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Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
Hi,
I'm Lisa and I was diagnosed with apnea in September of 2012. I struggled like all of us do with the mask and I spent most of that time trying to make a mask liner that stayed on and would stop the dam leaks and skin problems.

I let it go in November until Feb. During that time I had two ENT surgeries to correct my diseased nasal passages. It turned out that I had never developed some of my sinus cavities so my surgeon had to drill some into my head.

ouch.

my last surgery was January 21 2014. I am so much better but still recovering. I really needed the surgery and it helped a lot with my nose breathing. I still need the machine though.

February 2014 I started back at the design of the liner and one night I was staring into my closet feeling overwhelmed and sad that no one had an answer for all the problems the mask has caused us all, then it came to me.

It's not a liner. It's a sleeve. The problem needed to be looked at from the outside in. That's what I did and now after two months of use my sleeve is the best thing I ever did in my life.

I have no funds to bring it to fruition. I have orders from some people in my city and I am going to make those and keep my promise to do so to the ones who ordered them. But I don't think I'm going to get the funding I need to bring it to the rest of the Apnea community.

I started an Indiegogo campaign and it doesn't look good.

I don't have the right video equipment or funds to really market it the way it should be.

If nothing has changed by monday I am going to post the pattern here so you can make them yourselves.

It's easy and the sleeve is perfect for us. it doesn't leak it's washable and reusable and it's really comfortable.

Here is a picture of my design.

I'll post again on monday if my campaign is still stalled and close the indiegogo account. At which time I will post my entire work on the sleeve.

here is a photo of the front so you can see that I did it right. The inside photo is to large for this platform so I can't post it.

The sleeve is adjustable to each individual and fits around and inside the mask perfectly.

If the campaign goes well i intend on adding a fitted clip that goes into the mask where it will hold the sleeve better and doesn't touch the face in anyway.

If nothing comes for me out of it expect that we are all a little more comfortable it will have all been worth it.

   

I named it the Sleep Tight CPAP Sleeve.

I have video on youtube if you are interested in seeing it. just go to youtube and type in the name of the product so you can see it better.

who knows maybe one of you will be able to bring it to market in a pretty package. I would really love to see it become available for those who can't sew.

Thanks for reading,

Lisa J
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RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
Thought I would post here about how well my CPAP therapy has been going.

I'm a 22 year old man. It is pretty safe to say that my sleep issues set me back in life to a ridiculous degree, I dropped out of high school because my normal sleep schedule was from about 4 in the morning to sometime in the afternoon and running on 3 hours of sleep all the time made me quite insane (I was diagnosed with a litany of psychological issues at this time -- all of which were, in retrospect, caused by my sleep issues). I did better in college because I could set my own schedule and didn't have to wake up all the time, but I knew it wasn't going to be sustainable when I got a job and I also gained a bunch of weight, putting me at 5'8" and 220lbs.

I got in CPAP of Aug 2013 and, while it was a bumpy start, I made every effort to comply with CPAP therapy and it really paid off. I think December was the first month I really started to think, woah, I just slept great! So it took a few months and a lot of messing around with the mask, CPAP settings and accessories.

I've lost 60 lbs. When I'm not tired all the time, I just make smarter choices about food. I've gotten a lot stronger as well. I'd been exercising and dieting for a few years before starting CPAP but never saw really impressive results until I got on CPAP.

My sleep is so much better. I no longer wake up constantly, just 2-3 times a night. I go to bed at night and wake up in the morning! (What a novel concept). Before this, I needed 10+ hours of sleep to feel well rested. Now I sleep 8 hours a night and, if need be , I can get by on 5 or 6 whereas before treatment I would've been a zombie on that much sleep.

I got over my fear of driving. I used to be terrified of driving as I caused a car accident while exhausted when I failed to yield on a turn and was rammed by a van. It was about 2-3 feet off from sending me to a hospital/cemetary. I've been driving again this year and it's not nearly so stressful.

Basically stick with it, post on the forums if you have trouble because there are some really smart people on here, use Sleepyhead to help get your leaks and AHI under control, and you will reap the rewards.
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RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
Wow Eviltim, what a wonderful story. It did my heart good reading our good fortune since starting CPAP treatment. You are so young and have your whole life ahead of you, thank goodness you were introduced to this so early.
Keep up the wonderful work.
Sleep Tight...
Gabby
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RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
Hi there. I've been using my CPAP machine for about 4 months now, and I too have found it difficult to get used to. My main problem has been a) getting to sleep with the thing on, and b) waking up feeling like I'm drowning and/or choking because it's ramped up to full pressure and my mask has slipped. I wake up in a panic, rip the thing off my head, and go to sleep relieved that it's off for the night. Sometimes I don't even remember removing the mask.

However, I have started doing something new, and I wanted to share it with you all in case it works for you, too. Since I have such trouble getting to sleep with the mask on (especially when I'm hot at night), I have started setting my alarm to go off about 2 hours after I settle down to sleep. When my alarm goes off, I wake up from a relatively deep sleep. I just turn off the alarm, reach over, and put on the mask and fall right back to sleep.

The past few nights, I have tried this, and have made it until morning with the mask on (a minor miracle for me). I already feel better, and am finding it easier to wake up in the morning.

I have spent the last few months dreading going to bed because of the mask, but now I'm feeling less anxious about it.
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RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
Hi Speed,

I would suggest you repost this in the regular forum rather than just this "success story" thread. I think you'll get more help. Perhaps a nice, kind, hammer-weilding mod will come along and do this for you.

I'm not wild about your "solution" of going to sleep without the mask then putting it on two hours later. It does sound like you've had a bit of success with that, but long term you need to put your mask on when you go to be, sleep very comfortably with it, then reluctantly take it off when you are forced by the telephone or others to get up in the morning.

So let's work on that.

With your two-hour thing, you at least have probably gotten used to the mask by now. So why not put it on when you go to bed and get used to doing that? If it continues to be a problem then I think you should look at other styles of masks.

Let's continue to explore your options when you get to the other forum. http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/newthread.php?fid=6
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RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
(05-21-2014, 01:50 PM)speedwell Wrote: Since I have such trouble getting to sleep with the mask on (especially when I'm hot at night), I have started setting my alarm to go off about 2 hours after I settle down to sleep. When my alarm goes off, I wake up from a relatively deep sleep. I just turn off the alarm, reach over, and put on the mask and fall right back to sleep.

Welcome, Speedwell. Awesome that that strategy works for you, but I suggest you try and wean yourself off of it by gradually reducing the 2 hours to zero. Different things are needed at the beginning, but as we adapt those things go away.
Sleepster

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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Smile 
RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
I have been using a Resmed P10 nasal mask since its release, but have just changed to a Resmed N10 nasal mask with great success.

Whilst I thought that the reduction in straps was a good improvement with the P10, I found that I was getting leaks because the mask tended to lift up at the bottom as I am using my hose overhead.

Now that Resmed have added the extra bottom straps on the Airfit N10, the amount of leakage has considerably reduced and I am now able to lay on either side of my face without leakage.

A great improvement!
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RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
Hi, I'm a very new member of this forum, but I have been treated for OSA, with a CPAP machine, for several years. And, yes, it did make a big difference from the very beginning, as to how I feel when awakening in the morning.

I had initially, rather older machines (GE/Breas PV10, then ISleep 20i) which still performed flawlessly, and were chosen at the time by a service provider. Now I have (recently) acquired a more recent machine (Devilbiss Autoadjust) of my own, basically because I was far from satisfied by the "service" provided. Apart from it having more configurable options (especially with regard to easing exhalation) the biggest difference I (and my wife !) note in everyday usage is the noise, or rather its absence in the new machine. So, for me, it is better than ever now ...

Also, I have been using for a long time nasal pillow masks (Resmed Mirage Swift, and now Resmed Swift FX), because I always was a very light sleeper and a big mover. So I found that nasal pillow masks were best for me, because they allowed to sleep in any position ...
On the whole, I am satisfied with the nasal pillow masks, and I observed that the more recent ones provide rather improved comfort (basically, more comfortable silicone parts in contact with the body).

So, all things considered, I am perfectly happy with my CPAP treatment for now, and this concludes my "success story".
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RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
Thanks for the story Jean-Louis. And welcome to the forum!
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RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
(05-22-2014, 12:19 AM)bondy0071 Wrote: I have been using a Resmed P10 nasal mask since its release, but have just changed to a Resmed N10 nasal mask with great success.

Welcome to yet another down-under friend... hope you enjoy the forum, bondy0071

Man, the we're having a lot of Aussies join the forum lately - that's great!

Coffee
SuperSleeper
Apnea Board Administrator
www.ApneaBoard.com


INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.


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