1 full week down

[oregondiver]

Thank you again for being such an aswesome supportive forum (especially the "love" I felt from my first post!)

My husband was gone for 3 nights last week (thurs-sun) so I finally got up the gumption to put the thing on from the get-go. After a few nights I was comfortable wearing it to bed even though my husband was still in the room. haha! I guess I just needed those 3 first days to help me come to terms with it (as a person) before coming to terms with it as a married person. Haha.

So although I have had it for 2 weeks now, I am officially "compliant" and have used it for the past 7 days. I am averaging 6.5 to 8.5 theraputic hours. I still wake up sometimes around 4am and take it off "so I can get some sleep". Haha! I like how someone phrased that on my first post. THat is sooooo true. Mentally I am thinking "lets take this off so I can get some real sleep". Cracks me up as I think about it during the daylight hours (but can't guarantee that I won't take it off at 4am tomorrow either though!)...

I selected my mask based on looks (minimally creepy, minimal facial coverage, minimal straps around the head) and it has worked great for me. So although I was put on a nose mask (not nose pillow) during my sleep study, I opted for an untried mask for my selection (knowing I had 30 days to exchange). I almost wrote "love it love it love it" for my Swift FX nose pillow...but that ain't quite true. How about I say...in the scheme of things, I love my Swift FX compared to others (which I have never even tried?). Haha.

In the past few days I have found the "ramp" button (I was told about it in my class the morning of my sleep study...but still in GAH! mode at that time, so forgot it). But I refound the button and I wish I had found it sooner. I am able to go go sleep sooooo much easier when I am not fighing the air.

So yea for me....I am actually using it. Staying asleep in the night has finally occurred. I don't have the supposed "energy" yet when I wake up (or the toher thing that women in polite society don't mention ) but I am hopeful.

Anyway, I will continue lurking on this forum. Thanks for being such a positve group of people. Any chance you want to come work fo rmy employer? We just have whiners here!

[Tino2You]

That is great news. To go from avoidance/denial to acceptance in a week is fantastic! Keep it up. Glad to hear you also came to terms with your mask. It really is the major make/break issue with most people. I also picked the Swift FX. Mainly because of the comments others made in here while I was waiting for my insurance to fill my script for my machine. It was my second mask (they gave me the FFM blue goo something or other but as far as I could tell it's name should be "leaky and annoying" but I digress I wore that mask one night...my sleep study night. I keep it in the event of a major cold or something. But so far been swifting it.

At any rate, congrats once again. Keep the faith. The rewards are many.
-tino

[Stinkielee]

I have the same mask and what sounds like similar "issues" as you do. I have wrestled with this for 5 nights now, and only getting a decent night's rest once, when I took a sleeping pill. I can't seem to get comfortable with the pillows on my nose. They initially seemed to be great, but I am now starting to get frustrated. I am trying different pillows to rest my head on to accomodate the thing, etc. The plan tonight is to try fixing the hose to the top of the headgear. From there I might try the Sleepweaver Advance Nasal CPCP Mask with Improved Zzzzephyr Seal, because it is made of soft cloth instead of this rubber stuff. I am determined to make this work, as it is the only way that I don't snore, and the only way my boyfriend and I can share the same bed/room!

[Stinkielee]

When I first replied, I had the Swift LT. I saw that you had the FX, so I looked it up and WOW - I called the office that provided my equipment, and they let me come and get (a 25 mile drive) the LT! What a difference! I'm SURE tonight will be a success! Stay tuned!

[Xney]

Nasal pillows is sort of a personal thing, whether they can be comfortable or not. They were weird to me when I started out, after some adjustment I really love them now. (note: must fit well without tightness!) Which is good, since I haven't ever found a nasal mask or full face mask which fits me. (I've tried about 15 of them)

If you feel your problem is sort of a "get used to this weird thing on my face trying to sleep" problem rather than "this mask is tight/uncomfy/hurting because it doesn't fit well" problem, I think taking some sleep medication the first week would be fine. laying awake in bed for hours on xPAP isn't doing anybody any good. Once the setup is good and you log some hours, it becomes a LOT easier to fall asleep on it. Your body and mind adjust.

[Stinkielee]

I do believe I can call last night a success! This Swift FX is the BOMB! (compared to that other one) and sexy too (LOL). There is still some adjustments, like the heat and humidity levels to play with (too hot, too humid). I was able to add 4 more feet to the tubing by adding 2 24" short tubes with connectors, so now I can put the unit at the foot of the bed when it is quieter. We are almost ready to go on vacation together!

[oregondiver]

stinkielee...that is fabulous news! I am so happy it worked out for you.

Now I just need to get around the mental "gotta take this off so I can get some sleep mode". I feel like I wear it for at least 6 hours...and for some reason I still unintentionally (well, my subconscious is intentional) take it off around 4am. But I have found a few days where it appears I only wore it for 3-5 hours.

Last night I said I was going to wear it all frickin night if it killed me. I woke up around midnight (yes, to take it off), around 4am (my normal take off time) and then finally kept it on until 530am, my normal wake up time. whew!!!