CPAP Questions, HELP!!!!!

[bellis2]

I need to ask someone for some help. I just started on my CPAP machine, about a week ago. The first few nights I fought with the machine, but kept up with it. Now I seem to sleep pretty well, but there is alot of condensation that builds up in my mask and in my hose. I don't know if this is normal or not because no one at the help desk, nor the respiratory therapist for my equipment have called me back. I just got over a bout with pneumonia about a month ago. I don't want to get an upper respiratory infection or anything else. The other night I ended it up taking it off for the last hour to hour and a half that I slept, because of all of the condensation. It was dripping down on my face and nose. Now I know that can't be normal. Can someone please help me?

[ozij]

Hi Bellis,
Don't worry, the condensation is normal, and happens to many of us. It's called "rainout" in the local lingo...

Rainout it worse for those of us who need lower pressures - and you're not the only one to have run into a cpap induce rainstorm jus when you were hoping to sleep peacefully.
The solutions, from cheapest to most expensive:

• Lower the temprature of you humidifier
  If you're not hanging the hose from above your head - route it under the covers, so it eventually heats up from your body head
  Get a cover for the main hose - self made from polar fleece, or self bought - e.g. Snuggle hose from cpap.com
  Get a cover for the narrow tube leading from the main hose to the mask - if your mask has that kind of tube
  Get a heated hose from http://www.sleepzone.com.au

I have my hose routed from above, can't take it under the covers, and so need all the other solutions.
They are worth every penny.

Make sure to hang you hose to dry - and not in the bathroom. One of the side benefits of having a heated hose is that it dries out better after use.

Please register to the forum - and add your equiment - in words, not icons - to your user profile. If you add a comment about your pressure that would also be helpful.

There's lots and lots and lots to read and learn on the forum -- try the yellow light bulb on top "Our Wisdom" for starters.

Good luck!
O.

[rested gal]

Welcome to the message board, Bellis.

Those are great suggestions by ozij. Here's a link to quite a few more topics about how a heated hose can prevent rainout:

LINKS to discussions about the Aussie heated hose - to prevent rainout
viewtopic.php?t=5305

[bellis2]

Ozij, Thank you so much for the quick response. Now I have to learn how to get to my profile, but I have a mask that looks like the Comfort Gel, but doesn't have that blue color around the nose. My pressure is set at 6. Now I will try sleeping with the humidifier at 1 tonight and see how that works. My hose normally hangs over my bed rail all day from the time I wake up till the time I get ready to go back to bed and it still doesn't dry out. I will try to find somewhere else to hang it to see if that makes a difference. I will see about making a cover for my hose, I might as well put my sewing to work for something for me for a change. It would have been nice if they would have told me about the rainstorm before hand, that way I wouldn't panic when it occurred. Thank you for the websites as well, I liked those cleaning cloths they offered on cpap.com. I might invest in buying those. I have the M Series Plus with the Heated Humidifier. I love the machine because it is so quiet. But thank you again for the quick response. I will try to do the profile thing.


BEllis2
New CPAP User, Why?
Wanting to wake up in the land of the living.