Thank you CPAP and Goodnight!

I am getting over my usual winter upper respiratory crud.  It’s pretty bad this year.  Probably I had both my usual asthmatic bronchitis (an autoimmune response to a very mild cold) AND adult croup.  In any case, it wasn’t pretty, and I’m on a boatload of steroids and antibiotics.

Ordinarily when I have my really bad respiratory issues, sleep becomes nearly non-existent.  I end up sleeping in the recliner chair, catching short cat naps between the sneezing, nose blowing, coughing, wheezing, etc.  My reserve goes down and down as sleep deprivation adds to the mix.

THIS TIME WAS DIFFERENT!  I found I could not use my nasal pillows when the nasal congestion was present.  I could clear out my nose with saline spray and the usual arsenal of anithistamines, but after 1 -2 hours I’d wake gasping for breath with a fully plugged nose.  So I knew I needed to switch to a FF mask. 

The only FF mask I have is the Mirage Quattro by ResMed.  To say I don’t get along with that mask is an understatement, but I was desparate.  So I put a lot of thought into how to fit it, and SUCCEEDED, to my great surprise (I will create a page with fitting instructions). 

I managed to sleep 8 1/2 hours after finally figuring out how to fit the Quattro.  In a row!  Unheard of when I have respiratory stuff going on–and I was laying down like a normal person, not up in a chair or on “pillow mountain”. 

I’ve been using the Quattro every night (finally switched back to nasal pillows last night after lots of high pressure leaks at 4 a.m.) and I’ve been getting some really good, quality sleep.  I wake up feeling very good, but as soon as the mask is off the coughing and wheezing start.  But that’s OK, the restorative sleep I’ve been getting has made me much more able to deal with this respiratory nastiness. 

I am quite pleased and amazed that CPAP is helping me through this.  This is the first cold/respiratory illness I’ve had in the 10 months I’ve been using CPAP (I think CPAP is helping me fight off respiratory stuff as well), and I was really dreading it.  It turned out that sleep was not the horrible issue it’s been with my respiratory problems in the past, thanks to the CPAP.  I am so grateful.

Happy new year to one and all–I hope it’s a healthy year with lots of wonderful sleep.