On February 4th, 2019 my weight had ballooned up to 284#s. This morning I'm down to 245#s, up 2 from yesterday's 243#'s. That's because before leaving the Western Idaho Fair last night, I stopped for a Pronto Pup and a Delsa's Death by Chocolate ice cream cone.
This new weight has brought a slimmer body and face. And now my pants fall off what was left of my butt. And my CPAP mask no longer fits. It started making fart sounds at each leak point.
Thanks to CPAP Now, I've begun entertaining new mask fittings. The new breed of CPAP masks come with an app. Why not, doesn't every thing? Each morning I'm greeted with stats and graphs like hours of use, apneic events per hour and numbers of mask leaks.
There's also a whole new series/designs of masks. A nose pillow can strap to my face. But since I'm a mouth breather I awaken to the air blowing out of my mouth. Think cartoon of Pop Eye snoring around his pipe. There is another model that combines nose-pillow and mouth mask, but with same blow-by result.
Thus I have chosen to use a new replacement full-nose and mouth mask. They come with a memory foam seal or a soft-soft rubber seal. Both are designed to seal to my face when the air pressure comes on. Either way, when I go to sleep, my mouth opens below the mask.
Before the app I had no real-time telemetric to monitor how my life saving appliance performed. With the app, CPAP Now has the telemetry equipment in house to record my progress.
At first I was disheartened with mis-fits. These new masks are lighter and more comfortable. For seven years I had lived with the old, large, bulky, rigid, strappy masks. I also required a silicone, ellipse-shaped seal (called a Gecko @ $16 a wack) beneath the mask's seal to compensate my crooked nose. The sound of my words, "good night" to my wife rang with a sound like, "Luke, I'm your father".
My respiratory techs at CPAP Now, Rose and Kara, have been their wonderful selves helping me through these new levels of Hell. Sleep, like CPAP masks, are going to be with me a third of my life. A new one is quite an adjustment. No longer requiring a Gecko, a soft, thin, cotton seal compensates for the less than perfect seal around my nose. A cool, contour-constructed pillow supports my head and neck. It keeps the head-gear from pushing my mask away from my face. I'm learning how to cure myself of mouth-breathing. Did you know that if you consciously place your tongue to the roof of your mouth through out your day, your body will self learn to keep the mouth shut during sleep? Follow this suggestion and save a thousand dollars breathing therapy. It's already working for me.
CPAP Now has saved my life. My original sleep study revealed waking up (apneic events) at 70 times and hour. Diabetes, heart disease and the resulting over weight have taken a back seat. Sleep strikes within minutes once the air comes on. My snoring hasn't rattled the rafters in years. Even my wife Jean has joined the fold for her mild sleep apnea.
Thank you Jean, Rose and Kare for all your love and support. read more