andrewBwinter
Active Member
Friday the 23rd came and thank goodness for that, it was CPAP day!
"Hi Andrew, I'm calling from Sleep Management Group and we have a loner unit for you until your permanent unit is available."
"Be there in a jiff"
And so it went. The anticipation of a good night's sleep and feeling rested when I woke up was more than I could bear. The days of going to bed tired and waking up exhausted were soon to be in my rearview mirrors. Sleep, glorious restful sleep waited on the horizon. Don't get me wrong, I can always fall asleep in 3-5 minutes without any problems, it's the waking with sandpaper mouth in the middle of the night that's the difficult part. Mouth breathing can't be good even if it is a natural fallback when your nasal passages can't get enough air.
While I had my consult at SMG, I decided to go with the pillows.
"Medium looks like it fits the best"
"Whatever, you're the the professionals" I exclaimed
"You seem to be okay with CPAP"
"Hell yes. I'm tired of being tired, my HGB is cruising at 180 because I can't get enough O2, I'm floating down a river drinking 3-4 litres of water per day trying to balance my HCT, I've had enough!"
Random thoughts stirring:
Night one came and the prep began:
Water tank between the 2nd and third lines? - Check
Dust bunnies cleaned from the floor - Check
Units has a clear opening for the intake - Check
Everything preset by the professionals - Check
Sleep...... Visit the john at 3 a.m. - Check
Man the bottom of my nose feels sore. Adjust the straps....what's that breeze....damn, leakage..... tighten.
Morning, feeling good but man my nose hurts
Night two:
I didn't nap on Saturday because I didn't feel the need. Huge positive. This is a good thing.
Tonight, I'm going with Breath Right strips to open those nostrils. That should help with the discomfort.
Pillows inserted, straps adjusted...Sleep.
Damn... john break at 2:00. Too much water to manage HCT
Nose hurts... adjust...eh....
Morning, nose hurts.
Night three:
"Okay enough of this, try the small pillows... that'll work AND use the breath right strips. Double whammy."
1:30 john break...for God's sake enough already...nose hurts
Monday:
"Good morning Andrew."
"Morning, I would like to try the full nasal cup this time. You said I could try a different option if the pillows were uncomfortable"
"Sure. We have a lot of bookings today but can you stop by at 1:00? Just bring the nasal pillows back and we will exchange them for the cup."
"Deal, be there at one." Is this going to be better? Sure it will. I mean, you had that cup thing when you did your second sleep study to check pressures for treatment. This is going to be awesome!
And so it sits, the ResMed AirFit N20...waiting... until 2200 hours Monday the 26th... Glorious sleep.
"Hi Andrew, I'm calling from Sleep Management Group and we have a loner unit for you until your permanent unit is available."
"Be there in a jiff"
And so it went. The anticipation of a good night's sleep and feeling rested when I woke up was more than I could bear. The days of going to bed tired and waking up exhausted were soon to be in my rearview mirrors. Sleep, glorious restful sleep waited on the horizon. Don't get me wrong, I can always fall asleep in 3-5 minutes without any problems, it's the waking with sandpaper mouth in the middle of the night that's the difficult part. Mouth breathing can't be good even if it is a natural fallback when your nasal passages can't get enough air.
While I had my consult at SMG, I decided to go with the pillows.
"Medium looks like it fits the best"
"Whatever, you're the the professionals" I exclaimed
"You seem to be okay with CPAP"
"Hell yes. I'm tired of being tired, my HGB is cruising at 180 because I can't get enough O2, I'm floating down a river drinking 3-4 litres of water per day trying to balance my HCT, I've had enough!"
Random thoughts stirring:
Night one came and the prep began:
Water tank between the 2nd and third lines? - Check
Dust bunnies cleaned from the floor - Check
Units has a clear opening for the intake - Check
Everything preset by the professionals - Check
Sleep...... Visit the john at 3 a.m. - Check
Man the bottom of my nose feels sore. Adjust the straps....what's that breeze....damn, leakage..... tighten.
Morning, feeling good but man my nose hurts
Night two:
I didn't nap on Saturday because I didn't feel the need. Huge positive. This is a good thing.
Tonight, I'm going with Breath Right strips to open those nostrils. That should help with the discomfort.
Pillows inserted, straps adjusted...Sleep.
Damn... john break at 2:00. Too much water to manage HCT
Nose hurts... adjust...eh....
Morning, nose hurts.
Night three:
"Okay enough of this, try the small pillows... that'll work AND use the breath right strips. Double whammy."
1:30 john break...for God's sake enough already...nose hurts
Monday:
"Good morning Andrew."
"Morning, I would like to try the full nasal cup this time. You said I could try a different option if the pillows were uncomfortable"
"Sure. We have a lot of bookings today but can you stop by at 1:00? Just bring the nasal pillows back and we will exchange them for the cup."
"Deal, be there at one." Is this going to be better? Sure it will. I mean, you had that cup thing when you did your second sleep study to check pressures for treatment. This is going to be awesome!
And so it sits, the ResMed AirFit N20...waiting... until 2200 hours Monday the 26th... Glorious sleep.
