C-Pap Compliance Frustration

There are probably as many variations on how to reach a good predictable outcome with cpap masks as there are people wearing one. But I will share my experience nonetheless.

I’ve had apnea most of my adult life. I didn't know it - i just knew I was a notorious snorer and loved to nap. In my 60’s i moved into a condo converted from a factory (so not completely soundproof) and lived below a nurse - a fact I learned when she knocked on my door my first morning there, introduced herself and asked if I knew I had severe apnea and called a cardiologist/sleep doc and got me worked in. I was put on a cpap with full face mask and eventually quit taking it off in my sleep. Six years later i inexplicably began to swallow a lot of air with full face mask, so switched to a nasal mask. But I am a mouth breather and swallow by thrusting my tongue between my teeth (since birth really due to being tongue tied for over a year before they clipped it) I had learned to swallow incorrectly and never really unlearned it.
So. Nasal mask doesn’t mesh with mouth breathing. Air come in the nose and goes out the mouth - bypassing the lungs 🙂 so i researched tape types and found one that works. My apnea events per hour dramatically reduced to almost none. I was more rested. I didn't have a dried up mouth.
I could tell my tongue was pushing on the back of my teeth trying to get between my teeth. Long story short, I began to have jaw pain and lightening pain on the side of my head.i quit using tape and went back to my full face mask. TMJ type pain is improving.
If you are not a tongue thruster when you swallow, I recommend the mouth tape and a nasal mask. It was awesome. But sadly not possible for me

This is a long story, real short...

I hate my nasal mask cpap and never wake up refreshed. So I started looking into other sleep apnea solutions like the dental 'appliance' and the Inspire. I settled on trying the appliance which looks like hard plastic dental whitening trays with hooks. Medicare pays for one type but the dentist didn't feel it would work for me and said another type would but would cost $3000 out of pocket. Since I travel overseas a lot, I decided to try it and pay the cost. I will be checked out in January to see if it is truly managing my sleep apnea. You have to do jaw exercises in the morning to help relax the jaw.

I am still using the cpap when I am home to keep in compliance with it until I find out whether the dental appliance takes care of the apnea AND whether I wake up more refreshed or not.

Maybe talk to your slerp doctor and your dentist about the dental options? Or a cardiologist about the Inspire?

I have trouble falling asleep right when I fall asleep, as in pretty much lying awske for 1.5 hours. So now I just go to sleep without it on, trusting I will wake up during the night to put it on. I then go pretty much back to sleep and hit compliance numbers for hours.

Seal is harder to improvise. Sometimes I will just use my hand, using body weight to push a hoid seal. I know it sounds ridiculous, but with a hand on a pillow, I sort of push my mask/head down on top of it. This pressure creates the seal.

My nose gets itchy from the mask. Now I just put on the mask without turning on the machine. The itches come I csn scratch as need be without losing a seal. When my nose stops itching, I start the machine and fall asleep easier. I don't have to stop the machine to scratch and break the seal.

I also try to wipe down the mask where it touches my face to mske the seal. Cleaner seems better.

Also, like right now, I am awake but with my mask on so I can hit 6 hours, You don't have to be asleep to hit usage hours. Someetimes I will doze a bit, Checking time on my
machine means I have to turn it off, which can throw allowable off/one I will get less than the 5 max points.sometomes zero. But with every hour of use is worth 10 points, I trade bits and pieces of time checking to get the hours.

You just have to improvise to get both the hours and sesl.

I am new to CPAP. I have just acquired 14 days compliance. I just have to be on 4 hours a night for 21 days each month. Lately I have been getting 5-7 hours which is an improvement.
I also try to get an hour in while awake looking at a tv show.
The first 4 days were torture on a nasal type mask. I switched to a Airfit 20 full face which is so much better. Sometimes I need to adjust a lot for air leaks. I hope it gets better as I learn more. Hope it gets better for you.