New member introduction

[Jon in Thailand]

Hello All, and Thank You to the Mods for running such a very topical forum which I am sure we can all relate to and hopefully benefit from.

A brief introduction; Yes, my name is Jon, and yes I live in Thailand; semi-retired day trader, originally from New Hampshire, 49 years old, single and with 2 grown kids back in the states.

After 6 months of dealing with an unbelievable amount of over-frequency of urination [sorry] at night and getting nowhere with Urologists and a Nephrologist {kidney specialist, who gave me a clean bill of health}, I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea; uggghhhh. But at least now I know the cause of why I have to get up 5 or 6 times per night, and we are working to correct that.

Suffice to say, since it is 230am on my 5th day with the CPAP machine and I lied down at 11pm, things aren't working out too well. The first 4 nights were no better,and the DR today gave me 2 new extensions to use as the small 2-pronged nasal-only one didn't cut it. Now I have a nose/mouth deal and a nose - only one; I just tried it for 3 hours and only tossed and turned. I have started my nights' sleeping on my side or stomach for 49 years now and all of a sudden I am expected to just lie on my back and drift off with this huge contraption on my face; something I am sure we can all relate to.

My device is a Fisher-Paykel with a small water reservoir and a 3-foot tube running to my mask; fairly typical, I suppose

I will write more tomorrow about my plight, I'd hate to bore you all before I even really get started as a true member here hahaha......but eventually I would love to pick your brains about just how the heck you can get used to this thing; I am really having a hard time so far and my insomnia is certainly much worse than ever with maybe 10 hours total sleep in the past 5 days, and I feel like a complete zombie.......anyway, thanks for listening and good luck to all.

[PaulaO2]

You can sleep on your side with nearly any mask. There's some adjustments, of course.

Try to put your head on the edge of the pillow so that the mask is over the edge. This relieves most of the pressure and should cut down on leaks.

I use a feather pillow that I shape each night since I sleep almost entirely on my side. I use a nasal pillows though, not a nasal mask or full face mask.

Nasal pillows are two roundish things that go partway inside the nostrils
Nasal masks cover nearly the entire nose
Full face masks either cover the entire nose and the mouth or they are a hybrid, with nasal pillows and mouth covered

If you sleep on your side, nasal pillows would work best. If you sleep with your mouth open, either a chin strap or a full face mask are needed.

The mask is probably the most important part of the therapy. You can have a machine with all the bells and whistles but if you cannot use the mask, it is useless. Keep working at it until you find one you can use. I think I went through a ton of masks before I found one that worked for me.

[mjbearit]

Hey Jon. Sounds like you are having a rough time. Well this is a good place to be.

I actually have a CPAP pillow to give me the proper support for "odd" positions. I do know what you mean though, and you can still sleep on your side or your stomach, but you need to have a mask that will be adjustable enough to work with you and not leak, and you need to play around with it to figure out how to best adjust it so it doesn't leak. Personally I just find it easier to sleep on my back and sometimes on my side a bit.

I have always been a terrible insomniac and I'll sleep for a couple of hours then pop up and need to go do something! Now I just force myself to lay still and concentrate on my slow easy breathing and eventually I drift off to sleep again. I prefer the nasal pillows, but a lot of folks here prefer nasal mask and some want only a full faced mask! That's the beauty of it, so many masks for so many different people!

Take a peek about sleep hygiene ( http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...ep_hygiene ) and maybe it will give you some assistance. It's not about showering, but some of the dos and donts. Things like caffeine consumption, only be in your bedroom for sleep (I am a terrible television watcher in bed), things of that nature.

Well lots of folks will be along shortly to offer suggestions! Welcome to the board.

[Jon in Thailand]

Thanks very much to you both [yes, of course I am still awake]

*Just one quick addendum; I have never drank even a sip of coffee in my life, I don't like alcohol or beer, and I do my best to avoid all fluid intake after say 7 or 8pm. I have cut back on water ingestion a LOT, in fact to the point that my Docs are worried about dehydration; and while I like Iced Tea [I know, a mild diuretic] and some sodas I don't drink them to access in the daytime.

BTW, while I am not in the USA which certainly has the absolute best medical care, Thailand is still world-class. In fact, my DR is a very nice lady M.D. who trained at a hospital at Cleveland in Ohio; she tells me their success rate there was at 70% and hers here at Bangkok General is 90%! But that is, of course, for people who wear the mask as they are supposed to

[kitley]

Hi Jon...I am quite new here as well. I have been using CPAP for about 8 weeks now. For the past week and a half I now have my own purchased machine...rather then my suppliers loaner. I have many sleep issues due to shift work etc. Before CPAP I would likely only have 2 or 3 good nights of sleep a week....that is where I could get to sleep before morning..lol. Since CPAP, I started keeping track on my calendar of the "good" nights. This has helped me keep things in perspective. At this time, I am now having 5 or 6 "good" nights a week. And, even the "bad" nights, I generally wake up feeling refreshed. I am doing so much better with my new machine. It is quieter, the hose is smaller in diameter, so therefore it is lighter, with less pulling on my mask. I was started on nasal pillows, and at this point that is what I am still using. I am a belly sleeper...here is what I have found to work for me....I thread my hose through the wrought iron on my headboard....this keeps the weight off of me, and allows me to pull more hose through if I need it..ie if I roll over. I use 2 pillows...as I have for years. I place one in the normal position and the other one I place the long ways next to my body. I pull the top pillow over towards me so that my mask is not really on the pillow. I wiggle around until I am comfy, then I move my head gear and nasal pillows until they feel good and I don't hear any leaks. Through the night, if I roll over I do the same thing. Sometimes I will place a fist under the nasal pillows to help them stay where I want them. It works for me, but not for everyone I am sure. You will get a lot of hints on this forum...just keep trying until you find what works for you. My provider told me to try not to sleep on my back. Also, my new machine tells my how many apneas I am having, and other info....gives you more reason to perserver. Best of luck to you..hopefully you will not be long before you start to see results. In my case, my blood pressure started dropping within 2 weeks...wow!

[Sleepster]

The first 4 nights were no better,and the DR today gave me 2 new extensions to use as the small 2-pronged nasal-only one didn't cut it. Now I have a nose/mouth deal and a nose - only one; I just tried it for 3 hours and only tossed and turned.

It sounds like you started on nasal pillows, and now you have a hybrid mask? Perhaps you could give us the name of the masks so we could better understand what's going on.

I started on a nasal mask, and had to add a chin strap. Now I use nasal pillows and a chin strap. I have the hose routed up over my headboard so that I can sleep on my side or my stomach. Like you, I can't fall asleep on my back, despite all attempts.

In a way this is good, and you usually require a higher pressure when sleeping on your back, and higher pressures are harder to tolerate for a lot of us.

My first few weeks on CPAP therapy were torture for me. I actually slept worse most nights, although sometimes I did feel as though I got a better night's sleep than before CPAP therapy.

After a few months I'm doing much better and still improving. I feel better almost every day, I'm less anxious, and definitely much less irritable. In fact, it has changed my life and made it so much better.

[Jon in Thailand]

Bear in mind I am in Thailand so the brand names may be different than what you guys have in America. The first one they tried on me was apparently the easiest one, it had just 2 leads to the nostrils but was very hard to keep in my nose.

Now they have sent me home with 2 more types to try. The larger one covers the nose and mouth completely, it's made by RealPro.

The one I am trying first covers the nose only, I attached a photo of a reasonable facsimilie.

I tried it for 4 or 5 hours last night with no luck.....I finally gave up at 4am and went to sleep the normal way.....that was night 5 and I am afraid to report I haven't once been able to fall asleep with any of these on and just looking at my CPAP device gives me nightmares of lying down and tossing and turning for another 4 or 5 hours.

---

*Note.....my bedside device is MUCH smaller than this one, and my tube is longer, about 3 feet all told.......but the device around the nose area is essentially the same.

[Sleepster]

Bear in mind I am in Thailand so the brand names may be different than what you guys have in America.

CPAP gear is pretty much universal the world over.

The first one they tried on me was apparently the easiest one, it had just 2 leads to the nostrils but was very hard to keep in my nose.

Nasal pillows.

Now they have sent me home with 2 more types to try. The larger one covers the nose and mouth completely, it's made by RealPro.

That's called a full face mask.

The one I am trying first covers the nose only, I attached a photo of a reasonable facsimilie.

That's a nasal mask. When wearing a nasal mask or nasal pillows, you must breathe through your nose only. Sometimes the mouth pops open and air leaks out of the mouth, rendering the CPAP therapy ineffective. Chin straps can usually help you to keep your mouth closed.

Sometimes people breathe through their mouth while sleeping, in which case a full face mask is needed.

I tried it for 4 or 5 hours last night with no luck.....I finally gave up at 4am and went to sleep the normal way.....

Not anymore it isn't! The normal way for us to sleep is with the mask. When you can get your mind to accept this reality, you will be on your way to success.

that was night 5 and I am afraid to report I haven't once been able to fall asleep with any of these on and just looking at my CPAP device gives me nightmares of lying down and tossing and turning for another 4 or 5 hours.

I'm sorry this is happening to you. If you suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, CPAP therapy is your best chance for living a normal life.

If CPAP therapy is out of the question for you the other solutions involve sleeping with a wedge, wearing a dental appliance, or having surgery. None of these options have anywhere near the success rate of CPAP therapy.

The biggest obstacle to the success of CPAP therapy is patient compliance. Many people put their CPAP machines in their closet. They lead a miserable sleep-deprived life and die early due to heart disease or stroke.

Please do not give up on CPAP therapy. Keep communicating with your doctors and medical suppliers. Adjustments can be made to your pressure settings and to your masks. After a while, you will be able to tolerate CPAP therapy, as your body acclimates to it.

[trish6hundred]

Hi John, Welcome to the forum. I'm sure sorry that you are having such a rough time getting use to the CPAP. All I can say is, just keep trying. It took me several masks till I found the right one. Just a thought,! are you sure you aren't rebelling against the machine? My mother had a stroke which, through much testing and a couple sleep studies was found to be the cause of her sleep apnea and it took her quite a while tillshe finally got used to her machine; she used to curse it when talking to me about it all the time. I just kept trying to encourage her to keep on keeping on. My only wish is that they could have gotten to her much earlier before her first stroke. Good luck on your CPAP journey.

[Jon in Thailand]

If CPAP therapy is out of the question for you the other solutions involve sleeping with a wedge, wearing a dental appliance, or having surgery. None of these options have anywhere near the success rate of CPAP therapy.

The biggest obstacle to the success of CPAP therapy is patient compliance.

Did much better last night folks, finally!!

please see new post.....and yes, I have heard from my DR's and from my internet research that surgery and other options have a very high failure rate.....save for the one where your lower jaw is extended, which is major surgery and in any case I am not a candidate for that.

I will keep trying the CPAP, I do believe there is a future in it for me and all patients and I will keep trying until it works. Determined!