So much for thinking I conquered the CPAP

[stevesgrl98]

I have been on CPAP since October. I thought I had pretty much conquered the "adjustment" stage. Well, last night proved me wrong.

I considered myself lucky in that I have never really had problems with rain-out. I love humidity. I live in south Florida where humidity is a part of everyday life. Well, last night it was suppose to get cold here so I decided to wrap my hose in a fleece scarf to keep it warmer as the temps were forecasted to be 34 degrees. It was the worst night I have had since I started this journey.

What I experienced was more like a monsoon rain! My face was soaked, I could hear the water spraying into the nose cradle, the water was running down my face. I checked my hose, the tank, the attachment. I took off the nasal cradle, dried it and put it back on. Within minutes, it was raining again. I finally took it off and slept without it. Would wrapping it in a fleece scarf cause this?

I would appreciate any advice or ideas as to what cause it to rain.

Thanks.
Shannon

[robysue]

How cold was your bedroom last night? And how cool is it on a more normal night?

What humidity setting do you normally use? Did you use the same setting last night?

Do you hang your hose above your head and exposed to the air? Or do you route the hose under the covers?

And is the flow generator itself below your head level? Or is it at or above your head level?

Answers to all these may provide clues with why it rained so hard last night---cold air can hold substantially less water vapor than warm air does. And so if your bedroom temp was substantially colder than normal and your humidifier was set at or above it's normal setting, that's a rainout waiting to happen---particularly if the hose was essentially exposed to the air. Wrapping the hose in the fleece scarf *should* have helped insulate it from the cold, but if the scarf was not wound tight enough around the hose, it may not have provided enough insulation. How did you fasten the scarf to the hose? Could cold air get into the hose through gaps in how the scarf was wrapped around the hose?

[stevesgrl98]

Thanks RobySue for your reply.

My room was actually warmer than normal as I shut the window which I don't normally do.

The machine is below my head and so is the hose. I also put the hose under the covers. I did not do that last night as I had it wrapped, but maybe my hose doesn't like 34 degrees either. I had the scarf secured with rubberbands as I plan on removing the scarf after it warms up; but maybe I didn't wrap it tightly enough.

You mention the flow generator? Is that the machine itself? If so, yes it is below my head.

Also, you mention what is the humidity set at? I don't have a clue what it is set at, how to set it or even where to look to find it. The DME set this machine up for me. I don't have an owner's manual either.

Thanks.
Shannon

[Emilia]

Hanging the hose allows the moisture to run back down into the humidifier...... try to hang it somehow. I am in FL, too, but in central on the west coast.... it got below freezing here last night. I finally turned on the humidifier two nights ago since I running heat in the house, but I have my hose up and over the headboard with a cozy on it. I have never had rainout at all using this method.

[stevesgrl98]

Hanging the hose allows the moisture to run back down into the humidifier...... try to hang it somehow. I am in FL, too, but in central on the west coast.... it got below freezing here last night. I finally turned on the humidifier two nights ago since I running heat in the house, but I have my hose up and over the headboard with a cozy on it. I have never had rainout at all using this method.

I have never turned off the humidifier and I don't have heat in the house. Maybe my hose just got too cold. Oh, and I realized that my humidifer is set at 4.5.

[chunkyfrog]

4.5 is way high for me, I get rainout all the time if my humidity is above 3.0.

[stevesgrl98]

4.5 is way high for me, I get rainout all the time if my humidity is above 3.0.

Can you believe that I still wake up at times with dry sinuses at 4.5? This is the second machine I have had, because the first machines' humidifier would not go high enough.

[Mary Z]

Shannon, if you want the manual for your machine try apneaboard.com under manuals It's way down on the list, keep reading- you may have to get it by email, but it's available.

[robysue]

I have never turned off the humidifier and I don't have heat in the house. Maybe my hose just got too cold. Oh, and I realized that my humidifer is set at 4.5.

If you don't have central heat and the outside temperature did drop into the mid 30s, the I think the problem may well have been that the hose was simply too cold for the humidifier setting of 4.5. We keep our bedroom in the low 60s at night in the winter here in Buffalo and I start to get a bit of rainout when I put the humidifier up at 4.0 in spite of having the hose in a hose cozy and running it under the covers. I'd love to be able to push the humidifier up to 4.5, but when it's that high, I get rainout right at my nasal pillows in spite of using a barrel cozy.

[stevesgrl98]

Shannon, if you want the manual for your machine try apneaboard.com under manuals It's way down on the list, keep reading- you may have to get it by email, but it's available.

Thanks Mary Z.

[stevesgrl98]

I have never turned off the humidifier and I don't have heat in the house. Maybe my hose just got too cold. Oh, and I realized that my humidifer is set at 4.5.

If you don't have central heat and the outside temperature did drop into the mid 30s, the I think the problem may well have been that the hose was simply too cold for the humidifier setting of 4.5. We keep our bedroom in the low 60s at night in the winter here in Buffalo and I start to get a bit of rainout when I put the humidifier up at 4.0 in spite of having the hose in a hose cozy and running it under the covers. I'd love to be able to push the humidifier up to 4.5, but when it's that high, I get rainout right at my nasal pillows in spite of using a barrel cozy.

I have a feeling that my hose, despite my best efforts, may have been too cold. It probably was in the mid 50's in my bedroom. Thermometer on my front porch said 38 degrees. I live in an 80 year old house, so it was quite chilly this morning inside. I think I will just turn down my humidifer and see if that helps. If not, the cold doesn't last long in FL so, I'll manage without it. Thank you for your help.

[letchworth]

I also live near Buffalo, NY-- and believe me it ain't 32 degrees right now. [Brrrr!]

I use the Optilife CradleCushion- in an unheated bedroom- and occasionally get some rain-out, but not as often as you might think. I use a Respironics machine- so setting numbers may or may not correspond-- but I generally set my heated humidifier at 1.0-2.0, and when I get rainout, I may turn the heater off completely and roll over for the rest of the night [but I do not dare sleep without my machine-- for my wife's ire and my health-sake].

I think you are making the best choice of turning it down a bit- and it sounds like a temporary situation that you can "roll" with.

Hope it works out well for you- and my encouragement is to keep the mask on for your health's sake
letchworth

[robysue]

I also live near Buffalo, NY-- and believe me it ain't 32 degrees right now. [Brrrr!]
letchworth

Howdy neighbor! I actually live in Kenmore and work in Buffalo.

And you are right, it ain't 32 here. But of course everybody up here has central heat, which stevesgrl98 in Florida does not.

[letchworth]

And you are right, it ain't 32 here. But of course everybody up here has central heat, which stevesgrl98 in Florida does not.

And to you--- "Howdy back"--- but the advice is still appropriate--- the occasional bout of rainout is a time to turn down the humidifier [after doing all the other stuff of course, like Shannon has already done by the addition of a fleece scarf]. My bedroom has no direct heat. Now, to be fair, Shannon loves extra humidity and I like it on the low side-- but rainout on an OptiLife hasn't got much room to spread out-- I'd attack it at the source.

Kenmore, that takes me way back- years ago I used to use a professional photo lab on West Hazeltine Avenue, Kenmore-- Is it still there? Great place and great people- that brings back memories, thanks.
letchworth

[stevesgrl98]

Here's an update: I did turn down my humidifer to 4.0. That is much better, no facials.

Now, here's a new problem... my mask will not seal. I played with it yesterday, before I was too tired. I adjusted here and there and everywhere. I laid down moved around and it was fine. Actually it was more comfortable than it has ever been. However, around 10 pm, I woke up to air blowing in my eyes. I tried and tried to adjust it. Tighten here and there... to no avail. I took it off and readjusted it, put it back on, laid down and within a few minutes it was blowing in my eyes again. I got really frustrated and tired that I took it off and threw it down, rolled over and went right asleep. I can tell I didn't wear it as my morning migraines and extreme fatigue is back but I have no idea what to do.

The humidity doesn't have anything to do with it sealing correctly, does it?

Thanks for all your advice. I am just as frustrated as I was when I began this journey.

Shannon