Is this ok?

[UndergroundPanther]

I have been yanking off my mask in the middle of the night. I usually got it on for like 3 or 4 hours tho it says it on the machine...
I have a full face mirage. My pressure setting is 10. The humidifier is at 4,and I ramp it up.I have been on cpap for a week.

One issue I have is ,that others here might not .. Is I got big bone spurs growing off of my spine,into my neck,touching against my espohagus..
Where the lower mask strap goes around my head across the base of my skull it squishes my flesh against the bone spurs so my neck and throat hurts.It is very hard to adjust my bed pillows to compensate for my mask and my sore neck.I sleep on my side.

For the last few nights,I apparently wake up and the mask goes on the nightstand.My neck is sore as anything when I wake up after the night is over..
I don't sleep"normal hours" .My sleep schedule is reversed,that is I go to bed around dawn and sleep until 2pm or so.My therapist thinks it is because of my pstd issues is why I can't sleep at night like most people do. It is related to my traumas in my past . So even as a kid I slept during day hours,during school it was hell I used to go home,sleep and wake up as the sun was down.. So,I have tried for years to sleep "normal" hours and I can't do it.

So what do I do now ? Is it the mask that's causing me neck pain, or is it the way I prop my head trying to work around both my neck and the mask doing it? Is it usual for people getting used to cpap to be taking off the mask after a few hours? Can I do anything about the strap going around the base of my skull??Is there a kind of mask out there that does not have such a low riding skull strap on it?

[Linda3032]

Here are my thoughts:

Don't worry about when you sleep for now. Get used to sleeping with a mask. When you conquer that, then worry about when to sleep.

Why do you have a full face mask? Are you sure you need one? Many people "think" they mouth breathe, because they slept with their mouths open before cpap. I ask this because full face masks can be hard to tolerate - especially at first. Perhaps you could try the nasal pillows - which you don't have to strap on as tightly. If they work, but you are a mouth breather, then you could try tape or polygrip.

Or, perhaps you could losen the full face mask straps, but help secure the mask to your face by using the "mantyhose" strap. It helps to pull the mask closer to the face without having to tie it tightly.

You are having additional pain because you are lying differently - you no longer can sleep in the most comfortable positions due to the mask getting in your way. Therefore, you are causing your back and neck to hurt. That is normal for all of us at first. You must find a mask that allows you to sleep/lie comfortably.

And yes, it is very normal to only be able to wear your mask for just a few hours at first. People pull it off for many reasons - but you won't be successful unless you find a comfortable one.

If you have a DME, perhaps you can go back and try several masks. Be sure to ask to try a nasal pillows device. A new and very good one is Comfort Lite 2 - it consists of two devices in two sizes. You would get the nasal cushion (that is standard), and the nasal pillows - more than likely in size Med & Large. I haven't tried it, but many here have and recommend it.

As I said before, if you get and can tolerate the nasal pillows, then you should be able to sleep with them longer. With less pain. And if you mouth breathe, then we can help you with that too.

Good Luck.

[chdurie2]

Hi-

Many of us play the middle-of-the-night mask game, so don't be too hard on yourself. Some of us even play it after a few months or more. I just mean that you wake up after sleeping and wonder how you took it off and how long it has been off. It might be mildly interesting to know whether you just wake up and put the mask on your nightstand or whether you actually have to get up to put it there -- only to know the amount of activity you engage in to get rid of the mask. mine usually winds up somewhere on the bed, but where the mask lands is not all that important. just keep trying and also know that it's okay that if you consciously wake up and don't put it back on, occasionally that's okay, too, although you shouldn't make a habit of it. There are many minor variations of the "I refuse to sleep all night with this mask" game.

As for the discomfort of the lower straps on the Ultra Mirage Full Face Mask, the straps should not be so tight that they are causing any real discomfort except that they are straps. That lower piece in the back of the mask should not be pulled tight, if that's what you're referring to. You should try playing around with the upper straps and the 4-setting thingee inbetween the forehead pad and the nose/mouth piece to see if you can tighten those so the lower ones can be looser. This may not be possible--these are just suggestions.

You also may want to contact Karen Moore, our PADACHEEK member, who makes lovely pads for our cheeks so we don't get marks and now for our foreheads so that we don't get marks or sore points. Someone else got a very sore spot on the back of her neck from the Fisher & Paykel 431 full-face mask so maybe if you explain the problem to Karen, she can make something for you. You can find her on Ebay by looking under cpap pads. Moleskin (Dr. Scholl's) may serve a similar function. I can see how a bone spur might just grate against the elastic no matter what you do, but a soft piece in the middle might ease it.

In full-face masks, I only know about UMFF, F&P 431 and ResMed Series 2 and all of them will have that lower strap in the back. Activa, which is a nasal mask, also will have it, but there the front part of the lower straps are meant to be looser than on UMFF so it might not bother you as much. i think the lower back part of the elastic goes in the same place as in UMFF because it attaches at the same place, but i could be wrong about that.

I agree with Linda that you first need to get yourself straight with cpap equipment, then deal with your other sleep problems. But that is me making a judgment about you perhaps not being able to take on both problems. If you want to work on it now, Karen Moore, (I sound like her promoter, but I'm not) wrote a lovely post to me on Saturday or Sunday about working on dealing with circadian rhythm problems, which it sounds like you have pretty entrenched. The title of the thread was Sleeping Your Life Away: Circadian Rhythm Problems or
something close to that. you might want to take a look at that. It's one thing to say that reversing the clock is a way of dealing with PTSD and another to start taking steps to change your clock-reversing habit as an activity. I love to eat chocolate, but I also eat too much of it when I'm depressed--that doesn't mean I have to cure my depression to stop eating more chocolate than I should. I think that learning to face the day can also be painful, but I support you if you want to try to start taking steps to doing that. From what you're saying, it sounds like you feel you're missing something the way you're living. if that's so, I hope you have courage to move forward.

You can do this.

Caroline

[Goofproof]

The object is to get all the sleep you can with the mask, You can put a pad on the lower strap to help. I got a Sheep Skin cover for a seat belt and wrapped mine, cost $1 and worked great. The good thing about a FF Mask is that you don't have to guess if your treatment is working as long as your pressure is correct with a FF Mask you are getting the pressure you need.

It will become one of your best friends. Jim

[chdurie2]

And as long as your lower lip is not slipping out from under the mask when you mouthe-breathe, which I think is my favorite trick. Test by opening your mouth fairly wide, as wide as you would do when mouth breathing, while awake. I don't know for sure, since I sleep alone, but my guess is that if I can do it while awake, I'll do it while asleep.

Caroline