I find this ridiculous, but I am a NOOB

Organization: I use the 7 day pill boxes; one for morning, one for night.
I refill on Saturday morning, when I'm wide awake.
When my meds change, I take pictures for reference.

Well I find that washing the face just before bed is very refreshing and removes face oil that causes leaks . But I try to get the machine ready in the morning for the next night. In morning I will fill reservoir , hang my mask from the hose hanger on the headboard . Every four days I wash the mask ,hose, pad a cheek liner --paper towel dry it then let it air dry all day . When I get home I assemble the unit and hang it up ready for bedtime later. Don't wait until the last minute and you are tired.
Bedtime- I put my nose in mask pull the headgear down and clip the one clip in --the other three points stay hooked up. I push the start button , put my hand over the vent holes to see if I have a good flow and head for the pillow.
The pad a cheek liner has saved me from washing the mask every day,it stops the leaks and is very comfortable. I can go a week easy without washing the mask . I can go four days on humidifier water as I use passover mode. That gives me relief when I very tired. I have very oily skin so that's saying a lot.
A good routine will save you when you're exhausted-- find yours.
The pills and the rest of the stuff are another story. I'm very glad that I'm out of the marines and not doing all this stuff in Afghanistan . Those guys have it rough. Count your blessings.

I am a NOOB too. Just started therapy on Saturday night. When I get home from work I change clothes, remove makeup and wash and moisturise my face. After dinner I make my lunch for the next day and then relax until it's time for bed. Now I will have to add a few things: after dinner - attach nasal pillows to short hose (I wash the pillows in the morning and leave them to air dry all day) and check/fill humidifier. At bedtime brush teeth, coat nose with cream as the pillows irritate my nose without it, put on mask, climb into bed, attach short hose to longer hose, turn on APaP and then fiddle with mask until it doesn't leak ( took me 1/2 hour last night) and then off to sleep. If I wait to do everything just before I go to bed then I will be wide awake. Like anything else these new additions to my routine will take some time to get used to, but if the last 2 nights of sleep are any indication it will totally be worth it.

SMenasco wrote:Did you forget to pee?

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing... Definitely on my before retiring list!

Putting on my mask is my signal to go to sleep. Once I turn on the CPAP, I'm out within two minutes.

In the course of a day and evening, I walk through the bedroom half-a-dozen times because the BR is adjacent to the bathroom. Al if I have to do is add a minute or two to ONE of those trips and everything is ready for action when sleep beckons.

In the early days of my CPAP I'd try to do all the stuff right after I awakened. Not a good thing for me as all it did was remind me of the new and unnatural way of life with which I was now trying to get accustomed.

As the scraggly little guy outside the Braidwood Inn said to John Candy (in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles") when the latter tried to pick up his trunk, "Leave it be!".

BearVet wrote: then medicate with nasal spray

What type of spray?

This post is a bit off topic but since so many mention of meds and the ways folks manage them I thought I would post a few thoughts to ponder.

It seems crazy how many pills I take now days. I used to watch my grandmother's routine thinking I would never have to do all that. Now here I am just past age 50 and keeping on track with my meds resembles a full time job. I have seen folks use the Mon through Sun boxes, a friend has two as all his pills won't fit in one. He marked one am and the other pm. It seems there are as many different techniques as personalities. Add in that every couple of months a doc changes something for most of us that increases to the confusion. I have one script that I only take on occasion according to my regular blood tests. Sometimes I have to take this med for as little as a few days and sometimes I continue for a full month. My wife is a dental hygienist and some patients have to take specific medications for three days when they have their teeth cleaned. So i know the woes of keeping meds in order as much as I wish it were different.

One thing I like to remind folks is that putting pills in a container other than the pharmacies properly marked bottle is not only illegal, it is a felony albeit a stupid one. If you have a set in stone regimen my pharmacy now offers a legal packaging solution where they supply your meds in special blister pack packaging that has a card for each day and the pills are in order with the name of each one and time it is taken. Each morning you get the days card and start with pill one at its specific time and just keep punching the next out till you make it to the last pill of the day. The next morning you get a fresh blister pack card out and start over. Because mine have been changing often I have not tried this new service yet but a lot of their patients love it.

A story a while back on an Atlanta news station was about a school teacher losing her job when a student reported she was popping pills. Turned out to be Tylenol but because she had half a dozen in her change purse she was terminated for violating the law and school policy on storage of meds. Another extreme news story was of a grandmother arrested for unlabeled meds and charged with child endangerment over the incident. She was using one of the Monday through Sunday boxes, a young grandchild took some of the meds and had to be taken to the hospital. Several years ago the Atlanta Police shot and killed a woman while exercising a search warrant based on information her son was selling narcotics. All the post incident search turned up was two Lortabs in a improperly labeled bottle. Those two pills turned out allowing the killing of the woman to be ruled as justifiable with the officers and department absolved of any responsibility in the woman's death. While these cases are not an everyday thing, they happen enough to be worthy of concern. Especially when traveling.

I am a medical emergency first responder and even though I now only work as a volunteer for GEMA and FEMA during disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes, etc. my kit is pretty extensive. It has supplies from band-aids to morphine and everything in between. For the most part if a paramedic has it in their kit, I have it in mine. Never had a problem with it and law enforcement because the couple of times I was asked about its contents I was able to pull my FEMA and licensing credentials out of the top of the kit. I used to have a tendency to keep my kit in the truck when traveling in the event I come across a bad car accident or other emergency before the professional responders make it to the scene. Unless I am traveling or been activated for an emergency it has always stayed locked in a safe at my home. Starting a couple months ago my new rule is it only comes out if activated for an event. With my personal meds I had never been quite so structured in storage or transport but have never been haphazard either.

A few months ago I was traveling out of town without my jump kit but did have all my personal meds as I was going to be out of town for the week. I was stopped for a routine commercial vehicle check which is fairly common when driving a company truck with DOT numbers as every DOT or law enforcement officer can stop a commercial truck for inspection without the normal probable cause rules for private vehicles. Usually they just check your papers and make sure all is in order and in date. Just an out of date health card nets them a 500 dollar fine thus the motivation to keep a sharp eye on company trucks. Unfortunately I was stopped by a very enthusiastic Barney Fife who decided to make sure every requirement was 100% to specifications. After checking the truck and my papers finding nothing wrong he asked about my luggage in the back seat. I told him I was going out of town and the bags had all my personal items for the trip. The officer asked me if I was carrying any alcohol or illegal narcotics which I thought was strange, like someone would admit to that if they were, and since I neither drink or do dope replied that no I didn't while reminding him he had just seen my health card which was less than a month old and drug testing was mandatory part of obtaining the annual renewal of the card. Well dang if he didn't ask if I had any prescription medications which I responded yes. He asked to see them and when he saw over half a dozen bottles he asked when the last time I took a pain pill. I told him at bed time the previous night and he told me to get out of the truck and placed me under arrest for DUI. I was taken to the local jail where an investigator questioned me and used a drug reference to verify all pills were what the label indicated. They did not administer field sobriety, said it was not necessary and that as soon as they got all the meds checked we would be going to the local hospital for blood tests to confirm the use of pain meds.

Luckily I was still close to home and they did not take my cell so I called my lawyer who met us at the jail before I was finished being booked and taken for a blood test. He started talking to the police chief who said it was their policy to arrest anyone who possessed or admitted to taking pain medications in the past 72 hours and then let the court system decide the outcome. With that mentality nobody that has to take pain meds could ever drive. First I was upset about being taken to jail in the back of a patrol car for nothing, second I was really upset about being told I was being arrested for DUI and finally when the detective poured all my meds out on his desk which I had no idea when it was last cleaned and started counting them with his bare hands which I had no idea when he last washed them I was about to lose my mind. Two of my meds were not listed in his reference book so he had to call my pharmacist to verify them. While all this was going on my lawyer was making calls and luckily got a local judge on the phone. After explaining the situation to the judge he handed the phone to the police chief who said "yes sir" about a dozen times then told the arresting officer and the detective to administer field sobriety. They did and I passed with flying colors. The chief then told them to return my possessions, go retrieve my truck from the impound lot and send me on my way.

Several hours later they had me back to my truck with no apology nor concern that I had missed half a day of my life in their jail for no legal reason. My lawyer explained to me that this is standard operating procedure in a lot of municipalities. He continued explaining that 90+% of these cases were thrown out with just a few papers filed by a lawyer worth his salt. But he continued that a percentage of people that are arrested under these circumstances go to court and plead out without consulting with a lawyer. When this happens the municipality rakes in a huge fine with little investment of resources. They either are misinterpreting the law or are running a sham. Thus if your sorting your pills in any manner other than the correct containers from the pharmacy please do not leave the house with them. If your traveling with your meds make sure they are out of sight and if questioned by a law enforcement officer for some reason be very careful how you answer his questions. I now keep my daytime meds in my desk at work and the rest at home all in proper bottles. Thus no medicines in my vehicle of any type except when bringing them home from the pharmacy. When I travel I am going to be sure all my meds are secured in a way it will take a substantial effort to find them and when questioned I am going to be VERY careful in how I respond. Of course your mileage may vary and never have an issue. In my 27 years of driving commercial trucks and lifetime of private vehicles this was the only time I have ever been asked anything about prescription meds and the first time I have heard a first hand account of this kind of results. That said my lawyer says it is not uncommon and he has several clients a year in which he has to get them extracted from trouble with legally prescribed medications. At least the officer never asked me for the prescription for my cpap machine.

Well, that's a very good reason I won't be travelling there!

I have not heard that there is a legal requirement for drugs to stay in their original container ... but a lot of such laws very state by state.

I'm also a chronic pain patient. If I was the one pulled over instead of you it would have been more than a little interesting, as I take meds day and night.

Interesting ... I drive every day in all sorts of traffic (I'm in the extended Boston area). Knock wood, I haven't been in an accident, either as causer or victim, in decades. The fact that one acclimates over time doesn't seem to matter to some people.

I'm glad I live in an area where that's not the case.

hueyville wrote:One thing I like to remind folks is that putting pills in a container other than the pharmacies properly marked bottle is not only illegal, it is a felony albeit a stupid one.

I think this is a serious overstatement of the actual case. One quote I came across is this:

"Except for the purpose of current use by the person or animal for whom such substance was prescribed or dispensed, it shall be unlawful for an ultimate user of controlled substances to possess such substance outside of the original container in which it was dispensed."

I'm sure this is a state-by-state rule and no one blanket statement like the post above is absolute. A search on Idaho Code and Statutes turns up no references at all to having prescription drugs outside of the pharmacy issued container. All the references I find deal with wholesale operations or turning in old unused prescription drugs.

I seriously doubt pharmacies would have those 7 day, or other style, pill boxes on their shelves if there were a real legal issue. Pharmacists, by and large, ain't dumb and aren't going to risk their livelihood by selling stuff that doesn't conform to the law.

But, you probably are asking for trouble if you try to travel outside the US with drugs not in their pharmacy containers. That would be dumb.

Even TSA allows a reasonable amount of prescription drugs being carried out of their bottles.

I just went on a 7 day airline trip & carried only loose prescription drugs (in containers, but not in their bottles) in a zip-lock bag in my carry-on luggage.

No body ever questioned it.

Hueyville - I've never heard anything so scary in my life! You reminded me why I'm going to stay north of the border for the indefinite future... I think your law enforcement people have lost their minds, same as the school boards who arrest 4 yr olds for having (likely unknowingly) a small plastic butter knife in their backpacks for lunch. I understand why I was put through the gauntlet of U.S. airport security on my way to Australia this year, and it was a gauntlet, but where does it end? Someone has to legislate common sense along with all the draconian nonsense that's going on now. Incredible.

To digress back to the original poster's theme...

I've only been doing this for a few years, but If it's really taking you that long to get ready I really suggest going back to your sleep doc and getting help straightening things out. I use a ResMed S9 with the autostart feature, and a mirage FX mask. My bedtime ritual (other than the usual dental stuff) is:

1. Sit on the side of bed, add water to the humidifier (20 seconds)
2. Put on mask (which has headgear attached, except for lower right strap (10 seconds)
3. Lie down (3 seconds)

I usually spend 10 or 15 seconds fiddling with the hose, since I'm a side sleeper; usually I'm asleep in another 2 or 3 minutes, max. A little futzing with the setup eliminates the occasional leak. I don't see why it should take anyone much longer.

I wash my mask and water chamber once in a while (weekly, maybe), and the hose once every few months. I change the filter when they send me a new mask, hose and headgear, and maybe once in between.

hueyville wrote: He started talking to the police chief who said it was their policy to arrest anyone who possessed or admitted to taking pain medications in the past 72 hours and then let the court system decide the outcome.

That entire post is incredible.

in·cred·i·ble
/inˈkredəbəl/
adjective
adjective: incredible
1.
impossible to believe.


... and I don't.

Not Fade wrote:

hueyville wrote: He started talking to the police chief who said it was their policy to arrest anyone who possessed or admitted to taking pain medications in the past 72 hours and then let the court system decide the outcome.

That entire post is incredible.

in·cred·i·ble
/inˈkredəbəl/
adjective
adjective: incredible
1.
impossible to believe.


... and I don't.

I'd be inclined to agree fully but in my Googling about the container restriction I came across an article on a Florida lawyer's website that the FL legislature passed a change to a law to expressly allow the pill box thing. It was in response to a woman who had to fight an arrest over her container all the way to the FL Supreme Court. Of course the website was promoting the lawyer's services in related issues. I didn't bother to note the address since it was a self promoting site. I came across a forum with a similar discussion. But I agree the post is pretty much over the top and questionable. If it is all hooey, it's not the first one on the 'net.

I don't understand about the nasal sprays, neti pots, (do you really need to do all this) extra personal cleaning routines etc. The only additions to my nightly routine that CPAP has made is: pull over, to beside my bed, my cart with the CPAP machine on it, reconnect the long hose to my short hose/Tap Pap mouthpiece that is hanging in my hose hook, I insert Tap Pap into to my mouth, check to be sure nasal pillows are in place, lay down in whatever position and that's it (machine turns on automatically). This takes maybe 30 seconds. When I use my Fx for Her nasal pillows there are a few extra seconds to stabilize the mask after getting into position, usually on my R side. If my humidifier is running low on water, I fill it earlier in the day when I straighten up the bedroom. Cleaning mask etc is done, possibly, weekly. Haven't had any problems with this in 9 months of CPAP.