I have some questions that weren't really addressed by the home health agency. (Please bear with me while I try to explain what I'm talking about). Is it usual for people that wear a full face mask to feel like their mouth is being blown open? When I wear my mask it feels like I cannot keep my mouth closed. Which incidentally is why at first I had to go with the ff mask. I also have an oxygen concentrator hooked up to the CPAP. I don't remember this happening when they were adjusting my levels at the sleep center. Thanks anyone who can help me.
New to CPAP, have questions
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rested gal
- Posts: 12881
- Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2004 10:14 pm
- Location: Tennessee
Hi Kyla,
I looked back at your first posts and saw this:
As you rightly pointed out, that's why they ended up giving you a full face mask in the first place.
Unless you are able to do something to make your nose clearer to breathe through, you don't have much alternative to using a FF mask. I've read where people who have just a little congestion or none, get congested after they've been laying down awhile. Perhaps that's the case for you, too.
Finding a good ENT who will give you a thorough exam to determine why you have congestion would be a good first step. The poster nicknamed snork1 was not able to get good cpap treatment even with a full face mask until he had extensive sinus and nasal turbinate surgery. After that, he's been able to use several different kinds of masks and breathe through a clear nose.
I wonder if your FF mask is doing a lot of leaking. A feeling that your mouth is being "blown open" while within a FF mask doesn't sound right. Even with mouth open inside a full face mask, all the air is same pressure, I'd think. I know when I wear my Ultra Mirage FF mask, there's no feeling that air is being blown out or into my mouth, whether my mouth is open or closed in the mask.
Let me guess....did they give you a Respironics Comfort Full FF mask?
I looked back at your first posts and saw this:
If nasal congestion is so bad that you really do need to breathe through your mouth much of the time at night, then it's not surprising that when you are wearing the full face mask and you suddenly get stopped up enough, the mouth is going to open in an attempt to get air.My problem is that I have always been congested
As you rightly pointed out, that's why they ended up giving you a full face mask in the first place.
Unless you are able to do something to make your nose clearer to breathe through, you don't have much alternative to using a FF mask. I've read where people who have just a little congestion or none, get congested after they've been laying down awhile. Perhaps that's the case for you, too.
Finding a good ENT who will give you a thorough exam to determine why you have congestion would be a good first step. The poster nicknamed snork1 was not able to get good cpap treatment even with a full face mask until he had extensive sinus and nasal turbinate surgery. After that, he's been able to use several different kinds of masks and breathe through a clear nose.
I wonder if your FF mask is doing a lot of leaking. A feeling that your mouth is being "blown open" while within a FF mask doesn't sound right. Even with mouth open inside a full face mask, all the air is same pressure, I'd think. I know when I wear my Ultra Mirage FF mask, there's no feeling that air is being blown out or into my mouth, whether my mouth is open or closed in the mask.
Let me guess....did they give you a Respironics Comfort Full FF mask?
The nose knows
in my humble opinion...
if your nose doesn't work, CPAP doesn't work.
I spent a year trying every work around before I finally saw a good ENT in ADDITION to my pulmonary sleep doc.
The ENT worked miracles with surgery to get my nose working and I got my life back.
Sinus surgery will NOT CURE Apnea, but it sure gets CPAP working again.
Of course, as with ALL surgery, try all non-surgery alternatives before doing surgery. If your ENT decides to dive in and do surgery without a minimum of looking down into your throat through your nose with a fiber optic scope, and a CT scan of your head, run do not walk out the door and find another ENT.
if your nose doesn't work, CPAP doesn't work.
I spent a year trying every work around before I finally saw a good ENT in ADDITION to my pulmonary sleep doc.
The ENT worked miracles with surgery to get my nose working and I got my life back.
Sinus surgery will NOT CURE Apnea, but it sure gets CPAP working again.
Of course, as with ALL surgery, try all non-surgery alternatives before doing surgery. If your ENT decides to dive in and do surgery without a minimum of looking down into your throat through your nose with a fiber optic scope, and a CT scan of your head, run do not walk out the door and find another ENT.
Remember:
What you read above is only one data point based on one person's opinion.
I am not a doctor, nor do I even play one on TV.
Your mileage may vary.
Follow ANY advice or opinions at your own risk.
Not everything you read is true.
What you read above is only one data point based on one person's opinion.
I am not a doctor, nor do I even play one on TV.
Your mileage may vary.
Follow ANY advice or opinions at your own risk.
Not everything you read is true.
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NightTerror
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2005 12:01 am
Hi guys I am new to the forum but not to cpap.
I have trouble with congestion and take pseudoephedrine an hour before sleep. I also use a nasal aire mask and allow it to blow through my nose with my mouth open for about two minutes and it dries me right up. You can also try using chilled water in your humidifier as cold water will often open up the nasal passages much the same as a brisk morning breeze.
I have trouble with congestion and take pseudoephedrine an hour before sleep. I also use a nasal aire mask and allow it to blow through my nose with my mouth open for about two minutes and it dries me right up. You can also try using chilled water in your humidifier as cold water will often open up the nasal passages much the same as a brisk morning breeze.
Now I have an entirely new problem....
Well, I managed to fall asleep with the CPAP...(might I add without the feeling of my mouth being "blown open" or filled with air) I set the ramp, but still wasn't able to fall asleep until it hit the set pressure...That's not my problem though...Woke up to get my son ready for school...and...I wasn't wearing the mask...I had apparently carefully took it off, and carefully set it on the table...I even turned the oxygen machine off (but not the CPAP oddly enough)...Since I sleep so soundly, I don't know if this is even a problem that can be fixed...I'm always waking up and doing things but not remembering them...
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rested gal
- Posts: 12881
- Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2004 10:14 pm
- Location: Tennessee
Kyla, taking the mask off without being aware of having done so is a commonly reported problem. Usually "time" takes care of that....getting more accustomed to the feel of a mask and getting past "something's on my face, gotta get it off". Even puffy air leaks could do it. Or air gushing out the mouth with a nasal mask.
One guy I read about finally moved his machine to where he had to get up and walk a few steps to it, to turn it off. I guess he had a ten foot hose. But he was still removing the mask and turning the machine off!
He finally videotaped himself one night and got to see himself sit up on the edge of the bed, remove the mask, get up, walk to the machine, turn it off, and come back to bed. He had no recollection in the morning of having done all that.
When you get the congestion/mask/air leak issues worked out, you'll probably start going longer periods without removing it, and finally settle into "all night" treatment. Might take a good ENT's involvement (snork's experience and great advice) to address the nasal congestion so that you can really, really get cpap treatment to work for you.
Good luck!
One guy I read about finally moved his machine to where he had to get up and walk a few steps to it, to turn it off. I guess he had a ten foot hose. But he was still removing the mask and turning the machine off!
He finally videotaped himself one night and got to see himself sit up on the edge of the bed, remove the mask, get up, walk to the machine, turn it off, and come back to bed. He had no recollection in the morning of having done all that.
When you get the congestion/mask/air leak issues worked out, you'll probably start going longer periods without removing it, and finally settle into "all night" treatment. Might take a good ENT's involvement (snork's experience and great advice) to address the nasal congestion so that you can really, really get cpap treatment to work for you.
Good luck!
[quote="bigheadr"]Snork1, I notice that you live in Kirkland, WA just like me. Which sleep clinic do you go to? Do you go to Evergreen? I notice that you have an Autopap. HOw did you get an Autopap prescription? What pressure did you titrate best at? Mine is at 6-7 but I have a CPAP.
Remember:
What you read above is only one data point based on one person's opinion.
I am not a doctor, nor do I even play one on TV.
Your mileage may vary.
Follow ANY advice or opinions at your own risk.
Not everything you read is true.
What you read above is only one data point based on one person's opinion.
I am not a doctor, nor do I even play one on TV.
Your mileage may vary.
Follow ANY advice or opinions at your own risk.
Not everything you read is true.
I tried the new Activa with the larger chin strap last night and I didn't sleep well. The chin strap was too tight on the ear. I kept on adjusting the Activa during the night because I thought that it was leaking. My results was that my AHI was in the 30s when it is normally below 7 but my acoustic vibrations (snoring) was very low compared to normal. This might be caused from my not being able to sleep well last night. I will try the Activa without the chip strap tonight. If this doesn't work with lowing the snoring and keeping the AHI low, then I will try the chin strap again maybe with my old Swift. If this doesn't work, then maybe I will go back to the DME and buy a full-face mask to see if this reduces the snoring.
About Dr. Su, he doesn't know anything about PB 420. Like Swedish, he is only familiar with Resmed and Respironics. He said that he thought that the Resmed Autopap has the best algorithms in the business. Although I don't know how he can say that if he doesn't know about the PB420E. Also, the DME mentioned that he doesn't like the nasal pillow masks and prefers other type of masks. If the full-face mask doesn't work, then he said that he will write me a prescription for an Autopap although he said that higher pressures from autopaps when reacting to snoring may cause physical problems as well as possibly more central apneas. We will see.
About Dr. Su, he doesn't know anything about PB 420. Like Swedish, he is only familiar with Resmed and Respironics. He said that he thought that the Resmed Autopap has the best algorithms in the business. Although I don't know how he can say that if he doesn't know about the PB420E. Also, the DME mentioned that he doesn't like the nasal pillow masks and prefers other type of masks. If the full-face mask doesn't work, then he said that he will write me a prescription for an Autopap although he said that higher pressures from autopaps when reacting to snoring may cause physical problems as well as possibly more central apneas. We will see.
Ok, I have an odd question...I managed to keep the CPAP mask on from about 11:30 last night to 6:30 this morning...But after I woke up my teeth are hurting like crazy! Feels like I'm chewing on aluminum foil...Is this normal when you first start using CPAP? I'm sure it's something to do with the pressure on my teeth (my pressure is set at 17) but my teeth are throbbing and I've been awake now for over an hour! Any suggestions?
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I'mSewTired
- Posts: 30
- Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2005 9:17 am
I have a dumb question. Why are you worried about the snoring? My snore rate is about 40, but with my AHI okay I am not worried about it. I am tweeking to get the very lowest AHI, but I am not concerned about the snore rate.bigheadr wrote:I tried the new Activa with the larger chin strap last night and I didn't sleep well. The chin strap was too tight on the ear. I kept on adjusting the Activa during the night because I thought that it was leaking. My results was that my AHI was in the 30s when it is normally below 7 but my acoustic vibrations (snoring) was very low compared to normal. This might be caused from my not being able to sleep well last night. I will try the Activa without the chip strap tonight. If this doesn't work with lowing the snoring and keeping the AHI low, then I will try the chin strap again maybe with my old Swift. If this doesn't work, then maybe I will go back to the DME and buy a full-face mask to see if this reduces the snoring.
I have mild nasal congestion and problems with my eustachian tubes not draining properly, what works for me is using a medicated nasal spray once every 3-4 days and a regular saline spray the other days. The medicated spray I use is called Azep, active ingredient is Azelastine hydrochloride, one dose lasts 12-24 hours and then the plain saline keeps things clear for a while.
[quote="bigheadr"]I...About Dr. Su, he doesn't know anything about PB 420. Like Swedish, he is only familiar with Resmed and Respironics. He said that he thought that the Resmed Autopap has the best algorithms in the business. Although I don't know how he can say that if he doesn't know about the PB420E. Also, the DME mentioned that he doesn't like the nasal pillow masks and prefers other type of masks. If the full-face mask doesn't work, then he said that he will write me a prescription for an Autopap although he said that higher pressures from autopaps when reacting to snoring may cause physical problems as well as possibly more central apneas. We will see.
Remember:
What you read above is only one data point based on one person's opinion.
I am not a doctor, nor do I even play one on TV.
Your mileage may vary.
Follow ANY advice or opinions at your own risk.
Not everything you read is true.
What you read above is only one data point based on one person's opinion.
I am not a doctor, nor do I even play one on TV.
Your mileage may vary.
Follow ANY advice or opinions at your own risk.
Not everything you read is true.
Pseudoephedrine is a stimulant and would cause me to have a restless night's sleep (as if I really needed more arousals). Nowadays my doc doesn't want me to take it because of hypertension (possibly caused or at least aggravated by OSA).NightTerror wrote:I have trouble with congestion and take pseudoephedrine an hour before sleep.
Whatever happened to the old-fashioned decongestants that worked but made you sleepy? There are nights I'd kill for one of them!
The CPAPer formerly known as WAFlowers