couple question from a newbie

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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syddraf
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couple question from a newbie

Post by syddraf » Fri May 19, 2017 12:48 pm

Okay so I am new to cpap therapy. (second week owning a machine, and about one week of nightly therapy due to a spat with pneumonia)

So first off, Hello everyone. I have recently been diagnosed with severe sleep apnea (96 apnea a hour) and have begun cpap therapy to remedy the solution and it really has already made a huge difference in my quality of life. I no longer struggle to stay awake at my desk or watching TV and I think much more clearly throughout the day. But I am encountering a few troublesome issues that I don't know how to remedy on my own and my DME happens to cut out early on Fridays so I cant call them up and ask.

I am a struggling to get comfortable wearing my mask on my own. i cant seem to get the darn thing to not leak to much or allow my mouth to open to wide and actually slip out from under the mask which makes a awful noise and unpleasant sensation that instantly wakes me up. its not as likely if i wear it tight but it is so uncomfortable it makes it near impossible to sleep. with the pressure points on my nose upper jaw. and i have woke up a few mornings feeling my lower teeth sore form my mouth opening and jaw shifting so they are pressed against the mask. is it possible my mask is the wrong size or am I just horrible at fitting it to my face? I am at size medium now, should i go up to a large or do i just need some pointers on fitting it?

I am a high pressure user too if that counts for anything i am currently at a 16.

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LSAT
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Re: couple question from a newbie

Post by LSAT » Fri May 19, 2017 1:24 pm

syddraf wrote:Okay so I am new to cpap therapy. (second week owning a machine, and about one week of nightly therapy due to a spat with pneumonia)

So first off, Hello everyone. I have recently been diagnosed with severe sleep apnea (96 apnea a hour) and have begun cpap therapy to remedy the solution and it really has already made a huge difference in my quality of life. I no longer struggle to stay awake at my desk or watching TV and I think much more clearly throughout the day. But I am encountering a few troublesome issues that I don't know how to remedy on my own and my DME happens to cut out early on Fridays so I cant call them up and ask.

I am a struggling to get comfortable wearing my mask on my own. i cant seem to get the darn thing to not leak to much or allow my mouth to open to wide and actually slip out from under the mask which makes a awful noise and unpleasant sensation that instantly wakes me up. its not as likely if i wear it tight but it is so uncomfortable it makes it near impossible to sleep. with the pressure points on my nose upper jaw. and i have woke up a few mornings feeling my lower teeth sore form my mouth opening and jaw shifting so they are pressed against the mask. is it possible my mask is the wrong size or am I just horrible at fitting it to my face? I am at size medium now, should i go up to a large or do i just need some pointers on fitting it?

I am a high pressure user too if that counts for anything i am currently at a 16.
There is a new foam cushion that just came out that fits your existing mask frame.....ask your DME about it.
http://www.resmed.com/us/en/healthcare- ... eries.html

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Hannibal 2
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Re: couple question from a newbie

Post by Hannibal 2 » Fri May 19, 2017 1:29 pm

Hi and welcome to the forum, glad to hear you're making good progress already.

It does sound suspiciously like your mask may be too small, did you get a sizing guide with the mask? If not you can download and print one (ensure it's to scale). My sleep technician gave me a medium F20 recently, but I was not convinced so measured myself when I got home, I was clearly a large! Shocking error to make on something so important. Good luck.

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Kohkie
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Re: couple question from a newbie

Post by Kohkie » Fri May 19, 2017 4:00 pm

Hi

Is a FF mask required. I used to breath through my mouth but trained myself not to while sleeping. Nasal pillow/cushion masks are much more comfortable and do not leak as badly as a FF mask. At least that has been my experience. My pre-CPAP AHI was 63 and my pressure, in auto mode, is set to 15-19, so fairly high but still I find it quite comfortable.

Tami

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syddraf
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Re: couple question from a newbie

Post by syddraf » Sat May 20, 2017 1:24 am

I will be contacting them about that foam varient It might be a god send.
Hannibal 2 wrote:Hi and welcome to the forum, glad to hear you're making good progress already.

It does sound suspiciously like your mask may be too small, did you get a sizing guide with the mask? If not you can download and print one (ensure it's to scale). My sleep technician gave me a medium F20 recently, but I was not convinced so measured myself when I got home, I was clearly a large! Shocking error to make on something so important. Good luck.
I will have to print off a card tomorrow but going off what the image shows and my eyeballs see the medium mask seems to fit in the recommended spot for a medium mask. I think my issue is my jaw tends to currently want to fall open during sleep thanks to the years of snoring and a tendency to mouth breath due to alergies. I also suffer from big noggin syndrome so the all medium kit I got might not be the best fit. Perhaps i can get the large head gear from my DME and see if that give me some finer adjustments with out the straps being cranked down to tight.
Kohkie wrote:Hi

Is a FF mask required. I used to breath through my mouth but trained myself not to while sleeping. Nasal pillow/cushion masks are much more comfortable and do not leak as badly as a FF mask. At least that has been my experience. My pre-CPAP AHI was 63 and my pressure, in auto mode, is set to 15-19, so fairly high but still I find it quite comfortable.

Tami
In my therapeutic sleep study they only offered a nasal mask and the full face, I was not a fan of the nasal mask as it felt very restrictive when i was breathing out like it seems to be for most new users so i opted for the FF mask and slept very well that night. plus i am prone to breathing through my mouth so that was also a issue with the nasal mask i notice that i wake up breathing through my nose on some nights and i am making the effort to breath more that way when i can but i still have a bad habit of wanting to exhale through my mouth. i will most likely make that switch if i am able to train myself to rely on my nose more at night.

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Hannibal 2
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Re: couple question from a newbie

Post by Hannibal 2 » Sat May 20, 2017 1:52 am

If the mask turns out to be the right size for you then maybe consider a chin strap.

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Mask: ResMed AirFit F30i Full Face CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: Air 10 ClimateLineAir, SleepyHead Software
"Welcome my son, welcome to the machine!
Where have you been? It's alright we know where you've been!"
(You've been in the pipeline...)

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Julie
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Re: couple question from a newbie

Post by Julie » Sat May 20, 2017 3:27 am

Syddraf - you posted in another thread about how you sleep... but it makes more sense to respond here -

Why are you sleeping only on your back (which always provokes more apneas) and not moving? Have you tried side sleeping, possibly with a Pappillow(.com) that has cut outs for the mask? Many people use a foam wedge or stuffed backpack behind them to keep from back sleeping.

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Sheriff Buford
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Re: couple question from a newbie

Post by Sheriff Buford » Sat May 20, 2017 6:16 am

Dang, Syddraf! Is that a full face mask you are wearing in your Avatar?

Sheriff