Light at the end of the tunnel !!!

Just need to share!

I am SOOOO hopeful !! I am a newbie … 2 weeks on my NasalAire II. I was one who vowed to go kicking and screaming before anyone was going to hook ME up to a machine for the rest of my life … but once reality set in and I decided against surgery, I accepted the situation and started to look forward to getting my machine and mask and finally getting some sleep, and feeling better, etc. When I got the system, the nasal prongs were WAY to big, and I went through one week totally frustrated and in despair, and not getting anywhere with my DME.

Well, I persevered and got one size smaller in the nasal prongs (direct from the manufacturer) and used them for the last 3 nights. Also bought myself a Posturepoedic pillow, and figured out the best way for ME to strap on my hoses (taking hints from a couple of you out there) And last night I can actually say I was pretty comfortable for the whole night. I slept for just under 3 hours after going to sleep (haven’t done THAT in over a year). I still woke up a couple other times in the middle of the night, but I think that is just getting used to having something attached to me, getting used to rolling over, etc. (And the cat scratching under the bed woke me up once, and the boyfriend chasing the cat out of the room after she jumped on his face woke me up once, but I won’t count those !!!) But this morning, I woke uop with a SMILE !!! and thought “You know, I might actually get USED to this”. (The nose was a bit raw, but I think that will go away once it gets “toughened up” !!)

So, I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I sure hope so! But I wanted to share and tell any other Newbies to keep at it. Hearing others out there say that in various posts sure helped ME to, and now I can say “they’re right” !!

Butterfly (O.K. Real name is Pat).

Congratulations Butterfly (O.K. Real name is Pat)!!!

While not having a hose hooked up to your head is the prefered sleep method, having a well fitting mask (or nasal pillows) with a properly set and functioning xPAP machine and a heated humidifier is a better arrangement than the alternative.

Just remember, some days will be better than others. This is a great support group and well worth the time spent searching through the posts to find a new way to (insert your malady of the day).

Later,
Tater

Excellent, Pat! So good to hear that some of the puzzle pieces are moving into place better for you! The key is in the words you used:

"Well, I persevered and got ...."



Sticking with it AND getting sooooo many things arranged more comfortably - a mask that suits you, where to put the hose, how to do heated humidification if needed, pillow to lay on that won't smush the mask into one's face, and on and on...

Tater said it right... it would be nice if we didn't have to use all this stuff at all, but that it sure beats the alternative. Glad you're getting it sorted out to suit you, Pat.

Laura

O.K. HEATED humidifier versus not heated. My humidifier is NOT a heated one. I do seem to wake so DRY it is hard to swallow at times!! Is heated THAT much better? Any "cons" rather than "pros"? The DME said they can get it IF a doctor says it is needed. Of course I have to find out if my insurance will cover it. I'm already going to be paying out of pocket at the end of the year because my insurance has a dollar limit on equipment. But if more people say it's worth it and better, I can investigate.

Thanks, and I think this forum is GREAT.

Pat

Yes, heated is better....

The warmer the water is (and the air around it) the more humidity will evaporate into it, and the "wetter" your air is.

Cold, dry air will dry you out. Warm, moist air will not.

So cold is better than none, but warm is better than cold.

Liam, thinking "This does NOT apply to fevers".

Pat,

I have the same set up - Nasal Aire II and unheated humidifier. My DME said my insurance requires me to try unheated for a month before I can get a heated one, but all I have to do is complain to them and they will swap out. I would think you could just complain to your doctor and get a different script. I don't know if your doc will work this way, but one of the options I have with my doc is to get connected to his nurse's voice mail to ask for little things like adjustments or a scrip based on a report that he has received. It saves me hassle and many dollars. He is busy and not so money grubbing as to force me to come in just so he can do something that is just an insurance hoop. I saw him when he sent me to the sleep lab, but have avoided 3 office visits since then while navigating the maze.

Anyway, I am also dry on waking. The first month ends soon and I will be requesting the heated humidifer at that time.

Hi Butterfly and Zees Pleez,

I also use the NasalAire II interface, and I strongly recommend a heated humidifier.

I don't know where you live, or what your pressure is, but I am in So. California, where it is usually low humidity (we have had a LOT of rain this winter!), and a heated humidifier is a must. I recently travelled to Hawaii and found that with the higher humidity, that I could turn the humidity down quite a bit, and needed that to avoid rainout. To me the heated humidity just feels nicer -- warm and cozy. I know that some don't like the heated humidifier, but I like the way that it feels, and I have had less sinus problems since being on the hose! I am also getting over the flu, and the heated humidifier kept my nose clear at night so that I could sleep! I started 1/10/05, so am a relative newbie, but have been 100% compliant since day one.

The higher the pressure, the more you need the heated humidifier, just because of the volume of air blowing through your nose every night. I have a PB420E set with a minimum pressure of 10 and a max of 17. My titrated pressure was 14, and my average pressure on the autopap is 12. My 90% pressure is 16. All pressures are in cm/H2O.

I like the NAII and it has worked well for me. I can wear my glasses and it is a minimal, but secure interface.

Butterfly, I am so pleased to hear you making such good progress! Zees, it sounds like you are going down the right road too. It isn't always going to be hunky dory, but there are more good nights than bad! Way to go both of you!

Sleep well,

Jane

Thanks Jane!

I live in the Northeast (Western Massachusetts). Our house has radiated heat and it is dry. We have a humidifier set in the living room, right outside our bedroom door (it's a tiny house), and as long as the cat doesn't drive us crazy to the point of having to close the door to shut her out, I guess the bedroom is getting SOME benefit. BUT... sounds like I should probably check out getting a heated humidifier. Last night was another VERY DRY night!

My pressure is set at 14 (it's a Respironics machine ... I forget what one and I'm not at home right now).

Thanks for the encouragement... I am VERY happy with my decision to go with the NasalAire (despite my DME trying to get me on their "standard issue"). Now that I have the right size prongs, I've gotten through one night 3/4 of the way through, followed by 3 nights all the way through. My nose is a bit tender, but I am confident that will go away after a while? I still find I'm waking up many times, but I THINK that's just because I am still not used to being attached to something??!! Now the only thing bothering me is the tubing leaves marks on my face that are STILL there when I go to work (I do keep the thing snug, to keep it on, and it really doesnt bother me much while I sleep, but it does leave marks). I think I'll try some of that tubing you mentioned in your previous post(s).

While of course appreciating EVERYONE's comments/suggestions, it's nice the hear from someone using the NasalAire and HAPPY with it !! For me, it was one of only 3 systems I thought I might be able to live with, and I think its going to work out!!

Thanks again for your advice.

Pat

Pat,

I recall my DME telling me that it's not particularly good for a CPAP unit to be used too close to a room humidifier.

Now, as you described it, I wouldn't call that "Too Close", but if it ever enters your head to move the humidifier INTO your room, check first to see what the recommendations are for your particular unit.

Liam, who lives in NH, so he totally gets how dry it is where you are.

What Liam is getting at is that the "guts" of the machines do not like humidity.Moisture in the machine will likely shorten it's life. It is better to humidify the air after it goes through the machine. A heated humidifier works great for this.

Although, of course, your heated humifier won't do much for your spouse/partner's humidification.

Probably should consider that, since this is the person who has so kindly put up with your snoring and restless sleep (if you're like the rest of us) for so long.

Liam, what's a 10% drop in CPAP life compared to consideration for your partner?

Pat, I hope your story gives motivation to those that are starting out on xPAP, or who have been trying for a while and haven't quite got the right set up for them. Rested Gal picked out the key word - that is persevered - well done.

I'm firmly in the heated humidifier camp. I live in the UK where we tend not to get real extremes of weather, but with central heating on during the winter, I get 'mouth like the bottom of a bird cage' syndrome if I don't use the heated humidifier. When I started using it, I also noticed an immediate and dramatic improvement in nasal congestion, or should I say lack of it.

Hmmm.. thanks for alerting me to the potential problem of moving the room humidifier ... I WAS thinking it so I'm glad I brought it here to the forum! In thinking further , I probably won't because our kingsize bed takes up 99.9% of the room so where would I put it anyway?? LOL !! Looks like most of you are all for heated, so I am going to check it out!

And Liam, you are right about something .. this person, my boyfriend, HAS put up with me for about 14 months now. And he has been SOOO good ... wearing earplugs every night and not complaining. When I found out I had sleep apnea (I've snored / roared all my life, but it got progressively worse over the last year), at first I don't think he understood the health issue (I had gone to the doctor to see if there was anything I could do about the snoring, because I wanted him to be able to "hear the crickets" ... and that's when I found out about the sleep apnea. But I kept gently reminding him that it wasn't an issue about snoring anymore, and once he talked to a couple people at his work, every night until I got my CPAP setup, if he couldn't hear me breathing he was leaning over to check me out. It scared the daylights out of him, whatever someone said that made it sink in that this is a health issue. (In fact, he "checked me out" the other night because I was asleep and faced the other way and he couldn't hear anything!!).

I'm just adding this as a note, unrelated to the original post, because I have heard some people complain that their domestic partner is not understanding, and I am greatful I have someone who is. And so I am now doubly happy ... happy that maybe now there is hope that I will start to sleep better,and therefore feel better, and happy that he can sleep without earplugs, and a little bit closer!!

Pat