Hi. I was diagnosed with osa and got a cpap a few days ago. The first night I kept it (the mask) on about 2 hours, don't know if I ever completely fell asleep. 2nd night, tore it off right away. Since then I haven't inflicted it on myself. I'm practically in tears just thinking about it. I feel panicky going into my bathroom knowing the cpap is in my bedroom nextdoor. I put off even going to bed at night if I plan to use the cpap. Has anyone ever been unable to use a cpap because of anxiety? It's driving me crazy and I honestly wish I'd never gone for the sleep study! (I never suspected I had a sleep disorder- I only asked my dr. if it was normal to sleep as much as I was). Let me stress, I don't just 'not like it', I'm near panic-attack, so please don't tell me to just get used to it.

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Last edited by another_guest on Tue Oct 31, 2006 11:00 pm; edited 1 time in total

Hi Guest2,

Sounds like you are very upset about the whole situation.  It would help to identify what it is that is so disturbing for you.  Is it the mask, are you clastrophobic?  Is it the idea that you are dependent on a machine and you are afraid of the impact it might have on your life?  Does the noise bother you?  We can't figure out how to help you unless you can figure out some of the causes of your extreme concern.  A lot of times, this whole apnea diagnosis/treatment thing is a bit overwhelming and it helps to take a step back, relax and go after it from a different angle.

You won't appreciate this now, but having a sleep study done and being diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea was one of the best things that could happen in your life.  When you get treated, you will decrease your risk of heart attack and stroke.  You will immediately decrease the crazy raises in blood pressure that occur with every apneic event and you will stablize your oxygen and carbon dioxide levels thorough the night.  You might have some of the other symtoms too which will go away, weight gain, fatigue, headaches (especially in the morning), etc.

But back to the issue at hand.  Don't feel like you have to do anything right now, don't feel like you have to use it since your current response won't be helpful at the moment.  Figure out why you are having such an extreme reaction and treat your CPAP not like some monster lurking in the bedroom but like the intimate family friend that it is, patiently waiting to help you when you are ready to let it (and us) gently lull you into a restful sleep.

Vicki


_________________
That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.

another_guest wrote:

Although I am a newbie here and not on cpap *yet* maybe you need to talk to the company you got the equipment from about different masks or other interfaces you can use.

I know I am researching what I get, know my own fears of masks, etc. and am planning to order something that I feel I can deal with.  Some of the people I have talked to in chat have been very helpful on what they think of different things but in the long run I know I have to get something that I feel I can deal with.

To one degree or another, guest2, we've all had some anxiety about using/becoming adjusted to CPAP.

Another_guest is absolutely correct about experimenting with different masks/interfaces as this can make all the difference in the world.  Perhaps nasal pillows would be a good option if you're claustrophobic as I am.  I have adjusted to them beautifully, and am about to celebrate my second anniversary of restful sleep.  It has changed my life for the better in ways I never dreamed it would.

As Vicki says, take it slowly, but please don't give up.

Amigo

Hi:

Yes, when I first started with my CPAP over 3 years ago, I couldn't tolerate the mask either. It wan't just that it was uncomfortable...I felt like I was suffocating with it on. I started out with a mask that fit over my nose & pressed hard against my face to get a good seal. At first I had the urge to rip it off...I felt like I was buried alive, but I tried hard to get used to it. The thing was noisy, and it made me feel like my whole face was being crushed. I had to tear the thing off because I was in a panic. Sound like you? I have two ideas for you that have helped me tremendously. First, consider a "nasal pillows" mask...this fits on your head similar to a baseball cap, and it has two soft "pillows" fit into the nostrils, rather than a whole mask pressing on your face. Second, try using some soft foam earlplugs. I found these make an incredible difference...they block the "rushing air" noise of the machine and are a life saver for me. With the pillow mask & earplugs, wearing the mask is second nature & I don't get the panic attacks the full size mask caused.

I hope this helps...good luck.

I had some minor panic attacks when I first started CPAP.  You might try a few little tricks to help relax even before you go into the bedroom.  Turn off the TV and computer about an hour before bedtime.  Turn on some soft, relaxing music while you get ready for bed.  Try taking a tennis ball and use it to massage the area between and slightly below the breasts.  It's amazing how much that helps me to relax.  

As some of the previous posters, I highly recommend nasal pillows instead of a conventional mask.  I find them much less claustrophobic.

During my first weeks of CPAP, I would set the sleep mode on my CD player so that the music would play for about an hour as I first got into bed.  I would use the tennis ball again if I started to panic and try to concentrate on the music instead of the CPAP.  I know it's hard to not think of it as a monster, but we all have our irrational thoughts occasionally.  If you feel like you can't breathe and are using the ramp feature of your CPAP, you might try starting the ramp at a higher pressure to overcome the fear of not getting enough oxygen (After several months, I no longer use the ramp).

There are other posts in this forum about how to overcome the fear of the mask.  Some previous posters have suggested wearing the mask at times when you are not in the bedroom to help you get "used to" wearing the mask.  If you do a search, I think you may find them.

I know how scary those first few days are and all I can say is that it does get better.

I was diagnosed with panic disorder years ago and one of my biggest triggers is feeling trapped.  I just got my CPAP machine last week and I am doing okay.  I use nasal pillows, which puts hardly anything on my face, as my little boy says, I look like a scuba diver.  Before falling asleep I tend to feel a little anxious, so I pull it away from my face (not off) and take a couple of deep breaths.  Don't try to get 8 hours sleep right away.  Since you can't seem to tolerate it all, try wearing for 15 min at any other time of the day.  Get used to the way it feels.  Then make it longer each day and each night try to sleep with it a little longer.  You will feel so much better and be healthier with it than without it.  Good Luck.

I am a heavy guy and I know that is why I have to wear the CPAP.  But I have always slept on my stomach. Even as a child.  I make no excuses for my weight. I should lose it.  But the sleep studies will not let you sleep on your stomach.  (Not fair)  I never snore.  I was just coached into this by my doctor.  Because of my weight.  I hate the CPAP.  I have tried two masks.  Can anyone suggest a brand or type that helped them get through this. I have a over the nose and a nostrol type.  Please excuse my rambling.  I am very bitter about this mask thing and the hole sleep ap thing.  Thanks for letting me vent.  I hope to hear from some folks who had a tough time that got better.
Tough time in Indiana
Doug

DougFromIndiana wrote:

I am a heavy guy and I know that is why I have to wear the CPAP.  But I have always slept on my stomach. Even as a child.  I make no excuses for my weight. I should lose it.  But the sleep studies will not let you sleep on your stomach.  (Not fair)  I never snore.  I was just coached into this by my doctor.  Because of my weight.  I hate the CPAP.  I have tried two masks.  Can anyone suggest a brand or type that helped them get through this. I have a over the nose and a nostrol type.  Please excuse my rambling.  I am very bitter about this mask thing and the hole sleep ap thing.  Thanks for letting me vent.  I hope to hear from some folks who had a tough time that got better.
Tough time in Indiana
Doug

Hi Doug from Indiana,

I am a heavy girl and a stomache sleeper to boot.  I found it difficult with my sleep study because I also couldn't sleep on my stomache, nor on my side.  Anyway, the mask they hooked me up to that night was one for just the nose and I had an unbelievably hard time with it.  I felt as if I was suffocating.  I can't provide any suggestions as to the best nose of nostal types as I haven't tried them.  If you don't get claustraphobic, the Flexifit 431 full face mask might work for you.  I have only tried it out one night, but was able to sleep on my tummy and not feel it pressing hard into my face. PLUS, I didn't have any problems with pesky air leaks.

I hope it gets better for you.  Good luck,
Melinda

I, too, am a stomach sleeper (and a heavy guy).  The sleep study was hard, but I made it through both of them.  I use the Breeze Sleepgear with nasal pillows and am able to still sleep on my stomach.  I just have to scoot my head to the edge of the pillow.  Some people have to get a thicker pillow to make this work.

Doug -   The main reason they make you sleep on your back during the studies is that sleep apnea is almost always at its worst while you are sleeping on your back.  That way they can get an accurate diagnosis and CPAP setting.  I know how hard CPAP can be at first (especially if you really resent it).  I know it sounds trite - but the CPAP will make you feel better and possibly help you to live longer!  There really is a light at the end of the tunnel (and it's not just a train heading toward you!)

Best of luck to you!

Thanks guys and gals for the help.  It is good to talk to people who are dealing with the same things you are.  I know it is for my own good.  I just wish it would hurry and get easier to wear this mask thing.  It would be easier if it could be cordless    .  thanks for the words of encouragement.  They help

Hi everyone,

I am from Australia so please bear with me if my terminology is foreign to you!

I'm currently using an automatic pressure machine(three weeks) after a CPAP machine (one week) since diagnosis of OSA a month or so ago. At first I was so relieved to find a possible cure to my symptoms after many years of poor health and not thriving generally. Hooray! I thought.

One month on I have persevered 6/7 nights per week on average. I've trialled the mask with a skirt (which was way too big for me as I'm small featured and it kept falling over my top lip!), another called Respironics Simplicity (caused welts VERY SORE!!) and now the Swift pillow thingummy, which is kinder, but I find I can't lay on my side and so stay awake all night. The cylinder that the nasal pillow sits on digs into my bed pillow pushing the nasal pillow out of my nose and I get a poor seal and leaks. My husband says that I now sound like an internet connection. Great!

I'm using an automatic machine called Resmed S8 Spirit with humidifier, as my nose was so cold without the humidifier I was checking for icicles! To add insult to injury my sinuses also became very inflamed from the dry air. It's winter here. Our hot summer will be another problem in a few months I guess. HELP someone please..... I hate going to bed now. I also wear a chin strap to stop my mouth hanging open which happens when I get totally exhausted, and negates the therapy. My family and friends now call me Darth Vader...because of the getup I wear when going to bed. I am a 48 y/o female and it's no joke going to bed looking and feeling like a turkey trussed up for Christmas. Laughter aside....I often cry involuntarily as I lay there hoping for that miracle called "sleep" that is now just a memory.

To summarise: I'm having a few different probs...one is that my face was developing painfully sore callouses over the nose bridge and under my nose. I then changed over to the Swift pillow nasal thingummy which I'm on now. I've been sleeping (trying to) stock upright most of the time, as when I lay down I automatically roll on my side and my face turns into the pillow obstructing the air escape and pushes the pillow out of my nostrils. That can't be good! My husband reckons it's quite spooky waking up and seeing me sitting up and hissing like the living dead. Poor man. Poor me.

Any suggestions about alternative chin straps for a small build?

The monetary cost for therapeutic equipment here works out to about $US2000 and I'm due to pay that this week. It's a lot to pay for a terrible night's sleep!
 
Lastly THE NOISE, my OSA episodes occur when I enter REM sleep. What should be my "dream" sleep turns into "waking nightmare". Isn't that what they do to torture people??? The machine (when I do start to dream) revs like a Harley Davidson and scares the proverbial out of me. That's it then....sleep over for another night. Wide awake.

I have a heart murmur, BP all over the place and very severe migraines which are directly related to OSA so I HAVE TO PERSEVERE. All positive suggestions are welcome. Oh and thanks for listening to my story of woe. I don't want to depress the readers of this site but I do need to be honest about my experience. I know, this too shall pass and I am still hopeful.

Suggestions please anyone?

Sorry for your troubles Mandy, but you have to view this stupid disorder with some degree of humor and your post made me laugh, a lot.  There a still a lot of interface choices out there.  If the chin strap is working and you want to stick with nasal thingies, try some masks rather than nasal pillows.  Perhaps the ResMed Activa because it is less prone to leaks if you move around (the head gear didn't fit me though but might you) or the ResMed Ultra Mirage which is their standard nasal mask.  I believe these masks come in smalls, which is probably the size you need.

If you get tired of the chin strap you could try a Full Faced (FF) mask.  If your pressure is below 9 or so, ResMed makes a nice FF mask.  Several of us on this forum use a Fisher & Paykel FlexiFit  431 FF mask which is very comfortable and doesn't leak with moving around.  I'm sure others will also have suggestions.

Hang in There!!

Vicki


_________________
That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.

I have some anxiety with mine, too, but one thing that I found was that I put on the mask and lay down BEFORE I turn the machine on.  For some reason, it appears to be easier that way.  If I am sitting up when I turn the machine on, it freaks me out.  

Best of luck.   When you get use to it, it is wonderful.

I had gotten to the point that I was so tired that I would have tried about anything.   I enjoy going to sleep now.  In fact, I look forward to it.

Vicki wrote:

Sorry for your troubles Mandy, but you have to view this stupid disorder with some degree of humor and your post made me laugh, a lot.  There a still a lot of interface choices out there.  If the chin strap is working and you want to stick with nasal thingies, try some masks rather than nasal pillows.  Perhaps the ResMed Activa because it is less prone to leaks if you move around (the head gear didn't fit me though but might you) or the ResMed Ultra Mirage which is their standard nasal mask.  I believe these masks come in smalls, which is probably the size you need.

If you get tired of the chin strap you could try a Full Faced (FF) mask.  If your pressure is below 9 or so, ResMed makes a nice FF mask.  Several of us on this forum use a Fisher & Paykel FlexiFit  431 FF mask which is very comfortable and doesn't leak with moving around.  I'm sure others will also have suggestions.

Hang in There!!

Vicki

Many thanks Vicki...I'll printout your very worthwhile suggestions and seek the masks.
Glad I gave you a giggle. It's quite humorous in the light of day isn't it? I didn't intend the humour, but there you are, shows there's some hope for me!
A concerned friend directed me to this site by email. Maybe I can blame this on the sleep apnea ?? Or because I'm blonde??...but I can't see where to actually register to be a bonafide member. Would you be kind enough to direct me please? I'd gladly give you my email address but unsure of the rules and don't want to break them unwittingly before I join! I'd hate to be excommunicated at this early stage!
Thanks again Vicki....you're a champion!