first night with cpap...have some problems..please help!

I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea and had 9.5 interruptions per hour.
First of all, is that bad? I have read that it is considered mild. The main problem I have when sleeping is that from the time I fall asleep to the time I wake up, I dream constantly and never get any restful sleep.

Last night was the first night I have used my new cpap (REMstar Auto) and mask (Mirage Swift nasal pillows). It was horrible.

Even though I was incredibly tired, after putting on the mask, I layed awake for 3 hours and finally feel asleep. After sleeing for an hour, the air hitting my throat woke me up. I took the mask off and slept the rest of the night with it on and off trying it again. It never felt even remotely ok.
I had several problems with it and would like to know how to correct them.
First, I felt like I was suffocating trying to breath out and also my throat itched from the air hitting it so hard. The mask also made my mouth water terribly and I sneezed constantly.
I have terrible sinus problems and take allergy shots so my nose and throat were constantly bothered.
Are these all normal problems or should I consider a different mask system or maybe even surgery?

It will take a couple of weeks to get used to breathing under the cpap pressure. Do you have a heated humidifier? You may benefit from the use of one. It will keep your air passages from drying out and possibly releive the itching and discomfort. Hang in there, before long you will wonder how you ever slept without the machine.

Yes I have the Heated humidifier that goes with the REMstar. The main distractions I have are the loud noise from the nasal mask, itchy throat, and breathing againt the strong flow.

I read that a mask makes the flow on the throat not as bad. Is this true?

My, what timing reading your post and the others!

I too just woke up from my first night with this contraption! I had a better experience with it than you did. I know I don't have some of the same problems you have breathing. I'm lucky, some very nice people on this forum warned me what it might be like, encouraging me to work with it and don't get discouraged right away. .... Easier said than done, right?

My prescribed pressure is high, I've got severe apnea, I'm told. The ramp they talked about helped, probably because I have to deal with so much air pressure. Still, any new pressure must be difficult to adjust to, even for mild apnea people like you. I didn't have the warm humidifier everyone talks about. I'll be sure to get on the phone come Monday! I didn't have the dryness yet like you did, but I know I'll probably need that thing.

Please, please, don't give up. I'll be hoping you get your first nite with a successful sleep. .....I had some problems this first time, but I did manage to get a WHOLE FIVE HOURS of uninterrupted sleep. Please keep trying.

Linda

Thanks for the encouragement. I will keep trying.

Hi deadtom,

Great comments from everyone so far!

A nasal pillow interface (the swift) might be hard to use at first if you have sinus problems.

The air hitting your throat sounds more like you're mouth breathing while you have the mask on. What happens is the air enters your nose and exits your mouth. This can make your throat very raw. You may be doing this because you are having a hard time getting the air in through your nose because of the sinus problems.

I would definately try a different type of mask before you give up on cpap. You may want to try a full face mask if you feel your sinuses are pluged. The Resmed ultra mirage full face has been recomended on this forum alot

Good Luck and give it another try!

If your mask/air pillow device is working properly it makes little to no noise. Air blowing on sheets or pillow from the exhaust hole makes tons of noise, make sure there are no obstructions for the exhaust. On the same subject, the exhaust hole has to be perfect to achieve a no noise scenario. I have drilled mine a little oversize. The smallest burr around the exhaust hole will make noise. Same thing for moisture, if there is any buildup of moisture in the mask it may make a whistling noise at the exhaust. Making small modifications to the exhaust hole makes a ton of difference. Try this - when you have the mask on, and it is noisy, cover the exhaust hole with your finger. If the noise goes away, you know the exhaust is the culprit.

That was an interesting post - regarding the exhaust hole. I have noticed the same "noise" with my mask (breeze w/dream seal). I've had two things happen recently. I call them mask leaks, but you made me think maybe it is the exhaust hole I'm hearing make that blowing noise.

First - I feel like my mask is too wide at the bridge of my nose (between my eyes). I have close set eyes (I never thought about them being THAT close set before) but I sometimes feel air leaking out and blowing into the corners of my eyes -even tho they're closed. It is painful (by drying my eyes out) if I don't adjust the mask and reseal it so the air doesn't blow into my eyes. Sometimes this takes quite a few adjustments and I end up waking up frustrated at having to fuss with it frequently.

Does anyone have the same problem? I know they make masks for larger and smaller noses, but do they make them narrow-er ?<---is that a word??

Second - Regarding the exhaust hole, I sleep on my side always (either side) and I notice that I tend to bring my head down toward my chin - kind of tucking my head in toward my chest - when I relax. When I do that, the exhaust hole blows against my pillow or bed and forces the air back at my face.

I am trying to teach myself to lie with my head straighter - less tilted. I've seen a special pillow that is for side sleepers - does anyone use that? Does it really help? If so, I know what I want to ask Santa for !!!

I have had only a few =completely= silent mask fittings - and when that happens I can really tell the difference. Mostly I'll get it just right and then turn and a small leak will begin or the exhaust hole blows loudly. That's my biggest complaint.

If I had to guess.....probably 80% of us had problems in the beginning. So....what you're experiencing is not uncommon. Getting the correct mask and humidification will help a lot. I remember setting up my machine in our family room......I put the mask on and watched a Football game. It really helped me get used to this strange "new force" on my lungs. Keep your doctor informed; keep reading these forums; AND don't give up.
If you have a question ...go ahead and post it here. Chances are...someone will know the answer. Let us know how you're doing.

Rifenbc --- I had the same problem with air blowing into my eyes when I first started out. It drove me crazy. I finally went to a nasal pillow setup (adams circiut) and have never been back to the mask types. Another tip - if the exhaust hole is causing problems try taping it over and drilling another one elsewhere. I forgot to put that in my post above. I taped mine over and drilled one a little higher and it worked great.

rifenbc, I agree with the "Guest" who said he went to a nasal pillows interface instead of a nasal mask. With nasal pillows, you won't have to worry about distance (or lack thereof) between your eyes - nothing has to fit up there.

I love the Breeze/nasal pillows. I never could get the Breeze "Dreamseal" nasal mask to not leak for me, but the nasal pillows....wonderful! (Best to get nasal pillows that they'd say are "too large" for you - seem more comfortable and seal better, staying more outside the nostrils.)

Deadtom,

In order to lower the loud noise from the Swift, we used a small piece of orange colored plastic netting that is used to cover boxes of clementines (a delicious form of tangerines). It only took a piece 1" x 1 3/4 " inserted into the tube of the Swift by taking the cap off of the end. It can very easily be removed for washing & replacing. Any sizes of plastic netting larger than that did not allow for proper inhalation & exhalation. DO NOT BLOCK THE EXHALATION PORTS. This was tested at pressures of 7 & 10.
The Swift mask does leave imprints on both sides of the face for a short period of time.

Hang in there!