not adjusting well to using the machine

[Bellalin]

Hello,
I have had the machine for 90 days and still cannot get used to using it. My doctor has told me that I need to use it and suggested I visit this site for help from other cpap users. I am not sure where to start

[49er]

Hello,
I have had the machine for 90 days and still cannot get used to using it. My doctor has told me that I need to use it and suggested I visit this site for help from other cpap users. I am not sure where to start

Well, kudos to your doctor for recommending this site and welcome to the forum.

First, we need you to fill out your equipment profile by using the link in my signature. That way, member can better tailor their answers to your situation.

And if you could be more specific about your problems, that would help. For example:

1. Mask issues, what type of problems?
2. Can't stand the pressure? Too high or too low? And what is the prescribed amount?
3. What else is interfering with your comfort such as sensations, hose placement, etc.?

Hopefully, this gives you some idea as to where to start.

49er

[Craig-Tx]

Also, please let us know if you have tried different masks. If so what was better, what was worse?, etc.

Secondly, I too am very impressed with your doctor recommending the site. I can certainly say that my treatment success was significantly impacted by this site.

[ShelaghDB]

Hello,
I have had the machine for 90 days and still cannot get used to using it. My doctor has told me that I need to use it and suggested I visit this site for help from other cpap users. I am not sure where to start

I agree with 49er. Thats a great doctor you are fortunate enough to have if he suggested that to you.

BTW, all in all I have been at it about 3 months and if it weren't for this and one other CPAP forum I would not have been able to use my CPAP equipment either. I was getting terribly confused but I assure you that if you do post your machine brand, masks, symptoms and everything else 49er said YOU WILL get it figured out.

These guys and gals helped me immensely as they will you, proving they are given the right information to work with,

[gdgiles]

I'm only into CPAP therapy for about 5 or 6 weeks and I would be totally lost without this place. For financial reasons I'm not using a Dr or med tech to get set up, I'm figuring it out as I go and this place is a terrific resource.

[robysue]

Bellalin,

I am impressed that your sleep doc suggested looking us up. That's a quality doc you have.

As for where to start:

1) Register as a forum user and register your equipment. If you don't know how to do that, ask and someone will provide you with instructions.

2) Think about and describe your problems in enough detail for us to help you. I have a couple of old posts written to newbies that give pointers on what kinds of information we need in order to help you solve your particular problems. So start by reading:

Accurately describing your problems

I can't breathe the the mask on

It would also help us help you if we knew precisely what PAP machine you are using and what it is set at. Hopefully you are using a machine that records full efficacy data instead of a machine that records only usage data. Sometimes looking at the efficacy data provides insight into what kinds of things you ought to try for making the adjustment go better.

[Guest]

Thank you! I have severe apnea and hypountilation (not sure what that is, my doctor wrote it out), bottom line per my doctor, I stop breathing without the machine 47 times an hour and with the machine it is only 4 times an hour. But I am having trouble adjusting and having severe anxiety even with the minimal headgear and nasal pillows. As of last week, I have had the cpap for 90 days and with the exception of a try here and there for the first 60 days did not use it as I should have, I allowed my fear and anxiety to get the best of me and kept avoiding it and avoided dealing with it. I would try it out and then choke up pulling the mask off feeling like I could not breath. I had never experienced claustophobia in small places but when I put the mask on my throat and chest tightens and I feel like cant breath. Actually the thought of using the machine makes my chest tighten. I have some back and neck issues and on occasion have gone for a massage, I noticed on the couple occasions when I was relaxed from the massage it was easier for me to talk my way through not pulling the mask off the second I could not get a good breath. But I still could not keep it on for more than a few hours at a time. At the time I was using a small mask just over my nose and mouth with minimal headgear, even minimal is too much.

I also have allergies and sinus issues and had a sinus infection. That made it more difficult to breath and use the cpap. I tried but only used it for a few hours at a time never sleeping just forcing myself to keep the machine on trying to last a half hour or an hour longer than the time before. I also had a bit of difficulty with the machine and the settings and noticed that the water would not go down even after one night of using it for almost 6 hours. After a visit to my doctor last month, almost 60 days in, I called the company where I got the machine. The humidifier was set to manual so it was not being used. The man who came was wonderful and he explained the machine and all the features to me and my husband. We also tried all the masks that I was given (3), one of them was the pillows and I decided to give that a try. I like the pillows much better than the nasal. The machine was set to ramp after 20 minutes, I felt that was too long, we changed it to 5 minutes and since then I removed the ramp up time. It is set auto cpap 8 to 16. The technician also suggested I read or watch tv to get used to wearing it. We brought it downstairs for few nights and I wore it while relaxing with my husband the couch watching tv ( we don't have a tv in our bedroom) and I actually fell asleep. We then brought it upstairs and I slept with it for most of the night.

I did not feel any different in the morning, but one full night I am sure will not do it. My mother in law has been using a CPAP for years she loves hers, will not travel without it says she gets a great sleep every night and is up and refreshed in the morning and loves it. She also, like my husband falls asleep the second her head hits the pillow. Not so much for me. I need to relax, read and get sleepy to fall asleep or be exhausted and even then it does not come that easy, unless I am relaxing on the couch with my husband then more often than not I will doze if I am tired. But my anxiety gets the best of me. I have difficulty breathing through my nose and catching my breath, once I get a breath I am okay but everything distracts me, air comes out sometimes on the sides and the headgear rides up close to my eyes, and the hose tugs the mask away from my face if I am not holding it. And if my nose is stuffed and it is often I don't want to use the machine or I use it as an excuse to take it off. And it all causes my anxiety level to increase and that affects the tightness in my chest and my breathing, a vicious cycle! I do not consider myself someone who makes a lot of excuses but I feel like that is all I am doing because I don't want to use the machine. BUT I know that I need to. I stop breathing a lot during the night and that is not good. I have leg cramps and other issues because I know that my body is not getting the oxygen it needs and I need to woman up and do this. I have been blessed with a wonderful doctor and he led me here, three weeks ago and I am just logging on today! I thought I could tough it out on my own. I have failed miserably and the day before yesterday I got a message from the insurance company that they are denying the machine and will be sending me a letter and will notify my doctor. My doctor told me that this is not a machine I need because of snoring its not about that for me, it is about my breathing and that I stop breathing too many times without it, it is not a choice. So I go back to the doctor on Tuesday and I await the letter from the insurance company and I pray that they will give me a second chance and moreso that I can get past my fears and find a way to use the machine every night without this overwhelming anxiety. Thank you for being here and providing this forum, I am grateful and appreciative for any suggestions that you may have.

[palerider]

I need to woman up and do this.

well, Betty white says...

[bwexler]

Can you tell us the brand and exact model of the machine, it makes abig difference in the advice we can give.

As to you stoping breathing. If you stop 40 times an hour for 10 seconds (the minumum time required to register as an apnea) that is 400 seconds or almost 7 minutes every hour. If an event lasts 20 or 30 sceconds, you can do the math. Can you hold your breath for 7, 15, 20 minutes?

You need to get friendly with your equipment. You may need to try a full face mask if you can't breath through your nose. Or a nasal rinse may clear things.

[RogerSC]

Well, I have a few suggestions:

1. For the anxiety, try wearing your mask and using your cpap when you're doing things that you enjoy, like reading, or watching TV, whatever you enjoy that's pretty stationary. That should help you get in tune with it, and help your body not to panic when you're sleeping with it.

2. Use a hose holder to keep your hose organized *smile*. This is a vertical pipe that your hose is attached to, so it is always coming from above, like this one:

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/HoseBu ... ystem.html

There are several of these around, some as inexpensive as around $12 from Amazon.com. Basically it takes over the responsibility for keeping your hose organized, and you can just sleep and not worry about it.

3. Don't know if you can do this, but I used Ambien to help me sleep for the first week of cpap use. By the end of the week, my body was conditioned to be able to sleep with cpap, and I just stopped using the Ambien. This may or may not work for you because of drug interactions, or other medical reasons, but it was very helpful for me.

4. Use earplugs when you sleep, then you mostly just hear the sound of your own breathing, which is pretty rhythmic and soothing. Something else to try.

I hope that some of these things might help, since, as you say, your doctor tells you that you need cpap to take care of the problem of stopping breathing while you're sleeping.

Good luck, I'm sure that you'll get it all worked out to the point where your insurance company will be happy with your compliance. And you'll be more healthy.

[Bellalin]

Thank you and thank you for the suggestions. I will look into the hose holder, that may be helpful because the hose is a distraction for me.

My machine is ResMed S9 Series. One of the three masks they gave me is a full mask but that makes my chest tighten just thinking about it. The nasal pillows are the least overwhelming.

[palerider]

Can you hold your breath for 7, 15, 20 minutes?

not all at once I can't.

[ShelaghDB]

My machine is ResMed S9 Series

Look on the machine on the left hand side on the top. You will see one of these 3 words. Let us know which one you see.

Escape
Elite
AutoSet

unless there is something else there than mention that as well

[palerider]

My machine is ResMed S9 Series

Look on the machine on the left hand side. You will see one of these 3 words. Let us know which one you see.

Escape
Elite
AutoSet

unless there is something else there than mention that as well

mine doesn't say anything like that, what's that mean?

[ShelaghDB]

My machine is ResMed S9 Series

Look on the machine on the left hand side. You will see one of these 3 words. Let us know which one you see.

Escape
Elite
AutoSet

unless there is something else there than mention that as well

mine doesn't say anything like that, what's that mean?

Yours is a VPAP and i am not sure how those ones are identified but Im guessing since she is new to this, she is most likely using the CPAP series and the 3 machines all look exactly alike but those 3 names are the model of her machine.

Escape - Brick, Not data capable
Elite - Data Capable
AutoSet- Data Capable


Those who will advise her need to know WHICH resumed S9 machine she has