Six years here. I sleep much better now. Now I’m having a hard time getting to sleep without the machine. A few summers ago, when we had a power blackout in NYC, I had to spend the night in my office, and that was a rough night. Hardly slept at all.
I also wash the mask about every few months. Doesn’t seem to make much difference to me. God knows what I’m doing to myself by washing it so rarely, but whatever it is, I can’t really see a need.
Love my CPAP. It really improved my life. Now that I’ve lost nearly 100 pounds via gastric bypass I don’t really need it anymore, but I still sleep better with it on so I use it about 50% of the time…when I don’t fall asleep reading. You’re supposed to clean it everyday, but I’ve only cleaned it (hoses) maybe twice in four years. I clean the mask when it needs it, and I’ve replaced the straps once and the mask once. As to getting used to it, I had a hard time the first few weks…and I was highly motivated to use it! But then I decided to try wearing it for short periods during the day, just to get used to it, and that helped with the slight claustophobic feeling.
Now it is such a comfort, I sometimes can’t wait to slip the mask on because I know I’ll be asleep soon! And I get fewer colds than before, and of course I now don’t fall asleep at traffic lights! I never use the ramp feature either…just go straight to full pressure. And since I usually sleep with a fan on, the slight additional noise is comforting, too.
Thanks everybody for your input. It sounds like a mixed bag but that it may be worth a try. In my particular situation I am afraid to use it as an alternative to losing weight because it gives me an “out”, but that’s a different issue from whether the mask would help me!!
It was a little hard to get used to, and it was awkward to adjust to keeping my mouth closed. (If you leave your mouth open it won’t do a thing for you, and it feels a little bit like when you blow up a balloon and then let it deflate in your mouth…) The doctor and the folks at the medical supply center who gave me my mahcine were really helpful about sharing different tricks and tips that folks try to make it more comforable. One of the nice things is the “ramping” selection on the machine which starts out blowing the air at less of a pressure than you need, and then increases it after you’ve fallen asleep. And when I first got it I wore the mask with the machine on while watching tv during the day because it would distract me from thinking “Oh No, I can’t breathe with this thing on my face!” Once you forget the mask is on you have a much easier time. It’s only when you’re consciously thinking about it that you fight against the air blowing.
My husband has pretty bad apnea, and he initially had the deviated septum surgery, with no help. He’s been on the CPAP for about 5 years now and he loves it. It took me a while to get used to sleeping next to a cyborg, but now the white noise helps me sleep. He easily packs it up for travel, and if he has to go a night without it (the mask broke last year and he waited ten days for a replacement) he has TERRIBLE sleep.
If you’re interested in one more story, here’s mine: I’ve been using a full-face mask with CPAP for over 8 years. The first couple of nights were indeed heaven, I slept all night without even moving (I had been falling asleep at my desk for months before diagnosis). Then I got caught up on sleep, and I still sleep pretty well. I don’t seem to be able to sleep without it. I don’t know what severity of sleep apnea I have (or had), they didn’t tell me.
I replace the mask or parts of it maybe once a year (my insurance doesn’t cover). I wash the mask every few weeks, and I’ve never washed the hose. The most vulnerable parts of the mask are the soft part that fits against my face, and the headgear (elastic straps that hold it on). because they are in constant contact with my skin.
I have now lost 150 pounds, so I am going to go in for another sleep test, if my insurance will cover it, but I am not terribly hopeful. I have tried a couple of times recently to fall asleep without it, without success; and one time when it stopped because the plug got pulled out, I woke up right away knowing something was wrong. So I am glad to hear more about the surgical approaches, because as well as it works, it is a pain in the ass and especially when travelling.
Anyway, good luck, there’s nothing like a good night’s sleep.
Roddy
I’m heading to a sleep study, I just have to call for the appointment. Wife says I’m apnic. I’m six two, and about 250. ( read: on my frame, an easy 40-50 lbs overweight). However, at 204 I still snored and was apnic. The snoring was lessened but the apnea was not, apparently. That was back in 1997. God bless The Atkins Diet. 
Here’s a question. Is it true that men must have no facial hair at all to have a proper CPAP mask fit? Not even a goatee? Must know. This may be a dealbreaker for me. OTOH, I haven’t slept well since I broke my back over 5 years ago and so I am unsure how much of my nonstop exhaustion is due to poor sleep with pain, or apnea. Hmph.
BIL adores his CPAP. He says it changed his life and he’s used it nonstop for the last few years.
How about that facial hair?
Cartooniverse
My husband has a beard and has no problem wearing a mask. He has the kind that covers both nose and mouth.
I’ve worn an untrimmed beard for the whole time I’ve had the CPAP. No problem.
my husband also either has a beard or goatee at all times and he’s had no trouble.
Interesting you should mention that; at my old job folks had to be fitted with masks to work with some of the animals and they couldn’t be fitted over beards. It became an HR issue in that we would be asking someone to shave to meet job requirements and this hadn’t been clear before that. /hijack
Plus there’s the nasal pillow sort of mask that goes in your nostrils. Facial hair shouldn’t be much of a issue there, unless you’re the sort of person who styles his nose hair into an Imperial.
Interesting you should mention that…
:eek:
Thanks, folks. I did dread losing the goatee- which artfully masks some of the 6 chins. Now, I have hope again !!!
Okay, and if a new trend gets started, do I get to claim credit? Because I want to be the one to say… wait a minute, no I don’t. Forget I ever brought it up.
I use the nasl pillows and find them much nicer than my original mask.
