The Beast . . . .

Night #2 with The Beast and it is not working!! One side of my nose is plugged (not sure why) and I feel like I am constantly gasping for air. I've been struggling with this freaking thing since 8:30 pm, now 90 minutes, and I am so freaking frustrated, I have the worst headache, and I am finding it absolutely impossible to find a comfortable position. Last night was not as bad. I somehow fell asleep within 1 hour, but then only slept for about 2 hours. Woke up at 1:30 am and could not get back to sleep. Worked today on 2 freaking hours of sleep so I thought for sure I would be tired enough tonight to fall asleep.No luck. There is no way I can possibly believe that anyone actually likes this! If it were not for wanting surgery SO FREAKING BAD, there is no way I would even keep trying to get this to work. I am going to be exhausted tomorrow at work and probably a total crab to boot. I was never this tired before ....

In spite of how I am feeling right now, I am going back to battle The Beast once again. I feel a little better just being able to vent my frustrations here!

Some times when my nose gets plugged i up the humidity setting and that helps. Also, a nasal spray helps too.    When i first started on cpap, i would sleep 3 or 4 hours and wake up and couldn't get back to sleep for at least one hour.    That pattern lasted for awhile then eventually i was able to sleep all night.   I look at it as a treatment just like taking any medication Rx by doctors, Alot of people once they lose the weight are able to get off cpap machine.  I sure hope i am one of them. But right now i know i sure feel better using it then not.  hang in there it will get better.

When you have the feeling that your gasping for air, does that happen during the first 45 minutes?
if so adjustment to the cpap can help that issue.  I think its called the ramp up time,  

Thanks so much for the tips Jean. Unfortunately, I end up gasping for air even when the level is topped off (10). To me, it feels like 'fake' air and I just want some fresh stuff!

I was finally able to get to sleep but once again it didn't last long and once again I woke up with the splitting headache. I don't know how I am going to function the rest of the week at work. I'm now so tired that I tear up at every little thing that goes wrong at work (and there's a lot going on wrong there right now!). I can't take time off because I need the time off for surgery. 3-1/2 more weeks of this - I'm just not sure how I will get through it.

Call your provider or consultant tomorrow morning and tell them the trouble that you are having. It sounds like you are having anxiety attacks about using the machine, rather than problems with the machine, but the experts know how to help.  They can make adjustments and give you other masks to try.  Ask them to set the machine to "ramp up" over 15-20 minutes. This starts the air at a low pressure and slowly increases it so you are asleep before it fully kicks in. 

If you are claustrophobic like me, you will proably be much more comfortable with the nasal pillows type mask rather than a full face mask. It might also help to take a gentle anti-anxiety or sleep med well before bedtime for a few nights to help you with the transition. It sounds like your headaches may be due to stress at work, much more so than your CPAP machine. Try to remember it is not fake air, just the regular air from your room under a bit of pressure. Maybe sit up in bed and read while wearing the mask for a little while so you can adjust to it and relax before you try to fall asleep.