Biguglygremlin

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!

Hi eblo

Your doctor should be able to look at each of those symptoms and deal with them, starting with the most urgent.

Don't expect a single cause nor a simple solution but patience, persistence, knowledge and effort will win in the end. :)

I'm almost the reverse in that I have always been a nose breather which is reflected by the size of my ......

Well that's irrelevant to this discussion but recently I've had issues with leakage that looks a lot like mouth breathing without understanding why.

My nose is certainly not getting any smaller but your description has helped me see the light.

When I sleep my tongue pushes forward and slides between my teeth, I guess to prevent grinding and that worked fine .......... while I still had most of my teeth.

I've had a few top teeth removed recently and it sort of corresponds with my leakage rate.

Let me see now ..... each tooth is worth about 5% by my reckoning and more have to go.

It's going to get drafty as time goes by. :(

You obviously need help to quit bonjour! Please let me help! :)

You are doing well to keep it down to 10 or less a day itsdrew93. Quitting can be really difficult.

Most people have to try many times but each time they get a little closer to figuring it out and eventually they get there.

You can do it too itsdrew93. You're doing ok.

I might have suggested that you try vaping but I suspect that it's just another vice and probably has no real connection to normal smoking.

Bonjour's smoking could also be considered another vice but a roll your own with some of his fish mixed in could be the universal cure for both kinds of smoking! :O

It will take time to get the fitness sorted too although that should be a whole lot more fun.

In the meantime, if the wife has run our of earplugs, it wouldn't hurt to haul that machine down to the nearest CPAP store and ask them to wind it up a degree or two and, in my opinion, turn the ramp off altogether.

There's not much point in talking about masks and stuff while the pressure is so low but, while you are there, see if they have a nasal pillows type mask that you could try on and maybe a chin strap so you have a few options. (It might be cheaper to buy them online)

Then get yourself a real comfy pair of sports shoes and start planning your next adventure. :)

With a few smart steps that machine could be safely gone by next winter.

Unfortunately, the smell of bonjour's smoked fish will be with you forever!

I am not a doctor nor have much information about your circumstances itsdrew93 but at your age, if you could improve your overall health, fitness and lifestyle you could kiss that CPAP goodbye and enjoy decades of fun and freedom without having to worry endlessly about the next problem.

I'm in my 60s now and everything just kind of snuck up on me so by the time I realised how much trouble I was in it was a very long crawl back out of this hole, especially with worn out joints and a lifetime of bad habits.

Turn it around while you are still young. Yes sort out the medical stuff but then move on and focus on your goals and interests and hobbies.

You took the time and effort to look for answers.

You have what it takes to turn this around and really live!

I have never smoked itsdrew93

Is it a problem for you?

Sometimes it's better to just send the machine back and ask them to crank it up a notch or two.

I would be gasping at 8 and barely managing at 10 even if I was awake. But I never aspired to be normal. :)