Night Four and I don't know how to do this!

[woosleepmom]

This is my fourth night using a Bi-Pap machine and now it's 4am and it's a hot mess.

The hose pulled the machine off my nightstand when I turned over, this caused water to go everywhere including shooting into my face mask that I was wearing. I pulled it off gasping and threw it on the bed where it started to spew water all over the bed, mask straps, etc.

So at 4:30, I'm trying to blow dry the mask straps which doesn't seem to be working......

I can't get the mask not to leak and keep adjusting it and I now have pimples on my face now (which are ugly and hurt) where the mask rubs against it.

It's just a hot, wet mess!


Sigh!

[k_ogre]

1st I'd put your mask/machine info in your profile
this is not a easy think we have to do lots of ups and downs to start. setting mask type fitting how to get used to moving around with that frack'n hose but it does get easier after time and the people here are a great help

[JDS74]

That sound awful. Hope things look better in the morning.
Some things you can do to help.
1) Get a hose hanger to suspend the hose up above you so that it is out of your way during the night.
2) Post your equipment using the User Control Panel and select your equipment including mask. It is better to select text as a display mode as many of the models have pictures that look identical.
3) Ask you doctor for a copy of your sleep study / sleep titration reports - they contain lots of very useful information.
4) It sounds as if you are tightening the mask too tight. When the mask is identified, there will be others who can help with advice on how to adjust it properly. You can also go back to your DME and have the respiratory therapist (RT) help you with adjusting it. Take your machine and insist on lying down during the adjustment. Your face changes shape quite a bit between sitting up and lying down. Have the RT adjust the pressure to be the highest that your prescription allows during the fitting and then set it back to the prescription values. If it fits at the higher pressure, it will fit at the "normal" pressures but the opposite is not necessarily true.

[robysue]

woosleepmom,

I am sorry that you had such a rough night. A lot of us have been through some pretty rough adjustment periods when we were starting out.

Accidently pulling the machine off the nightstand is not uncommon, but as you've found out, it can be messy. Hanging the hose so that it's over head may help you turn over more easily in bed. And that's a great solution if you don't mind routing the hose overhead.

Some people also find that if they put some kind of a non-slip pad between the nightstand and the machine, that helps to minimize the movement of the machine when the hose is tugged. Mouse pads designed for mechanical mice (not optical mice) are good options for this.

And depding on what kind of machine you are using, the way the hose exits the machine may nor may not make it easier to accidentally pull the machine off. Some machines have a swivel for the hose to attach to, and that allows some additional hose movements that don't result in pulling the machine off the table. If the hose attaches to the back of the macine, you may find turning the macine around may help.

But the spewing water all over the place when you yanked the mask off may also indicate that you overfilled the humdifier tank. Without knowing the exact make and model of your PAP machine, it's hard for us to say whether that may have contributed to the mess you were dealing with in the wee hours of the AM last night.

[Thatgirl]

My machine is on the ground, so at least of it tips over, it's not going flying. The Airsense seems a bit sturdy for that to happen, though. What type of set up do you have?

[marybarnes]

My husband make me a board with one inch high sides that slides under the mattress and sits at that level. It doesn't fall. There is no clutter on my night stand. it cost us a small piece of board with some glue approx. $2

[yaconsult]

I'm sorry you had such a bad night.

I can recommend this hose hanger for only $11 from amazon for hose management: http://www.amazon.com/North-American-He ... 0034CHMRU/ It lets the hose move quite a lot without moving the machine. You slip it between the mattress and the boxspring at the head of the bed or either side of the bed and can try different places until you find the best spot for you.

Some people put their cpap machines in a drawer. Some attach them to a surface - velcro strips work great for this: http://www.amazon.com/VELCRO-Brand-Stic ... 000TGSPV6/

Some put their cpap machine on the floor where it has nowhere to fall.

It will get better as you find out what works for you - hang in there! You can do this!

[Darth Lady]

Oooh, that's a bad night.

I second the vote for a hose hanger like the one from Amazon. I have that, and I basically don't even know I've got a hose coming out of my face with it suspended from that. It absorbs a lot of shock as you move around. When I move, it's like an elephant seal turning over and I've never had a problem with motion getting back to my machine, which is on the bedside table.

Mask adjustment is probably the single trickiest part of this therapy. The "pimples" might be sensitivity to silicone (rare, but possible), or pressure sores, often from over-tightening or mis-fit as others have said. There are liners for practically every type of mask and they add to comfort and help control leaks.

[tuzacat]

I am so sorry you are having such a rough time! Starting off can be really difficult! When I first went on cpap it felt like I was wearing a house on my face. I was miserable but determined to feel better. It took a while to get used to the whole experience and to find masks that worked for me. I keep my machine in a drawer next to my bed - bottom drawer. Best wishes! Tuza

[library lady]

Oh, I'm sorry about the bad night... as other posters have said, it's common to have difficulties in the beginning, and all have given you good suggestions. One poster mentioned mask liners, and these help in two ways, one of which is to protect your face. The other help it offers is to minimize mask leakage. I needed help with both. There are couple of sources for liners... Pad-A-Cheek and RemZzzs. In addition, P-A-C offers strap pads for protection from strap irritation. Liners are good for protection from mask irritation. Go here for P-A-C: http://www.padacheek.com. Or here for RemZzzs: https://www.cpap.com. In addition, many DMEs carry the RemZzzs liners. I use RemZzzs liners and P-A-C strap pads, and I'll add that the liners were a game changer for me... without them I don't know what I would have done.

[archangle]

Be sure to fix it where you can't pull the machine off the table. Water can spill into the machine and ruin it.

One solution is to tie the hose to the headboard or something where you can't pull the machine off the table.

If you ever turn it over again, be sure and pick it up with the humidifier side downward so that water will run from the blower portion toward the humidifier. You don't want water to get back into the blower side.

[woosleepmom]

Thanks everyone....what a frustrating night. My husband had literally just left for an early flight off to a business trip and all heck seemed to break loose. Trying again tonight......I've posted the information I could find about the machine/mask. It's what I was given when I went to pick it up from the home health care store. They didn't give me any options, just handed me this one (and went over a debriefing of how to hook it up, etc). Also, the mask was one they said the sleep clinician recommended......so I wasn't give lots of options on that either.

I bought a countour cpap pillow too.....so fingers crossed it goes better tonight. I still need to order the liners you all suggested. Thanks for the ideas! I really want this to work as I'm told I have severe sleep apnea and my pressure is 17 and 13.

[OkyDoky]

You have a very good data capable machine. Here is a site to help you learn about Sleepyhead and when you are ready we can help you if you have any questions. https://sleep.tnet.com/resources/sleepyhead