RUTS

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?

I have a bit of a groove across my cheeks when I get up in the morning from the strap to my nasal pillow. It goes away in about an hour. As for ruts on the back of my head, I don't seem to have that. In a way, I would think they might be helpful in keeping the headgear in place over the night. I was worried that the Swift FX headgear might slip up on me, as some report that issue. It has not, but I had a plan in mind to sew some non slip material on the back strap to prevent it. I read that someone had sewn some hook half of a Velcro strip on the back strap. Has not turned out to be necessary. Perhaps there is a rut back there working for me!

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.