Update: Sleep doc, frustration with self

Mask discomfort is a big issue, and should not be ignored. Try other masks - other FFM's as well. I tried 3: The Ultra Mirage, the Pro Basics and the Fisher and Paykel "Forma", before I found the one I sleep best in, the Innomed "Hybrid".

My favorite for years was a nasal pillows mask - but my mouth breathing became uncontrollable. Even with my favorite, very light, very comfortable mask, on the rare occasions I had the wrong angle and it hurt my nose, I'd find myself waking up, and removing in semi-consciously.

And I solved the wetness with a heated hose (http://www.spleepzone.com.au).

O.

ozij wrote:And I solved the wetness with a heated hose (http://www.spleepzone.com.au).

Try this one: http://www.sleepzone.com.au

Thanks for catching that one, LoQ. I had to look 5 times at the link I posted before I saw the typo....

http://www.sleepzone.com.au it its.

DoriC wrote:Snug, It doesn't sound like your mask is very comfortable,what does your leak rate look like? Can you try the UltraMirageFF which may not leak if it's fitted and adjusted properly. As for that Darth Vader sound, we have the M Series and the cflex disturbed my husband's breathing pattern so we turned it off and as a bonus found the machine much quieter. Hope you get some good sleep soon.

My leak rate is great! I'm really happy with the non-leak aspect of this particular nasal mask. I think I will call my DME tomorrow and see what they have to say. I don't mind the soft darth vader sound, i was just concerned it might indicate something wrong. I'm glad to know it is normal.

ozij wrote:Mask discomfort is a big issue, and should not be ignored. Try other masks - other FFM's as well. I tried 3: The Ultra Mirage, the Pro Basics and the Fisher and Paykel "Forma", before I found the one I sleep best in, the Innomed "Hybrid".

My favorite for years was a nasal pillows mask - but my mouth breathing became uncontrollable. Even with my favorite, very light, very comfortable mask, on the rare occasions I had the wrong angle and it hurt my nose, I'd find myself waking up, and removing in semi-consciously.

And I solved the wetness with a heated hose (http://www.spleepzone.com.au).

O.

Thank you for the validation. I think I have been trying to ignore this discomfort because the leak rate is so awesome, and too I feel self conscious about asking for things. But tomorrow I will call the DME. I am just barely within the 30 day return period. I don't have the cash for a heated hose at the moment, but I will look into it if things continue to be uncomfortable.

Thanks again, all of you. (((hugs)))

I agree to not underestimate the value of a comfortable mask.

About sleep hygiene, I think I want to backtrack a bit. Somehow I missed if it was in prior posts that you are dealing with bi-polar issues in the midst of this. If that doctor wants you to get sleep whenever you can get it, I think you should go with that. Just use your machine. Periodically I've had to do that too. Sometimes other considerations make sleeping traditional hours harder than for the average situation. You have plenty of time to work on your sleep schedule after things settle down. If your lifestyle allows, sleep whenever you can. You've got enough adjustments going on right now, some can wait - like what hours you sleep. Don't pressure yourself to do too much too soon.

snug, if you have trouble getting nose pillows to seal properly, try putting Lanisoh all around your nostril openings. Yah, Lanisoh. I started using it to address nose abrasion from a nasal mask and then used it to avoid nose abrasion from nose pillows. It has the further benefit of making a nice seal.

kteague wrote:I agree to not underestimate the value of a comfortable mask.

About sleep hygiene, I think I want to backtrack a bit. Somehow I missed if it was in prior posts that you are dealing with bi-polar issues in the midst of this. If that doctor wants you to get sleep whenever you can get it, I think you should go with that. Just use your machine. Periodically I've had to do that too. Sometimes other considerations make sleeping traditional hours harder than for the average situation. You have plenty of time to work on your sleep schedule after things settle down. If your lifestyle allows, sleep whenever you can. You've got enough adjustments going on right now, some can wait - like what hours you sleep. Don't pressure yourself to do too much too soon.

My psychiatrist has always been happy with my sleep hygiene, so I am a little taken aback at how many people have told me to look into that aspect of things. I don't think they're wrong, I probably could use the help of a sleep hygienist. I don't know what to do, honestly. My sleep doc knows I'm bipolar, and his only suggestion was to go to bed at midnight instead of 2am. He didn't say anything about naps at all, and I didn't think to ask. Do we have a "totally confused" smiley? I will call my psychiatrist tomorrow, as well as the DME. Luckily, I don't work and can sleep whenever I desire. I hope none of my many doctors thinks I need top go back on sleep aids, I was so happy to go off of them. Well, all of this can wait until tomorrow. I need to sleep now, lol. Let's hope I can actually get some sleep.

Sweet dreams, snug.

I am having problems sleeping more than 45 minutes at a time. So that is why sleep hygiene was introduce. How long have you been off sleep aids? There is a rebound effect with going off of sleep aids.

snuginarug wrote:
My psychiatrist has always been happy with my sleep hygiene, so I am a little taken aback at how many people have told me to look into that aspect of things. I don't think they're wrong, I probably could use the help of a sleep hygienist. I don't know what to do, honestly. My sleep doc knows I'm bipolar, and his only suggestion was to go to bed at midnight instead of 2am.

When it comes to this - go with your psychiatrist rather then the sleep doc. The sleep doc knows all about the physical adjustments required but you are not having problems with that, it is the "mental" issues where your subconscious is not trusting the machine that is the issue. I am glad you are being gentle on your self and talking to your self but remember it takes time. You may want to try journalling. Many people find when the write out the "talk to myself" phrases, because the process is slow they are able to hear the bitching your subconscious mind does and then they rephrase to answer those issues. Meditate and then from your meditation state start writing the phrases you use over and over again and pay attention to the chatter. And remember your phrases need to be in the positive present tense. Give your "inner child" lots of hugs - she is already letting you sleep longer. But be aware that we all slide back at times - the cpap machine can't over come all lives stresses. There are times when I rip my mask off at 1 am and sit up to read a book and eat cheese so I won't continue chewing over my issues.

ozij wrote:Thanks for catching that one, LoQ. I had to look 5 times at the link I posted before I saw the typo....

http://www.sleepzone.com.au it its.

NB: I never type in a link while writing a post. I'm terrible at typing and also spotting things wrong during the edit phase. I have learned that the best way is to type the link in another tab in the browser, make sure it goes to where I want it to to, and then cut and paste it back to my post.

Or you can check it during the preview, as long as you do it such that it opens up a new tab or window.

One person I know on another board tried to post a link to craigslist.com, but she mis-typed it, and it looked almost right, but it went to a porn site. I think that one incident has seared into my brain never to trust my typing. (And yes, I did just type in craigslist.com without checking it, but I didn't make it a clickable link because I don't expect any of you to click on it. If you have a browser converting it to a link, click at your own risk.)

Breathe Jimbo wrote:Sweet dreams, snug.

Thank you, Jimbo, you're so kind.

BlackSpinner wrote: When it comes to this - go with your psychiatrist rather then the sleep doc. The sleep doc knows all about the physical adjustments required but you are not having problems with that, it is the "mental" issues where your subconscious is not trusting the machine that is the issue. I am glad you are being gentle on your self and talking to your self but remember it takes time. You may want to try journalling. Many people find when the write out the "talk to myself" phrases, because the process is slow they are able to hear the bitching your subconscious mind does and then they rephrase to answer those issues. Meditate and then from your meditation state start writing the phrases you use over and over again and pay attention to the chatter. And remember your phrases need to be in the positive present tense. Give your "inner child" lots of hugs - she is already letting you sleep longer. But be aware that we all slide back at times - the cpap machine can't over come all lives stresses. There are times when I rip my mask off at 1 am and sit up to read a book and eat cheese so I won't continue chewing over my issues.

I will try journaling. I will also talk to my counselor about this. She does a certain type of hypnosis that may be indicated in this case. Lol, I have so many professionals working with me, surely together with their help I can get this going in the right direction.

I went to the DME. Very disheartening. I tried on about 8 or 9 masks, and they all leaked or felt just as bad as the one I have now. One thing that did help was that I was wearing the straps incorrectly. Once adjusted correctly, that improved the comfort somewhat. They stock respironics, resmed and fischer-paykel. That's it. So if i want something else, I'll have to get it myself over the internet or go to a different DME in 6 months when I am due for another mask. I am particularly disappointed that I couldn't find any FFMs that fit at all. None. I had hoped to get one at some point either as my main mask or a back up for congested nights.

OK, time to look on the bright side of things.
1) my ankle swelling continues to improve! Yay!
2) the mask is slightly more comfortable now.
3) I have plenty of support in this thing.
4) if necessary, I have the ability to save up for a mask out of pocket. I can't afford one right now, but It is possible.

Thanks for the input and support, folks. You guys really mean a lot to me.

Duckie wrote:I am having problems sleeping more than 45 minutes at a time. So that is why sleep hygiene was introduce. How long have you been off sleep aids? There is a rebound effect with going off of sleep aids.

I missed your post before.... That's one heck of a problem you've got there. I'm very sorry it's so hard. I hope you get things sorted out soon.

Well, last night was different because i am now wedded to this mask, at least for the next 6 months. No changing around. No hoping for something better or easier. This is what I've got and i have to make this one work. When I woke up after an hour and a half of sleep, I wanted to take off my mask. But I didn't. I told myself I'd take it off in a minute, just hang on for a minute. I almost fell asleep. Almost. I got up and took off the mask, but quickly returned to bed and slept for quite a while, something like two and a half hours. I didn't sleep well, thrashed around a lot, but that's ok, just getting ANY sleep is good. I had to get up early, so I don't know how long I would have slept. But this is an improvement. I am still going to discuss the possibility of hypnosis. I am also going to resume naps. I am very much looking forward to the nap I'm going to take this afternoon. I only got 4 hours of sleep.

snuginarug wrote:...The sensation of trying to put them in made me crazy. I actually pushed the RT away from me bodily. But I could try harder to tolerate putting them in...

They don't actually go inside the nose, the end with the opening sorta sits at the end of your nostrils. I sure hope you aren't trying to insert the fat bulbous part inside your nose...that'd be so painful

Muse-Inc wrote:

snuginarug wrote:...The sensation of trying to put them in made me crazy. I actually pushed the RT away from me bodily. But I could try harder to tolerate putting them in...

They don't actually go inside the nose, the end with the opening sorta sits at the end of your nostrils. I sure hope you aren't trying to insert the fat bulbous part inside your nose...that'd be so painful

No I was not trying to actually put anything inside my nose. The RT approached the pillow to my nose and tried to seat it properly, the way you're supposed to. I couldn't stand it. She got it seated properly, and it made me crazy, I panicked. It was pretty horrible.