Mask Problems

Hi, I have just started using a C-PAP (4th night tonight). My machine is a ResMed S8 Series II (autoset) with a heated humidifier. My mask is a Mirage Micro. I have adjusted to the airflow with little problems and would probably be sleeping alot better if it wasn't for the mask. It irritates the skin around my nose and leaves red marks that are not fading. I have no allergies that I know of and the mask is fitting enough to be 'excellent' on the machine, but not too tight. I think it might be related to the moisture. The person at Apria told me to set the humidity on the middle setting and to use a cover on the hose (which she supplied) to help because my bedroom is cool (I live in the Midwest). She also told me to rinse the hose every morning and let it dry during the day, but when I'm ready to go to bed at night after drying all day, it still has moisture in inside the hose (the midwest is not a humid area the is time of year and I do not have a humidifier in my home). Today, I did not rinse the hose thinking that maybe by the time I go to bed tonight it will be dry. Also, when I go to bed, the mask is dry, but during the night the condensation inside the mask wakes me up during the night and I end up having to push the mask up and wipe it with the sheet. Is this normal? When I wore the cpap in the sleep study, my lungs hurt so much the next day and technician told me a heated humidifier would help with that. I had a similar redness problem with the mask from the sleep study, too. Thanks

CWestfa wrote:Hi, I have just started using a C-PAP (4th night tonight). My machine is a ResMed S8 Series II (autoset) with a heated humidifier. My mask is a Mirage Micro. I have adjusted to the airflow with little problems and would probably be sleeping alot better if it wasn't for the mask. It irritates the skin around my nose and leaves red marks that are not fading. I have no allergies that I know of and the mask is fitting enough to be 'excellent' on the machine, but not too tight. I think it might be related to the moisture. The person at Apria told me to set the humidity on the middle setting and to use a cover on the hose (which she supplied) to help because my bedroom is cool (I live in the Midwest). She also told me to rinse the hose every morning and let it dry during the day, but when I'm ready to go to bed at night after drying all day, it still has moisture in inside the hose (the midwest is not a humid area the is time of year and I do not have a humidifier in my home). Today, I did not rinse the hose thinking that maybe by the time I go to bed tonight it will be dry. Also, when I go to bed, the mask is dry, but during the night the condensation inside the mask wakes me up during the night and I end up having to push the mask up and wipe it with the sheet. Is this normal? When I wore the cpap in the sleep study, my lungs hurt so much the next day and technician told me a heated humidifier would help with that. I had a similar redness problem with the mask from the sleep study, too. Thanks

A couple of thoughts/questions.

Did you wash the mask before you started using it?
Are you using DISTILLED WATER in your humidifier?

If you're experiencing too much moisture, you should probably turn the humidifier down since you're already using a hose cover.

Den

Thanks for the quick reply. Yes, I washed it before using and yes, I'm using distilled water.

Hi,

Many members have commented that they clean their equipment much less frequently then the DMEs' suggest.

As for hoses, you can really go quite some time without cleaning them (some people have gone months).

It sounds like your humidifier is set to too high a setting (like Wulfman said). Turn it down one or two settings. 0=off -- all the way counter clockwise (meaning no heat and just pass over humidification.) You really don't want the moisture build up in your hose or your mask (sometimes referred to as "rain out"). Play with the humidifier setting dial on the humidifier. When you change the setting, try the change for a night or two and see if it "works for you". If not change it. The higher the setting the more heat is supplied to the humidifier and the more moisture you get in the hose and to you.

Welcome!