two weeks new to CPAP, just joined here

Ouch...I was going to suggest the return insurance from cpap.com but it is pricey...$53.75 for the Innomed Hybrid.
It's a bitch to get fitted correctly but once fitted it works really well. I tried it myself years ago. I don't do well with stuff resting on the bridge of my nose so IF I had to use a FFM that one would be my choice to use. Lots of forum members here have good success with it. It comes with 3 sizes of cushions to try. Be sure to watch the videos carefully and if you run into trouble there's enough people using that mask here on the forum to help you out.

If you have trouble with the nasal pillows check out Rooster's hints on how to stabilize them.
wiki/index.php/Hybrid_Mask_Modifications

mask came today and I will try it tonight!!! )

still can't fall asleep .... 1.5 hrs with hybrid, then switch and try nose pillows for another hr BUT can't fall sleep

Gosh, if one is asleep in life and someone or something touches them with the slight force these masks have, one wakes up sooooo how da heck do we wear it and not have it keep us awake???? and the air breathes at a faster rate than I breathe - even on ramp.

I hate seeming to end up following my breath as if a 'Buddhist meditation methodology" and not fall asleep

I see the sleep study doctor Monday the 16th for the first time. He did the analysis on my sleep study.

Peace Up to All!

Unk wrote:still can't fall asleep .... 1.5 hrs with hybrid, then switch and try nose pillows for another hr BUT can't fall sleep

You need to be talking to your doctor about the inability to fall asleep and stay asleep.

I fall asleep and stay asleep without it .... but have apneas

Unk wrote:I fall asleep and stay asleep without it .... but have apneas

I guess I should have added "with mask and machine" to my comment.

You need to talk about this inability to sleep while using mask and machine with your doctor.
Some people just have problems adjusting and you may be one of those. After all it isn't exactly "normal" to have a mask stuck on your face blowing air up your nose.

You may need some help with the anxiety.
Did you ever try different CFlex settings to see if that helped or hurt the breathing rhythm difficulties you were having?

http://adventures-in-hosehead-land.blog ... er_19.html

Are you taking the mask off and then going to sleep without it when you wake up and can't go back to sleep?
That's a bad habit that is easy to make and hard to break.
See above link.

Thanks Pugsy. Thank you for caring enough to take the time to keep answering my posts and offering advice!

I finally got a good fit with the hybrid mask this morning after being able to find a software program to open the wmv dvd on my mac.

to answer your last question first. so far, after an 1.5 -2 hr try with the mask and air and laying there awake, that is when I take off the mask and turn off the machine. Then, soon, I fall asleep.

I have 4 days before I see the sleep dr and am hoping to adjust and sleep with the hybrid before I see him. I thank all the folks whose threads I read helping me know that, yes, it seems foreign and a physical touching that is unusual for sleep BUT most do adjust and the conscious and subconscious mind stops being troubled by it and lets one sleep - and with CPAP get a healthier sleep and a healthier life.

Unk wrote:to answer your last question first. so far, after an 1.5 -2 hr try with the mask and air and laying there awake, that is when I take off the mask and turn off the machine. Then, soon, I fall asleep.

I was afraid that was what you are doing....so getting maybe 2 hours of sleep using the machine and the rest of the night without it.
I know that's better than nothing (barely) but it's a bad habit to get into and you are just reinforcing that little devil sitting on your shoulder telling you that you can't go back to sleep with the mask on so "it's okay to take it off and get some sleep". He's making the inability to get back to sleep worse and/or he's feeding the anxiety about sleep or the mask or the machine. The longer he wins the harder it is to knock him off your shoulder.

We may need to get Robysue involved and let her help with the getting back to sleep thing. She does it so much better than me since she has lived it.

no, I do not get 2 hrs of sleep with it. I wear it and do not fall asleep and am awake until I give up after 2 hrs and take it off. Honestly, I do not fall asleep yet. Later, without it, I sleep 4, 5 hrs.

That is: I don't get ANY sleep with it (((

Tonight I put it on and went to bed around 10:15. At 11:45 I gave up temporarily and went into the living room. Came back, tried again at 12:20 and still awake, gave up at 1:45 or so.

I came into the living room, wrote this post and am still in living room, awake, at 2:25 am.

Unk wrote:That is: I don't get ANY sleep with it (((

Please see your doctor about your issues. ASAP.

Oh...do you take any meds of any kind (even OTC) and if so...what, dose strength and when do you take it?

You need to speak to your doctor. Maybe your settings aren't correct and need to be adjusted so that this process is easier for you. Maybe less than optimal settings and then raise or lower as you get comfortable with the mask. It's also possible you may need something to help with the anxiety, even for just a few weeks. You won't be the first person, believe me.

Boy, the DR was No Help Whatsover!!! He poo poo'd the hybrid mask, kept talking about fittings and leaks - which I don't have and told him so. HE likes the nose pillows and mentioned a) a chin strap; b) a sleep med to ask my family dr about; c) ffm - which I mentioned the CPAP people wanted to give me.

I told him about how e changed the C-Flex which he did not like. Never considered changing my settings to better match my breathing!!! Never gave any advice about falling asleep!!!!

I called CPAP people. Either give back the machine or try FFM as last resort .... They will call and bring a ffm. I have 6 week left to comply with insurance by sleeping 4 hrs in 21 of 30 days.

The other night I tried 2, 2 hr periods with a 20 minute break in between but no sleep. Went into Living room, took out a bottle of soda on the table and a cigarette. Woke up surprisingly 3 hrs later to find the warm soda bottle on the table and cigarette unlit on the floor.

this may or may not help, but it certainly can't hurt. If you have a recliner in the living room, try going to sleep on it with the machine on. Or on the couch. Basically, in a semi-confined area where your mobility is limited, but you could have the TV on to distract you from any issues you might be creating with using the device. And skip the smokie treats in the middle of the night. Try to deny yourself those til morning, sort of a treat. of course, that's just MY $.02.

I get the full face mask tomorrow afternoon. .... May The Good Lord bless me with falling asleep with CPAP and mask.