New guy with a few questions

anelson · Post by **anelson** » Wed May 21, 2008 7:45 am

I'm a new CPAP user. Last night was my first night. I need to use a full face mask. My provider only had a few masks for full face and only one of them was moderately effective. My questions are about reasonable expectations:
1. Should I expect the mask to leak when I change positions?
2. How can I tell if I'm tightening too much? ( I have a little facial pain this morning )
3. If my problem is the mask, should I expect my provider (Apria) to go outside their normal inventory or should I expect to pay for my own mask?

Allan

bap40 · Post by **bap40** » Wed May 21, 2008 7:54 am

Welcome to this forum. It is a great source of information and always willing to help out.

The first thing you should do is to provide your machine and mask details under the profile section and to read up on the info under the yellow lightbulb above.

Mask fitting is the hardest part of therapy to get right. Ideally, the mask should fit without being too tight and it should not do too much leaking with position changes during sleep. The fact is that all of the above is hard to get right.

Most of us have to try many masks to get the one with the best fit. Full face mask's are the hardest to do that with since it has many more places to leak. You may want to try a nasal mask and tape your mouth at night.

Ideally your DME should work with you on mask's. They should let you try out several to see if one works better than other's. Often that doesn't happen and we need to push them to do this.

Good luck and welcome.

anelson · Post by **anelson** » Fri May 23, 2008 4:51 pm

Thank Bap40.
I have noticed a problem When I put my mask on at the beginning of the evening the mask fits well with no leaks. By about 2 to 3 am I start getting leaks and cannot adjust the mask either by tightening the headgear or selecting a sleeping position that gets rid of the leaks.

I wash my mask every morning. When I wash the mask I notice the seal has gone from clear to cloudy. When I wash it the seal goes back to clear. Could oils and junk from my face be causing the mask not to seal?

Allan

bdp522 · Post by **bdp522** » Fri May 23, 2008 7:28 pm

Sure could. Be sure to wash your face well before bed. You may find it helpful to use an astringent to help remove facial oils.

Brenda

RipVW · Post by **RipVW** » Sun May 25, 2008 7:37 am

Hello & Welcome, anelson! Glad you found this forum--SO much useful info and SO many helpful people here!

I think for most of us part of the quest for best CPAP therapy is finding the right mask, the one that is most comfortable and keeps its seal best. And, this varies from one individual to another. The tension is one key, too tight actually increases leaks--too loose, and the mask is more apt to shift as we move during sleep and cause leaks. That seal is key, too, I think. When my seal on my UMFF mask gets a littel age on it (around 2 months of use), I find that I have more leaks, so I replace the cushion.

Good luck!

"You are getting sleepy . . ."

bap40 · Post by **bap40** » Sun May 25, 2008 7:55 am

Witch Hazel is a great astringent and very cheap. I have been using it around my mask area for a few weeks to make sure there are no oils left on my skin after showering and before masking up. It does seem to help keep the seal much longer during the night.

My problem is WHAT IS LEFT FOR MY ANTI-WRINKLE cream to go on????

OldLincoln · Post by **OldLincoln** » Sun May 25, 2008 11:41 am

I use diluted shampoo in a foamy hand soap dispenser and seems to take it all. I tried alcohol wipes om the face and this is as good.