My second week on cpap

My second week on cpap had its ups and downs, but ultimately ended successfully.

During the first week I realized that my regular pillow wouldn't work with my nasal mask. I was getting some severe neck and shoulder pains. I tried the Contour cpap pillow, but it proved not to be thick enough for me, so I sent it back. Finally, as the week went on, I realized that I badly needed a regular uninterrupted night of sleep on my regular pillow, so for several nights I didn't use my cpap (which was good, because my neck and shoulder pain went away).

I sent for a different cpap pillow. Contour makes a similar one that is thicker -- called a "high profile cpap pillow." It's 5 inches thick and meant for large people (I'm a petite woman, but i need the extra support for my neck). I also ordered another Contour cpap pillow called Cpap Max. This one is made a bit differently and has one inch of foam in the middle which is removable, so you can adjust the thickness.

And the pillow winner is: the Contour Cpap Pillow High Profile. It is very similar in feeling to my regular pillow. It's just a tiny bit firmer. I am a side sleeper, and I can now sleep on my side and turn my face "into" the pillow unhindered because the pillow has bowl-shaped cut-outs that enable my mask and hose to fall off the edge of the bowl.

The Cpap Max pillow was very close, but you wind up needing to totally put your face off the edge of the pillow to accomplish comfortable side sleeping, which I didn't like as much. What's interesting about that pillow is that it has two sides. One side has a quilted cover and is firmer. The other side has a mesh cover and has much softer memory foam. And you can remove almost an inch of foam from the middle of the pillow, which is a nice option. It's a very nice pillow, but i think (at least at this point) that the Contour Cpap High Profile pillow works best for me.

So....the good news is that I have been able to sleep very comfortably with my new pillow, and I've been able to wear my mask and use my machine for around 6 hours or more each night. So I'm back on track with my cpap treatment.

I had also ordered a hose cozy and strap cozies from cpap.com, and have been extremely happy with them. The hose cozy eliminates that "zzzzzzip" sound that the moving hose would make as it came in contact with my bedroom furniture. And the strap cozies have done a nice job of preventing deep impressions on the sides of my face in the morning. IMO, they were excellent purchases.

Last night I also cleaned my dental retainer and popped it back in (a little tight at first but then OK). Wearing it with the cpap overnight was no problem at all. I'm relieved, because before I started cpap therapy, I wasn't able to wear my dental retainer because of my apnea. I had stopped wearing it totally for many months, and I knew that it wasn't good to stop wearing it. My orthodontist will be happy.....

I sent for a bunch of different chin straps from cpap.com, but although I thought I needed a chin strap, I'm not entirely sure. I seem to be able to keep my mouth shut pretty successfully most nights, and last night I noticed that wearing my dental retainer helped in that respect.

I also found the perfect sleeping eyemask that fits underneath the "bridge of the nose" part of my nasal mask! It's made by Bucky. It doesn't interfere with my cpap nasal mask at all and does a great job of blocking light, and it's super comfortable. I found it at the airport, believe it or not, but it's available online. Here's a link to it: http://www.bucky.com/catalog/Travel_Acc ... _Mask.html

Well, that's my report on my second week on cpap therapy. Now that the pillow and eyemask issues are resolved, and I have my hose and strap cozies, I seem to be all set.

Some nights if one of my nostrils is a little blocked (or gets that way during the night) I might take off my mask and sleep the rest of the night without it. I can't do that nasal irrigation because I had sinus surgery a few years ago, and the water gets stuck up in my sinuses no matter what I do, and makes things even worse. So if my nose is stuffed up, it makes it difficult. I figure that using the cpap for a few hours is better than not using it all, on nights when my nose is giving me trouble. I might also try a full face mask (my husband has one which might fit me OK to try it out).

On a different note: I have a history of foot problems and darn it, I accidently hurt my foot this week and had to see the foot doctor. I was wearing a new pair of shoes that I thought would be OK (with my orthotic), but it turns out that they were no good for me. Unfortunately, I figured it out after my big toe started hurting. Fortunately I don't have a stress fracture (which I'd feared, because it hurt so much) but only an irritation. So, I sit here with my foot all taped up and have been told to stay off that foot for at least a week. Because my foot is all taped, I can't walk on it straight and walking on it crooked is making my back hurt. So I have no choice but to sit/lie around and not walk much. Sitting around is driving me nuts, but at least I have my Macbook Air, the TV, some books, and my iphone to stay in touch with my business and help occupy my time while my foot heals. I wonder if being on my cpap therapy will help my foot heal faster? I'm going to a professional conference in 10 days, so I need to do everything I can to get back on my feet by then, if possible! I would rather not show up there on crutches or in a wheelchair!

Have you tried any of the Full Face Masks out there? They can be lifesavers to use on those nights you have a stuffed-up nose, and you can go right back to the nasal mask the next night when your nose is clear =)

Welcome to cpap!

I think my best experiences occur when I listen to what my body tells me. Have a good feeling after cpap? Remember that, and the memory helps me be compliant when something changes.

You have more knowledge than I did when I started out. That's great!

Sleep well
,

DaveL