Okay! New day new CPAP update. There should be one or two more coming up soon with some changes to our routine with it, but honestly there shouldn't be too many more after that.
The big TL:DR is that it works pretty well, but not perfect, and we have a few issues.
Namely, we have this kind of rash on our face from the silicone mask with little wounds on our nose and acne-like spots around it. It's putting holes in our face because we have it too tight. The only issue is, the mask they sent us initially was too big so we had to tighten it too much to keep it from leaking. (It won't work as well if it leaks) And it still kinda leaks if we move around too much in our sleep. Last night we woke up several times in the night to stop it leaking and go back to sleep. I've been exhausted today because it just didn't work out as well as I needed it too.
But when it works well, it works really well. We're consistently waking up before 1:45pm and we're consistently going to bed before 1am because we get more out of our days and don't revenge bedtime as much. We can take naps during the day that actually help us rest and come back from those naps with energy.
I could really use a nap right now, but every week we have to wash every part of it so it's drying off in the bathroom and I can't use it yet. We've just received some mask liners in the mail that should keep the silicone off our skin, so that'll hopefully help with the pain. And the sleep clinic is sending us a new, smaller, memory foam mask which will hopefully seal better under less pressure. When we started using the machine, we'd yawn a lot. When we went to our appointment they asked us if that was happening and they said that we weren't getting enough air and the solution was to turn up the starting pressure, just by one. They did that and now we're breathing a lot better with the machine.
I'm not fully sure about it, but I really like defining myself in robotic terms. I like thinking of the mechanics of our brain in mechanical metaphors like it's a computer. I wouldn't always describe myself as an operating system or something like that, but I kinda enjoy it. Sometimes I think of myself as a robot with a meaty shell. And it's kinda affirming to be surrounded by wires and tubes at night. To have to strap into a machine that charges my batteries with necessary life energy. I think about the air going through the tube and even though it isn't exactly applicable, my brain screams "pneumatics". It's really affirming to have that collection of things making me feel a little bit like a robot. Or maybe a cyborg.
