Hello all....newbie here

rklsk · Post by **rklsk** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 5:34 pm

Just wanted to say hello. I'm a new member who will be using CPAP for the first time tonight. It has me really nervous, but I know I need it. My results from the sleep test were very frightening. I'm so glad to see a site like this where I can go to for help. Well, wish me luck.

Slinky · Post by **Slinky** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 5:45 pm

Welcome to the forum, rlsk. Relax a bit about tonight. The worst that can happen is you won't get much sleep. You're probably fairly used to that? I know I was!!

What kind of things are you nervous about tonight?

Did you get the same mask from your DME supplier as you used during your titration study? What mask do you have? What xPAP machine do you have? Do you have a humidifier? Heated or passover? Are you male or female? If a male do you have a beard? mustache? both?

rklsk · Post by **rklsk** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 5:51 pm

Hi slinky. Thanks for the welcome. I have the nasal pillow style. During the sleep test they put on the regular mask, but it totally freaked me out and I couldn't do it. The nasal pillow helped somewhat. My machine is the REMstar Auto A-Flex. I do have a heated humidifier. I am male and also have a mustache (hopefully I can keep it).
I really don't know what I'm nervous about. My results were so bad I'm just grateful for the chance to get better. Maybe I'm nervous this won't work.
Thanks again for the welcome.

JeffH · Post by **JeffH** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 6:01 pm

[quote="rklsk"]Hi slinky. Thanks for the welcome. I have the nasal pillow style. During the sleep test they put on the regular mask, but it totally freaked me out and I couldn't do it. The nasal pillow helped somewhat. My machine is the REMstar Auto A-Flex. I do have a heated humidifier. I am male and also have a mustache (hopefully I can keep it).
I really don't know what I'm nervous about. My results were so bad I'm just grateful for the chance to get better. Maybe I'm nervous this won't work.
Thanks again for the welcome.

Slinky · Post by **Slinky** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 6:12 pm

Well, keep in mind you didn't develop sleep apnea overnight so don't be expecting "the cure" overnight. There are a very few special apneacs that find immediate, successful relief their first night and all nights following. But that "ain't" the case for the vast majority of us. They are the anomalies, not us.

Matter of fact, I swore my first 30+ days on CPAP were more exhausting than any I had ever experienced prior to CPAP. Talk about exhausted, irritable, b*itchy!!! I hated the whole world and everyone in it including myself! But then things started working out and I became almost human again.

You have an EXCELLENT autoPAP there!!! A REALLY good set up. Congratulations! I started out w/the Breeze nasal pillows during my sleep study but was caught by the "lightness" of the Swift display at my DME suppliers so went home w/that instead.
After a short while tho the "pillows" irritated the left nostril by rubbing and I couldn't seem to adjust it for relief. Then the ONLY thing my CPAP DME has done right, their RT suggested I try the ComfortLite 2!!!

Hey, it worked well for me. Except when my pressure was raised from 6 cms to 8 cms the direct pressure of the nasal pillows was just too drying for me so out of curiosity I tried the simple nasal cushion that came w/the CL2. I LOVED it!

I now use the Simplicity which is small like the CL2's nasal cushion and have gotten the most comfort and the best seal w/it.

I'm female so I don't have the beard/mustache to cause any mask fit problems. We have several veteran "hairy face" PAPpers here that may be able to offer you some tips and suggestions if your beard/mustache does seem to contribute to any problems.

momadams · Post by **momadams** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 6:24 pm

Hiya Newbie.
I'm about 8 weeks in, and what a difference!

A couple of things helped me my first few nights. First of all, the DME RT (a really cool lady) said to a) kick the humidy up to high b) be sure to use the ramp feature c) and only aim for 3 hours of use for now. Once I saw that 3 hours was pretty easy,it wasn't much of a leap to "wear it til you wake up, take a break, put it back on til morning".

Do you do any sort of meditation?
My favorite is "Tell your brain 3 things it knows to be true and it will believe the 4th". Inhale. Think of something you see. Exhale. Inhale. Notice something you are hearing. Exhale. Inhale. Notice something you feel (tactile). Exhale. Inhale. Tell yourself a comforting affirmation (I love my mask. I'm relaxed. I'm about to sleep beautifully. Something like that). Exhale. Repeat 3 times, finding new things to see, feel, hear, but the same affirmation. Then switch to another affirmation.
Let me know tomorrow if you made it through the second set before you fell asleep!

Believe it or not, one morning you will awaken and think "Wait, the mask isn't on and I'm not feeling any air pressure". And then you'll realize that it's there, it's on, and you've acclimated.

Let us know how you progress.

Shari

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 6:27 pm

Good luck - you have begun an interesting journey & many here to assist you along the way

DSM

Dark_Star · Post by **Dark_Star** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 6:33 pm

Oh... I am sure you will be fine.

If you have any specific questions or concerns .. just ask away.

I am just completing my first month on Cpap. I originally used a nasal mask which covered my nose... ( I also have facial hair) but I switched to nasal pillow mask and it made a big difference in comfort and my length of sleep.

My first few nights.. I slept 1-2 hours at a time... waking up and adjusting things.

I like using the RAMP function and C-Flex. This helps a lot.

Keep a good attitude!

We'll look for your post in the morning to see how the night went.

STEVE

_________________

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): nasal pillow, C-FLEX, CPAP, Ramp

bdp522 · Post by **bdp522** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 9:35 pm

I know it's too late for tonight, but the pillows can make the nare quite sore the first couple of weeks(until the nares get used to it). Ayr Gel with aloe works wonders. KY jelly and chapstick also work. Just rub some on the nares and into the nostrils before putting on the mask. For the AM, if you have neosporin in the house it helps the soreness go away quickly.

Brenda

betty303 · Post by **betty303** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 10:23 pm

Welcome.

You will find lots of help here. You are lucky to be starting with a great machine and already posting here in case you need help.

Good Luck and don't hesitate to askabout anything you are wondering about.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 10:56 pm

rklsk wrote:My machine is the REMstar Auto A-Flex. I do have a heated humidifier.

Hi rklsk and welcome to the board!

As Slinky and Betty said, you are very lucky to have received such a great machine.

The mask will be the main key to getting comfortable with "cpap" treatment. Dig into this message board reading as many posts as you can -- use this board to research stuff as if you were a med student studying for the exam of your life. You'll find a wealth of information about all kinds of masks and a lot of "fixes" for various masks if the one you use is almost ok but needs a bit of help.

Also, don't hesitate to go back to your DME (the people who gave you the machine and mask) to try more masks if they'll let you. I'm big into "comfort", because that's what it takes to be able to sleep well with all this stuff we put on our faces.

Here are some links to get you pointed toward topics that might be helpful in getting "comfortable" as well as a link or two about sleep apnea treatment in general:

LINKS to MASKS - nasal mask, nasal pillows, nasal prongs
viewtopic.php?p=35286

Mile High Sleeper's great information resource for cpap users.
http://www.smart-sleep-apnea.blogspot.com

Oct 30, 2006 subject: Please Share Misc Helpful Hints
viewtopic.php?t=14746

LINKS to Hose hangers and methods of managing the air hose
viewtopic.php?t=10640

And to help you relax and look at the lighter side of being a new cpap user:

LINKS to mikemoran humor
viewtopic.php?t=5949

rklsk · Post by **rklsk** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 6:36 am

Thank you all for the warm welcome. It really is comforting knowing there is a group like this out there for support. The 1st night went fairly well. I was able to keep the pillow on for 6 hours without to much discomfort. I just have to train myself to keep my mouth closed. After all those years of snoring, this might take awhile. My wife did say that she never did hear me snore last night. I'm hoping that is a good thing. With that 1st night out of the way, I do realize that I can do this. Like someone said in a previous post...."It's just air".
Once again, thank you all so much for the help and the warm welcome. I look forward to being an active member and getting to know you all.

Ron

tuna · Post by **tuna** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 6:38 am

My first night was not so good, but now my nasal pillow don't bother me anymore. And I started feeling better soon after.

You will do fine!

Joe..

tangents · Post by **tangents** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 6:44 am

Welcome to the forum, rklsk! So glad to hear that your first night was good. There are ALL KINDS of mouth closing remedies to try, so don't worry too much about that being an obstacle. (Although it is critical to your therapy )

Have a great day, and good luck again tonight,
Cathy

Slinky · Post by **Slinky** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 7:05 am

Glad to hear the first night went pretty well, Ron. You iz now a 'fficial PAPper.

Mask

Additional Comments: Equipment isn't correct, S9 ASV w/H5i

Humidifier

Additional Comments: Pressure 16 cm H2O at altitude 6550ft

Hello all....newbie here

Hello all....newbie here

dsm-guest