Tips
The following are my own tips in helping with my own treatment, and are not meant as a substitute for medical advice. However, I hope they prove useful.
CPAP/APAP/BIPAP TOLERANCE PROBLEMS
A lot of people find it hard to tolerate their equipment at first, so it's a good idea to set it up during the day whilst relaxing, such as watching tv, to practise using it, rather than waiting for bedtime when you have no other distractions. If you need daytime naps, use it during these too for shorter periods. Practise wearing the mask only, without attaching it to the cpap, to get used to it. Remember most people take at least 2 weeks to get accustomed to using their masks and machines (some a lot longer), so this is very 'normal' and you are not alone in this!
NASAL + FACIAL ITCHING
Keep a straw or something similar by the side of your bed for those annoying itches caused through the air blowing. Use the straw to scratch the itch rather than risk losing the seal on the mask and having to start all over again.DRY MOUTH
A CPAP Humidifier normally helps with this, but if you still have a dry mouth, keep a bottle of water by your bed (saves spilling a glass of water near your machine) and take just enough water to wet your mouth, as drinking can cause you to inhale any liquid (or food) if taken too close to your sleep time.MASK MARKS
Assuming you have tried everything to avoid getting marks in the first place (like not over-tightening your straps, the mask liners and cpap strap covers in the shop), and you still have marks on your face do not panic! At first sight after removing your mask the marks will be worse, but the majority of them will diminish fairly quickly, depending on your age and skin's elasticity. For any remaining marks, rub your skin with your fingers in circular movements to increase the blood flow and stretch the marked skin. Splash your face with cool water and pat dry with a towel. For further help it's now a good idea to moisturise your skin - perhaps even with the night cream you don't use now due to wearing the mask. You can even try skin plumping creams that are now widely available. Finally, you can use skin concealers and foundation, but choose powder based ones, as liquid ones can get into the creases and make the marks look worse!PROBLEMS READING WITH CPAP MASK ON
If you're like me, and read to wind down in bed, then you may come against problems if you need to use glasses to read. I tried many times to read before I put the mask on, but found myself often falling asleep with the book in my hand and no mask on - not a good idea! I bought a magnifying glass, which helped, but made my arm ache holding it, as you need a fairly large one. I then discovered E-Book Readers. They're not cheap, but worth their weight in gold, but then you may have trouble choosing the right one for you. Well here's my experience of the two I recommend:-
BOOKEEN CYBOOK:
This is my favourite for having the largest font size. They have lots of different font sizes to choose from and I could easily read without my glasses. To download the books, you have a choice of different websites to buy books from and download them onto your computer and then transfer them via the usb provided, onto your Cybook. My Cybook also came with lots of books pre-installed.
AMAZON KINDLE:
I love everything about this one, except the font sizes don't go as large as on the Cybook. If Amazon sorted this out, then this would be No 1 for me, but I struggle to read without my glasses on the Kindle. However, you can press a button to get the Kindle to read to you, either via earphones or audibly (but my husband doesn't appreciate hearing my romance books when he's trying to get to sleep!!!). I love the way you can have the books directly sent to your Kindle via the wireless connection (so if you finish a book and want another, you can even get a new one wherever you are and don't have to plan ahead). However, you need to buy your books from the Amazon store. Bear in mind that it is the Amazon Kindle International version you need, which is only available for purchase on Amazon.com at the moment, although this will probably change soon so that it can be bought on Amazon.co.uk
I hope this helps and there are plenty of searches you can do to investigate these E-Readers in more depth. I am now a total convert to E-Readers, apart from helping me with CPAP, as most E-Readers can hold hundreds or thousands of books, so no more packing loads of books in my suitcase for holidays. After all, we need as much space in our cases for our CPAP Accessories. I would never dream of not taking my CPAP with me, as I aim to enjoy every minute of my holidays and not struggle with exhaustion on them!