I'm a noob...

The only thing to say at the moment? AAAARRRRGGGHHH! Please tell me you've all been there? Only one week in...

I just posted my story too. I'm also exactly one week in and also not having an easy go of it. It's 2:35am, so I guess that was our first clue, huh?

Hello and welcome. I feel your pain and I haven't even started. All the advice seems to be to hang in there because things will get better.

Heh it gets easier - first 1-3 weeks are the hardest for most people! But tweaking the setup so it's good can take a while, for some.

I feel your frustration.... I'm 5 months in and when I see how far I have come from those first nights, I am amazed and happy!! Just keep putting on the mask if you take it off in the middle of the night (I took mine off all the time) and before you know it, it will become part of your routine.
Like everyone else will tell you, just hang in there, it will eventually work.
And this site is awesome for all of us... so many helpful and caring people with great ideas to solve any problems you might be having.

Good luck,

Ruth

Chrissy and Abby,

Your experiences so far are very normal. Especially if you have claustrophobia. First off there are many masks now that are minimalistic. The Aloha, the Swift FX and the Pilairo come to mind. These "pillow" style masks do have a drawback if you open your mouth. This lets the air leak out your mouth rather than keeping your airway open. A chin strap is used to keep your mouth shut The good news is that eventually you can learn to do this on your own. It comes with patience.

Feel free to log on here and vent, gripe or share your successes as that is what the forum is for. There are lots of people on here that have years of experience to listen and make suggestions.

One thing to keep in mind, is that it does get easier.

-tino

I'm a noob

Yes, the trend in this health condition is to have it diagnosed only after the patient is totally worn down. That makes it doubly difficult to have the time and energy to get your therapy working well.

Fill out your equipment profile, keep reading the forum and keep posting your experience to get practical advice and moral support. Tell us the results of your sleep study and your machine settings.

You can achieve a good therapy but it may take some time, work and support.

Good luck,

Welcome Noob! As our impeached president once said, "I feel your pain". I have a active thread in the forum, and the advise is to try a totally different mask than I am now using (and currently happy with). After pondering what the my nights would be like trying to adjust to a new mask, I started to get a big dreadful feeling in my stomach. It brought back memories of finding the right mask, and getting used to wearing it. When you are trying to sleep, you require the most comfort levels/atmosphere you can obtain. Wearing a dang mask is far from being comfortable. If you find the right mask for you and you can get used to wearing it, I promise you will look back years later and pat yourself on the back for the aggravation you went through. Heck, you may still be on this forum saying to other newbies what I am saying to you. Finding the right mask that is comfortable and doesn't leak is the key to sucessful cpap therapy. You may go thru many masks until you find "yours". Most folks (including me) went thru several masks, so it is not unusual. An unusual occurence is being content with the first mask you try! Work every issue and problem you have thru this forum. Though you may not like it, there is a solution for most issues we all have. Sometimes the answer is to "gut it up!", but we're all here to "gut it up" with you.

Sheriff

Welcome Chrissy and Abby

Keep posting your concerns. Many on this board will prove very helpful to what your concerns and hopes are with your treatment on xPAP.

Chrissy, can you post your machine & mask details in the "User Control Panel - Profile options"? That will help in giving tips and answering any of your questions!

Good luck to both of you

Welcome to both of you! I am actually 1 month in and the first week was terrible for me. My mask leaked so bad and after the 5th night of this I broke down sobbing at 1 in the morning. My husband and I stayed up trying to find help on the Internet. After purchasing a nasal pad the leaks came to a halt! I starting feeling better about wearing it and it slowly became more comfortable. My headaches are gone and my mind is clear!

It was hard at first to wear and to even tell people! No one really understood the feelings you get strapped to this thing! Don't worry you will start to feel better! You have a lot of time to learn how to use it and make it work for you!

Welcome Chrissy!

And the other newbies that I may have missed! Coming to this forum is one of the best decisions you could have made. The people here are so helpful and can and will get you through this. There's most likely NOTHING you're experiencing that somebody here hasn't been through and overcome.

Keep reading, keep posting but as I told Abbynormal (Angela) -- try to keep a positive attitude towards making this work. If you can do that, the people here can and will guide you towards ultimate success.

Again -- welcome!!

Thank you for the welcomes! It's nice talking to sweet people that have been where you are now. <3
*waves hello to Lazer, Sheriff, Tino, Wonderbeastlett and Madalot*

Chrissy,

If you go to the top left of the main page, you'll see a "control panel". Enter your equipment and that will help folks give you advice. The print version is better than the pictures, which are hard to see and many of the masks look similar.

I felt the same way you do, and couldn't figure out how I could be feeling so much worse than before I started treatment. Never did figure that out, but my irritability and brain fog have passed. Sick with this and try to give it a real chance and some time. It helps to be a stubborn son of a gun!

And if you can identify specific issues, there are many kind folks here who can help. Or just listen.

Welcome

Wow all the noobs all of a sudden ... must have been a sale on sleep studies or something.

Welcome all and best to your new lifestyle of health.

Wow! Thanks everyone for your support! I've added my machines so you can all see what I'm dealing with.
Unlike most on this forum, I didn't end up with CPAP the usual way. This is my story...
I found this app for my phone that is called Sleep Talk. I've never been told I talk in my sleep, but thought it would be neat to see if I do. Well folks, I don't talk in my sleep. What I do is snore like a male sea lion. Let's make that an angry male sea lion. I've worked permanent nights for over 8 years, so I'm ALWAYS tired. I figured my poor sleep was due to night duty. I don't fit the stereotypical snorer- I'm tall & thin, but the fault lies in my face. Well, my mouth to be precise. My spoke with my son's orthodontist & he told me that many people that have had braces in the past, & have had four teeth removed, have problems with snoring. That's ME! So I owe it all to my phone app for helping me discover my sleep apnea, and hopefully the solution for it! My sleep study found that I have moderate obstructive sleep apnea with 3.9 resp. abnormalities per hour, mostly occuring when on my back. I really don't snore like a sea lion, but nevertheless snore, which is not the most attractive feature for a woman! I know alot of you have far worse symptoms than me, so I do consider myself somewhat fortunate.
I tried this godawful mask the first few nights. It only went over my nose, & had this rhino bit that pressed against my forehead. I ended up flinging it across the room. I'm now on the nasal pillows. I've had several day sleeps (remember I'm a night shifter) with it, which were less than impressive. I've had one night sleep with it, and I think I slept better, but when I woke my nose and just above my upper lip were a bit sore. I know it's early days, & I will soldier on. I can't wait to see if I feel any different- I've felt chronically tired for so many years.
Again, thanks for all the kind words!