help please

pharmwoman:

they settings go from 4 to 20. mine is 8, which they increased from 7 at my request. this is not considered high. do you think anyone really likes the mask? i can not keep it on for more than 3-4 hours. but others here have urged me to persevere--i think you should, too.

I think that anyone who is having major problems with masks, should at least try the nasal pillows. I know you tried the Swift, and are thinking about the Aura. Since you are a side sleeper, the Aura might work better for you.

Please be sure to read all the "tweaks" others have made to the Aura. It does require tweaks - but all masks do to some extent.

You're just going to have to make up your mind that this therapy can save your life and you have to do it.

Get a new moto, "Mind over Mask"

Good Luck

Mind Over Mask !!! I love it !!!

This therapy comes down to a decision.

You might as well get over the fact that you have this chronic condition. Instead of looking at the hassle it is to deal with this, and rebelling against it, consider the possibilities of what treatment can do for you.

You've been living with this a long time. You probably don't remember what a really good night's sleep is or how it feels to wake up refreshed, envigorated, with a clear head.

I remember before CPAP sleeping well once or twice a year. It stood out that much. Otherwise I felt like crap. I just accepted it as part of my overall physical condition. I didn't expect it could be any better.

I've been on CPAP for only 3 weeks. It has NOT been easy. I have 2 masks and am considering a third. I'm sure like most here I'll be on a quest until I get it right for me. This is very much an individual personalized challenge.
I've been challenged by the Mask, mask leaks, mouth leaks, rainout, pressure marks, nose pain, allergic reactions, sneezing, dripping, sinus headache, I could go on BUT
Also, during this time I have begun to adjust. I have been sleeping better and some days I wake up feeling really good. I mean like "WOW!!" good.

It's the potential to get it right that drives me and so many here on this forum and without their collective experiences I wouldn't have any benchmark as far as what to expect. I am very thankful for them.

BE assured that probably everyone here to some extent is or has been where you are. The good news is over time you will figure it out if you "decide" to go thru the learning curve and the rewards will more than compensate for the hassle.

Good Luck - you are not alone.

Tom

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roztom:

thanks for your encouraging words. it's good to know that an almost-newbie is persevering with good results. yes, i've just had a couple more nasty nights with activa. this time i kept the mask on all night (hooray!) but when i woke up i felt like crap and had to go back to sleep without the mask for a few more hours that i couldn't afford to spare. but i was zonked and felt like garbage, with headache, sore nose and couldn't breathe through nose even though i squirted myself last nite before cpap with that prescription stuff everyone uses. i think i need some plain ole saline before my nose falls off. and tonite will probably be a full-face night. but your post highlights how each cpap nite in the beginning feels like an eternity with all kinds of bumps and knocks--and then, occasionally, there is real rest.

yes, i am thinking of a swift.

Yes: Just go slowly - ask for support. This forum is great!!!

I got the Swift to replace my Nasal Mask. The Swift turns out to be tougher for me than the Nasal!!
There is no magic nose bullet, IMHO.

Just keep on, keepin on - and you'll get it right.

Tom

pharmwoman,

Here's the deal: NONE OF US LIKE THIS! Not even a little bit.

A mask does not exist that is as comfortable as no mask at all.
We all had to get used to a mask. While this is easier for some than others, we all did it. I use the Aura and think it's pretty good. But, you still have to get used to it.

The first night I wore the mask I had a little talk with myself. I said "Self, we are going to wear this mask all night. We may not sleep. We may really hate it. We may feel like the world is coming to an end. But, short of the machine catching on fire, we are going to wear it and that is that. Taking it off is not an option so don't even bring up the subject." I kept it on for 7.5 hours. I probably woke up a dozen times but I kept it on. In not too many nights, I was sleeping pretty much through the night. It can be done.

You can find excuses for not doing it or you can find ways to do it. It's up to you.

Jim

The other thing is, that as a virtual newbie, i can tell you that it is one thing how a mask looks off and another thing to sleep with it the whole night. as do many, i started with the respiron simplicity. not ominous, as masks go, in terms of looks. but when it squirts cold, misty air in your eye all night, that's a different story. similarly, the resmed full-face mask looks like something the exterminator or the guy from the gas company brought in, makes you feel like a martian and just as feminine, but i've had some pretty good sleep with it, amazing as it first seems. so to a certain extent, it is a matter of how un-bad (rather than how good) something looks--but the results may surprise you.

here's the thing. do you want to continue putting up with your same problems or do you want to tussle with the possibility of getting real rest all night? the choice is yours.

I agree that compliance is due to attitude. And if you have the attitude that this is the what you have to do to continue living and being healthy, then you are going to do it. See my Sig. It speaks volumes!

There is no other option. Those who have surgery will end up back on xPAP. Unless you are one of the few like Swordz who really NEEDS surgery to get results.

Someone's Dr. told them, when they kept saying they couldn't stand the mask or the thought of it "Get Over IT!"

It may take a while, but you WILL find the right mask for you, you will have something that doesn't leal into your eyes or discover how to fix it so it doesn't leak. You WILL sleep 7 or more hours with it on, and not take it off during your sleep, you WILL start feeling better. Slowly, but surely. You WILL get healthier, your cholesterol will come down, your blood pressure will come down, you might even be able to reduce or do away with several medications as the results of sleeping more normally, you SHOULD lose weight as a result of xPAP therapy. You WILL stop having GERD or Acid Reflux, you WILL stop getting up to pee every few hours during the night. You Will stop needing to take naps every day, YOu will stop falling asleep at work, in the car, while watching TV or reading a book.If you don't, talk to your Dr. and find out if you are not getting deep sleep. You'll feel more vital and alive than you have in maybe even decades.

All this WILL come. You just have to be patient and persistent. If you're not feeling better in about 3-6 months, figure out why? Is your mask leaking too much, are you still waking up a lot during the night? Too often a Dr. will just give you the gear and say, see you in a year. Don't accept that! If you feel your treatment is not what it should be, find another DR. preferrably one that is Board Certified. A god Dr. will be seeing you every 3 months or so to see how you are progressing because they CARE about your treatment and you're getting healthier.

But if you aren't totally open and honest with your Dr. he won't know what to do. If you are having a hard time staying asleep, tell him. If you are having a hard time going to sleep, tell him. If you have other things affecting your sleep like pain from a bad back, go to another Dr. and get it taken care of.

It may take a while, but you WILL find the right mask for you, you will have something that doesn't leal into your eyes or discover how to fix it so it doesn't leak. You WILL sleep 7 or more hours with it on, and not take it off during your sleep, you WILL start feeling better. Slowly, but surely. You WILL get healthier, your cholesterol will come down, your blood pressure will come down, you might even be able to reduce or do away with several medications as the results of sleeping more normally, you SHOULD lose weight as a result of xPAP therapy. You WILL stop having GERD or Acid Reflux, you WILL stop getting up to pee every few hours during the night. You Will stop needing to take naps every day, YOu will stop falling asleep at work, in the car, while watching TV or reading a book.If you don't, talk to your Dr. and find out if you are not getting deep sleep. You'll feel more vital and alive than you have in maybe even decades

*sigh* After 9 years, this all seems an elusive dream for me. I've tried so many things...and masks. The Activa is heavy and is leaking periodically.

All this WILL come. You just have to be patient and persistent. If you're not feeling better in about 3-6 months, figure out why?

Try 9 years

But if you aren't totally open and honest with your Dr. he won't know what to do. If you are having a hard time staying asleep, tell him. If you are having a hard time going to sleep, tell him. If you have other things affecting your sleep like pain from a bad back, go to another Dr. and get it taken care of.

A pain in the back, huh? I've been a pain in the neck as far as bugging them. I get tired of it after a while. Has anyone else been struggling with this for 9 years? I'm I the ONLY one????
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