A rough but encouraging first night

[steeve]

I understand fully why so many give up on this, It should be required of the sleep Dr. to give patients addresses of sleep forums such as this.

With everything I am learning on here over the past couple days, that EXACT THOUGHT occurred to me. I am going to mention it to my sleep Dr. on my follow up. I would encourage all to do the same. I realize some Dr's might discourage this as looking for non-medical advice, but since the forums are available 24/7 and it is near impossible to even speak to a Dr. without an appointment, well, you can do the math.

I agree with you on that. I just wonder do the DME's feel that intimidated or are they simply----well I better not say that word. Do they make money every time we walk in, uncaring R ??????

I know I would be in deep trouble without the caring knowledgable folks here.

[Deenie-deen]

Last night was my first night with my machine. I got the mask on and only woke up once to make a bathroom run. I don't think I had any big leaks. The skin around my nostrils is a little irritated today so I bought some vitamin e oil. My autoset s9 was making a door squeak noise on my exhale so back to the sleep center tomorrow with all the equipment to figure out the problem. I ordered a hose buddy and should get it soon. I hope that helps with the irritation around my nostrils. Has anyone else experienced the irritation?
Thanks,
Deenie-deen

[Pugsy]

I hope that helps with the irritation around my nostrils. Has anyone else experienced the irritation?

Yes, it's common. Make sure the top strap isn't too tight and nasal pillows are sized properly.
The nasal pillow mask shouldn't cause anything more than a vary minor tenderness when properly fitted.
The most common mistake is people have the straps way too tight.
We often suggest Lansinoh lanolin ointment (nursing mom's use it for nipple chaffing) on the nostrils..a little at bedtime.
It helps protect the skin until it gets used to having something up against it...remember the nostrils have never really had anything touch them. It's also a bit tacky and helps with the seal.

The vitamin E oil might cause things to slide around all over the place if you use too much at bedtime.

[Catalytic]

Hey NLJT! Last night was my first night, as well.

Catalytic,

That is good to hear. How do you feel this morning? How did the titration study go, and what did they come up with for pressure levels?

-john-

I woke up by myself this morning, which is very, very rare. Was about 7 hours after I laid down, and I was planning to go to the restroom and lay back down, but my husband texted me. Started talking to him and decided to stay up LOL. Usually, once I get to sleep, I can pretty much sleep for 10-12 hours with no problem, and even longer, unless someone/something wakes me up. Not sure if the early awakening was due to the S9 or not. Can't say I feel much different yet, perhaps a bit more awake than usual, could be wishful thinking.

My doc said I did well at 11, and the S9's data from last night seems to confirm that, with my average pressure at 10.53. My machine is set for 8/14.

[quietmorning]

Your DME gave you the Bella Mask. It's supposed to be the 'upgrade' to the swift fx. It's terrible. Yes, the swift fx mask hardly ever leaks for me. The Bella mask blew itself right off my nose. The Bella was probably too tight to keep it from leaking. You shouldn't have that problem with the full mask, so you can wear it so that the nasal pillows 'float' on your nostrils. You'll hardly notice they are there.

Congrats on your first night!! FOUR HOURS!! And with the Bella, no less!! Awesome!

You've already gotten a lot of wonderful hints and advice - so keep up the good work!!

[NotLazyJustTired]

I logged over 8 hours in my second day! That includes the nap I took when I got home yesterday. I did wake up a few times, but I think I am starting to get the hang of this mask. The link that Pugsy posted was very helpful in my understanding how these pillows seal and that I think made all the difference for me. I had one "episode" where I shut the machine off for a bit and used the toity. I woke up around 2:30am in a sweat and had some difficulty breathing. Every 10 or so breaths I would feel panicky and have to take a couple of deep breaths to calm back down. I strongly resisted taking the mask off, but after about 6 sequences of this I decided to get up, use the BR, get a drink and try again. When I came back and refitted the mask all was well and I slept pretty soundly the rest of the night. I am not sure what that was all about but it was the only real negative experience of the night. Much better than the night before.

But here's the best part: DREAMS! Holy crap, I forgot what dreams were like! I really don't remember much about them, just that when I woke up I was thinking, how cool was that? I actually think the experience of dreaming after so long without having any dreams somehow startled me into awaking if that makes any sense?

I don't feel like superman or anything; the real test will be as the day wears on and if I need that afternoon nap, etc. I am not ready to say that I've conquered this mask, but I will claim victory for this one night! I will say, though, that the experience gives me encouragement and a sense of optimistic hope. Hope can be powerful.

[Pugsy]

You did well last night.
Those Bella Loops take some fiddling but when everything comes together on them it's a pretty sweet way of doing things.
I managed with pressures up around 18 cm with them.
You are going to find out that just about any mask out there will have lovers and haters...and for good reason.
You will also find out that with any mask you will likely find there are things that you love about it and things you aren't so fond it....and the trick is to know when one outweighs another.
My step sister had not used anything but an over the nose nasal mask for probably over 5 years. No one had ever told her about the nasal pillow masks. She thought having a decimated nose from the nasal mask was just something she had to put up with.
I finally got her to try the Swift FX and got her the traditional headgear and the Loops. She took to the Loops right away and never looked back. I think it took her 3 nights to get the fit perfected...better than me because it took me about a week.

When you get the traditional headgear you will see what I mean...there is something just so nice about not having all that other "stuff" on your head and face. I have recently started using the Tap Pap mouth..no headgear (though there is headgear available) but the mask is anchored by a mouth guard. It's working out very well for me. I have this thing about "stuff" on my face. Not that I hate it but just that I would prefer it not to be there and if given a chance with a mask that doesn't put much, if any, stuff on my face I am going to try it. Besides I like trying new stuff. Breaks up the boredom.
Give yourself a couple of years on the machine and you will understand.....it gets real boring. Besides someone has to try the new stuff.

You will do fine. Keep up the good work.

[jweeks]

But here's the best part: DREAMS! Holy crap, I forgot what dreams were like! I really don't remember much about them, just that when I woke up I was thinking, how cool was that? I actually think the experience of dreaming after so long without having any dreams somehow startled me into awaking if that makes any sense?

Hi,

That is a really good sign. Dreaming means that you are hitting long periods of REM sleep. That means that things are working. Since the dreams seem to be new to you right now, that means that you probably had bad REM sleep before you started CPAP, with all kinds of interruptions. That confirms that you have OSA, you need the machine for treatment, and that the treatment is doing the trick.

I was just as startled by the dreams at first. You will notice them for a while, a few weeks, then it will get routine and you won't notice them much any more. It is the change that got your attention. Enjoy it while it lasts--it is one way that you can get in touch with your subconscious and find out what your brain is doing behind your back.

-john-