NEW SCARED AND AFRAID REPOST

(NOTE: Sorry for the repost but I forgot to sign in when I post and it was under guest, I am new so forgive me)

Hi Everyone:

I was just given the bad news on Wednesday July 27th.2016 that i have moderate sleep apena and need a CPAP. I kind of rush though the process with the DME office that happen to be on site at the sleep study center, we tried a mask on and I just said yeah it's fine and rush out to catch one of my two buses to get to work(as my worked office moved in April and I had to move from the apartment I was living in for 11 years , to an apartment that had the ONE bus I need to get to work, our bus system in Allentown pa stinks and I don't drive). Anyway.. I rushed out so I could get the one bus back to the transfer center to make the other bus to get me to work so I wouldn't use up to much of my vacation time that I have left since I used all my sick time up with a shattered fractured left wrist (trip on sidewalk during lunch and not on work property) last September and I do not have short term disability I was without a paycheck the whole month of October 2015 and I am still dealing with some minor after effects(psychically and finical(I won't get into that) of that but that' not for this forum but I used up all my sick time and A time for the year 2015 with that and going to PT. January is when they refreshes are sick and vacation time. Also in 2011 I was diagnosed with ITP(bleed disorder where your blood plalet count drops, feb 15, 2015 had my spleen out, back in ER a week latert with drop count again,(this is where I used up all 600+ hours of sick time I accumulated over at that time almost 20 years on the job) they tried yet another Infusion treatment medication and since 2013 I have officially been in remission and that is all I am going to say on that subject)

Anyway if you read that far, thank you. I've only use the CPAP for a night and 1/2 so far. Last night I tried but woke up sweating like crazy I wasn't sure if I should have called 911 or not, that is who I discover this forum and like with PDSA for ITP and bleeding disorder, which help me when I was dealing with that, I am sure this forum will help me deal with CPAP.

I was up last night all night, didn't want to sleep cause I did't want to use the CPAP machine but i Know there compliane regs with it. I was up early morning. eating a popsicile to cool down
I finalyl went back to sleep at 3:00am. but i get up at 5:00 for work and certain as stated above really have the time to call off, I made though the day but I just want all day to burst out in tears and yell 'HOW CAN GOD DO THIS TO ME YET AGAIN".

Now here are some of my question or concerns.

1. How do I know I am putting the face mask on the right way?
2. I am a side sleeper does that make a difference?
3. i've heard you can but it's rare get meningitis from this.
4. Like with when I got the ITP , i am just plain sacred and afraid,
5 I have all kind of weird feelings in the morning,, the urge to have a bowel movement , this morning I Had pain in my stomach/colon area on the left side i went away by afternoon but it was weird. I get pain in my rib cage under my breast.
6. I feel slight dizzy wonder if it's my blood pressure as I don't have high blood pressure, it's always between 100/80 or 120/80. I wondering if it's lowering it too muh
7. I did an in home sleep study for two night and I am wondering if i did something wrong and the i't false results and I really don't have sleep apeana(yeah I know that's probably a strecth)

I already hate having the machine and want to throw it out the window and don't' want the apena. Now I can stand to lose about 20 pounds and I am going to try but I also have had under active thyroid since 1997, so that makes it hard and probably losing the weight in my case might make the apena go away and really my only symptom of apena is snoring and just within the last few mother the daytime sleepiness came in.

Thank you for reading my ramblings and for any help suggestions and support you can offer. If you live in Allentown PA and know of an support groups please let me know either on here or via my e-mail.

Why not start by filling in your equipment in the Control Panel. If you want help you need to use the CPAP and report the problems that you are having. We cannot help with the mask or machine if we don't know what you have. A positive attitude will go a long way to success. Currently it sounds like a lot of anxiety.

Welcome to the forum. It can be a challenge to get used to cpap, but it really does make a huge difference in how you feel. It will also help you heal and deal with other issues as you can heal better with consistently good oxygen levels.

MMK wrote:
1. How do I know I am putting the face mask on the right way?

We can help more once we know which mask you have. Usually, there is only one way to put it on. But how it fits will depend on you and a bit of technique. I chose the same mask style as the one used in my sleep study. There, it fit perfectly, and I slept over 5 hours straight without any leaks. Home, with my new mask, was a different story. Major leaks and fitting issues. I finally learned I could order a smaller size of headgear, which helped immensely. It took me about 6 weeks to master fitting it. I still have leaks occasionally, but usually due to sweating or drooling, which will cause the mask to move around.

2. I am a side sleeper does that make a difference?
3. i've heard you can but it's rare get meningitis from this.

Side sleeping takes a little practice, but once you get the fit down, it doesn't matter. Some use special pillows. I sleep with my face at the edge of the pillow, so my head is cradled, but the mask is out, away from the pillow.

I have never heard of meningitis related to cpap. Most people here have found that they get sick less often, and get over it faster. That has been my experience as well.

4. Like with when I got the ITP , i am just plain sacred and afraid,
5 I have all kind of weird feelings in the morning,, the urge to have a bowel movement , this morning I Had pain in my stomach/colon area on the left side i went away by afternoon but it was weird. I get pain in my rib cage under my breast.

Sounds like you are swallowing air. We can help you with solutions for that. We will need to know your machine and settings. Some of it is finding the right comfort settings for you, and part of it is practice. As you get used to cpap, you will swallow less air. Right now, it is new, and we tend to breathe differently as we try to get used to the machine.

6. I feel slight dizzy wonder if it's my blood pressure as I don't have high blood pressure, it's always between 100/80 or 120/80. I wondering if it's lowering it too muh
7. I did an in home sleep study for two night and I am wondering if i did something wrong and the i't false results and I really don't have sleep apeana(yeah I know that's probably a strecth)

It is possible that your blood pressure is down a bit. It could also be that the mask's exhale port has been blocked, causing you to inhale carbon monozxide.

False positives for sleep apnea are rare. Moderate sleep apnea means that you have 15-29 events per HOUR. During an 8 hour night, that's 120 - 232 sleep disturbances per night. That doesn't even take into account how long the events are and how low your oxygen saturation was going down.

I already hate having the machine and want to throw it out the window and don't' want the apena. Now I can stand to lose about 20 pounds and I am going to try but I also have had under active thyroid since 1997, so that makes it hard and probably losing the weight in my case might make the apena go away and really my only symptom of apena is snoring and just within the last few mother the daytime sleepiness came in.

Weight gain may have made it more noticeable, but it is more likely that you gained weight from lack of energy, from poor sleep, from sleep apnea. And it just finally got to the point where you notice it enough to want to treat it. Back when I was diagnosed, I knew I had it but thought I was sleeping fine, just rather loudly. Once I had my sleep study and 5 hours of blissful sleep, I realized just how crappy my old sleep was. You have not experienced a really good night of sleep yet, so you don't have a good comparison. This crappy sleep takes years to creep in, so we really don't notice how bad it is. We need to have a really good day in the midst of bad nights to see an obvious difference. I am lucky to have gotten that. Many people don't have an obvious great night, so their improvement comes over time in a more subtle way. Both ways do work in the long run.

We can help you make this a great success for you.

ZOOCREW:

I just posted my equipment to my control panel. Thank you for the answer to my question. One more question with the mask I have, is he air suppose to blow out of the front tube that is attached if so, that is so annoying to me and makes it hard to sleep when it's blowing in my eyes and face or am I doing something wrong?

MMK wrote:I just posted my equipment to my control panel.

It's not showing up...did you click "submit"
wiki/index.php/Registering_Equipment_in_User_Profile

I only have apnea when, make that IF, I fall asleep WITHOUT my cpap.
It is just that simple--apnea OR cpap.
I prefer the cpap.
Packing for a road trip now. Cpap has her own case.

One concern - are you on meds for the ITP now? Are you sure they're not known to interfere with OSA in some way, or your BP?

MMK wrote:ZOOCREW:

I just posted my equipment to my control panel. Thank you for the answer to my question. One more question with the mask I have, is he air suppose to blow out of the front tube that is attached if so, that is so annoying to me and makes it hard to sleep when it's blowing in my eyes and face or am I doing something wrong?

Your equipment is still not showing.......The air coming out of the front of the mask is CO2 exhaust. All masks have this.

At what pressure is you cpap set? It may be set too low.

LSAT wrote:

MMK wrote:ZOOCREW:

I just posted my equipment to my control panel. Thank you for the answer to my question. One more question with the mask I have, is he air suppose to blow out of the front tube that is attached if so, that is so annoying to me and makes it hard to sleep when it's blowing in my eyes and face or am I doing something wrong?

Your equipment is still not showing.......The air coming out of the front of the mask is CO2 exhaust. All masks have this.

Hi MMK, welcome to the forum! You have come to a good place for lots of help and support to be successful with your CPAP treatment

Although it is true that our masks have to expel our CO2, not every mask expels at the same rate, direction, or through the same part of the mask. I'm guessing you are using a full face mask; is it possible for you to try a nasal mask or nasal pillow mask? A lot of us here find the Airfit P10 nasal pillows very comfortable, quiet, and no exhaust/ air in your eyes

Just because the DME gave you one type of mask, does not mean you cannot try others unless your doctor has specified otherwise for a medical reason.

Finding the right mask for YOU is quite often the key to adapting well to CPAP treatment, but it takes patience and persistence on your part. Everything you are going through and feeling right now is normal for a new cpap user; many of us here have gone through what you are going through now, and know that it can get better, so we hope you'll stick around to find out

Take one day at a time, and no more

This is off topic because the important thing is helping you learn how to use CPAP properly, but where in the world did you hear this nonsense?

3. i've heard you can but it's rare get meningitis from this.

Hi again all:

I have more questionS. I manage to sleep the whole night last night with my CPAP , well almost until about 3:20 i the morning I sound like from the left side of the full face mask like I was playing the trumpet and the pressure was up to 15. Mine is the dreamstation philips respironics and the airfit 10 full face mask.

Also when I goT up for the day, I had pain and pressure again below my breast really bad and a horrible headache. I tend to prop myself up, should i be laying flat instead?

It;s 11:45 a.m. and have no energy and just want to lay down and go back to sleep. I though this was suppose to help., make me less sleepy and give me energy. Except for falling alseep at work (and anybody would if you listen to boring Voicemail most of the day). I felt better without the CPAP. Sorry if I am coming across and upset and angry but that's how I fell. I know sleep apena can cause other medical problems but so far it doesn't seem worth it , if I am waking up in pain, with a headahce (never had headaches before the CPAP) and pressure in my ears, neck pain and possible my bp lower then it should be as I do not have HIGH BP. I just seem this is more trouble theni it's worth. I am just frustrated and think maybe my apena was misdiagnose or there is other option besides the CPAP. I am think about getting a second opinion of my diagnosis.

Also the only medication I am on in Synthroid which I take at 8:00 pm. every night and have since 1997 and the family doc is ok with that, and lexpro (anti-aniexty med, since 2012) which I take a 6:30 p.m. every night and VIT D. Don't know if that make a difference.

Thank you for listening.


MMK

Find a position that is comfortable and sleep in that position. If your perception of comfort changes during the night, adjust your position to find the maximum comfort.

From outside the box...

If it is mid day and you are exhausted, mask up and sleep for a short period of time...

It's called a nap.

ChicagoGranny wrote:This is off topic because the important thing is helping you learn how to use CPAP properly, but where in the world did you hear this nonsense?

3. i've heard you can but it's rare get meningitis from this.

well, something that's impossible is pretty rare, isn't it?

Have you tried setting up a session when you actually have some time for set up and training at your DME? Many solve all these problems in less than an hour. Worth a try even by public transport?