Hello all, new active duty CPAP user here.

Hello everyone, just thought I would stop in and say hi. Im an active duty Navy P-3 FE and I just started CPAP therapy about 2 weeks ago. I go to Somnus sleep center in Waldorf and they issued me the Resmed Air Sense 10 Elite with heated humidifier with the slimline hosing and airfit N10 nasal mask. I got the "standard" size, but im start to rethink that selection as lately I've been having to sinch down the mask pretty tightly to stop it from leaking out into my airs around the top (both sides at the top of the nose). Anybody have any suggestions? I was thinking either switching to a small size or possibly trying out the nasal pillows. My only hesitation with the pillows is that since I broke my nose in high school, Ive been kinda sensitive about pressure on my nose (kinda weird, i know lol).

On another note, I've been getting some rainout with my humidifier set on 4. I'd like to turn up the humidification as I'm still feeling a little dried out, but anything above 4 and my CPAP starts to try to drown me. I read up on it a little and it seems like it might be attributed to my need for an abnormally cold sleeping environment. I tend to keep my room around 66 degrees at night. Tricare approved me for a heated hose, but when i asked my sleep center about it, they seemed kinda hesitant to agree that i might benefit from one.

I feel like I've been doing fairly well, especially with the autoramp feature on the machine (ramps from 4 to 10 after i fall asleep). Ive been getting pretty decent scores on the myair website that my machine transmits to every morning (scores from 88-99). My only big complaint (besides the leaking and humidity) is that I feel really bloated when I wake up in the morning. I've even noticed a couple of nights that i wake up and have to belch 3 or 4 times and I feel kinda gassy in the morning. Does this get any better with time or is it something I'm gonna have to learn to live with?? Well, thats about all that can think of that i have questions aboout at the moment. Any other advice from any other active duty guys out there would be greatly appreciated (for anything thats common that i havent encountered yet, ie. how it works when you PCS and have to find a new provider, or any way to avoid driving an hour to get my new supplies every three months). Thanks!

Welcome to the forum.

You might need a different size mask but one of the most common mistakes is over tightening the mask. Most current designed masks employ a silicone rubber seal that incorporates the air pressure to obtain a proper seal. Over tightening the straps will defeat its design. If you are considering a nasal pillow mask, look at the Resmed P10. It uses a double walled pillow that employs air pressure to expand the pillows to conform to your nostril. This design doesn't require much longitudinal pressure to obtain a good seal.

Concerning rainout; Look into a Climateline heated hose for your AS10. This option drastically aides in preventing rainout. Also, try placing your CPAP lower than the top of your mattress. This will help in keeping the condensation in the lower portion of the hose and not up near the mask.

Welcome to the forum and thank you for your service.

Get the heated hose...it will help significantly.

Air in the belly that comes out at one end or the other can be a byproduct of cpap therapy.
wiki/index.php/Aerophagia
Sometimes just a small annoyance and sometimes it can be a bigger problem. There are some things you can do to try to limit the problem. The first thing might be to use EPR if you aren't using EPR or if you are then maybe increasing EPR if you can.
EPR is Exhale Pressure Relief and sometimes just a little bit of EPR is enough to deal with the symptoms.
What pressure are you currently using and are you already using EPR?
If you don't have a clue...get the manual for your machine and read up on what it does and how to get to the menu where pressure and EPR can be set if you don't already know how.
The manual can be requested here...instructions down near the bottom of the page.
http://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-p ... tup-manual

Mask issues...I think probably the hardest part of this therapy to get figured out. All I can tell you is to try a different size cushion or maybe a different mask. They aren't all created equal and some people do great with a mask and someone else might have a horrible time with it. Mask preference is highly personalized. Take a look at the various masks available and see if something looks interesting and try it if you can. It's the only real way you will ever know if so and so mask works for you or not.
Take a look at the mask I have in my profile at this time. The ResMed AirFit P10...been using it for a little over a year now.

I have pretty much used nothing but a nasal pillow mask for coming on 6 years now. The most common mistake people make is that they tighten the straps too much and that will cause nostril discomfort and even abrasions. Properly sized and fitted they really shouldn't cause any problems.
If your nose is indeed super sensitive due to prior injury it might be that the slight touching of the pillows to the nostrils would be a problem for you but again...you won't know until you try.

In terms of a nasal cushion mask like you are using now...consider the Resmed Swift FX Nano cushion as it is fairly easy to get and keep a good seal with it and it's overall minimal footprint is nice.
Plus if you do get a Swift FX Nano mask setup the Swift FX nasal pillows will fit the Nano headgear...so if you wanted to try a nasal pillow mask all you would need would be a nasal pillow. I have some unused spare Swift FX nasal pillows I could just give you to try.

I started out with the N10 and had leaks into my eyes. And with severe dry eyes this was uncomfortable. For me, a Padacheek liner stopped the leaks. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003WV ... UTF8&psc=1 Liners do not solve the problem for all but for many they do.

I have now moved on to the P10 which I love. If you decide try, it does take a few days for the nostrils to get used to the pillows. I used Ayr nasal saline gel and others have used Lansolin on the sore nostrils until it was no longer needed.

I tried the Nano but with the hose connecting directly to the nasal cushion it seemed to pull and cause movement and leaks for me.

Welcome,

And as others have said above: thank you and your Service Buddies for all that you do and the sacrifices you make for this country!

Hopefully we can help you here, lots of combined knowledge on this board and we are always willing to help.

Check the useful links in my signature line below for a youtube video about avoiding gas. It works for some.