AHI and mouth breathing with nasal mask

[Alfred1]

I have been using a CPAP with a full face mask for more than a decade but I just got a new machine. I was surprised to see that my doctor had prescribed a nasal mask instead of a full face mask. I have been a mouth breather for as long as I can remember.

When I was originally diagnosed, my doctor showed me the results and they were about as bad as possible. I have not seen my current test results.

I have used my new machine and mask for 3 nights. I'm not sure if I tried to close my mouth on night 1 or not. But I definitely tried on nights 2 and 3. If I close my mouth, I need to consciously inhale. I can hear myself breath and I imagine others can too. If I try to breath naturally with my mouth closed, I can do it for maybe a minute before I feel that there's not enough air in my lungs. But as I said, I have been trying for at least 2 nights and I believe that my mouth is closed when I fall asleep.

The old machine did not store data, so I have no idea what my numbers were. Also, the old mask is not compatible with the new machine.

Nights 1 and 2: AHI below 5. Night 3: AHI 8.2
I expected much worse.

When I wake up, I feel well rested but different than with my old machine. With old machine, I was instantly awake, like all the lights being turned on in a building. Now, it feels like the lights are 95% on. After night 1, it felt like it took hours before I was at 100% but that seems to have decreased each day. This morning, I was quickly at 100%. After nights 1 and 2, I yawned a couple of times mid-day. I don't remember the last time I yawned.

Right now, late morning, I feel great. I feel like the CPAP worked. But I expected AHI to be much higher.

I will be meeting my doctor again in Dec and we will discuss this, but I'm wondering if I should be more concerned.

Currently, I believe that I am getting a good night's sleep but maybe I'm not and I will start to feel the effects over time. Now that I've written this, I'm not exactly sure what my question is. I guess I'm wondering if this sounds like a situation where I should contact my doctor immediately and get a full face mask or if I should try the nasal mask for about a month and see what happens.

Thanks.

[Julie]

Going to sleep with your mouth closed is about as reliable a method to keep it closed once asleep as using a watering can on a house fire... you must realize that .

Why don't you download Oscar (top of pg) and post results for us to see so we can possibly suggest adjustments if needed. There's no magic to it and we'll help you do it right.

[Alfred1]

Thanks.

I downloaded Oscar. I don't have time right now to figure out how to get my results into Oscar but I intend to do so.

Yes, I realize that falling asleep with my mouth closed won't work. That's why I'm confused. I seem to be getting a good night's sleep but that doesn't seem possible to me. And I had to take a test to get my new machine so I know what it feels like to wake up after a night with no cpap.

As I said, I'll post results once I have time to figure out how to do so. Thanks again.

[klm49]

I have been using a CPAP with a full face mask for more than a decade but I just got a new machine. I was surprised to see that my doctor had prescribed a nasal mask instead of a full face mask. I have been a mouth breather for as long as I can remember.

When I was originally diagnosed, my doctor showed me the results and they were about as bad as possible. I have not seen my current test results.

I have used my new machine and mask for 3 nights. I'm not sure if I tried to close my mouth on night 1 or not. But I definitely tried on nights 2 and 3. If I close my mouth, I need to consciously inhale. I can hear myself breath and I imagine others can too. If I try to breath naturally with my mouth closed, I can do it for maybe a minute before I feel that there's not enough air in my lungs. But as I said, I have been trying for at least 2 nights and I believe that my mouth is closed when I fall asleep.

The old machine did not store data, so I have no idea what my numbers were. Also, the old mask is not compatible with the new machine.

Nights 1 and 2: AHI below 5. Night 3: AHI 8.2
I expected much worse.

When I wake up, I feel well rested but different than with my old machine. With old machine, I was instantly awake, like all the lights being turned on in a building. Now, it feels like the lights are 95% on. After night 1, it felt like it took hours before I was at 100% but that seems to have decreased each day. This morning, I was quickly at 100%. After nights 1 and 2, I yawned a couple of times mid-day. I don't remember the last time I yawned.

Right now, late morning, I feel great. I feel like the CPAP worked. But I expected AHI to be much higher.

I will be meeting my doctor again in Dec and we will discuss this, but I'm wondering if I should be more concerned.

Currently, I believe that I am getting a good night's sleep but maybe I'm not and I will start to feel the effects over time. Now that I've written this, I'm not exactly sure what my question is. I guess I'm wondering if this sounds like a situation where I should contact my doctor immediately and get a full face mask or if I should try the nasal mask for about a month and see what happens.

Thanks.

Why not contact your dr. and find out why they changed the mask? Maybe a mistake?

[Dog Slobber]

if you are feeling like your not getting enough air (while just breathing through your nose), it could also be because your minimum or ramp pressures are too low.

But without charts or data this is just speculation.

[Alfred1]

Sorry for the late response. I was and continue to be involved in a project that is taking a lot of time and brain power.

The mystery regarding the prescription was solved when my new medical supply company called me on Friday. I had problems with my previous company and I think my doctor wrote a prescription that maximized my power and minimized the company's power. He actually prescribed a bunch of specific masks of different types and gave an order that I was to choose the one I liked best. When I picked up my machine, the person apparently didn't see the other masks and thought he had to give me the nasal one which was the first one on the list. They shipped out a full face mask at no charge.

I don't think I'm going to need any help but I'm going to provide an update in case anyone was wondering.

I did contact my doctor, but I also sent a followup email after the company contacted me. My doctor hasn't responded but he may think (correctly in my opinion) that no followup is necessary.

The big question for me now is whether or not I need the full face mask. I'm going to wear it tonight and see if there's a difference in how I feel and whether or not I see a big change in the numbers. If there's a significant change, I'm going to keep using the full face mask. If not, I'll go back to the nasal which is much more comfortable (no surprise).

I don't think my machine is going to need any adjustments.

Thanks!

[Norma45]

It sounds like your Dr just made a mistake.
No followup should be needed. Insist on a full face mask.
All major mask companies allow a return within 30 days for no charge, so you can swap out for a different mask. Some DMEs won't but they are contracted to do so (they just don't want to spend the trouble so they say they can't, call the manufacturer if you have problems to push the issue).

An unfortunate reminder that we need to check the prescriptions before they are filled and get them corrected before filling them.

[Peewee50]

I had the same problem. I have been using a sports headband/sweat bank around my mouth and it's been doing a good job for me.