Back in 2000 I became diagnosed with sleep apnea. I was given a cpap to use. Trouble is I panic when I go to wear it, because of the chin strap to keep my mouth closed (I’m a mouth breather) makes me feel like I’m going to suffocate and the air comes in too fast through my nostrils and dries out my nose too much. How can I get over my panic of using the machine. I have rarely used it in the years since my diagnosis. Instead I’ve been playing a dangerous game of russian roulette by not using it; ie I can stop breathing in my sleep and die! I need help and support from others on how I can learn to relax and get used to the cpap. Any suggestions?
any help or ideas greatly appreciated…! Thank you.
There are several different kinds of masks to try. I suggest you try one that covers the entire nose and mouth area. It must be pretty frightening to have your mouth clamped shut with a chin strap.
I’m also type 2 diabetic and a mouth breather with sleep apnea. Neither CPAP nor BiPAP worked well for me - from swallowing too much air to a panic attack. Weight loss and an oral appliance have me fairly well treated.
Stick with your efforts to find a mask that works well for you. There are solutions out there for mouth braeathers. Good luck.
I also ended up going with a full face mask. I’ve used just the nasal pillows, the liberty mask (nasal pillows attached to a mouthpiece incase your mouth opens you can breathe through that) and the prongs. I am now using the full face Resmed Quattro and this seems to work for me the best. I have a good local DME person that will let me use and try different masks without charging me until I found the one that works best for me. Have you tried to find a local DME person like that. I know this can be so frustrating. Hang in there! Kelly
debbi sleep-apnea-cpt7648@lists.careplace.com wrote: