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Just completed my compliance period. Airsense 10 with full mask. I don't feel as fatigued as I used to but I feel more tired than before. I fight the mask every night and can't remember the last time I felt refreshed or slept all night. My AHI was 22 the machine has it down to about 1 or 2. So why am I still not sleeping? Returned from Iraq in 2011 unable to sleep, developed asthma from who knows what was in that air, and finally did the sleep study a few months ago. Do I just need to give myself more time for the body to heal from years of sleepless nights? Most nights I want to throw this machine off a bridge. And I hate this Fisher and Paykel Simplus mask. Two cushions have torn in two months but I need the full mask. Sorry for the ranting. Just fed up.
wiredgeorge
+0 points
·
over 7 years
ago
Sleep
Enthusiast
How the heck did you tear the cushions on a Simplus mask? I used one for a year with the same cushion and it failed when I continued to wipe it down with bleach wipes (was in the volunteer fire dept at the time and that is what we did with our SCBA masks). Anyway, The Simplus mask is a bit bulky and you had best learn to sleep on your back and never move. When I used one, I did that and once I figured out I had started with the wrong size cushion and used mask pads, the mask worked fairly well for me. I switched to an Amara View and haven't looked back.
As far as why you don't feel refreshed? I can say that if your sleep apnea numbers are 1 or 2, then it isn't sleep apnea causing the issues. Perhaps if you are not sleeping sounding and waking a lot, your mask is the culprit; either uncomfortable or leaking. If you are monitoring AHI, what is your L/Min rate normally. My L/Min improved dramatically when I switched to the Amara View. Of course, everyone is different and while one mask works great for one person, it won't work for another. Anyway, thanks for your service!
No idea how the cushion tore (twice in the first 90 days). Once at the bottom, the thinnest part of the material somehow tore. All i can think of is I must of hit it just right when fighting the mask one particularly bad night. This time the new cushion tore at the top, at the bridge of the nose, again the thinnest part of the material. That one, no clue what must of happened. I clean the cushion every morning just like the instructions tell me. L/Min is usually under 5, but I don't get a good seal at the bridge of the nose and it's constantly leaking right into my eyes. When the pressure increases during the night the leak startles me awake and I feel like I'm suffocating. My highest pressure isn't even all that high but it's high enough apparently. I have an appointment next week to try some different masks. I'd like to try the Amara View and I hope they carry it. I've read that the right mask makes a huge difference and I certainly hope that's the case with me. Thanks for the reply.
wiredgeorge
+0 points
·
over 7 years
ago
Sleep
Enthusiast
If the thing that wakes you is the air in the eyes issue, try mask pads. They mitigate that minor leak which hardly shows up on the L/Min. Some folks make their own as they cut them from old t-shirts. You can also buy them on amazon and the like.
BKNJ: Don't feel alone. I have pretty much same experience. Doing this for six months and using same equipment as you except I have the pillow mask--and not the full mask. Every night I hook up to the machine and every night I fight the machine. Every morning I wake up more exhausted than ever--even when I've worn the mask for 4+ hours.
I get your ranting.
I'm going to do more research and, hopefully, report my findings.
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