Yet Another Newbie

[oregonclaire]

Hello everyone! New to sleep apnea, new to cpap, new to the forums... I'm not really sure where to start! I started CPAP last night. I have a cold, and just couldn't breathe adequately through the mask I preferred at the dme office (it's a Swift LT for Her) but managed to fall asleep after much, much fussing around with the Comfort Classic they gave me "for free" (Ha! Nothing is free...).

I'm determined to be a good hosehead and see this through because I'm just TIRED of being TIRED, and I'm tired of napping being my major hobby on my days off...

I've been cruising through the forums and now have a ton of questions about my machine and masks and how to navigate the mess that is insurance and the dme and my sleep doctor and my primary care doc... *head explodes*

Probably the answers I want are here, I just need to sniff 'em out

Thanks for listening! Nice to meet everyone!

Claire in Oregon

[cflame1]

nice to meet you claire

[KatieW]

Welcome to the forum, Claire.

[fadedgirl]

You have come to the right place! This board has good archives and lots of wise and wonderful folks. Welcome! I hope you are feeling better soon.

[JohnBFisher]

... Probably the answers I want are here, I just need to sniff 'em out ...

Welcome! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to sniff out those nuggets of helpful advice ...



and avoid the ones that won't work for you ...

[Judy R]

Welcome to the board Claire. It's great that you've joined us. There is a lot of useful advice, and such wonderful and warm people here to help. So, jump right in and start asking questions. It's great to have you with us.

[bdp522]

Welcome to the forum! Feel free to ask any and all questions you may have. Someone will always answer.
You can also pop into chat and ask any questions you may have. Chat can get busy but just jump right in and ask whatever you need to.
You will find a great bunch of people here always willing to help!

Brenda

[oregonclaire]

Hi Everyone! Thanks for all the kind responses

My first question is about the Swift LT for Her, which is the mask I'd really like to be using. The Comfort Classic left a welt on my face the night of my sleep study and again last night In addition to being a bit painful, it's also large and noticeable which I'm not too happy about. Anyway, when I put on the Swift and try to sleep, it "whistles" when I try to breathe. I'm getting a good seal, but it's just very noisy. I am guessing this is related to the icky head cold I have - my nose is pretty stuffed up, so it could be air whistling though my stuffy nose and just getting amplified by the mask? I figure I'll keep with the Comfort Classic until my cold is better, but if anyone has any advice on how to make the welts better that would be great! I'm guessing it's just pressing into my face too much, but if I try to loosen the straps, it leaks.

Thanks everyone!
Claire

[JohnBFisher]

... My first question is about the Swift LT for Her ... if anyone has any advice on how to make the welts better that would be great ...

I can't help with that mask. But the following using "Swift LT for Her" in the search box leads to this query:

search.php?keywords=%22Swift+LT+for+Her%22

I find the welts tend to get better with a little message, a gently warmed wet wash cloth (a few seconds in the microwave speeds that process), and sometimes skin lotion. Sometimes you need to put a bandaid (or moleskin type product) over the welt. Think of it as a "pre-blister" and you can then find products to help.

Sorry for the problem you had with that mask. Good luck moving forward.

[Marietjie]

The Comfort Classic left a welt on my face

http://www.padacheek.com/
...Oregonclaire - welcome Have a look at the padacheeks for comfort.

so it could be air whistling though my stuffy nose

...I don't think it's coming from your stuffy nose - I decreased the pressure and the whistling sound was gone. You can also tilt the pillows for a better seal. Have you got different sizes (pillows - small, med.& large) Try different sizes. Look for padacheeks for the SwiftLt - it is a must have.