So having hobbled back from New Cross I was hoping that their machine might actually give me a good nights sleep, despite the cheery “..it should work…” from the nurse as she packed me off home.
Foot pain aside (finaly stopped aching the following Wednesday) I was not expecting everything to be as wonderful as was predicted by the nursing staff as I had not had any great success convincing them I needed this machine and the consultant still had doubts that I did. I was in short prepared for the worst.
So I carefully set everything up and masked up and started going to sleep. First thing I noticed was that within a short time there was the sound of escaping air (rather like a jet engine flying low overhead) and then there was a face smacking-farting escape that completely woke me up.
Now not to give in first sign of trouble I thought this was just the way I’d fitted the mask so I tightened up the straps and turned the pressure down to ‘go to sleep’ (it automatically builds up again over 30 minutes) and had another go. This was repeated throughout most of the night to the point where the mask was now digging into my face and still air was escaping. I don’t think I actually got any sleep and I was told in no uncertain terms that Annette hadn’t either because of my Darth Vader impressions.
I re-examined the mask and machine in the daylight – why I even read the manual! Clearly the mask was not fitting right but, I still thought I might have been to blame so I did another daylight adjustment and test run. All seemed to work but, to be sure I carted everything into the spare room so I wouldn’t keep Annette awake for a second night. I even adjusted the moisture control to a higher level as i thought this might stop me awaking parched and desperate for a drink.
Didn’t work. Moisture seemed to irritate my face adding itching to the problem of escaping air and face slapping. I wanted to persevere as despite the lack of sleep I did not feel so befuddled in the morning so obviously the increas air had done something and I did not awake congested either.
So it went on for the rest of the month. I slept intermitantley, inbetween surges of escaping air and the growing pain of trying to drive the mask into a tight seal. Finally I had had enough and as the window was locked, I turned the machine off and slept my normal thirsty snoring sleep with no further effects.
Now I am waiting to take the machine back to New Cross for them to examine the mask and pump to see if it is the mask or the pressure control that is faulty. What a life. I rather hope they get it working even if I spend the rest of my life sleeping like this: 