Day 6

Those who have followed my posts know my struggles the last several days, which has included but not been limited to swallowing air. (I still don't know the terms. Aplopsia?) [Edit in: I mean aerophagia. All I had to do was look up to see that!] Because of the severity of the problem, and the fact that I've gotten virtually no sleep in 5 days, I had to do something, and that something had to involve changing levels.

Here's Day 6. Starting with end-day 5. (Yesterday evening.)

Using the very helpful posts of several people (thanks all!) I was first able to change my settings, to add the "thingamajig" as I called it yesterday, I forget what you call it, the comfort feature that has levels 1 - 3. Turns out it was already on 2. [Edit: I checked another post. I think I mean EPR.] I changed it to 3. I was also able to change my initial level on ramping, although I must not have hit "accept" because I discovered during the night it was still starting the ramping at 4. For some reason couldn't initially find where I change the actual CPAP pressure level, though I later learned it was in the same menus.

Last night, I came to this site and went to the chat room. Chatted for a while.
Found out where to change the pressure level. Someone (very kindly, thanks!) sent me instructions as well as the book on my machine. I changed my pressure level from 16 to 14.

I will post a bit on my reflections on the conversation there later, as it's in my mind. For now, last night:

Took some leftover "drowsy" prescription cough medicine, same stuff I used, I think on day 3, before bed. Went to bed around 10:00 pm. Wife, frustratingly, turned on TV until 10:30. I've learned from past experience that it's easier to take the path of least resistance and ignore her than to argue -- arguing will result in even less sleep than path of least resistance. I don't think she has any clue what I'm going through with my sleep issues. She's more worried about the short intervals when the sound of a strap being adjusted wakes her up, that I'm ruining her sleep. She has no clue how seriously I'm suffering, and I can't express it to her. Ah well...

Pressure wasn't as bad as past nights, but before I could fell asleep, I could tell that I was again swallowing air. Bubbles in saliva such that I wanted, both to swallow, and not to swallow. Swallowed more air. Soon, had to go to bathroom. Stomach pain. Came back from bathroom and put mask back on. Swallowing air again.

Then, around 12:30, giving up, I shut off the machine, took off my mask, and in about 30 seconds I was asleep, sleeping the old fashioned way, with my head on a pillow and no mask or machine, almost certainly snoring and having apneas but at least unconscious of them, and waking up when the alarm went off at 6:00.

Tired today, but at least it wasn't a totally sleepness night.

Obviously, another not-good night in my treatment, and the longest night of actually, not wearing the mask.

There may be some here who will say that I have to keep my mask on, that I have to keep using it. All I can say is, I'm doing the best I can.

More later.

I had to turn my EPR DOWN to get relief from the swallowed air thing. You went from 2 to 3 ... what worked for me was going from 2 to 1. Air swallowing stopped. I think it has something to do with how we react to the pressure changes. Anyways... now I don't use that feature at all.

THANKS -- tonight I'll try turning it off. I'm also going to turn the pressure further down, at least temporarily.

I just wrote a post venting some anger about how my treatment is going, I'm about to submit it. I think it's some good writing from my heart, if you're interested, I'm opening a new thread for it.

Charlie