Ever take a night off?

Wistful wrote:So, I took the night off. I will be back at it tonight, but I was wondering if anyone else ever does this?

Thanks Erin (Wistful)

I've only done this twice. The first time was when I was so stuffed up in my nose and had a really bad cough that acted up from the breathing. The second time was when I was throwing up all night in the bathroom.

Other than that, I've been 100% compliant since I brought the first machine home in August 2006. But.. I don't fight it either. I have warm fuzzy feelings towards my Bi-PAP treatment. I think I fall asleep with in maybe 30 seconds of putting it on and snuggling into my bed.

I brought the machine with me to Mexico last week (Mar. 21-28) and two masks - the ComfortLite and the ComfortFull. I left the humidifier part at home - which was fine because it was darn humid in Cancun. I used it every night. I think I was the only one in our group of 80 people who slept great. (My machine tested positive for explosives at the Minneapolis airport when returning though, that was interesting.)

I guess the thought of taking the night off just makes me think about how crappy I'd feel the next day.

Kimberly

Wistful wrote:Great idea Djdixie!
Thanks,
Erin

Hang in there Wistful! I can totally relate & I faced the very same issues as you.

One thing - if you're hypersomnolent then don't mess around with sleep aids without your doctor's direction.

All you can do is the best you can. It isn't a contest and what's worked for some here may not work for you. Yes, eventually you'll fall asleep if you 'force yourself' to use the mask - but what we DON'T want is that to be behind the wheel of a car due to severe sleep-deprovation.

The other thing is that you'll come to hate the mask - if you don't already. I know I did at one point. I had an RT who said to me, 'Do what you can & be happy with small victories to start'. It's good advice as was the book thing.

Try reading with it on and watching TV. If you've developed a fear response to the thing - and it sounds like you have - you want to de-sensitize yourself to it.

It worked for me. If you need a night off for your sanity's sake then take one. I think you'll eventually find that all discomfort aside, you actually sleep better with it on - at least you feel better in the AM. I know I found that out and if you had told me I'd be saying this at the start of this whole process I would have called you a liar.

I know some people here will vehemently disagree with some of what I've said here. S'OK. The Iron Discipline approach is what works for them. If it doesn't work for you, you need to try something else.

If you doctor OKs it, consider the sleeping aid. Usually I'm against them myself, but all it takes is one or two good nights on the machine to make it easier to get to sleep - it take a whole lot of the anxiety away knowing that it CAN be done!

Good luck!

Thank you Lepeu,

We are of the same mindset and I greatly appreciate your words and support.

The swift is reasonably new so I don't hate it yet, but knowing myself, if I force it I will start to.

The good news is that I slept until 5:30 am with the mask on last night so I am thrilled. Unfortunately, my eyes are red and ache so it looks like there is air coming through my tear ducts. I don't know what to do about that one!

Thanks!

I have the "wind through the tear ducts" thing going on too. I can actually feel the air on my eyeballs when my eyes are open. I don't seem to experience this with my full face mask.

Kimberly

Funny you should ask.....
I'm on a thirty day heart monitor to try to figure out what the cardiac arrhythmia is. I'm halfway through and of course it has not reoccured-so last night I think I'll try sleeping without APAP and see if I can provoke an episode. Couldn't go to sleep, I gave up about midnight....put the opti on and was asleep in 5 minutes. I have a hunch what it is and have done several things that could have reversed it. Decided to leave well enough alone....and count it as one of the things that went away last month.....during that "planetary" alignment.
SO hang in there keep working at finding a mask you REALLY like and can make work for you.

[quote="Wistful"]Thank you Lepeu,

We are of the same mindset and I greatly appreciate your words and support.

The swift is reasonably new so I don't hate it yet, but knowing myself, if I force it I will start to.

The good news is that I slept until 5:30 am with the mask on last night so I am thrilled. Unfortunately, my eyes are red and ache so it looks like there is air coming through my tear ducts. I don't know what to do about that one!

Thanks!