Using Provent

[brucelegs]

I have the Provent to use for my occasional trips away from home of 1 or 2 nights when I do not feel like taking along the other machine. As I said in a earlier post I tried them out at home for a few nights last month. I spent one uncomfortable night this week in a hotel room with some nasal congestion and did not sleep well at all with the Provent. You know how sometimes the air in a hotel room can make you a bit congested? well that is what happened. For night #2 in the hotel, I bit the bullet and went out to CVS and bought Afrin (my first time ever!) to use that night. I puff in each nostril, popped the Provent on and slept like a baby. I plan on keeping the Afrin in my travel bag for hotel overnights with Provent - this is like 4 nights a month across 2 weeks. I am not going to addicted to the Afrin since I will only be using 2 nights in a row - It's all good.

[deltadave]

I've noticed my box of Provent says "Standard Resistance" and a circle with "SR" on the box. To me, this implies they have varying grades of resistance. Does anyone using Provent have a box that has anything other than SR?

Provent HR (High Resistance).

[NightMonkey]

SR = 8 cm H2O

HR = 10 cm H2O

[SleepingUgly]

SR = 8 cm H2O

HR = 10 cm H2O

Where did you get this information?

[SleepingUgly]

I've noticed my box of Provent says "Standard Resistance" and a circle with "SR" on the box. To me, this implies they have varying grades of resistance. Does anyone using Provent have a box that has anything other than SR?

Provent HR (High Resistance).

The Provent High Resistance is just a clothespin that you attach to your nose before you go to sleep. I can't imagine how it can be any higher resistance and a human being, assuming they aren't dead, won't open their mouth to breathe. Maybe Houdini.

[Samaniego]

Should try this mask with Provent for mouth? Your opinion?



It is Oracle HC 452.

[SleepingUgly]

If it would work to occlude one's mouth, this would be no different than the challenges of mouth leakage during CPAP. But you can't really occlude your mouth because you need to breathe out of your mouth while awake.

[deltadave]

SR = 8 cm H2O

HR = 10 cm H2O

Where did you get this information?

The EPAP of the Provent appliances varies depending on the flow rate:

[jen4700]

After about 5 nights on Provent, I can keep it on all night, though I typically wake several times during the night.

Pats, I'm thinking about trying it for travel too. Are you saying it takes 5 nights to get used to it every time, or just the first time?

Seems it may not be much good for a few nights away from home if it takes 5 days to get settled in each time.

I'd like to know the answer to this, too. I don't have any issues using cpap at home but really dread traveling with it. But if I don't travel that often...

[SleepingUgly]

The EPAP of the Provent appliances varies depending on the flow rate:

So how do I know how many cms of pressure I'm getting?

[deltadave]

The EPAP of the Provent appliances varies depending on the flow rate:

So how do I know how many cms of pressure I'm getting?

An excellent question!

The PAP is quite dynamic, so it depends on where you are in the respiratory cycle:



It strikes me that in order for this thing to work, expiratory flow can never = 0, so a high base respiratory rate is needed (in the above example, RR = 15).

If expiratory flow = 0, it most certainly indicates that FRC returns to baseline, and that's the end of that.

[neurotony]

Yes, I'm using a room humidifier. Mine are "standard resistance" too.

You should call and ask if there's a low resistance one. I think you may breath real hard, you must have some strong lungs. Heh.

I recall you saying you were experiencing dry mouth on Provent, did the humidifier resolve that? I was at the dentist yesterday and saw "Oasis Moisturizing Mouth Wash" made by Sensodyne and asked about it. See, I think of you outside the forum (awww...) The dental tech said she uses it to stop her dry mouth while sleeping. I instantly thought of your dry-mouth and grabbed one in case I forgot the brand. There's also a Colgate and BreatheRX versions too. She recommended the Oasis but said the others likely worked just as well. If you're still having dry-mouth give it a whirl.

[SleepingUgly]

Thanks for thinking of me at the dentist. I was using Biotene + room humidifier, but now the chinstrap seems to be helping with the dry mouth (still using room humidifier, but that didn't seem to do a ton). HOWEVER, I am still exhaling out of my mouth with the chinstrap! Last night was ridiculous. I went to bed with Provent, 10mg Ambien, a chinstrap, and for the first time, tennis balls in a fanny pack because I suspected I exhale out of my mouth more when I'm on my back. I woke up within a couple of hours and then the cycle of sleep-wake-sleep-wake began. At times I was aware of exhaling out of my mouth even with my jaw locked shut, so in my stupor and frustration, I got my chinstrap that holds the chin up AND covers my mouth and just tried to not cover the mouth as tightly. If the mouth is covered tightly, I probably can't exhale out of my mouth (or so it is with CPAP), but then of course I also can't breathe out of my mouth while awake. I didn't even care. I remember thinking, "Maybe they are friggin' wrong about needing to breathe out of the mouth while awake. Maybe this will all be OK if I just breathe through my nose even while awake!" Somehow I did make it through most of the night in this ridiculous situation, alternately breathing out of my mouth and not.

I don't know what kind of lungs I have, but the best solution appears to be to breathe very shallowly so that an inhale takes 3 seconds max and then the exhale will only take 15 seconds or whatever as opposed to half a month. It's the loooooooooooong exhale that's aggravating to deal with while awake. Actually, the best idea seems to be not to breathe at all. Perhaps a fanny pack and a noose would be the perfect combination therapy.

Hell if I'm giving up yet, though.

[neurotony]

Hell if I'm giving up yet, though.

You go Grrl! Your mouth refuses to cooperate Maybe give it a few more nights but it may be getting to the point of ridiculousness.

Do you feel it's working when you aren't breathing through your mouth?

Have you tried calling the Provent customer rep (number is on the box). She claims to have talked with over 5000 Provent patients so likely has faced your issue(s) before. She'll blame you for everything at first (see my latest post) but then give you some helpful advice.

[SleepingUgly]

Do you feel it's working when you aren't breathing through your mouth?

Well, how would I know of it's working? I sleep with it (more or less, off and on), and sometimes the next day I feel pretty OK considering how many times I was up. Other times I feel like crap.

I tired Provent customer line and talked to someone who said that most people average whatever 1-15 days to adjust. I keep asking if there are people who take longer to adjust, but ultimately do, and she doesn't really know because those people don't call her back. In the clinical trials that's how long it took them to adjust or is that how long they gave them to adjust?!). The doctor I got it from claims only 1 out of 75 of his patients didn't tolerate it, but he said he doesn't have high hopes for me. I said, "Doctor, you've either never heard of the placebo effect or you're a big believer in 'Reverse Psychology'. What I believe is that you don't have any patients more tenacious or motivated than I am, so if I fail, it's because you haven't given me proper support."