Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Borg

[truepenny]

Thus far I have woken up:

• once dreaming of vaccuum cleaners only to discover the seal on the damn mask had slipped
  
• once with the tubing wrapped around my torso like a pageant sash
  
• somewhere between "several" and "countless" times with the tubing wrapped around my neck like a squamous or possibly batrachian version of "Porphyria's Lover"

Things are getting better. I'm not yet noticing any improvement in my general level of fatigue, but I no longer feel like my little Cthulhu machine is actively sabotaging me. So that's something.

Comments

[vulpine137.livejournal.com]

I had similar experiences with the wound vac and IV's when I was on home care. My desire to spin like a dervish in my sleep lead to some pretty demented detanglings at weird hours.

[lydy.livejournal.com]

Have you looked into a hose wrangler? I don't know the technical name for them, but they fit at the head of the bed, and they kind of funnel the hose up and over. I believe that some fit on the headboard and some attach to the wall. That might help with your overly-amorous tubing. Eventually, you'll just learn to wrangle it in your sleept, but this might help.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

Ooh, thank you, Lydy! I did not know such a thing existed.

[lydy.livejournal.com]

There are some solutions at http://www.cpapsupplyusa.com under "comfort". There are three different systems, two free-standing, one that attaches to the wall. I hear from people in my professional capacity that they can help a lot. Although, the Home Depot option is probably a reasonable option, but I would look at some of the professional stuff as an idea. I know that there are lots more options out there, probably at an incredible range of prices.

As for acclimating, you know, if you take a month to get used to cthulhu, you're pretty well in the range of normal. And it does take a while to get caught up on sleep debt. Some people, yes, respond really well right away. I was one. But most people take a month or two to deal with all this.

I really hope this works out for you. CPAP can be life-changing. It isn't always, but the key is often being willing to think about, identify, and deal with specific issues, rather than just throwing up your hands and running away. You are doing the latter, so you have a good chance at making this work.

By the way, if you have specific questions that a sleep tech could help with, do feel free to contact me directly. My email is on my profile, and you can always send me an LJ message.

If it isn't clear, I actually like my job a lot, and think it is important.

[oracne.livejournal.com]

Perhaps this will lead to a supplementary career writing tentacle-pr0n.

[pixel39.livejournal.com]

Could you thread the hose through the headboard, or attach it to the headboard somehow with zip ties or something of the sort? Kind of like lydy's idea but available at Home Depot.

[etrix.livejournal.com]

Although I like the idea of you writing tentacle pr0n, I am too much of a fan of a good night's sleep to wish that you continue to suffer with your little cthulhu machine. (Besides, considering your experiences with the tentacles in question, it would more likely end up as a psychological horror story!)

The tube wrangler is a much better idea. I hope it works.

[elmocho.livejournal.com]

Have you noticed a difference in dream quality since starting, aside from those featuring reactions to the machine? One of the ways I can tell mine is working is REM rebound.