British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association

52! Blimey I thought I felt bad at 20!

Please keep us updated on how you get on as you may experience similar first use problems that I will probably encounter too

Just back from a break Dee, and hope that your appointment went well and that you feel more in control of your equipment.

Please don't hesitate to post - or pm - if you need help with the equipment. We've ALL been there, and the S8 is quite a forgiving piece of equipment .... I really enjoyed mine (my tech recently upgraded me to an S9 but you will do fine cutting your teeth on an S8!).

Hi Dee, You and I seem to be following a very similar path at the moment. I received my trial S8 machine today and have to report back next Tuesday. I hope you are getting on well with yours and I look forward to receiving reports of how you are managing.

Hi

Well I took the machine back yesterday for them to get the information from it, and the sleep technician was really pleased with how long I'd managed to use it.
She told me the pressure had varied considerably over the four nights and she gave me an auto machine rather than a one fixed at the highest number. I think that's what she said - but this is the one I can call mine anyway

I'm a side-sleeper, and had a fair amount of leaking from the mask the first night, mostly round my nose and eyes. Don't think it's anything near perfect fit yet, but I'm putting it on quite slack before I switch on and lie down. Then I adjust the straps, and get a hold of the front of the mask and ease it just a little bit away from my face all round, and let it settle back down gently. Maybe it helps, or maybe it's all in my head lol

Feeling quite positive so far - hope that's not tempting fate any questions I'll shout for help lol

Dee, I usually sleep on my side but tried to sleep on my back last night. I thought I would try to get used to it on my face before trying to sleep on my side. You have encouraged me to try side sleeping tonight. Hubby asked me if I have to sleep on my back all the time

I was interested to hear that you adjust the straps yourself. Mine were adjusted by the specialist and I was told not to adjust them as they are now exactly correct for me. I really wanted to tighten up a bit last night.

Could you mark where the straps are fastened now, maybe put a small stitch in the material so you don't lose where the specialist has set them, then you could try adjusting them a small amount at a time.

If you can't get it any better you can always put them back to where you marked them Maybe worth a go?

I tried what you suggested and things were a bit better, not so many leaks, so I have left the straps a bit tighter. The night before last it was worse but I had moisturiser on my face and I am pretty sure it caused the leaks again. Last night no moisturiser, a carefully washed mask and I slept with fewer leaks.

Hi
It seems like I'm luckier than some folks, getting used to cpap the last couple weeks I mean. Think I got given the right size and type of mask for me from the start though, which is a bonus.
So, I'm a bit wary of saying I'm doing ok with it, in case it suddenly all goes pear-shaped. But I'm doing ok with it

The thing I'm having most bother with right now though is where to put the bloomin hose, not crucial I know lol, just a bit of a nuisance. I sleep on my left side which puts the machine behind me, so I've tried the hose going up and around/under the pillow, or down with it kind of tucked under my arm.
Last night though I faffed on with it that much I ended up nearly pulling the machine off the cabinet altogether, and I doubt it would bounce.

I googled this s8 autoset spirit machine, best part of £500 to buy.... so just in case I kill it I'm wondering is the machine classed as the hospital's responsibility, or mine when it's in my home, and has anyone got theirs insured for damage? I did a quick search for insurance on here, was mainly about the car or holiday sort though.