CPAP seems to be working for me, not so much for my wife

[jon.koelker]

I'm new to CPAP use - starting into the third week. I've already abandoned the Dreamwear full face mask because, despite all my efforts, I can't seem to manage mask leak. I went to nasal pillows, having read that, with a smaller area in contact with the face, it's easier to control mask leak; I also added a chin strap because my mouth tends to drop open in sleep. However, this wasn't enough to control air escape from my mouth after I reached a level of sleep where my lips and jaw would relax. So I did some more reading and followed a suggestion of using Nexcare Gentle Paper Tape over my mouth - man, if that's the 'gentle' tape, I hope I never get the regular! About rip my lips off every morning trying to remove it.... That said, this system finally seems to have solved the problem of mask leak for me. I'm getting good numbers from the MyAir app from ResMed - AHI down to under 1/hr from 23/hr in the sleep study. I'm not snoring and twitching all night as before, which is good news for my wife.

The bad news for her is that even though I'm having this success, she's still kept awake by the noise of the air exchange through the hose, headgear frame, mask and my pulmonary system. Previously, she had to leave and go to another bedroom because of my snoring and twitching; now that's under control, but she's still having to bail out because of this noise. The AirSense machine itself is totally silent - it's the sound of me breathing through the mask and hose that's now the issue. Try as I might, I can't seem to get it to be completely quiet. She's not a fan of white noise, having had it pumped at her all day long in her job in a medical office for years - not really a viable option.

Has anyone had this type of problem and found a workable solution to it?

Thanks for any ideas!

[Pugsy]

Welcome to the forum.

Since you have elected to tape your mouth shut....take a look at the ResMed P10 Nasal pillow mask.
It has a venting system that is diffused and essentially totally silent.

[jimbud]

Ear plugs for her.
You can probably get them in pink.

JPB

[jon.koelker]

Thanks, Pugsy - I will check that out!!

[jon.koelker]

Hi, Pugsy - I took your suggestion and got the AirFit P10 nasal mask. I think this may be more to my liking than the Dreamwear nasal pillows. I really didn't like the frame around the face with hose connection up on top of the head. It's taking a little getting used to having the hose come off the front - have to make sure there's enough slack so that it doesn't pull on the mask. I'm also experimenting with the size - they give you a small, medium and large nasal pillow and I think I'm getting the best fit with the medium after trying the large first. It's only been a couple of nights with it - we'll see how it goes.

Thanks again for the tip.

[Miss Emerita]

Jon, you might want to take a look on Amazon at hose hangers/hose lifts.

[jon.koelker]

Thank you, I'll check it out!

[WindCpap]

My wife had a similar issue. I promise that with time, she will get used to it. You can help by putting the CPAP on a level below the surface of the bed.

[kteague]

And make sure the hose doesn't lay against hard surfaces such as the nightstand and headboard as that seems to conduct more noise. If any of the sound she hears is from the hose area, maybe a hose cover is in order if it's not a heated hose. Just not sure about those. Maybe a combo of these suggestions will make the sounds less intrusive for her. I had a friend whose husband was a long time CPAP user. I talked to her right after they split up (it was not amicable) and she said she couldn't sleep. A bit incredulous I thought out loud "surely you don't miss him!" Turns out she couldn't sleep because the room was too quiet without his CPAP sounds.

[Pugsy]

maybe a hose cover is in order if it's not a heated hose. Just not sure about those.

Actually it is quite okay to use a hose cover on all the integrated heated hoses....like with the ResMed or Respironics brand heated hose.
The only time you really shouldn't is with the stand alone heated hoses like the Hybernite because there is no thermostat or way to control them and they can get too warm without something to regulate the on/off part.

I have used a heated hose and a hose cover...all that happens is the hose cover helps keep the air at the temperature that I select without having to use as much electricity since it doesn't cool down as easily without direct contact with room air to cool it.

[palerider]

maybe a hose cover is in order if it's not a heated hose

To reinforce what pugsy said, a hose cover on a machine powered heated hose is fine, because they have little thermometers at the end of the hose so they know how much to heat the hose, if you add a hose cover, they work fine, they just heat the hose less, so it ends up using a little less energy to heat the hose.

[kteague]

Hey jon.koelker check your PMs. Got something you might want if you haven't already made a purchase.
Kathy