Saying Hello At Long Last

Hey there, my name is Lance, and I've been lurking around this forum for several weeks now. Just decided, "hey, why not introduce yourself?" I was diagnosed with OSA from a sleep study back in January. At the second study in mid-February, I was tested with a full face mask which seemed to go okay and was prescribed a pressure of 13.

I started with the Escape, then started reading this forum. As you would expect, I went back to the provider and got the Elite II instead (for $200 and a dismissing look from the technician--she actually said "you can't get THAT much data from this!") I'm now at around seven weeks on CPAP, and I feel stalled at a maximum four-five hours per night. My numbers aren't great either.....generally in the 3-10 range for AI and 15-25 range for HI. The main probem is this: anxiety. I'm somewhat claustrophobic, and yet my first few nights (including the second sleep study) were okay. After that, it's been all I can do to get to sleep. Generally, what I have to do is take the mask off to get to sleep, wait until nature calls, and then return, put the mask on, and I fall right to sleep. Consequently, I get around four-five hours per night with the mask.

I purchased the Pur-sleep starter pack and have tried that for the last week with no improvement yet. I've also tried the sleep aid route, which doesn't help with the initial anxiety, but of course benefits me with a fine hangover the next day. I'm getting to the point where I'm thinking about trying a nasal mask with a chinstrap. I'm just thinking the less gear on my head, the easier it'll be to drift off.

So, my main question is: any of you who had anxiety problems with a full face mask, what did you to solve the situation and fall asleep? Or do I just need more time with the Pur-sleep stuff, or more time in general doing this over and over and over......??

Thanks for any help......and glad to meet ya........

Hello, Lance. Welcome to the forum. You said you have been "lurking around the forum" for awhile. Did you read "Our Wisdom" (yellow light bulb icon at the top of the page) and check into the "Newbies Start Here" thread? There's lots and lots of information there and you will find that your issue is not unique to you. You might also copy andpaste this link to your browser window:

viewtopic/t41280/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=34 ... ty#p299224

We're glad you're here and you've come to the right place for advice and help. Stick with it no matter how tough it gets; the damage you do to your health by not using the therapy is far worse than the initial discomfort of getting used to it.

Hi Lance,

I use a full-face mask currently, either the Quattro or the Ultra Mirage. I find the Ultra Mirage tends to seal better than the Quattro for me (I'm at your same pressure of 13). Neither one seals 100% of the time, and I'm still looking for the ultimate mask. I don't have anxiety or claustrophobia issues, but there are nights when I think "I have GOT to get this thing off my face!" I have found it helps to make sure I don't go to bed until I'm definitely tired, almost nodding off in my chair. And I've also found that as the weeks go by (I was diagnosed in January), it has gotten better.

One thing you might want to try is getting fleece covers for the forehead bridge, the hose, and maybe the side straps. It's pretty amazing how much cozier and less intrusive they make everything seem. If you search PadACheek on this forum, you'll see lots of references to a company that makes really nice fleece covers. They are also available at cpap.com and other places (although based on my own comparison, I think the PadACheek ones are nicer). Good luck! You sound pretty committed, and that's the main thing you need to make it work.

Sounds like you are anxious or stressed when you first go to bed. After a bit of sleep you are more relaxed and able to accept the mask.

What are your evening habits? Do you do anything stressful or exercise within 2 hours of bedtime? Do you eat within 2 hours of bedtime?

These, and other stresses can be bad for getting to sleep. I try to do something relaxing for the couple of hours before bedtime in the evening like watch light TV or read a book or listen to some quiet music. Exercise is important to help a person get to sleep and sleep better but, too close to bedtime and it has the opposite effect.

Some people here put their mask on, turn on the machine and watch a little TV in bed or read in bed and then lie down and go to sleep when they are feeling drowsy. They are already masked up.

Keeping a regular bedtime and a regular getting up time is also helpful and makes therapy more effective.

Just a few thoughts that might help you.

It does take some time for many people to get used to this therapy. Getting 4 or 5 hours of therapy when you are starting out is pretty good.

Keep us posted on your progress! I'm sure things will improve.

Thanks, everyone, for the warm welcome. I am definitely committed and will see this through. From what I've been reading over the last few weeks, and with my basic bit o' claustrophobia, I figured it wouldn't be easy.

I have read some of the New Users section in the past but not as in-depth as I should have. I'll definitely delve more deeply into all that. And thanks for the link, mdbarthe. I'll check out the PadACheek products as well......thank you, Catnap. One thing that hasn't been a problem is leakage. That stays (at most) at 0.02%. Who knows, maybe I have the thing on too tightly.

And Hawthorne, well, here's the sticky part. I'm a musician. And a rock drummer at that. I play very physically around four times a week, and many times, I'm playing up until an hour or so before bedtime. I probably am somewhat "keyed up" still at that time, but hey, I have a day job, too. (I took the old advice....."don't quit your day job.") But anyway, relaxation before bedtime is tough sometimes, but then nights I don't play I have the same problem. My wife sometimes takes melatonin to help her get to sleep, so I've been thinking about trying that. Tried a couple of other things, but as I mentioned in my first post, I just wound up with a pill hangover. I will try the wearing-the-mask-while-watching-TV approach, and see what that does.

Thanks again everybody............I'll hang around.

Hi Lance,
Welcome to the forum.
Any chance you're using the ramp? With the ramp too low, or too long, you may be having obstructive events that keep you from falling asleep.
O.

I am using the ramp, but only for 5 or 10 minutes (I keep trying it back and forth). When I put the mask on in the middle of the night, I shut the ramp off and just let it rip.

But wouldn't you know, after waiting to post until yesterday, I had success getting to sleep last night for the first time since the second day on CPAP. This was with the help of Melatonin. And I'm not overly groggy this morning. I did take the mask off around 4:30 or so (based on the usage amount) and I don't remember doing it, but at least I dropped off to sleep relatively early. I'll probably use the Melatonin for awhile and then back off that until I can do it "on me own." Hopefully, that'll work........

Lance,

Some take to become a hosehead relatively quickly, some take longer. After getting a card reader and software so I could read the card on my old Remstar Pro(the model before they added the good data), I found it was 4-5 months before I hit that magical "7hrs"(a changeable setting with the Encore Pro software) sleeping with the mask. Have faith and be persistent.

Steve