Hello intro..

UndergroundPanther · Post by **UndergroundPanther** » Tue May 23, 2006 10:04 am

Hi
I am 40 a freaky punk,a pagan gnostic and an artist and I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea.I went to a sleep clinic twice where I found it out. I just got my cpap delivered today. Ironically I couldn't sleep when I was waiting for the guy to come,I was just laying in bed tired as anything...scared I'd miss his knock on the door I guess..
I look forward to sleeping tonight. Haven't had any dreams for a long time.Wonder what I will get when REM comes back,I had interesting dreams during the sleep study where I learned what kind of machine mask and settings I would need....I got a dream diary because I might as well make an adventure of all this .I don't know how well sleep will go until I get used to cpap ..My machine is a resperonics..a niiiice machine.It has all kinds of nifty features on it.It has a thing where air pressure gradually ramps up so you can fall asleep easier and it monitors your breathing and automatically adjusts,it has a smart card in it too,pretty cool(when will they equip cpap machines with Itunes and bluetooth? LOL.... When the respiratory therapist came by today,he showed me how to use it clean it ect. Seems pretty easy.I put distilled water in the humidifier compartment a while ago and set it up on my nightstand and all.. tonight will be my first night...sleeping..
I got a full face mask,because I sometimes mouth breathe, especially during allergy season. In the sleep study I wore a nose mask and I apparently opened my mouth and there was thiss horrible sucking and I woke up panicked..So I went for the full face mask after that..
I wonder what the cats are gonna think of this weird air blowing thing stuck on my face tonight? They sleep near my pillow normally and they do not lay on my face,because they know I will move them.The way I've arranged stuff the hose won't be irritating the cats or me. I have lurked here and have found good tips like the rubber band and hook in the wall rig to hold the cpap hose that was a great idea..(I forget who posted it here but thanks!). I wonder if the cats will get used to it or if it'll freak them out for awhile? I guess they'll HAVE to sniff it and look at me like I got two heads,and be all concerned.. I have slept with cats all my life so for me it's gotten so it's harder to sleep without a cat around. Maybe I'm weird.

Are there people here who have decorated their cpaps? That grey kinda looks well bland. Any tips on what types of paints are best ect?What kinds to to avoid? I am artistic and I was wondering if I could decorate a cpap..I just can't resist making art out of things...You don't wanna know what horrors I got cooking up in my mind..A Cpapcat?(hose is a tail) Chuthulupap? (xtra hose tentacles?)with glitter??AaaRgh.The art in my mind it hurts my eyes!! LOL..
Anyways I am very thankful for this site,it has made getting cpap less confusing and alienating for me,just knowing there are others with apnea helps me alot.
Anyone else here have cats that sleep nearby,who get alot of soothing and comfort with having them near too?
How do your cats handle this air puffing thing on your face,the hoses and all?
Is there any way to make it easier for them to get used to the cpap and realize it's not a bad thing? Or does it just take time?
Thanks!

Underground Panther

Bonnie · Post by **Bonnie** » Tue May 23, 2006 11:15 am

Welcome Panther.
My cat didn't care one way or another about the cpap stuff. He sleeps next to my head and had to sniff and check it out the first time I put it on. No big deal to him. My puppy on the other hand loves the exhaust air and I wake up every morning with him snuffling and licking the air. Great alarm clock.

Decorating the cpap........hmmmm..........there is a whole realm of possibilities with that, just make sure you post pictures!

wolftracker · Post by **wolftracker** » Tue May 23, 2006 11:59 am

We have several cats and none of them have gone crazy.
They looked at us crazy when we put the mask on but
then turned over and went to sleep.

Much better them me.

Dont worrry they will not go crazy imho

Wolf

txtornado · Post by **txtornado** » Tue May 23, 2006 1:30 pm

Anyone else here have cats that sleep nearby,who get alot of soothing and comfort with having them near too?

Me! My big calico cat has slept on the pillow above my head for as long as I've had her (9 years). She's a spoiled baby and doesn't like changes to her routine. When I started on APAP 7 weeks ago she was quite annoyed. On night one, she took a good long sniff of the equipment, growled, and ran under the bed. No more sleeping with Mom.

But after a few weeks she came around and is back to sleeping above my head. The only problem I've encountered is that she sometimes sticks her face in front of the exhaust port on my mask and the resulting noise is disruptive. If I'm just about to drift off to sleep that will jolt me out of it. Or, if I don't position the hose just right she lays on top of it and I can't move my head. But those are small prices to pay for having my big girl back on my pillow at night!

I'm sure your kitties will adjust - it just may take some time. Good luck!