Suffering Spouse has your husband tried going to the Doctor for his allergies? He really should get that problem under control first! I have sinus problems and I went to an ENT, now I take Alavert every night, and I also use the sinus irrigation. I understand your frustration with all of this I am sure your husband is also very frustrated,  I am sure his attitude will improve once he gets the sleep he needs. It is just getting to that point, that is the hard part! Hang in there! Things will get better, we are all here to listen and help when we can! Good Luck to both of you

What the others have posted is true.  And if your husband routinely suffers from allergies, forcing him to breathe through his nose in order to use the CPAP is not going to work well in the long run.  

Seeing an ENT is a great idea, hopefully there is some help for him.  But until that happens, a full face mask or hybrid mask as mentioned, is probably a wise change.

Yes the FFM (full face mask) can be difficult to get used to.  The anti-anxiety meds can help a lot with the claustrophobic feeling, as can using a prescription sleep aid such as Ambien, Lunesta, Sonata etc. for a short course to get over the initial adjustment period.

The mask I use today is a FFM.  I don't "need" a FFM, I am not a mouth breather and don't have allergies or stuffy nose.  If I had needed a FFM in the beginning I know that I would have had trouble!  Instead I started with nasal masks, tried about a dozen, and now a FFM is no big deal.  It is possible to actually get used to that thing on your face.   Concentrate on his comfort, do what it takes to help him there.  One thing's for sure, if he is not comfortable he won't use the CPAP.

Good luck, Blessings,
--pseudonym

How do you ad those cute, personalized pictures under your screen name? Lantern4life

Yo can set it up in your profile...can only be sooooo big.  If you want to personalize it you can set up a free account with photobucket.com and download the url or image code.


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CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO~ http://tinyurl.com/69q52a

BiPAP Auto M 13/8 Mirage Nasal Swift. 20 years+ undx'd. RLS/PLMD, Hypersomnia & more.

Ok, the Sleep Center is having hubby go back in with the machine and the masks for a proper fitting to see what the deal is. His appointment is next Tues so hopefully the next couple days he'll be able to go back to the nasal mask until then... Of course that depends on his allergies and if he will try something different to try to curb them.

Anyway, just wanted to share. Hopefully they will be able to help us.   Can I just say that this is getting old... I just want him to get some dadgummed sleep already! Its been a month and a 1/2... He should be feeling better by now and he isn't.   *ugh* I'm just frustrated.... But what else is new right?     

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Update From Yesterday:
Ok so when I talked to the Dr last Friday she suggested bumping up the humidity on the nasal mask to help with congestion. When I asked my hubby what he wanted to do with the masks until his appointment next week he said he didn't know. I suggested going back to the nasal mask and changing the humidity and see what happens. HE SLEPT THE ENTIRE NIGHT WITH IT ON!!! (but he got to sleep at 2:45am so it wasn't an entire night) He was a different person when he woke up this morning. I am hoping this tiny change is all thats needed to get him more compliant with his treatment. The changes in him that a few hours made was incredible. I pray that tonight is just as good!

SufferingSpouse, that sounds good; maybe he's getting somewhere.  For some people, getting compliant is a long process.

Lantern4life, those little pictures are called avatars.  There are sites on the net that feature them but I'd be careful about using any of them.  Make sure they don't come with baggage, like advertising popups or spyware.  You can also make your own.

Yet another update:

So my husband's follow up with his sleep Dr was yesterday. Long story short the technician from Option One didn't fit my husband properly for the full mask. Option One has been incredibly difficult to deal with this whole time so it was good that he went in and was professionally fit by his Dr. The full mask we have now leaks horribly and is too small...

Because of all the difficulty we've been through with OO they switch us to a new technician and we were also given the option to go pick up the new mask to exchange for the other one that we got 2 weeks ago. Its a different mask entirely (the Quattro something-erother) and he says its much more comfortable than the other. I pray that 3rd times a charm and that by this weekend hubby will be on his way to recovery... Its been a long 2 months of trial and error and I am really ready for this process to be over.

Once we get the new mask I believe that hubby will be sending a formal complaint of the service we have been given. They need to know what garbage we've been dealing with...

Anyway... Just wanted to share, hopefully today he'll be able to pick it up.