[CPAP] Another Newbie with questions

[garrettmcc]

Hi Guys,
I'm another newbie recently diagnosed and just 2 weeks into my CPAP journey, as far as I can tell things are getting better AHI down to 3.6 from 22 so I am optimistic ,however I am still having some awful nights where I seem to spend hours trying to adjust to the mask and the air, dos this fade with time and roughly howong dos it take to adjust?
thanks in advance.

[justMongo]

You become accustomed to it.
You might have to try a different mask. It's rare to find a mask that works best on the first try.

[natyprueba]

Hi garretmcc.
Welcome to the forum. I hope that the forum will help you as good as it had helped me.
I am a newbie too, but I am in this now for 2 months.
The mask still for me is a pain in the b..., but you will got used to it.
I want to share with you my last experience with the machine.
2 days ago I got an appointment with my Dr. She told me that I was doing good and she wants to change my settings. My machine was adjust in a way , that she began with 4cms. of water and was raising (is called step) the pressure until 8-16 cms of water and I was below 5 AHI. She changed the settings to begin in 12 cms. of water and stay constant. The results were that the mask began to leak and whistle and I couldn't use it. You won't believe it, but with only two months of use and still bothering me the mask adjust I missed the machine so bad and it was very difficult for me fall to sleep. With the machine I fall to sleep in only 5 minutes.
Keep trying and think that little by little, the machine will be less aggresive with you and believe me: you will develop a machine dependence very strong.

[green wings]

Hi, garrettmcc. Congrats on doing so well so far. If you are keeping the mask on your face and getting an AHI below 5, that is top-notch for starting off.

Yes, things do get easier. One thing that you have to adjust to is the sound of the machine and the feel of the air coming from it. It's a big sensory adjustment.

The Wisp was the mask that I used when I started CPAP last winter. One point in its favor is that is has very diffuse and gentle venting, so the air coming from it didn't irritate my eyes or lips.

If you sleep on your side very much, you may find that it takes a while to get the hang of changing from your back to your side without causing the mask to start leaking around the nasal cushion.

A pillow with cutouts on each side made especially for CPAP users can help with that, or you can just use any type of pillow that's deformable. When you're lying on your side, you'll need to be able to arrange the pillow so that the edge of your head and face are on it but the cushion of the mask hangs over.

Feather pillows and pillows filled with buckwheat or shredded foam can also work. It took me a couple of months to get the hang of side sleeping with the Wisp.

About two months was also the adjustment period for me to also get used to the sound of air from the CPAP machine and to the feeling of the mask on my face.

I switched to nasal pillows a couple of months ago. One thing I noticed was that I was no longer "hearing" the air from the CPAP machine through my facial bones.

I don't know if I would have liked the nasal pillows when I first started CPAP. Some people do, and others say they "feel the pressure more" with nasal pillows.

I have found this forum to be hugely helpful in sharing experience about how to adjust to CPAP.

Hi Guys,
I'm another newbie recently diagnosed and just 2 weeks into my CPAP journey, as far as I can tell things are getting better AHI down to 3.6 from 22 so I am optimistic ,however I am still having some awful nights where I seem to spend hours trying to adjust to the mask and the air, dos this fade with time and roughly howong dos it take to adjust?
thanks in advance.

[PsychoMike]

Garrettmcc, yes things get better. I know when you start it seems like such a foreign concept to sleep with a mask strapped to your face blowing air into you...but your body learns that it helps and stops fighting it, which lets you get the sleep you need. It'll take a little bit to catch up on the sleep too....your body is used to how it had been coping with the collapsing airway and having to wake you up to breathe all the time. Stick with it....it does get better and easier.

Eventually, you may find your mask works like the experiment on Pavlov's dogs....but in this case, the mask goes on and the sleep starts vs. getting all slobbery

[trish6hundred]

Hi garrettmcc,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
CPAP therapy can take some getting used to but it does get better over time.
Good luck to you on your CPAP journey, hang in there for more responses to your post.

[JudgeMental]

Hello GarrettMCC.. It sounds to me like you have got a pretty good handle on this CPAP/APAP business. Indeed, it does get better with time under your belt (or PJ's). Visit this forum often, as there is an enormous number of well meaning and helpful people here who have already walked the walk. Your contributions, as you progress to (Professional Grade), will always be welcome, and will certainly help other "newbies". The issues with masks is probably the most daunting of all aspects of CPAP/APAP usage. It has probably caused more people to become disenchanted with CPAP therapy, then anything else. Glad you are here and I wish you well in your therapy.

[cate1898]

Welcome to ApneaBoard garrettmcc! Glad you found us!

As others have touched on, it might be helpful to try some other masks and see if they work better. A very popular mask nasal pillow style is the ResMed P10's. They seem to work well for a large number of people. I myself use these with great success. But masks are an individual thing and if buying new masks, look for places that provide either a return policy or at least some sort of exchange for a different mask if not satisfied. Try checking into the Supplier link above and check out each one for prices and return/exchange policies.

[garrettmcc]

Thanks everyone for thé words of welcome and advice, will certainly look at the Nasal pillows option