GOOD MORNING everyone, back from my titration last night..

[MichelleFL]

What an evening I had and let me tell you I am so excited! First I went into this with still alot of nerves and asked my tech alot of questions. They did have the Nasal Aire II and once I looked at it and those prongs that go up your nose, it was just not for me. She said that out of all the masks they had she recommended the OptiLife and you will see I put it and a picture in my profile here. This pillow type mask is so COMFORTABLE! No leaks whatsoever! You hardly notice that you are wearing the headgear and it's made with such soft fabric that it did not leave any marks on my face. She set the machine to a pressure of 4 which is the lowest it would go and when she turned it on for the first time I jumped. You have to get used to deep breathing which is something I never did before. But in a few minutes this mask was so comfy that I had gotten used to the whole thing right away! Within 30 minutes I was fast asleep and had only gotten up 2 times during the night. I noticed one significant improvement already and look forward to getting my machine ASAP!!! and that is when I used to fall asleep I could actually feel my throat getting tighter and just before I would fall asleep the tightness made me panic and would wake me up out of almost falling asleep. So then I would read my book and would have this happen time and time again until finally I was so tired that I would just give in and go to sleep at around 1-2am. Not with this machine and mask! Felt like my airway was open, no tightening thus no panic... I sure am lovin this! I encourage anyone who is sitting on the fence about this and not wearing your mask to try this one that I used. I think this is going to be my first mask, and ONLY mask.. My tech did not seem to know anything of what to put on the script but I will call the manager tomorrow and tell her what I would like and that I want to pick up the script myself and not to fax it out to anyone. Come on sleep doc, get my prescription ready NOW!

[Georgio]

MichelleFl,

I am so happy to hear that you had a good experience! It sounds like cpap is going to be a huge benefit to you! Congratulations on your fine start at therapy. And you went from, "Moderate sleep apnea, want to wait..." just a short time ago! Good for you!

Georgio

[MichelleFL]

I cannot believe it either Georgio, and thanks! I have so much anxiety and panic attacks that my body/brain always rejects new things and I guess that I was looking for an excuse from being so afraid. But all of you helped me through it and I am eternally grateful! {{GROUP HUG}}

The pressure is not bad at all, it just takes a few minutes to get used to breathing deeply but once your going the machine actually helps you to breathe! I had no idea that it did that... When the machine was turned off I actually had to remove the nasal plugs as it was so hard to breathe without the machine.. How did I ever make it this long without it??

My husband went with me and saw how the process went. He has an appointment with his GP on the 30th and I am going to suggest he has a sleep study done now as well.

How is your mouth breathing doing? The OptiLife has a chin strap which is comfortable, you can still open your mouth and I was actually talking with it on. Felt weird though with the rush of air coming out of my mouth.. lol

[MurphysLaw]

MichelleFL,

The OptiLife is a good choice, especially if you're a side sleeper. Mine came with a little Velcro clip that I attach to my nightshirt. That really helps to anchor it when I turn over, and keeps the nasal pillows in place. Recently I had some sleep problems. The doc thought for sure it was the mask, but I said, "No, the mask is great!" It was the machine being the wrong pressure. Last week I got an APAP and things are getting better.

Good luck to you and to your hubby. My hubby and I were titrated one week apart. Now we're both hoseheads. It works out just fine.

[MichelleFL]

MurphysLaw,

I could not believe how well this mask, these pillows, stayed in place. My tech even tugged on the hose and it stayed put. And as you know if for any reason you feel like you need to remove the mask all you have to do is pull down on the pillows and put it towards your mouth. This is an excellent newbie mask as there is no feeling of claustrophobia, you can still see and if you wear glasses to be able to wear them. Side sleeping was no problem either it stayed in place.. AND the best part, you do not have to jam the thing up your nose.. The bottom of the pillows just sits there and seals.

I have a very twisted nose inside my ear, nose and throat doctor told me. So one nostril is almost closed while the other is slightly open. I was afraid there would not be a size for me but the small one worked just fine! Now only if she had let me bring it home....

[MurphysLaw]

MichelleFL,

Like you, one of my nostrils is smaller than the other and I had always been a mouth breather because I couldn't get enough air through the nose. Using the OptiLife has opened up the smaller side and I can now go about my day breathing completely through my nose for the first time in my life. Perhaps things will improve for you, too.

I don't see a lot of OptiLife users on this forum these days. Maybe some newer masks have come out to replace it. I use the petite size and not many masks are available in the petite. The technician told me that only one other mask comes in petite but I haven't found which one that is.

Lynne

[jnk]

{{GROUP HUG}}

Proud of you, MichelleFL. Group hug back!

[Hawthorne]

Hey Michelle! Great news! I'm so glad you have that step behind you and now you can move on to therapy!

I actually alternate the OptiLife witht my favourite mask (the Snapp) which has nasal prongs like the Nasal Aire 11. I tried the Nasal Aire 11 but that tubing seemed to press on a nerve in my face ( head) so gave it up a couple of years ago. I found the Snapp just a few months ago.

I like the OptiLife (and the Snapp) since I don't like forehead pieces or anything on the bridge of my nose. I like the Cradle Cushions you can get for it better than the pillows and generally use the Cushions when I use the OptiLife.

Anyway, that's the one you should really try to get since it worked well at the titration. Think how good it will feel when you are sleeping at home without all the wires,etc!

You're on the way! You have already identified which machine you would like. I hope you get it! Getting that mask will probably not be a problem.

Soon you'll be here asking and learning more, with your equipment from now on though! You already have a great start since you were here getting questions answered before your titration.

[ozij]

Congratulations, Michelle. I've very glad your experience in the sleep lab left with the knowledge the machine helps you breathe !
O.

[gasp]

Hip, hip, hooray! I'm so glad you had a good experience. I'm also glad you have a mask that works for you.

I remember demanding the sleep center have the Oracle for me to use and when I used it, I couldn't tolerate it. I also remember the tech coming at me with a mask he wanted me to try. It had a HUGE head piece and a strange plastic tubing that led to a HUGE curved nose thingy. I cringed and moved backward - saying "I don't think so" or something like that. I ended up accepting the ComfortGel nasal mask because the gel was a pretty blue, squishy, and looked comfortable for my face. It turns out the mask that caused me to cringe was what I now know is the ComfortLite2 and is my all-time favorite mask : ))) Isn't that a hoot? I can't believe I cringed at a mask that has no straps contacting my face and was great for side sleeping. Of course this was before I knew what I know now : )

So glad you're on your way and that you feel relieved to have the therapy instead of dreading it.

[alnhwrd]

Excellent news! Thanks for sharing with us.

[rested gal]

Way to go, Michelle !!

So glad it went well for you. You've discovered the wonders of being able to actually breathe when your throat relaxes. Ain't it fun?!!

The experience you were having before, of feeling your throat begin to close as you were drifting to sleep is exactly what I felt. Can do it right now, sitting here at the computer, if I deliberately and consciously "make" my throat and tongue relax as much as possible. Since we can't really reach the total relaxation of "sleep" while we're awake, we can only imagine how much worse the collapse is when we're fully asleep.

Scary stuff, this Obstructive Sleep Apnea, that we "sleep" through, oblivious to the suffocation that's going on while we sleep.

Thank goodness there is such a thing as "CPAP", to keep the airway open and let us sleep AND breathe at the same time!

Happy to hear you found a mask that suits you well, first time around. Very good news!

[ozij]

Isn't that a hoot? I can't believe I cringed at a mask that has no straps contacting my face and was great for side sleeping. Of course this was before I knew what I know now :

And I thought I would never ever in my life try anything like the Breeze - cringing at the thought of having my nose stuffed like that. And the Breeze is what helped start therapy!

O.

[Craig-Tx]

Michelle,

That's great to hear. I still remember my first titration. I felt like a million bucks the next day. I don't want to scare you, but unfortunately when I got my machine, for a few weeks, I felt HORRIBLE! But I finally got used to it and now I can't / won't even nap without a hose. But that was just my experience. Some take to it right away, and feel great immediately. But if you do have difficulties, remember the feeling you have right now. Remember how great it can make you feel.

Good luck, and I know you know where to get help when / if you need it.

-craig

[DoriC]

Good job, Michelle, glad you're past that hurdle and are on your way!.