Mask Leaks and facial Pain

Hi Everyone,
I am new to all of this so I thought I would jump right in.

I was diagnosed with OSA with 49 incidents per hour which they say is high. I want to be compliant with the CPAP and not have to do anything invasive but I am having problems with the mask. I have two, one is the Airfit F 20 the other my less favorite an Amora view. My problems seem to mostly surround getting a decent fit with no leaks and facial discomfort in the morning which can last throughout the day, in either the nose or the what I call smile muscles.

I have bad eye to hand coordination so once something comes apart or falls out of adjustment I struggle. I don't seem to be able to get past the three hour mark and the leak seal numbers seem to run in low 30s with between 2-5 events per night. Because I am mouth breather nasal pillows not the answer.

I still wake up tired frustrated and can nap at any time and I worry about long term effects of course I am in my 60s.

I would welcome any thoughts and help.
Thanks for listening.
J

Have you tried Padacheek.com liners (designed by a forum member and worn by many here)?

And I hope you're not overtightening the mask(s) because it's counterproductive... doesn't allow the cushion to inflate properly. There are very many types of masks out there and many of us have had to try many of them til we find the 'right' one for us.

No mask should cause pain (especially pain that lasts the day) or abrasions or sores or blisters.
If it does it is either improperly fitted (most common mistake is people crank that suck down so tight it cuts off circulation) or the wrong size or the mask is simply not suitable for the person's facial structure.

If you are okay for 3 or 4 hours and then not okay that makes us think something changed to make it not okay. Figuring out what changed can be a challenge.

You are using a machine that has the ability to auto adjust the pressures as it senses the need. Have you looked at the software reports to see when the leak starts to get big and if it correlates to a significant pressure change or not?
After 3 or 4 hours we start to get more REM stage sleep and it's quite common to have our OSA require more pressure during REM. Or maybe you rolled over onto your back and need more pressure.
Your mask fitting you do at the beginning of the night might not be doing such a good job if it is fitting at a lower pressure and you end up using a much higher pressure. Needs to be fitted at the higher pressure.

Also...facial oils tend to start happening in those wee hours of the morning or maybe even some sweat...that can cause us to lose a good seal.

Mask liners might help and would be worth trying. Help absorb any facial oils and sort of absorb minor leaks so they wouldn't wake you up.
Some people swear by them and some people hate them. It's like every other thing out there regarding cpap....comes with a big YMMV sticker.

Review the fitting video for your masks...make sure that it is allowed to inflate. Cranking it down is counter productive and if that's the only way you can remotely get it to seal then it is not the right mask or right size for you.

Use the software available to see if there is a correlation between leak and pressure if you are using a range of pressures.
https://sleep.tnet.com/equipment

Check out Padacheek.com for mask liner ideas
http://www.padacheek.com/
You can even make your own out of an old T shirt to see if it helps or not.

Hi J!
I'm new to this too. This is my first post here. I got my auto-cpap last Wednesday. I have the wisp nasal mask and the first two nights it was too tight (adjusted by the company rep) and it caused my face to have a really bad breakout. I loosened it and now it's a lot better. I also breath from my mouth so I was worried about any mask that only covered my nose. But when the machine is running I find that opening my mouth is not an option so I think I'm retraining my body not to do that (much).

after the breakout I tried the nasal pillow mask my father lent to me and I could NOT catch a breath and started to hyperventilate... so I won't be trying that for a while.

I went back to the wisp, loosened it and I also use either a tissue or last night tried those oil absorbing papers they sell in cosmetic aisle to put between the mask and my face. if i'm going to put something on my face, I may as well treat the acne too! lol

I had a little problem with seal last night, maybe from the papers. not sure... but what seemed to upset the seal more was sleeping on my side due to my pillow. when I'm on my side, my mask presses more into my face and hurts. I'm hoping to try nasal pillows again in future.

I also saw some things that you can buy that wrap around the straps to "pad" the mask and make it more comfortable. Maybe if you figure out what part of the mask is bothering you and can adjust it, you can make it work for you and have less discomfort.

I don't thing waking up in the middle of the night to fix it will be a good idea. you will still have disrupted sleep and you will be tired... the goal is to sleep comfortably all night.

my other thought (sorry long post) was to call the rep from the company you deal with and explain the problem and ask for a mask that will work better for you.

Good luck to you!

~ Laurie

Check padacheek.com for mask straps cushions

jchilds582 wrote:Hi Everyone,
I am new to all of this so I thought I would jump right in.

I was diagnosed with OSA with 49 incidents per hour which they say is high. I want to be compliant with the CPAP and not have to do anything invasive but I am having problems with the mask. I have two, one is the Airfit F 20 the other my less favorite an Amora view. My problems seem to mostly surround getting a decent fit with no leaks and facial discomfort in the morning which can last throughout the day, in either the nose or the what I call smile muscles.

I have bad eye to hand coordination so once something comes apart or falls out of adjustment I struggle. I don't seem to be able to get past the three hour mark and the leak seal numbers seem to run in low 30s with between 2-5 events per night. Because I am mouth breather nasal pillows not the answer.

I still wake up tired frustrated and can nap at any time and I worry about long term effects of course I am in my 60s.

I would welcome any thoughts and help.
Thanks for listening.
J

I was a mouth breather and was at 19cm-h2o and I found that pillows was the only mask type that worked for me. Pillows are self-sealing unlike all the other types which require strap tension to be sufficient to keep the seal.
To stop mouth breathing I use the Ultimate Chin strap (lined with a clean sock to keep the strap clean).