First Month's Results

Needsdecaf · Post by **Needsdecaf** » Tue May 13, 2008 6:40 pm

So, I've been on CPAP therapy for about a month now. Have to say so far that I am happy with my results.

One thing I need to understand is my leak information. I'm not really following what I'm seeing...the average leak seems to be low compared to what's being shown on the graph. Are these numbers (leak) good? I know the AI and HI are good.

Thanks all!

By the way, the one day with the huge breaks in the middle of the night was where my son decided to throw up. Twice. Lovely.

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NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Tue May 13, 2008 7:32 pm

Needsdecaf wrote:One thing I need to understand is my leak information. I'm not really following what I'm seeing...the average leak seems to be low compared to what's being shown on the graph. Are these numbers (leak) good?

The data from the night of 5/6 - 5/7 has a questionable high leak which was lasted for a while. Might have been mouth breathing or, then again, might just have been the Swift mask being displaced. The other spikes in your data I take to be due to the Swift getting dislodged but then also quickly repositioned. (At least I remember doing that a lot when I was using a Swift mask.)

That's my $0.02.

Regards,
Bill

ww · Post by ww » Tue May 13, 2008 7:38 pm

The main thing is how do you feel. I have only been on CPAP for 2 months and my first data looked a lot like that because of mouth leaks. The problem with mouth leaks is they invalidate the data and you cannot trust it because so much pressure was shunted and never went where it was intended. If you have a chance to beg or borrow a full face ResMed Mirage Ultra and use it for a week and compare it with the Swift data, you may see an amazing difference as well as feel better because you are getting the therapy that you think you are getting.

Needsdecaf · Post by **Needsdecaf** » Wed May 14, 2008 6:13 am

Sorry, updated the profile...I've been using the Opus for over a week now.

And yes, I do get some mouth breathing. Wife has confirmed.

I am not going to a full face. I may try a Liberty or Hybrid.

I feel pretty good, but not a whole lot better. But I am attributing this to the normal "get used to it" time period as outlined in the FAQ / Collective wisdom.

Does my leak look normal or should I concentrate on eliminating leaks more?

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Wed May 14, 2008 6:46 am

Needsdecaf wrote:And yes, I do get some mouth breathing. Wife has confirmed.

OK. With that confirmed, then likely those other spikes are mouth-breathing as well. They are merely short because you awakened enough to correct the problem before it persisted longer.

Needsdecaf wrote:Does my leak look normal or should I concentrate on eliminating leaks more?

IMHO, leaks are not your biggest concern.

Needsdecaf wrote:I am not going to a full face. I may try a Liberty or Hybrid.

You're not the only one. I haven't been able to tolerate an FFM either, even though mouth-breathing causes me grief. Even so, the benefits of CPAP with occasional mouth-breathing are a whole lot better than no therapy, at least for me.

Needsdecaf wrote:I feel pretty good, but not a whole lot better. But I am attributing this to the normal "get used to it" time period as outlined in the FAQ / Collective wisdom.

I'd say give full-face masks a try. You owe it to yourself to at least determine whether that will significantly benefit your own therapy. If it doesn't make a great deal of difference, then it's real easy to switch back to the Swift. If you find it does make a great difference, then you'll be motivated to make an FFM work for you.

Regards,
Bill

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Wed May 14, 2008 7:49 am

ww wrote:The main thing is how do you feel. I have only been on CPAP for 2 months and my first data looked a lot like that because of mouth leaks. The problem with mouth leaks is they invalidate the data and you cannot trust it because so much pressure was shunted and never went where it was intended.

Libery, Hybrid, FFM or taping - mouth leaks have to be controled -- you'll feel the difference when they are.

O.

Needsdecaf · Post by **Needsdecaf** » Wed May 14, 2008 9:31 am

ozij wrote:
Libery, Hybrid, FFM or taping - mouth leaks have to be controled -- you'll feel the difference when they are.

O.

Well, I put in an order for a Liberty. I wanted a backup FFM for those inevitable times each year when I am too stuffy to use the nasal pillows. And allergy season is just such one of those times.

I called my insurance (Aetna) and the woman kind of vaguely told me that I should be able to order as many masks as I want. Sounded suspicious to me, but I asked her in about 4 ways so we'll see. I put the order in with Apria who said they thought my insurance would only cover me once every 3 months. But she was nice and said she'd put the order in and if there were any insurance problems the insurance verification department would call me.

If it's not covered I might just wait the three months and try taping.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed May 14, 2008 9:37 am

All in all, it looks pretty good to me.

For most of us it takes awhile to iron out the kinks. Having the software to see the data is a huge help.

Den

Needsdecaf · Post by **Needsdecaf** » Thu May 15, 2008 11:39 am

Well, I bought some Nexcare flexible fabric tape yesterday. I put it on my mouth after I got home to test out fitment.

3 hours later when I went to bed, my lips were still irritated. Needless to say I did not tape up last night.

Back to the FAQ. Anyone use band-aids across your lips?

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Thu May 15, 2008 11:42 am

You have to protect your lips in with lip balm.
Fold them in (purse them in) and apply the tape.

And make sure you buy hypoallergenic tape.

O.

Needsdecaf · Post by **Needsdecaf** » Fri May 16, 2008 6:40 am

Well, last night was not really very helpful.

I did mouth taping with a band aid. Fit well, actually, and stayed on all night. Didn't even bother my lips.

However, I had my worst night mouth breathing ever. Looked at the graph this morning and had two LONG leaks, of at least 30 minutes each, in the 60-80 LPM range. I never have really long leaks.

The rest of the graph looked as spiky as normal.

We'll see if the Liberty changes anything. I certainly don't feel any different.

yardbird · Post by **yardbird** » Fri May 16, 2008 7:00 am

Try the Polident STRIPS! Holy cow, what a difference they made for me. I can't tolerate taping. I tried an Ultra Mirage Full Face Mask and I have trouble with it leaking. For me (so far... I haven't given up on it) the full face mask is entirely too dependant on head position to maintain a seal.

Anyways... I thought the polident strips idea was weird, but then... so is taping your mouth shut. They aren't "goopy" like the creams. They don't ooze into your mouth. They come off real easy in the morning. No worries about adhesive reactions (I have problems with most adhesives on my skin when used long term). They don't have a "taste" so no issues with that.

Cut one in half, pass it under the faucet or dip it quickly into a glass of water and set them on your lower lip towards the corners of your mouth. ( half on each side ) This leaves a little gap in the middle that's not stuck together. That wasn't an issue for me and actually gave me a sense of "safety net" as last night was my first night with them and the thought of "gluing" my mouth shut was a bit disconcerting.

Just absolutely not an issue. You can get your lips apart easily if you have to cough, sneeze, or whatever and you can dampen them by licking your lips and resealing. (Probably can't do that more than once or twice, but wasn't an issue and I haven't tested that)

I'm just thrilled with the results. If you look at my thread titled "OK, I have to change something" just look at the last few posts. The last report I posted from 5-15 is just amazing to me and I'll be using those strips now.

Needsdecaf · Post by **Needsdecaf** » Fri May 16, 2008 7:07 am

Did you have any luck with taping before?

Taping kept my mouth shut, but didn't stop the leaks.

yardbird · Post by **yardbird** » Fri May 16, 2008 7:28 am

I can not tape. I could do it for one night maybe, but that's it. I have reactions to every kind of tape that's ever been applied to my skin. The only ones I didn't react to have SUCH a mild adhesive on them that they don't stay stuck more than about 30 minutes.

I just got a new full face mask but went back to my Swift last night and used the polident strips.

When you say that taping kept your mouth shut but didn't stop the leaks.... what was leaking? Still leaked from mouth? Or the mask leaked?

Needsdecaf · Post by **Needsdecaf** » Fri May 16, 2008 7:31 am

[quote="yardbird"]I can not tape. I could do it for one night maybe, but that's it. I have reactions to every kind of tape that's ever been applied to my skin. The only ones I didn't react to have SUCH a mild adhesive on them that they don't stay stuck more than about 30 minutes.

I just got a new full face mask but went back to my Swift last night and used the polident strips.

When you say that taping kept your mouth shut but didn't stop the leaks.... what was leaking? Still leaked from mouth? Or the mask leaked?

First Month's Results

First Month's Results

Re: First Month's Results