As the World Sleeps....

We do not.

The new CPAP mask arrived yesterday.

The headgear is too big. I tweaked it, but I think it needs a sewing machine before it will really work.

Hannah gave it a good try. She didn't fall asleep until 11:30 last night. And by 1:30a.m., after three awakenings from one of the "nasal pillows" dislodging, she sweetly asked if she could have her old mask. My thinking exactly. Fortunately she was tired enough at the point that she slept until 6a.m. without issue. One adjustment later, she was back to sleep for another two hours.

I feel like I'm a whiner.

This mask leakage is not an easy thing to solve. I've been reading some stuff from CPAP users (who generally are adults, who can understand the issues and attend to them independently, or children with complex medical needs who frequently are unable to move much. Hannah doesn't fit in those categories.). Here's what one woman said:

Most newly diagnosed apnea patients are happy to finally learn the reason for their sleepiness and eager to get on with the business of treatment to regain energy. Frustration soon sets in when CPAP is delivered and the mask search begins. It's an educational process of trial and error to find the right interface and then learn to sleep with hurricane force winds blowing up your nose. It's not easy, many give up the fight.

There are dozens and dozens of different mask styles out there....and finding the right mask for Hannah's individual face shape and size is key to success.

I hope.

If only there was a CPAP mask store like Netflix. Try one, send it back to get another, all for one low monthly fee!