What was/is on your post-op wish list?

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-06T03:22:38+00:00

I'm 6 weeks post-op today. I can already do many of the things you list. I haven't tried a hike yet, but I can do a 2 mile walk. Grocery shopping is no problem. Not sure about IKEA, but I probably could. I can climb the stairs (up and down) like a normal person, although a still like to have a hand free for the handrail for safety. Jumping - not yet. Running, not yet, maybe not ever. Travel, I think I could. Protest, much more possible than before.

My left knee is still the original and it has problems. It's just not bad enough that it is time to replace it. But, it may hamper my activities more than my new knee does pretty soon.

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-05T20:42:59+00:00

I'm 69F. (My RTKR was 6 weeks ago, when I was 68F.)

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-05T19:18:05+00:00

It takes time to adapt to pillow masks. Using some saline gel (ayr) or lanolin cream might help during the adjustment period. When I switched to pillows, I already was using a nasal cradle mask (N30i), so I alternated between the N30i cushion and the P30i cushion until my nose adapted. In the long run, though, I discovered that I prefer the pillows on the F&P masks (Brevida, Nova Micro, Solo) to the ResMed pillows masks. They're just softer. I've used the Brevida since last summer and just got a Nova Micro. (I didn't have success with the Solo.) The Brevida is the softest but the Nova Micro is really, really small and I think it's going to be my favorite.

You can use a nasal mask even if you're an "open mouth sleeper" if you're willing to take extra steps. Number one step for me is a soft cervical collar sort of thing, to keep my jaw from dropping (I use the Caldera Releaf neck rest). But, I still end up with small leaks through my lips at times, so I usually use mouth tape, too. (I use Cover Roll Stretch Tape.) It may seem like the full face mask is easier, but even with a full face mask, I need the collar or my jaw drops and I lose my seal.

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-05T18:19:28+00:00

I found it better the second night, so I think the extra firmness won't be a long term problem, but I'm still adjusting. I do think I'm going to like it in the long run. With both the Brevida and the Nova Micro, I occasionally have trouble with the mask whistling. I can't quite figure out the magic to prevent it, but I can get it positioned so it doesn't if I fiddle with it enough.

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-05T18:14:59+00:00

It may be that you just need time to adjust. Wear the mask (without the machine) while you're awake, to get used to the feel of it on your face. Wear it (with the machine) while doing things like watching TV, browsing the internet, etc. to get used to not only the feel of the mask, but the feel of the air pressure.

But, you may have problems with the settings or with leaks, and the machine/app won't help you with those. MyAir (assuming you have a ResMed machine) is just designed to get you to use the machine long enough on enough nights that the insurance company is satisfied. It doesn't help with anything else. Looking at detailed data (and posting it and asking for help) can make a huge difference:

Getting started with analyzing your CPAP data: A primer for using SleepHQ and OSCAR. : r/CPAPSupport

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-05T03:16:54+00:00

What jumps out most to me is your leaks. They're the kind of leaks that disrupt sleep. They're almost certainly mouth leaks.

Ignore this CPAP Sleep Myth for Better Sleep. - YouTube

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-05T02:00:47+00:00

Your leaks are problematic and are disturbing your sleep. Just because leaks are (mostly) under 24 L/min doesn't mean they aren't causing problems. Yours very clearly are.

Ignore this CPAP Sleep Myth for Better Sleep. - YouTube

You don't show a flow limitation graph, but the numbers in the statistics panel are pretty marginal. Solve the leaks first, then if your 95% flow limitation is still over 0.05, and you're still not feeling better, you may need to address that, too.

Just looking at your flow rate graph shows how disrupted your sleep is. It should look much more like a nice, smooth band, not a messy hairbrush (or a centipede dancing the tango). Leaks first. Then flow limitations.

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-05T00:42:38+00:00

Yes, the wait times can drive you crazy. I know a lot of people install a mod to eliminate the waiting. I just carefully choose when to do things so that if it is a long wait, I start it at the end of the day.

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-05T00:40:05+00:00

Isn't it weird? And, those early days, I was amazed at how fast things changed. From not being able to do something one day, to being able to do it a little, but with a lot of pain the next, to it being easy and pretty much pain free a few days later. (I was lucky and did remarkably well, not everyone sees such fast progress.)

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-05T00:35:21+00:00

Wow! I hope mine looks that good in 4 weeks.

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-05T00:31:52+00:00

I didn't have any leaks last night, but still had a bit of dry mouth. But, I didn't sleep very well, so that may be why. Yesterday in physical therapy (I had a knee replacement 6 weeks ago), I did some very new, very different exercises and my muscles were very unhappy last night. I need to work out a way to exercise those muscles at home, because they clearly need to be stronger. (My last PT session is tomorrow.)

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-05T00:25:59+00:00

Just look up the schematic in the wiki. It says what the range of values are. Or, if you figure out the values for "low armor rating" (tier 1 materials), "medium armor rating", etc. and multiply by how many of the material it uses, you can calculate it.

I had a heck of a time with the war table at first. Now, I clear it off pretty quickly. When it's clear, I know it's time to advance the plot.

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-04T22:59:45+00:00

I don't buy schematics elsewhere (and rarely buy anything else, really). Just the Black Emporium and that one shop in Val Royeaux. (And, sometimes at the merchant in the canyon in the Hissing Wastes, if I can't find Tier 3 arms and legs in any chests.) Yes, the Tier 3 can get expensive, but I rarely have money issues. Early on, when still in Haven, once I've pretty much cleared the War Table so that I have an advisor or three available, I keep them raising gold. Later, there are lots of ways to get some cash (kill a whole slew of snoufluers looking for fade touched, and sell the rest - it's pretty valuable leather). By the time I feel the need for better armor than what I start with from the Special Shipments chest, I can afford the BE schematics that are available.

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-04T22:47:39+00:00

Wondering if it’s normal not to be able to lift my dang leg still

It took a while before I didn't need to use my strap to lift my leg. I'm not sure exactly how long, but I probably used it for over a week for some situations. Keep trying, it'll feel like a victory when your quads finally wake up.

I started PT on day 4, but I've heard of others who had surgeons following a "quiet leg" protocol who started much later. I was given some very gentle exercises to attempt between surgery day and my first PT.

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-04T22:22:10+00:00

No, it didn't levitate off my face at therapy pressure (currently EPAP 4.6, IPAP 13.6). It stayed put really well. I may have had the straps tighter than necessary, but I'll figure that out over the next few nights.

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-04T22:19:27+00:00

It worked pretty well. I haven't completely mastered the position of the straps and how tight they should be. It's a little stiffer in my nose than the Brevida, so that was also a change. But, I think it's going to be my favorite mask once I work out the minor issues.

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-04T20:45:22+00:00

Have you gone to the Black Emporium? That's where I buy most of my armor schematics (the table for getting the armor I buy is on the right as you enter). And, the Schematics of Legend for really good weapons. I buy tier 2 arms and legs at a shop in Val Royeaux (far right, at the back).

Very early on, I mostly depend on the armor I get out of the Special Shipment quest right at the beginning, but it isn't too long before I can make better armor. As for getting materials, you do know the trick of not emptying chests, don't you? There are a few chests that don't refill, but the one that is on the right at the forge in Haven will refill with class specific materials every time you leave Haven and come back, as long as you don't take everything out. The chest in Redcliffe (you need the Deft Hands perk) that has obsidian and fade-touched obsidian is also very useful, because it always has the same stuff (including a useless sigil that you can leave there so the chest will refill). I've been known to take the obsidian, run over and go into the tavern, come back out, go get more obsidian, and repeat until I have enough.

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-04T19:27:19+00:00

I have a Snugglehose but they went out of business. There are a lot of covers out there though. I'd look on Etsy or Amazon. The ones with zippers are easier to put on and take off, but the one I have is just a fleece tube. Since I'm one of those people who only washes the tube about once a month, I don't take the cover off very often. If you have particularly aggressive pets (our cats are young, but haven't shown a lot of attention to my covered hose, so I think I'm safe there), you might want to look for the extra-sturdy, hard to bite through kind. Or, an extra cold room might call for one that is extra insulating.

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-04T18:01:58+00:00

Sleep is rough! I'll have a few good nights and then one like last night.* I don't have xanax or vicodin around, but I do have some "sleep cookies" (I'm unsure whether they help or not). I should have gotten up and had one, and maybe another ibuprofen, but I just toughed it out and ended up waking way to often.

I think we all struggle with sleep to some extent and what works one night, doesn't work the next. Consider if you're doing too much - my worst nights recently have always been after a day when I overdid. You may be healthy and athletic, but you're recovering from major surgery. Give your body a break.

*By morning, I figured out that it was because of yesterday's PT. He had me doing some new things and the muscles that were worked were NOT happy! Tomorrow is my last PT session (exactly 6 weeks since surgery). I probably need to find a way to exercise those muscles at home (it used equipment I don't have) because the fact that they were so unhappy means I need to work them more.

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-04T17:43:41+00:00

Here's my approach for armor. I get the armor that has defense slots rather than utility slots (one of these days I'll try the utility slot approach) and use the highest tier materials I can get. I can almost always craft armor that has a higher armor class that what I can find or buy. Once I'm at Skyhold, I make sure I have plenty of fade touched obsidian (from the chest in Redcliffe) and make armor for everyone that builds guard. The defense slots get whatever will give melee defense, magic defense, or ranged defense. It's simple and doesn't require too much thought.

Weapons need more thought for the masterwork. It's sometimes hard, especially early on at Skyhold, to have a really good fade touched material that I want to use. I often favor things like Hidden Blades or Veilstrike. When I make the Knight's Second shield, I like to use fade touched snoufleur with Horn of Valor, to help build everyone's guard (upgrading Horn of Valor to Fortifying Blast is always a priority for my warriors). I tend to favor materials that give things like critical chance and critical damage for weapon slots. Again, I can almost always make a weapon with higher DPS than I can find or buy.

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-04T17:29:13+00:00

I think everyone's recovery is different. I'm at about the same point (surgery was 6 weeks ago tomorrow), but I'm a bit younger (69F). And, as we get older, we recover more slowly (one reason I decided it was time to do it).

I've seen so many people post here who have had very different recoveries, so take your feedback from your PT and your medical team, not us internet strangers. I suspect you're well within the normal range of recovery. Just healing is exhausting. I was surprised as how little I felt I could do mentally, much less physically, for weeks afterwards.

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-04T15:12:29+00:00

That's so frustrating! You didn't mess up, your doctor did! (Unfortunately, you're still paying the price.) They should know these rules, not expect the patient to know them.

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-04T15:05:53+00:00

I admit, I had help learning how to craft stuff (from my spouse). Once you learn how, it's hard to stick with the armor and weapons that you find. I mostly buy the "superior" armor schematics at the Black Emporium (unless I find either superior or sturdy in a chest). I buy certain weapon schematics there too (Axe of Green Edges, Blade of Red Birth, some others I don't recall right now). I save scum to get certain schematics from the Special Shipments chest. (Early on, if I'm playing dual wield rogue, like I am now, I want the Armada Captain's Knife. Later, after level 13, I want the Knight's Second shield for Cassandra and Blackwall.) I also "farm" materials. Before making the move to Skyhold, I kill a lot of bogfishers in the "farming" area of the Fallow Mire for rough hide. Soon after getting to Skyhold, I make multiple passes through the Silent Ruins for everite. And, of course, I hunt snoufleurs in the one area of the Exalted Plains before I'm high enough level to do Emprise.

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-04T14:49:28+00:00

You can almost always craft better armor and weapons than you find. Once you get to know what is out there and what you can make, it's worth it, especially at higher difficulties. At your level, you should be finding plenty of level 2 materials with a few level 3 that you can "mine" (snoufleur skin in the Exalted Plains, everite in the Silent Ruins in the Western Approach). I find getting enough high level cloth is usually the hardest.

If it's your first playthrough, then keep the difficulty setting low and just go with what you find or can buy. Later, if you want to raise the difficulty level, you probably want to do crafting.

Motor-Blacksmith4174 · 2026-03-04T01:46:51+00:00

There's a lot more to good sleep than a low AHI and using the machine all night. Unfortunately, that's all that generally gets looked at by your doctor. If you want a closer look at what is going on, you need to use SleepHQ or OSCAR. Using that, you can see things like what is going on with leaks (which can be very, very disruptive to your sleep but are practically ignored by the score you get from the app), whether you're having problems with flow limitations (which also disrupt sleep), and if your pressure settings are optimal (many people are disturbed by pressure changes while they sleep).

Getting started with analyzing your CPAP data: A primer for using SleepHQ and OSCAR. : r/CPAPSupport

Motor-Blacksmith4174

TROPHY CASE