This is hell!

[Montana]

Day 3 and I feel like I could give up already!! I'm more tired now than I ever was before, mainly due to waking up several times over the last 3 nights due to the horrendous dry cracked tongue, split lips and severe pressure blowing cold air at my face!

I managed to figure out how to get into the clinical menu last night and switched on the EPR setting which seemed to make it much easier to breathe so that was a start, but just getting to sleep in order to experience the other horrors takes an age! I went to bed at 11pm last night, 1:30am was the last time I remember looking at the clock before drifting off. Maybe actually preventing you from going to sleep in the first place is how your apneas are really cured

An emergency appt is required I think to get myself the humidifier to help with the dryness. In the meantime I've bought some biotene gel today to put in my mouth before i go to sleep tonight and as for the lack of being able to fall to sleep in the first place, a visit to boots and tescos and some sleepeaze tablets and a jar of horlicks later, I'm hoping for a better night tonight

Montana

[James @ Intus]

Sounds like some extreme dehydration. Do you drikn enough water during the day? Sure, without a humidifier some get a dry mouth and/or nose, but cracked I hear seldomly.

[Sparticus]

Try This!

The reason you cant sleep is because its all new and your listning to the noise and thinking about your breathing. You are not relaxed enough to fall asleep! You need to take your mind out of the equation and think of something else. If you have access to music and ear plugs try some soothing music to listen too instead of the wine of the machine and the hissing of air. This will relax you and as your mind wanders you will drift off, trust me it does work as I have been using this method for about a year now.

The soreness does pass in time but thats not much comfort to you at the moment, bedroom are normally dry places try drinking lots of fluid to keep you going till you get your humidifier, either that or get someone to boil a kettle in your bedroom every few hours lol

[symmit]

Hi Montana - do not lose hope!

If there's lots of air being blown then leaks are the most likely cause. CPAP therapy requires a fine balance to get the mask sealed right.

Get back to your clinic as soon as you can - you need to be getting a humidifier and asking about alternate masks!

[jackyk]

stick with it, i found it really hard at first, but now i cant sleep without "et" on lol. it really is worth all the hassle

[Berneta]

Misery

Hi Montana, I know its rough and seems like the misery will never end. You have bee given some good advice-- and got yourself some thing to coat your mouth with. Anything good for healing mouth sores will help a lot toward making you more comfortable. Even if you manage to go to sleep the sore mouth may wake you up. Use the Biotene and try again. Aloe Vera with Lidocaine is good for the mouth and nose too. Know that we all have had our own little "hell" in the begining--ripping off masks and throwing them, refusing to even try, having a good rant, crying, etc. It isn't easy--but you will get better. Two hours of good sleep is better than none--and those hours will expand as you start to deal with each problem, and overcome it. Hang in there and keep trying. Its worth it in the end. Good Luck, x Berneta

[Grumpy]

Broken mask

I broke the knuckle joint on my mask on Monday and have barely slept since. That's real hell.

I almost kissed the postman when he delivered the replacement this morning!

[Montana]

Sounds like some extreme dehydration. Do you drikn enough water during the day? Sure, without a humidifier some get a dry mouth and/or nose, but cracked I hear seldomly.

Not sure, I drink about 2.5 litres a day most days, maybe it should be more?

I've got an emergency appointment today at 3:25 so I'm hoping I'll come away with a humidifier if I don't crumble and let them talk me into leaving without one, which is a possibility, I'm such a wuss!!!

As for kissing the postman, for me to kiss my postman I'd have to be near death!!! Lets hope it never gets that bad eh

Last night my routine involved drinking a horlicks and taking a sleepeaze tablet before bed then going to sleep with earphones in. I have to say it's the first night ive not sat staring at the clock for hours so thanks for the tip on the music sparticus!!! I can remember at least 3 songs then nothing after that which is a trillion times better than sitting up for 2-3hours! I think it was about 11:45ish when i went to sleep and i ripped the mask off at about 5am so it's a start

Fingers crossed I don't wuss out later with the hospital!!