Drat this working for a living all to heck.

So, I have used my CPAP every night since 03 November 2021.

I recently had a heart ultrasound, and the pressure in the right thingy of my heart is substantially improved.

I don't know the units, but the normal range is 20 to 30, and my last measure was 83, and now it is 56. So, more improvement is needed, but this is a big step in the right direction.

The nose mask is still silly but okay, and I can sleep with it fine.

The new problem is that my Suzi feels that it is meant to be a platform for her to parade on with her pointy toes, which leave holes in the hose (thank you so much), so I have had to get a basket arrangement to cover it. I found the perfect thing: it is a rectangular basket, with a wicker edge and bottom, held apart by an arrangement of wires like a jail. I use it upside down, so the cat can park on top of it, but the electrical cord and the hose can fit through the bars. Also, the machine still has ventilation so it doesn't overheat. I did have to discourage her from reaching through the bars for the hose. What a clever girl.

Yay CPAP. Sis Boom Bah. Chachacha.

So. CPAP, blah blah.

Previously I talked about getting the nose mask to try. It actually worked quite well - and then I got the letter from Phillips explaining the possibility of styrofoam (or whatever sound-deadening hydrocarbon-emitting petrochemical it might be) crumbling and off-gassing cancerous bits. Hurrah. So I stopped using it and sent a letter to four of the crowd of doctors currently meddling in my life, saying I was instructed to contact my medical professional, but I wasn't sure which of them might be in charge of this.

Ultimately it was the lung doctor (the bronchoscopy guy) who contacted me, and carefully explained what to watch for to see if my machine was actually affected (crumbles in the humidifier water - none), and that I really really really should use the machine because heart. Okay.

I am surprised as how well the nose mask is working for me. I am/have been a terrible mouth breather with pools of drool (sorry), however, the pressure in my head is enough that the sensation changes in my ears when I open my mouth, so it is enough to get me to close my mouth without waking up. I know that I am sleeping with my mouth closed because my tongue is *not* as dry as sandpaper in the morning, which used to be usual.

And this time I am sleeping normally. I do wake in the night, but it's normal bladder importunance, and returning to sleep is not a problem. I am also not waking up without the mask. I have better hopes of continued adherence this time.

Honest to heck, what a song and dance, y'know? However, I am grateful that this doesn't involve any cutting of my person, so forward we go, yes/no?

I wish to announce a certain type of victory.

I have now had a night where I took off the mask in my sleep, woke up and put it back on, and when I woke up in the morning the mask had been removed in my sleep again.

Tell me again how much trouble I am having sleeping?

Okay, six days does not a sample make, but I am underwhelmed.

I have, so far, knock on wood, kept the girls from damaging things, so yay.

Do I sleep better? From my perspective: no. I felt I slept pretty well before. Since this is new, I am currently dealing with the irritant factors of wearing something on my head and on my face while trying to sleep. Bleah. To give it its due, though, the harness and facemask are as lightweight and soft as you could want (I bet someone forced to wear one came up with both designs). The mask is a little odd because it has a cradle for the nose with two nostril holes.

I am using a fancy machine that has a humidifer for the air, and a heated hose to temperature-control the air. Suzi really wants to drink the water when I fill the reservoir each evening.

I have discovered a few things. I have discovered that if you are wearing the mask before sleep, just to accustomize yourself and fiddle with fit, the machine detects your breathing and turns itself on. Hey there big fella, not so fast. I have discovered that if you can hear the machine then you probably haven't closed something properly.

I don't feel particularly energetic, and the water weight went up, so this is a bit like when I was sent to the hospital at age five to have my tonsils and adenoids out - promised jello and ice cream, given nothings and shut-ups.

One continuing troubling thing is the air farting out around the edge of the mask. The edges vibrate when it does that, and it's noisy, and, as I was warned by Dewline, the fart shots in the eyes are not peace-inducing. If I tighten the head harness until it can't do that any more, I would have a headache before I fell asleep. I have, however, discovered that one can jam some or all of one's face into the pillow because the mask continues to deliver air.

One thing I am not sure whether or not to be worried about. When I first turn the CPAP on, it feels like someone is trying to blow up my head like a balloon - a real sensation of pressure - and yes, my cheeks balloon out. It also makes my ears pop. I had a lot of sinus trouble as a kid (the reason for the tonsilectomy - which didn't work, by the way), and one of the uncomfortable symptoms was pressure in my ears.

Well, I will continue to use it, and get better at managing the fiddly bits, but currently I do feel like I looked like a wallet walking around.