feel like giving up on cpap... Update!

[yoyoyomonica]

I am day 6 into cpap treatment. and have no signs of improvement. And I think it is cumbersome. I sleep well with it on it is just alot of work for not helping me. But last night I was up till 2 am trying to sleep. had to take a klon at that time. Plus the cold air is hurting my tooth. And it seems like my nose is pinched. is this normal? I cant breathe through my nose. and the mask almost reaches my bottom lip. I am not having much leaking. I am washing my seal every day. and the other equipment once already. I am still trying to gather money or funding for the equipment. I guess I am just kind of depressed about all this. Still trying to digest things.

These are my issues....

Poor memory
Dyslexia
Depression
Bipolar
Anxiety
Agoraphobia
OCD
Fatigue
Chronic daily headaches
Migraine
HBP
High cholesterol
Epilepsy
Spinal stenosis and DGD
IBS
Gerd and ulcer and IBS
Sleep apnea

These are my numbers....

6 days
avg use 8 hours
pressure 9.0
leak 13 ml/min
AHI .5
Total Al .2
Central Al .0

[Pachyderm's Nose]

If you are using the climateline hose, turn up the temperature that should help the cold air. I can't say much on masks as I've only used two different nasal pillow masks but maybe you need to look at something other than a full face.

[BlackSpinner]

What would you say to your kids if they decide to give up learning to dance in 5 days?

If you broke your leg would you expect the cast off in 5 days?

With all the issues you have it is going to take longer then 5 nights of sleeping. The first week is basically learning to sleep. My doctor said it takes at least a month for your brain to accept the fact that it is ok and safe for you to sleep deeply with that thing on your face. After all it has spent years keeping you alive by keeping you awake enough not to die. You are working at creating new habits and discarding old ones.

The numbers are kind of useless at this point. People need to see the graphs.

[cosmo]

You should probably consult your doctor before terminating your treatment.

[Pugsy]

the cold air is hurting my tooth.

Did you get the ClimateLine hose? If so what temp is it set at? It will go up to 86 degrees and it will feel warmer.

If you didn't get the heated hose...can you ask for it. In the meantime...increase the humidifier setting.

And it seems like my nose is pinched. is this normal? I cant breathe through my nose.

It's very possible that your nose is pinched a bit and the pinching can cause congestion. Put your fingers up along side your nasal bridge where the mask rests and your tubinates are....apply a little pressure with your finger tips...does it cause congestion?
It does for me and that is I can't wear a mask that applies any pressure to the turbinates. You may need a different type of mask if this is the case for you. It's hard to sleep well with the congestion even if you can breathe through your mouth.

and the mask almost reaches my bottom lip

I am zero help with these type of masks but it sounds like maybe the wrong size is being used. Hopefully someone with experience in this mask can help you.

I am day 6 into cpap treatment. and have no signs of improvement.

You were wanting the overnight miracle that a few lucky people get. Don't we all. Unfortunately those miracles are rare. It takes time and patience...both of which we don't want to hear about but it is the truth.

Are you waking frequently during the night???

[SusieG]

I hesitated to post because of all of your issues but, please don't give up! It will get better and so will you. Please relax and remember that you are not alone!
Pachyderm's suggestion is a good one. A heated hose will help.

[yoyoyomonica]

If you are using the climateline hose, turn up the temperature that should help the cold air. I can't say much on masks as I've only used two different nasal pillow masks but maybe you need to look at something other than a full face.

They didnt send a climateline hose for me. And I have tried the nasal pillow but cant breath through my nose very good. But with this mask I feel like my nose is totally pinched. Is that normal?

[yoyoyomonica]

What would you say to your kids if they decide to give up learning to dance in 5 days?

If you broke your leg would you expect the cast off in 5 days?

With all the issues you have it is going to take longer then 5 nights of sleeping. The first week is basically learning to sleep. My doctor said it takes at least a month for your brain to accept the fact that it is ok and safe for you to sleep deeply with that thing on your face. After all it has spent years keeping you alive by keeping you awake enough not to die. You are working at creating new habits and discarding old ones.

The numbers are kind of useless at this point. People need to see the graphs.

ok this is encouraging. So I need to give it alot more time. I was hoping to be able to loose weight and have more energy already. I have actually gained 2 lbs since starting cpap. I think that is mostly why I am discouraged. Then the neck/chest pain I was having on friday and the super high blood pressure. Kind of freaked me out. Doctor said it is muscular. (thank God)

[yoyoyomonica]

And it seems like my nose is pinched. is this normal? I cant breathe through my nose.

It's very possible that your nose is pinched a bit and the pinching can cause congestion. Put your fingers up along side your nasal bridge where the mask rests and your tubinates are....apply a little pressure with your finger tips...does it cause congestion?
It does for me and that is I can't wear a mask that applies any pressure to the turbinates. You may need a different type of mask if this is the case for you. It's hard to sleep well with the congestion even if you can breathe through your mouth

YES it causes congestion. I tried that last night when I was trying to sleep for 4 hours.



Are you waking frequently during the night???[/quote]

Yes I am

[Pugsy]

Until you reduce the number of awakenings during the night the "miracle" won't/can't happen. The body needs the nice normal progression of the sleep cycles for the restorative powers of sleep to work their magic. Each awakening messes with the normal sleep cycles.

I know its had to adjust to sleeping with an alien stuck on our face...especially when that alien is not comfortable.
Full face masks are a real bitch to get adjusted just right for a lot of people. There's simply a larger search area that needs to be dealt with.
Pinched nose..not normal and unwanted and for sure bound to cause discomfort and awakenings even if the turbinates aren't closed off from pressure.
Have you seen Jan's hints on getting a good fit.
The hints work for both the Quattro and the Quattro FX
http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/taming ... e-quattro/

Don't be afraid to try a different mask or a different size in the one you have now.

[Madalot]

Please don't give up. Like you, I have a lot of medical issues. My circumstances forced me to use (and fail) cpap, then use (and fail) bipap. That process took me 2.5 months before they realized I needed much more sophisticated equipment. I was MISERABLE during those months, feeling like I should be feeling better, but I was feeling worse than I was before treatment.

Even after getting the right equipment, it took several MORE months to get it dialed in to get settings that would be as good as they could be - for me.

Stick with it. As others have said, it takes time for many people to get to the point they want to be.

As far as your mask pinching your nose -- no, that's not normal. I think you either have the wrong mask or wrong size.

Keep working on this. People here will help in any way they can. Including me!!

[yoyoyomonica]

Until you reduce the number of awakenings during the night the "miracle" won't/can't happen. The body needs the nice normal progression of the sleep cycles for the restorative powers of sleep to work their magic. Each awakening messes with the normal sleep cycles.

I know its had to adjust to sleeping with an alien stuck on our face...especially when that alien is not comfortable.
Full face masks are a real bitch to get adjusted just right for a lot of people. There's simply a larger search area that needs to be dealt with.
Pinched nose..not normal and unwanted and for sure bound to cause discomfort and awakenings even if the turbinates aren't closed off from pressure.
Have you seen Jan's hints on getting a good fit.
The hints work for both the Quattro and the Quattro FX
http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/taming ... e-quattro/

Don't be afraid to try a different mask or a different size in the one you have now.

I learned alot from this link u posted. I think I have been putting my mask on wrong all along. my nose is pinched off. So now I know the mask cushion needs to fill with air I will fix that tonight. I am going to call my dme and see about trying a nasal pillow. IF u are naturally congested can u use a nasal pillow. I breathe through my mouth 97 percent of the time. Thanks for this post.

[yoyoyomonica]

Please don't give up. Like you, I have a lot of medical issues. My circumstances forced me to use (and fail) cpap, then use (and fail) bipap. That process took me 2.5 months before they realized I needed much more sophisticated equipment. I was MISERABLE during those months, feeling like I should be feeling better, but I was feeling worse than I was before treatment.

Even after getting the right equipment, it took several MORE months to get it dialed in to get settings that would be as good as they could be - for me.

Stick with it. As others have said, it takes time for many people to get to the point they want to be.

As far as your mask pinching your nose -- no, that's not normal. I think you either have the wrong mask or wrong size.

Keep working on this. People here will help in any way they can. Including me!!

Thanks for this post. So u tried other machines and masks. Do the DMEs work with u on this or do u have to purchase these machines. I dont know the difference between bipap and cpap or APAP. All I know is that I want to sleep well and feel better. that is all I want. I am gunna call my DME today.

[yoyoyomonica]

ok MY DME has a modem hooked to my machine. What is that doing?

[Julie]

Hi - I've lost track of whether anyone asked this, but have you tried lowering (or raising) your humidity level to see if it helps the congestion? I can only use mine on the lowest setting and often not at all.