Regressing to old sleeping patterns

Hello everyone,

This is my first post with you so I apologize if this post is long.

About a year ago, I complained to my doctor about erratic sleep patterns and waking up "gasping" for breath. I live alone so I don't know if I snored...but I suspect I MUST have. He sent me to a sleep clinic for testing. I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and the test showed I stopped breathing 58 times per hour. I was given a ResMed C-PAP machine and fitted with a size medium face mask. I gave it a try, but the mask fit so poorly and was so uncomfortable I stopped using the machine entirely after 3 days. I went back to the sleep clinic after a couple weeks and told them the mask was very uncomfortable and easily moved around on my face. The technician had me put the mask on and said "That's way too big for you". He gave me a size small mask to try. That mask fit better than the first, but still had some air leakage. My sleep pattern BEFORE my diagnosis was 1-2 hours of sleep...wake up...1 hour of sleep...wake up, etc. This went on for years! The first night with the better-fitting mask I slept for 8.5 hours. I was absolutely astounded! And the sd card showed I only had 7 instances of breathing stoppage. I was still concerned about the air leakage, so I went back to the clinic again, tried on the mask and was told "That's too big for you." The tech special-ordered an extra small mask. I received the extra small a couple weeks later. That stopped most of the air leakage, but it made cuts on the bridge of my nose. I resorted to switching nightly between the small and the extra small. Being a "mouth breather" the nasal only mask would not be right for me.

Now I am developing acne-like spots and redness on my forehead and the sides of my mouth (wherever the mask touches). I am also regressing back to my old sleeping patterns. I haven't slept more than 3 hours at a time in a couple months. Once a week I wash everything in warm water with Dawn dishwashing liquid, and use Pampers baby wipes (no alcohol, no scent) nightly (between the weekly washing). I don't know why the sudden breakouts and why the shortened sleep lengths. I've made another appointment with my doctor about this, but am hoping someone on this forum can also provide some insight. I read the post about the mask liner from Pad A Cheek and have ordered one. I'm just wondering why after nearly a year is it suddenly affecting my skin. And why the shortened sleep pattern? Thank you.

I would switch to Johnsons Baby shampoo for cleaning your mask. There should be no need for the baby wipes. Its possible that you have developed a contact dermatitis/allergy from one or both of these products. Sometimes it takes a while to develop contact allergies. A mask liner will certainly help that problem as the contact with the equipment will be eliminated.

As a mouth breather, how is your ability to breathe through your nose at night?
If you can't or if your nasal passages are quite occluded, then you might consider the Oracle 2 mask (see link below on my experiences). If you think you might want to try that mask, please ask all the questions you might have before getting one. It is an interesting mask to get used to. It will eliminate all the other facial contacts you now have with your current mask. With a relatively low pressure, even the head gear is entirely optional.

I found that by using baby wipes every night to remove any excess oil, I get a good seal and rarely need to wash my mask.Any soap or shampoo that you may use could irritate your skin.