My first night

My first night BiPap did not go as well as I hoped.

I could not get comfortable. I like to fall a sleep on my side and could not because the face mask is so bulky.

I could not fall asleep.. which is unusual because that is never an issue. Maybe I was nervous or paying too much attention to the breathing.

When I did fall a sleep I lasted one hour. Something woke me up and I had to rip the mask from my head.. I felt like I was being strangled and the world was closing in on me.

BTW, Where can I get distilled water?

[quote="thewebbie"]My first night BiPap did not go as well as I hoped.

I could not get comfortable. I like to fall a sleep on my side and could not because the face mask is so bulky.

I could not fall asleep.. which is unusual because that is never an issue. Maybe I was nervous or paying too much attention to the breathing.

When I did fall a sleep I lasted one hour. Something woke me up and I had to rip the mask from my head.. I felt like I was being strangled and the world was closing in on me.

BTW, Where can I get distilled water?

Grocery stores and WalMart, K-Mart carry distilled water too. Usually about 55 - 80 cents a gallon. Cheap and easy to get.

Please don't be discouraged. It's always hard in the beginning....you'll get used to it. It sounds like you might be better off with a different style mask. There are alot out there to choose from...nasal mask...full face mask...nasal interfaces with nasal pillows..... Why don't you log onto CPAP.COM and look at the different masks....then start asking questions...lots of questions. You'll get all the help you need. Remember...you are not alone!!!! We will help you with this and it WILL get easier.

Amy

webbie, I was looking back at some of your first posts to see if you absolutely had to have a full face mask. I came across this:

The second night they started me on a cpap. I started with a nose mask but at any pressure I was choking. I was waking up gasping for air. They tried a chin strap but that did not work. Finally they put me on a full face mask.

If you normally can breathe through your nose ok when laying down, the choking and gasping for air you were doing might have been due to mouth air leaks. Air gushing out your mouth could certainly cause you to wake up choking during the titration phase. Mouth air leaks were no doubt why they came in and tried a chin strap.

Chin straps are next to useless, imho, if your tongue cannot maintain a good airtight seal INSIDE the mouth. That may be the case for you, as it is for me, and many others.

The answer is...a Full Face mask, like what you are wearing.

OR

If you want to be able to wear much more comfortable interfaces like the Swift, Breeze, or Aura (nasal pillows masks) or the Activa nasal mask, you'll have to figure out a method to either seal your lips shut (e.g., tape) or make your tongue stay in a sealing position (e.g. a "DIY" mouthguard or the "Nose Breathe" dental device.)

Of course those methods will work only if you can breathe even halfway freely through your nose all night.

I used two different FF masks almost my entire first year. When I finally got up the nerve to put tape across my mouth, sealing it securely, I was then able to wear any nasal pillows or nasal mask I wanted to try. What a world of difference in comfort with nasal pillows masks. The Breeze and now the Aura were soooooo much easier to sleep with than a FF mask. Much less "mask" to come in contact with a head pillow and start pressing against parts of the face.

The mask can be the most disruptive-to-sleep part of this whole treatment. Hope you're able to get that huge part of the puzzle worked into place.

Also, in thinking about this...what you said about your first night at home on the machine:

Something woke me up and I had to rip the mask from my head.. I felt like I was being strangled

Waking up and ripping the mask off isn't so unusual at first, but the feeling of being strangled is a bit unusual since you were wearing a full face mask. If it had been just a nasal mask, then I'd attribute that feeling to mouth air leaks...air gushing out and perhaps allowing apneas to "choke" you. But with a FF mask, you can get the treatment air either way - through nose or through mouth.

Could have been just a panic attack...the unfamiliarity with this new way of trying to sleep. The strange feeling of a mask on your face, waking you up in a panic to "get this thing OFF!!"

Some other things I can think of that might cause that same kind of choking sensation while using a FF mask would be:

Your FF mask had sprung such massive leaks there wasn't enough treatment pressure going where it was needed. Leaks so big that the machine couldn't compensate for them.

or

If there is a "rise time" setting for your bipap, perhaps that needs to be adjusted. It may not be letting you inhale long enough. If a bi-level machine is not set to be pretty much in synch with how long you need to inhale, that could be extremely uncomfortable.

or (least likely)

The bipap titration during your study didn't come up with good IPAP and EPAP pressures for you, to handle your apneas and hypopneas.

Good luck!

Thanks for the support. I am glad this site is here. Something about group therapy.

I'll keep going at it untill I get it right. Even if I need to try a few masks.

Any suggestions for helping me sleep on my side?

Using a head pillow with a rather firm edge (Tempur-Pedic pillow or a "PAPillow" sold at the Talkaboutsleep online store) are the best ways to keep a mask up off the pillow or from hitting the mattress when side-sleeping.

You have to kinda' hang the mask off the edge. Takes some getting used to if you've been accustomed to sleeping with the side of your face squarely in the middle of a pillow. The PAPillow has sides designed to give room for the mask to hang over the edge.

I don't know about you, webbie, but when sleeping on my side I like to also have an extra pillow to drape my arm over. I always did that anyway, but now with a mask, that extra pillow keeps me a little steadier on my side so that I won't get partly onto my tummy.

Here is a question.... Do I put the mask on just as I am ready to sleep or can I wear it while watching TV. Sometimes I fall asleep watching TV.

You can wear it while watching TV. Just be sure your machine is on, too.

Yes.. Thats what I was asking.. Is it ok to wear the mask and have the machine on while just watching TV waiting to fall asleep.

rested gal wrote:You can wear it while watching TV. Just be sure your machine is on, too.

I managed to get 2.8 hours on the mask last night. Maybe in a few nights I can make it through. Adjusted the mask to make it feel better.

(RG responding to thewebbie)
Some other things I can think of that might cause that same kind of choking sensation while using a FF mask would be:
<snip>

If there is a "rise time" setting for your bipap, perhaps that needs to be adjusted. It may not be letting you inhale long enough. If a bi-level machine is not set to be pretty much in synch with how long you need to inhale, that could be extremely uncomfortable.

I'm looking into possible reasons my new BiPAP Pro2 might have been acting like it couldn't synch up with my breathing - no answers yet - but looking at my manual, I see that they define "rise time" as "The time it takes for the device to change from EPAP to IPAP." That doesn't sound applicable to the problem of the machine cutting the inhale short. However (I am still considering this), BiFlex is defined as "A therapy feature that establishes a level of pressure relief taking place at the end of inhalation and at the start of exhalation." So, if I have trouble again tonight that doesn't resolve itself, I'll probably see if I can turn BiFlex off (and figure out how to adjust it tomorrow).

I sleep on my side with my full face mask.
What type of mask are you using? I found I could not use what the DME calls the so call cadillac of full face masks the UltrMirage.

Everyone has their opinion and their favorite. I know I have mine.

Your mask maybe to big for you and leaking quite a bit. That is what would wake me up until I ditched my original mask. You have to get a mask that feels comfortable to you. I have lain on my side at my DME to see if I could sleep on my side and if the mask fit properly.

The DME actually gave me the UltraMirage. I guess I just have to get used to it.

I managed to get 6 hours last night. Although every two hours I had to take the mask off for a few minutes. Even with the Humidifier my mouth was very dry.

Off I go to keep moving along.

I dumped my UlraMirage for a Hans Rudolph. They come in 7 sizes.

Some will say that is the best but I had so much trouble from the first night.

My now husband said it made more obscene noises than his mask and he was right.

My HR is still a little to big, but I keep fighting and adjusting.

My right size HR should be here some time next week.

You may want to look into that one.