sore eyes - no air leaks though?!

[sleepy_timo]

I am new to this CPAP thang and I've only had the M Series Pro (CPAP only) for a few weeks and I'm really having trouble adapting to it. The main prob is sore eyes (feel like i've been out on the town all night) and I keep waking up alot through out the night. I definately dont have an air leak, although the display says i have air leakage of 45 lpm, which is only 10 lpm more than it should be.

On the plus side once i have got throught the first hr or two of sore eyes i do seem to have more energy in the afternoons. I did have the pressure set at 12 by hospital but i've since dropped that to 9.5 which has helped me sleep through the night with fewer interuptions.

Any advice here would be much appreciated as its driving me nuts, the AHI has dropped from 9.5 to 4.7. Is this OK?

Thanks

Timo

[bdp522]

I definately dont have an air leak, although the display says i have air leakage of 45 lpm, which is only 10 lpm more than it should be.

Then you DO have leaks! Could be that the 10 lpm is leaking into your eyes. You are also using a nasal mask. Could be leaking from the mouth.

AHI under 5 is considered normal. Most of us try for less.

Brenda

[hounddog]

You could very well be leaking thru the tear ducts. This will make your eyes very dry and sore. Luckly I haven't experienced this myself, but I read of it happening quite often. Good Luck jim

[Guest]

Hi Brenda, thanks for reply. I just cant feel any leaks from around the mask (bridge of nose etc.), i have also experimented with tightening the mask bit by bit.

Also i have also noticed that the sound of the air being exhausted when the machine has ramped to anything above 9 seems v loud and this seems to wake me up ( I think it wakes me because i assume my mask is leaking but it never seems to be when i wake up). Is there anything you can do to make the noise quiter, or any masks that are quieter in this respect?

Thanks

Timo

[Lepeu63]

You could very well be leaking thru the tear ducts. This will make your eyes very dry and sore. Luckly I haven't experienced this myself, but I read of it happening quite often. Good Luck jim

That happens to me all the time, feels so freakin' wierd!

Another thing is you could be getting dry from the mask exhaust. That air swirls around a lot and if you've got anything in front of it - like a blanket etc - it can bounce back into your face.

Try rewetting eye-drops.

[bdp522]

The problem with most leaks is that they happen while you're asleep and don't know it. If you can get rid of the leaks the AHI will usually come down.
The exhaust from the hybrid is louder than most masks. Not much you can do but try different masks. Everyone is different and likes different masks. I don't use ramp. I start at my regular pressure of 9.5. I find that now the sound of the machine lulls me to sleep. It does take time to get used to it.
If you don't already have them, I can't recommend Padacheeks strongly enough. They allow you to tighten the mask with out discomfort or marks on your face. They also seem to help keep the mask from sliding around.You can PM PADACHEEK (Karen), she is a forum member and will make sure you have what you need to be comfortable.

One more thing...be sure the mask is clean. I find that after cleaning a soak in 1:3 vinegar and water solution helps restore the sealing ability of the mask.

Brenda