New To Me

I have been on the CPAC for 18 days now and am having a really hard time. I usually can go to sleep after about 15 minutes, but wake up in the night several times tossing and turning. I have a RESMED Escape with a Comfort Fusion nasal mask. I woke up last night with a very sore cheek bone. Does your face swell in the night? I know that the mask is not too tight when I go to sleep, but when I wake up it has tightened tremendously. Also, my mask is making popping noises. I read where the humidifier condensation could cause this, but mine starting making noises right at the beginning before it had time to start condensation. When I got a good seal on the mask the noises stopped, but when I move they start back. I turned the humidifier down to one. I go back for my second sleep study Sunday night. I am averaging about 4 1/2 hours with the machine before I have to come out of the mask. Is this normal for a beginner?

Welcome to the Forum library teacher,
This therapy with CPAP and mask does take a good deal of patience.
When you lay down the fluid in your body does tend to re-distribute and your face does get a bit puffier. As far as only being able to keep the mask on for 4 hours that is fine for a newbie. Each time you take it off, try to tell yourself to put it back on, and gradually you will make it longer and longer with the mask. It was 6 months before my CPAP and I loved each other.
I know that I would take the mask off and turn off the machine in the night and not even realize it until I woke up and then I wondered who had been messing with my mask and machine. It was me.

I wish you the very best of luck getting used to the whole set up. It is not always easy, but it is always important that you keep with the effort to use it. I know that it took a while, but I would not nap or sleep anywhere without my blessed CPAP and mask.

Take care, there are many people here who will help you.

Karen

Another thing I forgot to mention is that when I awoke this morning around 3 o'clock and took off my mask I was really dizzy headed. I just wondered what could have caused that?

Just a couple of guesses on my part here ..

1) build up of C02 in your mask .. could the exhaust vents have been blocked?
2) loss of air pressure .. machine turned off, hose got blocked?

3) sensation that you are suffocating .. clautrophobia, panic (that's how I can get) ..

AuntieNae

I've been on cpap for 2 1/2 months now, in the beginning i could only go about 4 hours. about 2 weeks ago i was going 5-6 hours, and now this week i am sleeping through till the alarm goes off, about 7 1/2 - 8 hours. Hang in there and come back here to ask any questions, it does get better. also you may need to get a different mask, if you just got your equipment, you should have 30 days to switch out masks. look at cpap.com and see if there is one you think would work better for you and then have your DME swap for you.