Well I'm pretty sure I have sleep apnea. I see the sleep ppl about it today. I had to take so many meds to sleep last night. At first they thought it was just part of my bipolar. But when I was hospitalized, they are saying a combination between sleep apnea and bp.

So if you have it, are the masks horribly uncomfortable?

[gloamingone]

It took two months for them to find a mask to fit me, but now it's great! I have a small, round head with a small chin, kinda weird I guess. I could sleep with the other ones, but the seal around the mask didn't work right.

It takes a while to get used to wearing a mask, but if you get one that fits well, it's not bad.

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by gloamingone

It took two months for them to find a mask to fit me, but now it's great! I have a small, round head with a small chin, kinda weird I guess. I could sleep with the other ones, but the seal around the mask didn't work right.

It takes a while to get used to wearing a mask, but if you get one that fits well, it's not bad.

Good luck!

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Thank you. I hope it's the sleep apnea. I hate not sleeping well...

[gloamingone]

Originally Posted by Stargazer_1110

Thank you. I hope it's the sleep apnea. I hate not sleeping well...

I hate it too. For the past three years I've been waking up every hour or two all night long. I sure hope you get scheduled for a sleep study soon!

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Originally Posted by gloamingone

I hate it too. For the past three years I've been waking up every hour or two all night long. I sure hope you get scheduled for a sleep study soon!

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Thank you! I saw the sleep Dr. Yesterday. He's pretty sure it's sleep apnea. Yeah I wake up almost every hour too. Even on all these high doses of meds for sleep. I did sleep pretty well last night, but it's just bc of zyprexa 15 mgs.

So he said I will be doing the sleep study here within a couple of weeks. Yay!

[gloamingone]

Yay! I'm so glad!

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Originally Posted by gloamingone

Yay! I'm so glad!

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Thank you! How are you doing?

[gloamingone]

Very tired! I woke up at 3:45 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. Watching O Brother Where Art Thou? Lol

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Lol. So you're still having sleep problems even with the breathing machine? I don't know the proper words for it, lol.

I've always enjoyed your posts. You have bp disorder as well, right?

[gloamingone]

Originally Posted by Stargazer_1110

Lol. So you're still having sleep problems even with the breathing machine? I don't know the proper words for it, lol.

I've always enjoyed your posts. You have bp disorder as well, right?

Aw, thanks! Yeah, I have BP2. Fun, fun, fun. Lamotragine has helped so much, though. I just wish it would help me sleep! Some nights now the CPAP lets me sleep 2-3 hours at a time, but when I'm feeling anxious about anything I end up ripping the mask off halfway through the night.

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Well I finally got the cpap. The mask is pretty uncomfortable. It's leaking I guess so he said to tighten it. It's already super tight...Ugh!

I keep waking up with my throat dried out. I hope I sleep tonight, I'm grumpy....and depressed.

Anyone else have experiences with a cpap machine?

[Bird Feeder]

I have a bi-pap machine....one pressure going in and a lighter pressure when I breath out. I use a mask called nasel pillows. They fit directly into my nostrils so it really feels like there is nothing there. I really like them and it has improved the quality of my sleep a lot.

Good luck.

I'm gonna be looking at different masks today. The one I have now is just too tight and I wake up with a dried out throat. Hope I find a more comfortable one...

[pinkflower17]

Originally Posted by gloamingone

Aw, thanks! Yeah, I have BP2. Fun, fun, fun. Lamotragine has helped so much, though. I just wish it would help me sleep! Some nights now the CPAP lets me sleep 2-3 hours at a time, but when I'm feeling anxious about anything I end up ripping the mask off halfway through the night.

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Can I jump in here? I have very severe asthma and they've been doing lots of studies that show a link between severe asthma and sleep apnea. I also sleep very poorly, wake often etc. I'm having a sleep study done in the next couple weeks. I have a couple questions. One. I'm incredibly claustrophobic and I've been on CPAP for asthma and it was horrible. They ended up having to sedate and then intubate me. Have you tried the nose only masks? Do those work at all? Have you tried only supplemental oxygen? I'm really anxious about this and would love any guidance or advice.
Thanks.

Well I tried a different mask, I'm staying with the one I originally got. He said yes it's harder for me bc my pressures are so high. I'm at a 24 breathing in pressure. he said its gonna take me more than normal to get used of it.

If I don't use it I will develop heart problems eventually. So he suggested using it an hour each night and slowly build up. The whole mess just makes me anxious. He recommended biotene for the dried out throat. I'm gonna try it again tonight....

Wish me luck....

[kindachaotic]

My husband uses a cpap machine, pressures are 8 or 10.
Has always used a nasal mask with the cushions described.
He says the 'key' is using humidity with it.
If the little water tank runs dry in middle of night it wakes him up with a dry sore throat.
His machine has a feature that pauses the pressure when he exhales, it's nice.
I forget what it's called. He can. not. sleep without it, says he suffocates.
Anyway hope you get it all sorted. Sleep is not underrated!

[ECHOES]

I love my CPAP! My first one didn't have a humidifier and I used the face mask. My new CPAP has a humidifier and I use the nasal pillows instead of the face mask. So much more comfortable!