And so, the final part of our saga is finally here. I had gone through all of the initial research and finally gotten my prescription to get my CPAP machine. Things were wrapping up and I was excited to get sleep like I hadn’t had in years. The first step was setting up an appointment with the CPAP provider. They would have me try on different mask options and show me how to use the new machine. It took a couple of weeks to get me in but once there, things went by quickly.

I was brought in and told how the machine works. I was kind of surprised by the level of care needed to keep it well taken care of. First of all, there’s a humidifier attached to it. This keeps your mouth and nose moist while the air is pumping through the machine. This means you need distilled water to keep everything coming into your body pure. I had to go to the grocery store to pick up two gallons to start with. You can set the level of moisture you prefer but the amount of air is recommended by the doctor. There are several pieces to the machine that have to be taken apart and cleaned with soap and water daily. I have to admit, I haven’t been very good about that. It’s a lot to ask of a busy mom who is already cleaning dishes and laundry on the regular.

Then there’s the mask. There are several different types. Some go under your nose, others cover your whole face. It was recommended to me to get the larger of the options since I was new to the whole process. I ended up with a mask that my nose sits on top of. Air pumps into it from the bottom and the mask covers my mouth completely. I look like Bane from Batman when I have it on. I’m not going to lie, it’s intense and not very sexy. There’s a really long hose that attaches to the mask and the machine. It’s where the air comes through but definitely complicates the tossing and turning routine I like to do when having my night’s sleep. The first time I tried it all on in working order, I was in the office with the medical supplier. The air pumps in strong and, before I knew it, I was light headed. I think I panicked a little due to the fact that the mask feels a little claustrophobic and having so much air in such a little space made me forget how to breathe.

The first night alone, I put on the whole ensemble on an hour before bed. I wanted to have time to adjust and get my breathing right. It took a long time and I eventually settled on breathing through my mouth. I just couldn’t get a handle on all of the air blowing on me like that. If it took a long time for me to adjust through the breathing, it took much longer for me to find a comfortable position to drift off to. If I moved wrong, air would blow hard on my face and that’s not fun to wake up to. Plus the mask doesn’t really lay on your pillow well and the hose meant I wouldn’t have a chance to find the right position. Needless to say, I did not get a good night’s sleep. I woke up freaked out half of the night from excess of air and gave up around 2AM. Ripping off all of the equipment was just what I needed to remain sane for the next work day.

Day 2 I was ready to try again and while the breathing situation in this new style got simpler, the comfort level still wasn’t there. I kept waking up and again, gave up in the middle of the night.

After that, I tightened my mask and that helped a lot. The air stayed where it was supposed to and didn’t wake me up by blowing on my face from shifting. The only downside was the tight mask was well, tight. It was something I’d have to get over if I was going to really get some rest. I eventually was able to sleep through the night with minimal waking up. I’m still having trouble but with a week in, I can tell things are finally getting better. I’m hoping I’ll see a dramatic improvement in energy level soon and it will all be worth it.

So there you have, the ups, downs, research and trials that lead to the hopes for a good night’s sleep. Hopefully this will help eliminate the work for the rest of you. My wish is that you’ll be able to look at my journey’s bumps and refine them in your own for a smoother transition.