Getting used to CPAP

[Beeziz]

This is my fifth night using my recently obtained CPAP and I am beginning to hate the damn thing. I am way more irritable than usual, I feel foggy (today, despite day two having left me feeling as though I love the machine), and I am incredibly more angry than usual. Please tell me it gets better, please tell me someone out there has found away to make this machinery less awkward. Please advise.

[Pad A Cheek]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Yes the first month on CPAP can be a big adjustment. There is a thing called sleep debt that you have to pay back for one and that can make you feel like it is not working. I had good nights and not so good nights at the start, but I never even considered giving up.
I know that I was determined to make it work for me. I can say that 6 years later what a difference it has made in my life. I have a clear brain now, where it was fuzzy before. I have full nights of sleep from the time I fall asleep to when I wake up, where I did get up 3-4 times a night to use the bathroom. I have energy that I did not have before.
Yes it can take a bit of determination and encouragement to get the hang of this new thing in your life. But when you get the correct mask, the right pressure and any other issues you have solved, it can make a HUGE difference in your life.
There are many people here to help you with any issues you have getting used to it. There is someone here who had the same experience as you are having and they can tell you how they resolved it.

Stay the course and get the encouragement you need along the way. Good Luck.

Karen

[Beeziz]

Thanks Karen, I think what is most difficult for me is that I was unaware of my having OSA given that I didn't experience daytime sleepiness or any of the other symptomology associated with the diagnosis (except snoring heroically). I was urged by my girlfriend to go do a sleep study given that she has been tolerating my snoring and also indicated to me that she has experienced me to have stopped breathing. I guess what is most difficult is that I feel as though my quality of sleep has worsened since I got on the cpap. I understand that it will take some getting used to and I was pretty angry when I wrote that email . Another difficulty aspect of accepting the treatment is that I am 30 years old; I guess I had assumed I would get away without having to address this until later. Thank you for responding, it is nice to know that I am not alone. I see we share the same CPAP machine, how do you like it? I am in the market for a new full face mask, I have the Mirage Quattro presently and my titration level is 16.6, so when that thing gets going it's like a darn hovercraft on my face. Tightening the mask hurts my nose bridge, and adjusting the lever on the top causes air to blow into my eyes...LOL. Any suggestions for masks to try?

[snipsnsnails]

Hi Beeziz, I'm pretty new at this stuff myself and can understand how awkward it all feels! Your girlfriend did you a big favor by getting you to get checked. Just think of the number of breaths you are going to have because of her. I'm getting about 4000 extra breaths a week because of my fiance getting me to go.

I have a quattro and am slowly learning that less tight is better. There is a bit of a balancing act getting the adjustments so that any leaks blow out the lower part of the mask and not up around the eyes. If you are finding it too tight on the bridge of your nose try loosening the lower straps a bit then adjusting the nose bridge out some. You'll get the hang of it soon. I'm thinking that the hunt for the perfect mask is part of the deal and I'm still looking for mine too. Good Luck and Welcome!

[Roman Hokie]

Hey, Beeziz, and welcome. I'm somewhat new, too. I'm 36. In another thread, I share the revelation that I made this morning that I'll be using this for the next, roughly, 35 years (unless, I lose some weight and eat better, of course!).

I've got a full beard but my mask only really sits on my 'stache. Problem is that it presses the facial hair into my face (not aesthetic, but it's a bit painful in the morning). I'm willing to live with it for now, although a friend suggested nasal pillows instead.

Your DME provider (the kind people who sold you the machine and mask) may have a 30-day "trial" period in which you can tell them you'd like to try a different mask instead. I started out at 90 apnea-hypopnea events per hour before CPAP. That translates to 25% of my night (assuming only a 10 second apnea event - that's the minimum by definition) was spent not-breathing (while on my back). Now, I'm down to 0-3 events all night. Not per hour. All night.

There are a lot of reasons people cease using CPAP therapy or avoid it. There's only one reason (for me) that's needed to be using it. Life.

[Janknitz]

I promise it does get better.

As others have pointed out, it's the mask that makes all the difference. I went through almost two months of pure hell fighting with masks. My sleep was totally interrupted and I was miserable. But I kept on, and it was worth it. Now I have the most peaceful sleep and wake up feeling fantastic--like I'm floating. It's like the best drug I've ever experienced and the side effects (no snoring, lower blood pressure, calmer feelings, an increase in energy) are just as good. No bad trips!

Quattro's are notoriously difficult--hard to stop the leaks and get just the right fitting so you don't have a painful sore on your nose--although some poeple eventually find the "sweet spot" and love them.

You might try other masks. I am a huge fan of nasal pillows. The nasal pillow mask I use is light on the face, seals well, and doesn't cause pain. When you find THE mask, your nights will get better. So hang in there and keep on going. It's totally worth it.

[PetrusKy]

I guess I'm lucky I don't have this problem. I love the machine from day one. No, make that day zero, when I had the sleep study done.

[sleepmba]

Beeziz,
Experimenting with different masks will help. As another person suggested, check with your DME about trial periods. You may find a nasal mask or nasal pillows more comfortable.

If you were a mouth breather before CPAP, check out my blog. The link is in my signature at the bottom of my post. Try reading the topic about "Mouth Breathing Myth". Take a look at the other topics too for some more info.

Let us know how it goes!

[Daniel_nimrod]

Hello everybody, I am a new user and want to know how you get by the "Drowning" feeling of using the C-Pap. I wake up in the night and pull the mask off of my face because I feel claustrophobic. Does this get any better? Can I overcome this? I really want to keep going and the wife says when I DO use it that I don't snore but when I pull the thing off my face she immediately knows because I start snoring again. I am SOOOOO wanting to do this but am overwhelmed with this feeling. Does anybody else have this feeling? Please respond. Thank you so much
Daniel

[Pugsy]

I am a new user and want to know how you get by the "Drowning" feeling of using the C-Pap. I wake up in the night and pull the mask off of my face because I feel claustrophobic. Does this get any better? Can I overcome this?

Welcome to the forum Daniel.

Yes we do get used to all this. It will get better and there are things that can be done to help limit your problems.

Would you please take the time to register here at the forum and then add your equipment to your profile so that we can see at a glance what you are using. Please use text because with the images we can't see model name and the images are tiny. Look at my profile at the bottom of my response here to see what I mean. Here's how to add the equipment once you are registered..wiki/index.php/Registering_Equipment_in_User_Profile

You also might want to start a new thread of your own with your own specific issues because this thread is old and many people may just bypass an old thread and not see your questions.

Once we know which mask, machine, etc...then we can offer more specific ideas to help you. How long have you been using the machine? How many hours a night do you use the machine?
Also...what are your pressure settings? Do you use the ramp feature? Do you use any form of exhale relief? The more specific information you can give...the more the members here will be able to help you with specific ideas.

Right now about all we can say is "yes, it will get better" but we can't tell you how to make it better.

[Dive Apnea]

It gets better, just stick with it. I couldn't sleep without it, because I snore myself awake now without it. (not to mention will be sleepy the next day, and other associated health risks). It does suck to think I will be using it for the next 35 years, or more (hopefully). Losing weight won't help me, as I am height/weight proportionate, and excercise regularly. My brother has sleep apnea too, and is in shape as well. When I go to bed, I just put it on, not sure if I am used to it, but I certainly have just reached acceptance.

[Kairosgrammy]

Yes, it really is an adjustment. Now that you have done this a few days, try to figure out what is bothering you? Is it the mask? If so, what bothers you, frequent leaks, feelings of anxiety, leaving sores, doesn't fit right, etc. You may need to do some additional maneuvers with your mask or perhaps a different style mask would work differently.

If its the hose bothering you, if you look at a cpap supply place on line, they have fixtures that you can place above your head to hold the hose. Here are some examples. http://www.thecpappeople.com/Department ... mfort.aspx

If its the feeling of air blowing up your nose, that really just takes getting used to but there are things you can do to help the process. First, you can try ramping. That simply is a setting on your machine, that starts the pressure at a lower pressure than prescribed and then gradually increases the pressure over 20 minutes or so until it reaches your prescribed pressure. This varies from machine to machine. The RT should have explained how it works but not RT are created equal.

If you are ramping and still bothered, wear your machine while you watch tv or do something quiet in a chair or doesn't require a wide range of movement. The portability of the machine should allow you to go to the living room or another area. This will help to desensitize you to the feel of the air while your mind is a little more occupied.

I hope one of these suggestions help. I know from experience how frustrating it can be. When I was first diagnosed, they automatically issued me a nasal mask. I tried for 3 weeks to wear the durn thing. My heart would beat wildly, I'd feel nervious and anxious, etc. and I just flat couldn't sleep with it on. After 3 weeks, I was way more exhausted than I had ever been pre-cpap, obviously not a good thing. Having seen what untreated sleep apnea had done to my brother I was determined but by the end of 3 weeks, my determination was definitely waning. I went back to where I'd gotten my machine and mask and told the RT what was going on and she said, you need a different kind of mask. Apparently, the mask was triggering my feelings of claustophobia (I've always been mildly claustophobic but I didn't think I was that bad). She switched me to nasal pillows and that night, I slept like a baby. My problem was the mask but for everyone, the problem can be different. The effort is worth it. Hang in there. It will get better.

This is my fifth night using my recently obtained CPAP and I am beginning to hate the damn thing. I am way more irritable than usual, I feel foggy (today, despite day two having left me feeling as though I love the machine), and I am incredibly more angry than usual. Please tell me it gets better, please tell me someone out there has found away to make this machinery less awkward. Please advise.

[Uncle_Bob]

I guess I'm lucky I don't have this problem. I love the machine from day one. No, make that day zero, when I had the sleep study done.

really your sleep study helped?
i can understand feeling better since the titration, but the initial sleep study ????

[chunkyfrog]

Speaking of which; I wonder how many people actually have a split study?
I suspect the lab I was at may have fiddled with the numbers to guarantee themselves a second night's income

[xenablue]

Getting used to XPAP can take a while. Be patient, get yourself into a good place where you can convince yourself to keep a good attitude towards your therapy and become accepting.
Being as young as you are, it's a tough thing to deal with, but better than the alternative..... not waking up - which is better than some of the other side-effects of not accepting therapy.

Hang in there - come back here often to vent, ask questions contribute - this is the best place you could be for information, advice and support.

cheers,
xena