new to CPAP

I am new to using a CPAP machine. I had a hard time finding a mask that would fit I finally found a Wisp. I went with the nasal mask. my nose is sore and my mouth is extremely dry. is this normal? How long does it take to get use to? any help would be great.

If your mouth is dry you are most likely breathing out of your mouth; which means you are losing your therapy.
You will most likely need to change to a full face mask.

Good Luck!


I wish you well

would a chin strap help?

how do I set up my profile with the information on the machine?

Isabel:

It is really not normal to have excessive mouth dryness. It is likely that you are breathing through your mouth for part of the night and getting less than adequate therapy because of that. Using a nasal mask and mouth breathing is often the cause of dryness in the morning.

Having a sore nose may mean you have the mask adjusted too tightly - I'm not the person who can give advice on nasal masks. To get better advice on that issue, post a new request and put "Problems with Wisp Mask" in the subject line.
Then describe exactly what problems you are having.

In a separate post, ask for help in getting the correct software for your machine so you can see the data on leaks, etc. Mention what type of computer you have, Mac or Windows PC because the answer you get will depend on that piece of information.

Welcome to the forum.

If you are new to CPAP therapy there are some helpful things to do:

1. Get a copy of your sleep study and your sleep titration study. They have interesting information that will help in understanding your therapy

2. Get a copy of your prescription for your own records. It will be necessary if you choose to change DME's or order online

3. Post your equipment. There is a link on how to do this in my signature block below. Please select TEXT as a display choice as many CPAP machines and masks appear similar but are significantly different

4. If you need to post images of your reports, there is a link in my signature block on how to post using PhotoBucket.com

5. While the LCD display is somewhat useful, it is better to use one of the reporting software programs to get detailed information on your therapy. The two available for Respironics machines are: Encore (Basic or Pro) and SleepyHead.
If you have a ResMed machine, the SleepyHead and ResScan are the programs of choice.

Isabel wrote:would a chin strap help?

It might.

Isabel wrote:how do I set up my profile with the information on the machine?

Upper left hand corner is the User Control Panel... Put your information in Profile tab.

Before switching to a different mask, its a good idea to get the one you have adjusted properly, use a chin strap if that is necessary, and get control of leaks.

Changing too many things at once makes it difficult to figure out what helped and what made things worse.

Isabel... you mentioned that your nose is sore... try Lansinoh which is a nipple cream that nursing mothers use. It's very safe and can be found in any pharmacy, Walmart, Target, etc. A little goes a long way and a tube would prob last a couple of years. Use it during the day as well as at night... helps it heal.

Thank you. I am so confused with all the information that i got from the Dr and the resp. therapist yesterday. Trying to sort it all out and get using the machine. thank you in advance for the patience if I ask questions. i will give those suggestions a try. Thank you for the advice.

ems wrote:Isabel... you mentioned that your nose is sore... try Lansinoh which is a nipple cream that nursing mothers use. It's very safe and can be found in any pharmacy, Walmart, Target, etc. A little goes a long way and a tube would prob last a couple of years. Use it during the day as well as at night... helps it heal.

someone pointed out, recently, that they make a lot of baby related products, and to make sure you get the lanolin nipple cream, and not the lansinoh diaper rash cream

palerider wrote:

ems wrote:Isabel... you mentioned that your nose is sore... try Lansinoh which is a nipple cream that nursing mothers use. It's very safe and can be found in any pharmacy, Walmart, Target, etc. A little goes a long way and a tube would prob last a couple of years. Use it during the day as well as at night... helps it heal.

someone pointed out, recently, that they make a lot of baby related products, and to make sure you get the lanolin nipple cream, and not the lansinoh diaper rash cream

Yes, I think that would be a very good idea!

Another solution for the tender beak:
http://www.padacheek.com/Wisp.html
Yes!, Karen makes a liner for the Wisp!!!!

Actually, a dry mouth is not necessarily an indication of mouth breathing. Isabel, if you are happy with your mask and I don't know if you are or aren't, you might want to look at the data first to see if you have any serious leaks before switching masks.

49er

I went and bought the Lansinoh cream (made sure it was not the diaper rash cream)today . can I use it before putting on the mask or should I use it a couple of hours before. I have very sensitive skin and that may be part of the issue. There have been no leaks and I have been able to wear it all night. The software for my system is mind something.Has anyone heard of it. I also started using the humidifier in the machine and that is helping with the dry mouth. Thank you all so much.