain or simply blowing a slight stream of air to your eyes or some part of your face from a leak then most likely its going to come off in the night.

Remembering doing it and why when your still so tired from OSA, is like when you wake up from a dream and you can almost remember but it slips away.

The rest is leaks, pressures, and the possible machine type issues. One of the reason's you are sore is because your still getting use to it and learning how to get the mask to work without leaks. The other part is that even though it might fit and look ok when your getting fitted, the only real way to test the darn mask is to sleep with it for a week or more after you know how to get a mask to work in the first place.

Hehe, we all have to hunt for a mask that works, no way to get around it. Some get lucky in 1 or 2 masks and there are some here that have a drawer full of them.

Tight spots and leaky spots normally cause a pain spots or sores to start. Due to over tightening or being to loose in one spot and to tight in another. Bridge of the nose, forehead, and upper or lower lip being most common places for the pains to start. Most of the posters in the thread so far seem to be using non-pillow types so I wont get into the nares.

One thing that helped me a lot was working with the mask and practicing wearing it when awake. If seating at the computer doing emails, typeing or whatever put the thing on and practice wearing it. If your a gamer get a Flight Sim and pretend your a jet fighter

By doing this as you move around you'll figure out how the masks moves around on your face and can learn how to fiddle with it to make it work better. This will follow you into your sleepand become second nature. If you can, lay down with it and fiddle with it as you read, watch a movie or listen to something. When you lay down with it, straps loosen, and pressure points change, you will learn and get use to how the mask needs to be adjusted in that position as well.

In the end if you can't keep a mask on or get it to work without sores and leaks, odds are it's simply not the right one for you. This whole thing is about getting in the habit of using the the equipment.

You know you will have the equipment part pretty much licked when you wake up for the first time and wonder if the machine is on and were the heck the mask went and then find it on your face.

Good luck and stick with it. The first month or so was the biggest pain for me.

[sleepycarol]

We take it for granted that the doctors and DME's know which equipment will work the best for us -- it doesn't work that way.

I was given a Fisher and Paykel 431 to use -- what the doctor prescribed for me. I wore a full face mask at my titration and the tech asked a few questions and so the doctor made his choice based on that. For many of us this was the first time we have slept with a mask and air blowing at us and how are we to know what we feel in these strange and unfamiliar settings.

I used my full face mask (the Fisher and Paykel 431) for several weeks. I thought it strange when forum members talked about nasal prongs, nasal pillows, nasal masks, hybrid, liberty, oracle, and others. I wondered why they would want to use these "strange" masks.

I finally broke down and purchased a SNAPP mask -- but got the wrong size. I tried it for a part of the night and felt like I was suffocating. I did like the way it felt on my face and thought I would give another type a chance. I purchased a brand new Optilife off from eBay for a great price. I used it for a few weeks and liked the additional freedom it gave me. It pushed on my nose though and such began a quest for the perfect mask for me. With the nasal pillows -- if the fit is good -- there is less contact with the face and I find a better seal.

Masks are very individual and what works for one will not work for another -- no matter what they do to try to tweak it.

You might want to check with your local sleep clinic and see if they will let you try on other masks to find one that might be more compatible with your facial structure. If they do not offer that option, see if a local DME will help you. For me I have purchased masks from eBay and cpapauction at great buys and little investment. It was worth the trouble finding those that fit my face better and are more comfortable.

[jsmythe]

[quote="MartyR"]its been a tough 2 weeks. i know getting used to this wouldnt havent "overnight". i can say i am fianlly used to the contast stream of air....the auto helps.

my biggest problem is still trying to get comfortable with the mask. still hard for me to sleep mroe than 2-4 hours with it on. the pressure on my face is so annoying when trying to sleep. i feel like i have a good mask- i just think it doesnt matter what kind I have-

well all can do is keep working at it. i took a nap today with the mask on, nad it was easiest i have been able to fall asleep while wearing it...thats a good sign