Biguglygremlin

Hi slmorris05

I know nothing about oral devices but if you managed without it till a week ago then I would suggest you discontinue using it until you can get advice from whoever fitted it.

If it is for snoring or apnea try to sleep on your side in the meantime.

Sorry I can't be more helpful.

Some clinics don't want to change critical settings without authorization and they certainly consider it "illegal" for the patient to do so.

My wits ended a long long time ago.

And I'm awake when I shouldn't be ..... again.

So I thought I might create another disorder.

I've managed to gather quite a collection through the decades but as with all collections it's nice to add a new one from time to time.

It gives me the opportunity to dust them off and shuffle them around a bit and step back and admire them.

My latest addition to the collection has a label that says Gaps in Upper Molars so it's like a two for one kind of deal where I get not just a new disorder but also a whole new acronym to add to my resume!

It's nice to achieve something so meaningful in the early hours of the morning! :).

Biguglygremlin, Certifiable Rabble Rouser, RSL, PTSD, CFS, PLMD, RBD, APNEA, RUTS, GUM

What do you reckon?

Should I randomise .... alphabetise .... exorcise .... euthanise?

My experience with nasal masks is that I can achieve all of the above all at the same time all night long!

Yes it takes considerable talent and a lot of practice but it can be done! :)

Shock! Horror! Would I do that?

I should be mortally offended but I find that I'm just mildly disappointed that I didn't think of that first ......... while there was still time. :P

I will assume that you are in Tasmania because, as we all know, Tasmania is the centre of the universe!

I haven't seen any of those companies around here though. :)

This thread was written in jest, not from any real concern, although I am both surprised and curious about the long term impact of mask straps.

In my case RUTS was not apparent until my hair was quite short and even then it was just an impression (pardon the pun)

The last time I cut my hair it was even shorter, stubble length and there could no longer be any doubt about RUTS.

This is not a temporary condition. It does not fade with time.

You listed several symptoms eblo and the first one, snoring , almost guarantees that you could get a diognosis of Apnea but the rest are likely to be something else and for that you need proper medical advice. The Apnea is easily diognosed and probably not urgent but the other symptoms need full investigation and might be urgent.

Don't worry about what your doctor thinks. You're not paying him to like you. You're paying him to solve a puzzle. Just focus on the clearest way to explain your concerns and the best way to describe your symptoms.

This forum has a vast assortment of acronyms and places a lot of importance on them.

I figure you can never have too many right?

So I thought I'd do everybody a favour and invent a nice shiny new one!

RUTS

That's it folks!

What does it stand for?

Well let me tell you a story first, so you can get it in context so to speak, understand the true significance of those dreaded letters, see why they haunt my waking hours.

I haven't got one of those lovely smooth shiny domes that you see from time to time.

Mine is more like a series of hills and valleys with the odd scar thrown in for good measure.

I would never dare go for the chrome dome look.

It would be just plain dreadful!

But I have issues with slipping masks etc so through the years I've been mowing my hair shorter and shorter.

Last night I decided that my clippers needed springs and shock obsorbers.

Yes it's the same subject and I will get to the point .... eventually.

Whilst pondering the failings of my clipper suspension I realised there was a distinct pattern of hills and valleys emerging.

The pattern of the headgear that I have worn for almost 15,000 hours over the past 5 years!

My craggy old scalp now has deeply sunk super smooth highways running across it!

Yes I have come down with a serious case of Roads Under The Straps (RUTS)

I wonder how many other CPAP users suffer from RUTS

Is RUTS a common ailment?

Does RUTS do any harm?

What problems does RUTS cause?

Is RUTS a reason to switch masks?

How will a new mask cope with the pre-existing condition of RUTS?

Is there a cure for RUTS?

Size Matters!

Well it does you know! Especially for men! We may deny it and try to preserve our diminishing dignity. We may discreetly avoid the subject and talk about the weather. But if we can rise to the occasion do we hesitate? Of course we don't so .....

Size Matters!

And here's the problem

I have to buy a mask for a small head!

Oh you thought we were talking about something else?

No! Get with it here!

I have to buy a mask for a small head and I deeply resent it!

Do you have any idea what that does to my dignity and self esteem?

The shame and loathing I am subjected to every time I even think about buying a new mask!

And the question is ..... why?

No! Not why do I have a small head!

I don't have a small head!

I've never had a ...... oh forget it!

Why do I have to buy a mask for a small head?

Why don't they call it something else?

The pizza guys do.

They don't call their main pizza small or even medium? No way!

Their sizes start with large to preserve the dignity of the pizza and work up from there.

Why aren't the designers concerned about my dignity?

I don't want to buy a mask for a small head. :(

I want to buy a mask for a normal head or maybe even a large head!

With some things the opposite is true. It's not so good to be large.

Even the mask manufacturers seem to understand how sensitive I am about my nose.

They know just how demeaning it is for me to have to go in and ask "can I have a cushion for a LARGE nose please?"

And then stand there struggling with my pride before finally blurting out

"Oh is that as big as they come?"

They got smart and packed all three so I could take them home without shame.

Then I close the door and draw the blinds and turn out the lights and quietly extract the only one that has a hope of working and discretely dispose of the rest.

Why can't they do that with masks too?

Yes it's wasteful but what price should I place on my shrinking self esteem?

Size Matters!

I should not be exposed to these indignities!