New-ish Diagnosis and User... Can't STAND the masks

[Guest]

HI all! J-DuB from Chicago.

Self diagnosed my own apnea and "turned myself in" to a Sleep Center.

Did two studies, first night was awful. One of the most uncomfortable beds I've ever laid in. Second time, with the CPAP and slept pretty OK, so considered to be a "good candidate" for CPAP therapy. Fully admit that I took a 1.5mg of diazapam which did help for sure as did bringing my own pillows.

Since then, have gotten:

Philips Respironics w/ humidifier

Philips Whisp Mask with the L nose mask

One thing that was certainly frustrating, the "in-home tech" who came to my home, came about 10m before I really needed to leave for work, so the process of going through the masks was a complete rush as was the instructions on operating the machine. I'm not a moron and have figured it out, but I can't sleep with these damned masks. No one has done a measure or proper fitting of my face. The "Whisp" actually presses onto my sinus' and restricts my breathing.

Next mask I've gotten is:

F&P Eason M

Which actually digs into the bridge of my nose and hurts.

Last I've gotten so far are "Nasal Pillows" which I can wear... Except that I'm overall a side-sleeper.

I've started to read some of the posts here and I'm sure I'm going to get some tryhard who is going to post up their "Boo-Hoo and I'm an ungrateful, shitty human". Got it and if that is your therapy to "cleanse yourself" then so be it. Point remains that; I am not sleeping and have not adjusted to these things so far. It's been over a month, I am NOT SLEEPING much at all and especially with these masks I'm being given.

What befummels me is, no one has actually: Measured my face and asked me "if I'm a side sleeper". I'm told to "start sleeping on your back" and we're talking about trying to break 44yrs of habit.

[Julie]

Wow, welcome and all that, but starting off with "I'm sure I'm going to get some tryhard who is going to post up their "Boo-Hoo and I'm an ungrateful, shitty human". Got it and if that is your therapy to "cleanse yourself" then so be it." isn't going to help... making assumptions about us, and telling yourself that things will be bad (things have a way of coming true when you really believe them ).

It's too bad the tech appt wasn't made for a better time, and a definite mystery is why he/she apparently told you to sleep on your back - something we make a strong point of discouraging as it provokes more apneas in people - so don't do it if you can help it!

It's also too bad the masks weren't fitted well and there's no excuse for that. Besides you have a choice of very many (take a look at Cpap.com's variety), and if tried out when lying down when your face changes quite a bit, you should be able to find something more comfortable (and less leaky if that's an issue as it so often is) quickly. Sizing templates are a good thing, but don't always take into acct diff. nose bridge sizes, etc. Go back to the dealer for better service, or find another... depending on your insce. requirements and/or your wallet, you might decide to buy your own (prescription necessary for all tho'). But do look at Cpap.com's choices (no I don't work there, but they do have best variety & prices) as each one has lots of info, graphics, reviews, rankings, etc. plus you can try them for 30 days for a small 'return insurance' (or something like that) fee. There's no reason to think you're stuck with what was given to you... FYI most of us go through a number of masks early on before finding the right one(s).

Give us an open minded chance and we probably can help you to feel better (oh and it's "Wisp" - no 'h' ).

[J-DuB]

Considering this was the FIRST post I've read:

viewtopic/t76721/I-hate-CPAP.html

When googling the term "I Hate My CPAP"...

It's ridiculous to be at a point where one doesn't want to use the therapy AT ALL and in doing research, for sure ain't the only one. And believe me, know what is at stake as well as the long-term benefits but I'm not experiencing them as of yet. I'm operating on about 2-3hrs of actual sleep on any given day and that's after a few extraordinarily uncomfortable hours, with these CPAP masks. I am for sure NOT sleeping during that time.

I do enjoy my insurance, my med supplier and even my Dr trying to make me feel as if; it is my fault I am not adapting.

Julie, I will check out cpap.com and will be speaking with one of three as to getting better satisfaction.

[Pugsy]

Welcome to the forum.

Which nasal pillow mask are you using/trying? I have used nothing but nasal pillow masks (tried almost all of the various brands and models) for over 6 years and some are better than others...and I am primarily a side sleeper but even end up on my stomach often ....so I know that a person can sleep in any position.
What seems to be the primary problem when you sleep on your side?

Oh..about the rant...go ahead and rant if it makes you feel better but I don't join the rant parties very much.
I prefer to just tackle a problem and spend my energies trying to fix a problem.

And....guess what? I had the exact same problem with the Respironics Wisp. It actually caused nasal congestion because of the pressure on the nasal turbinate area. I get that with just about any mask that touches the nasal bridge area where the turbinates are. Your best bet is to find a nasal pillow mask that will work and they can work.

[SewTired]

I'm a newbie. I am a side sleeper and finding the Wisp nasal pillow mask to be good! I'm slightly between the small and medium and am going to try the Airfit 10 to see if that works ed even better. I am also trying the Sleepweaver nasal mask. Some report that it is great for side sleeping, others not so much. The advance version is on special right now, so I'm willing to give it a try. The whole face mask is why I never considered a Cpap in the past, so I won't go there.

My DME is 45 minutes away, so switching around a bunch of masks in a 30 day period isn't going to work for me, especially since they don't stock many. So I'm going with stuff that is popular for side sleepers from online suppliers. I had a Respironics nasal pillow mask for my sleep study. It worked very well for side sleeping, but I found it uncomfortable. The fact that the hose goes up over your head was also a problem for me. If you would prefer that, pm me and I will look up the exact name for you.

Why go with this DME? If you have Medicare, your options are limited if you are in a Competitive Bid Area. Most of the good quality DMEs have been replaced by 3 large conglomerates with bad reputations for poor service, bilking customers and mismanaged supplies.

[BlackSpinner]

The thing with sleeping on your side is that you sleep on the edge of the pillow with your face/mask hanging over the edge. That is all there is to it. Most people sleep on their sides because it often requires less pressure.

Other then that, sleeping with a mask beats strokes and adult diapers as well as death any day in my book so just grow up and do it.

[J-DuB]

Pugsy, thanks for the welcome.

I'm all about solving the problem as well and keeping the complaining to a minimum. Even having said that, have already started to attract the "forum tough" which is exactly what goes on in any "on-line" forum.

To answer your question: F&P Pilario Q and it's... Well, at least it doesn't restrict my breathing nor dig into the bridge of my nose. I've got a "sleigh" style queen sized bed and can put the hoses above so it isn't quite as much of a problem as the hoses everywhere. Still isn't entirely comfortable and my nose REALLY sweats under it. And... the thing moves.

Pugsy, got a pillow arrangement/ recommendation? With a "touch of success" I've used a Neck/ Travel Pillow but the arrangement/ idea needs to be developed more.

[palerider]

Considering this was the FIRST post I've read:

viewtopic/t76721/I-hate-CPAP.html

When googling the term "I Hate My CPAP"...

you probably aren't going to get a lot of helpful, constructive tips from someone ranting about how much they hate it....

just sayin.

[palerider]

F&P Pilario Q and it's... Well, at least it doesn't restrict my breathing nor dig into the bridge of my nose. ... Still isn't entirely comfortable and my nose REALLY sweats under it. And... the thing moves.

I tried the q, and ended up not liking it, it seemed to pinch the end of my nose and hurt.

I've since moved to the resmed p10, which I like much more, it's more comfortable for me, and it doesn't inflate/deflate with the pressure changes from my vpap auto.

[Julie]

Having the machine (+ humidifier) above your head is counterproductive - water runs downhill - so we try to have them on a slightly lower level - helps with condensation and 'rain out'.

[Pugsy]

Like Palerider I have also tried the Pilairo nasal pillow mask and I could use it if I had to but it is WAY down the list of my preferences in terms of nasal pillow masks. It's big and bulky and not nearly as comfortable (for me anyway) than some of the other nasal pillow masks. That and the darn inflation thing for the pillow was annoying...like having a balloon inflate and deflate with every breath I took.

I would suggest either the ResMed AirFit P10 nasal pillow mask...see the link in my profile
or the ResMed Swift FX nasal pillow mask.

I use a buckwheat hull pillow and have for many years now. It lets me form a little "nest" of sorts when I am on my side so that the bed pillow doesn't push on the mask and cause it to move around. It also works well for my messed up neck which needs a certain amount of firmness and not much height.
I really do end up sleeping on my stomach with the P10 and the buckwheat hull pillow and I would sleep quite well that way if sleeping on my stomach didn't cause my lower back to hurt and wake me up.

Believe it or not but people sleep on their sides and stomach even with full face masks....so it can be done but it does sometimes take a bit of imagination to find the right way to lay on the bed pillow.
There's also those special cpap pillows that have cut outs on the sides where the masks rest. They can be quite pricey though so I usually suggest if someone wants to try something like that cut out pillow that they just go to WalMart and get a cheap memory foam pillow and make their own cuts and see if it works or not before spending the big bucks.

Oh...machine and hose placement...doesn't really matter unless you get condensation in the hose or mask which is annoying but there are ways to remedy that if it happens. If you aren't getting a nose full of water with your current arrangement then it hurts nothing to have the machine/hose higher (unless you pull the machine off and it konks you on the noggin).

[besea]

Well, I learned two things reading these posts......not to sleep on your back and that Wisp may cause congestion! I thought sleeping on your back was good because I seem to have good breathing and the mask stays in place better. I've wondered why I get nasal congestion when I put the wisp on to go to sleep when I didn't seem to be congested before going to bed!
I have tried to full face masks, slept well in them but they are uncomfortable so went to Wisp which is better. Have also tried the nasal pillows but the air blowing directly onto the inside of my nasal passage way sort of hurt my nose. I will try it again to see if that cuts out the congestion.
All in all - I LOVE the cpap. Just keep trying masks til you get one you like. And if you are asleep you don't know if it is uncomfortable.

[Pugsy]

I've wondered why I get nasal congestion when I put the wisp on to go to sleep when I didn't seem to be congested before going to bed!

It might be related to your humidity setting as too much or too little can cause congestion.
Generally I have found that if I become congested just because of the mask pressure on my nose (even my sunglasses will cause it) the congestion will go away within just a couple of minutes of removing the mask...that's how I knew it was the mask and not the humidity. That and after so many years at max humidity and the ONLY time I get the congestion is with a mask pressing on my nose...pretty much tells me it is the mask.

Forum member 49er talked to her doctor about this and there's a physical thing that causes it but I forget the exact terminology so I will go ask her to refresh my memory.

Now if you like the Wisp otherwise...you might consider trying the ResMed Swift FX Nano cushion. I did try it and I found that I was able to successfully use it all night without the congestion being an issue. Surprised the heck out of me as I just knew I would have a problem but I didn't. It's just different enough that it doesn't press so much on that area and cause me congestion. I can't promise that it will do the same for you but it might be worth a try.

[chunkyfrog]

My first Wisp was with the silicone frame, which worked quite well.
The second came with the fabric frame--a total FAIL --for me.
Some hate the silicone on their face, but it had enough grip on me to
prevent the cushion from squishing down my nose, triggering pressure-caused congestion.
I wore this mask for several months until my new love was invented.
The awesome P10.

[Janknitz]

Once you settle on a mask I highly recommend investing in a Padacheek liner. It will solve your sweaty nose problem and it's like snuggling into a soft blankie. I like that far better than silicone against my face.