HELP! Ugly black bruise mark on my nose bridge

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
PCY_NJ
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HELP! Ugly black bruise mark on my nose bridge

Post by PCY_NJ » Mon Jul 19, 2010 1:37 pm

I've been using the ResMed CPAP machine for about 4 months. My sleep quality has improved tremendously.

Pre CPAP: 53 AHI (Sleep study)

Now: 3.1 AHI

But, I have a ugly black (almost a bruise mark) on my nose bridge. My skin colour is Brown. I use comfort gel on my nose but, that has not fixed it. The bruise mark seem to get darker by the day. It is to a point that it is bothering me.

Any remedies out there?

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elena88
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Re: HELP! Ugly black bruise mark on my nose bridge

Post by elena88 » Mon Jul 19, 2010 2:06 pm

Hi there,

Sorry that is causing you so much trouble..

I wear nose pillows so I dont have a nose bridge problem, but I searched that topic on this forum, here is just one of many links with
tips..


here ya go...

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=53709&p=499314&hili ... se#p499314

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Mask: Swift™ FX Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments: sleep study: slept 66 min in stage 2 AHI 43.3 had 86 spontaneous arousals I changed pressure from 11 to 4cm now no apap tummy sleeping solved apnea

HollyDolly
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Re: HELP! Ugly black bruise mark on my nose bridge

Post by HollyDolly » Mon Jul 19, 2010 4:23 pm

after suffering longer than a week with a deep and dark red impression on the bridge of my nose and 2 sores on each side, I decided to try and use 2 bandaids. I use small flexible fabric bandages each night and there is no longer any sign from my mask!

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Janknitz
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Re: HELP! Ugly black bruise mark on my nose bridge

Post by Janknitz » Mon Jul 19, 2010 6:18 pm

They are kind of pricey, but Johnson and Johnson makes "Finger and Toe Blister Bandaids". They are the perfect size for the bridge of your nose and filled with a gel so they give some cushioning.

BUT, the adage is that when you pad an area causing pressure, you are adding pressure to the area. So you may want to look at a solution that doesn't press on that spot on your nose at all like the aforementioned nasal pillows. If you breathe through your mouth at night despite CPAP and you don't want to have to hassle with taping or a chinstrap, consider a hybrid mask which is nasal pillows plus a seal over your mouth .

I hope you find a solution and your nose feels better soon!
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sleepnationtv
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Re: HELP! Ugly black bruise mark on my nose bridge

Post by sleepnationtv » Mon Jul 19, 2010 7:36 pm

Try going to the store and looking for a medical tape by 3M that is skin color and is soft. put it over the bridge of your nose. It seems to work well and we actually recommend it to our patients. It will be cheaper than bandaids and does not leave a sticky residue.

See www{dot}sleepnation{dot}tv it is a video weblog that is updated weekly I produce it and talk about a variety of CPAP issues.
Dane Schapper, Founder cpaplibrary.com
Check out the cpaplibrary video bloghttp://www.cpaplibrary.com

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sunnyway
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Re: HELP! Ugly black bruise mark on my nose bridge

Post by sunnyway » Mon Jul 19, 2010 9:08 pm

I'll bang my drum again over the virtues of total face masks! There is nothing to rub on your nose and they are non-claustrophobic.

Now that sounds oxymoronic, but truly, the total face masks are the least claustrophobic of all the masks I've tried. Yes, they do cover your entire face, from below your mouth to your forehead, but they are transparent and you don't see the headbands that hold them on. There are no parts to get knocked out of place while you sleep.Minor (quiet) leaks do not seem to harm the effectiveness of the masks. If you do develop a noisy leak, it's easy to stick a finger under the seal and re-seat the mask. They don't squeal and fart as much as other masks. I love both of mine and alternate them. The style and fit are totally different but both are comfortable and do not make one feel smothered or trapped. I love the freedom compared to other masks. I do use Chin-up strips while using them to enhance their effectiveness by keeping my mouth closed.

Respironics Fit Life (on sale on CPAP.com now, save $50. off the posted price.)
Image

Respironics Total Face Mask.
Image

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OutaSync
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Re: HELP! Ugly black bruise mark on my nose bridge

Post by OutaSync » Tue Jul 20, 2010 9:26 am

It has been my personal experience that total face masks do not work well with thin, boney faces.

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torontoCPAPguy
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Re: HELP! Ugly black bruise mark on my nose bridge

Post by torontoCPAPguy » Tue Jul 20, 2010 9:52 am

I am thinking that you need to get the top end of your mask OFF the bridge of your nose or more appropriately, you need to use a mask that has some sort of support spread out over your forehead.

My first mask actually blistered my nose and made it bleed within a VERY short time and the heck of it is that I KNEW that was going to happen and had not knowledge to do anything better! Now I do thanks to all of my friends on the forum and SleepingUgly as well! This forum is a wealth of information and while you will see some friendly sparring going on I think that for the most part all are friends and are up against the same ogre.

My second mask was a ResMed nose pillow and it leaked like a sieve whenever I smooshed my nose into the pillow no matter what I did. Gone.

My third mask was a Mirage Activa LT Large/Wide and it was an epiphony for me. At last no nose blisters. Good seal. I could actually sleep on my side. Leakage varied but was generally not too bad and that is the mask that I use mostly these days, except:

I decided that I did not like the leak rate varying and saved up my pennies and bought a half dozen masks to try out in the comfort of my home over the summer. The first mask I tried out was the ResMed Quattro Pro in Large (I want it to sit on my fleshy cheeks and away from boney parts as much as possible). Whammo! Blam! Pfzzt! Bingo! Wowee! Don't know if it was just because it was the first night last night and a brand new and supple mask, etc., but I loved it. It also has a forehead support to keep pressure of the bridge of your nose and square it up for a good fit. I could hardly wait to get downstairs and plug in the data chip to see the results, despite a broken night of sleep mainly for other reasons (my rehab dietician has taken charge of my life and what goes in my mouth with the expected results of loads of fibre, veggies and a late night snack that includes carbs - the stomache and intestines are going in overtime mode all night). Anyway, the fit was the best of any mask used to date (your results may vary) and looking at the results on the computer, they are as good (pretty much) as any results that I have had with any mask to date. In fact, the leak rate was virtually nil and pretty steady which means that my rolling around in bed and smooshing into the pillow had little effect on leakage. The only pain was getting it on but I am sure that this will correct itself by the end of the week with experience as to where the straps plug into the mask. Getting the mask off in a hurry, my biggest bugaboo, was unfounded as I could get it off with one swipe of my hand in a fraction of a second. In short, I am in love. (But having said that... I am still going to try the other mask out during the summer months).

One thing that I noticed was that there was some "blech" at the bottom of the mask in the morning when I cleaned it... probably stuck my tongue out in my sleep or had my nose drip once or twice. Asides from that? Perfection. Comfy. Efficient. Inexpensive ($50 stateside online; $350 in Toronto from the stores).

So, your short answer is simply that I would try to spread the pressure that normally is on your nose bridge across your forehead with a better designed mask. I am guessing that what you have been using is what came with the CPAP machine. I have already tossed mine in the garbage.

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