Nightmare - First night of treatment

[jimnsc]

You old timers and pros - be proud if you sleep the entire night and it is uneventful! My first night started real good in the guest bedroom. I parked there for my learning curve so as not to disturb my "still working" wife. As I said, all was well for about 2 hours.... then the new system turned on me. I had noisy, big leaks in the cheek and chin areas of my new mask. My DME took great care adjusting it on me Friday with air coming to it and me lying down. In the dark - old brilliant me began to adjust the mask - first by lifting it off my face, allowing the air to fill it and slowly placing it back where I thought it had been. Same thing. Then I adjusted the straps (while lying down - again, in the dark) and gently replaced the masked on my face. As soon as I took my hands off the mask a gigantic storm occurred from inside the mask and the noises and leaks were even bigger and better! Do they sell CPAP Beano? I mean I sounded like a one-man band minus the brass and string sections.

I know I'm going to have to figure it out - how to make the mask behave beyond the 2 hour mark. I'm determined to make this thing work for me because I have too much at risk to toss it into the closet in defeat. I will win because I had set my mind on winning before I even received my equipment. I was on APAP set from 8 to 11 as my prescription pressure is 9.

Because I'm new I don't have a lot of ideas and wondered if you good folk would suggest a few I might try. Many thanks!!!!

[Pugsy]

2 hours into things..... maybe face oils increased to the point mask started sliding around. Could this have been a factor?
There are mask liners designed to limit that factor. Of course the usual face washing right before bedtime...

[jimnsc]

Thanks Pugsy - I shaved and washed my face with soap and water just before turning in to ensure whiskers and oil were not problems but may start looking into liners. Thanks.

[LinkC]

A couple of general things to think about...

You may need to start a little tighter than the point which stops leaks. Your facial tissue will relax as you sleep and the contour sags slightly thru the night.

I found when when I was using a FF, I had to re-seat the mask "higher" on my face than what seems natural. That may have been a quirk of my facial contour and might not apply to you, but try slightly different positions up and down to see if it helps.

And, rest assured, NO one conquers mask leaks in one night (or even one week, usually!) Keep at it. It's worth it!

[Pugsy]

Like Link says mask leaks are hardly ever conquered in one night, especially first night. More like an on going battle with full face masks.

But keep this link handy for down the road if you still have problems. Plus Padacheeks also has some good liners.

http://www.padacheek.com/PAC_AntiLeak_Strap.html

[jimnsc]

Thanks Link and Pugsy! Will try that, Link and I just ordered a liner from Padacheek, Pugsy. Great to have you all around and with your help I'll win this battle.

[Janknitz]

I'm guessing what happened is that your auto machine pressure increased significantly during REM sleep (which starts about 2 hours after you fall asleep) and your mask, adjusted at a lower pressure, could not hold the seal.

Your best bet is to adjust your mask at your highest pressure. If you know what your pressure range is and you know how to change the pressure on your machine, you can set your machine for CPAP mode for your highest pressure JUST to adjust the mask. Once you have the mask adjusted, reset the machine to its regular settings before you go to sleep. If you don't feel ready to tackle all this, go back to the DME and ask them to help you do this.

[HoseCrusher]

First, a word of encouragement... Persevere.

If all the "usual" things already suggested don't quite completely solve the problem, here is another idea.

It is a little drastic, but has a chance of either totally screwing up your sleep, or quickly allowing you to drift into blissful sleep.

When you wake up with major mask problems that don't go away with a simple adjustment, I think it is more productive to take the mask off, shut the machine off, go and get yourself a glass of water, take a pee, and then go back to bed and start over with the mask.

Now, if you are a "high stimulus" type person, have a cup of coffee instead of the water. That way you can blame your inability to fall back to sleep on something other than your mask and machine.

While this is a major interruption of your sleep, it allows you to think a little clearer and that will aid you in figuring out what the problem is. The intent is that you will only have to resort to this once or twice. If it becomes an every night occurrence, you may have to try a different mask.

[DoriC]

You might try adjusting the forehead angle. My husband pushed it up one notch from the bottom position and it helped with leaking. It may be different for you.

[kitteh]

I use a similar mask (after trying a few others) and it does take a while to get the straps adjusted just right. You also might need a different mask or size. For the best seal it helps to wash and rinse your mask and face every night.

After much trial and error, what worked for me was to first seat the mask while laying on my back adjusting the straps so that the mask was snug. Mostly it is the upper straps that i adjust. Turn the pressure on at full pressure to test for leaks.

Then, if you will be sleeping on your side, turn your head to the side for a bit and see if there are any little leaks. Sometimes laying on my side makes the opposite side of the mask loose and I have to snug that side ever so slightly. For side sleeping I have to use a small soft pillow to support my cheek and the hose so it doesn't pull on the mask.

When i first started, I made marks on the staps where I found the "sweet spot" so I didn't have to refind it if the stap moved. FYI, at first I could only use the mask for a few hours at a time. Then gradually I built a tolerance over time. Don't give up!

[jimnsc]

I didn't want to start another thread on this foolishness of mine but I just had to post here about Last night's sleep (Monday). I decided right before going to bed to put the machine on CPAP and adjust the mask at the highest pressure as suggested by Janknitz. I did and then decided to spend the night in CPAP mode at my Rx of 9. Folks, I haven't slept that well in many nights. I made two trips to the bathroom which was normal "pre-CPAP." Went back to sleep and had no discernible problems with the mask. I'm an active sleeper and would turn from side to side and never once dislodged the mask. The night before I adjusted the mask at the lowest pressure in the ramp procedure and paid the price! I have sent my software reports to a friend with the same equipment for interpretation.

I got many good ideas and heeded them all but the one I could do immediately was take Janknitz's advice about applying the mask at 9. It worked and since it did I plan to leave it where it is the rest of this week to see how things go. Boy, I appreciate the knowledge and helpfulness I've found here. One suggestion equates to many months of experience, huh? Nice. Thanks again, and I do have a mask liner on order also for my Ultra Mirage, which was another suggestion.

Jim

P.S. The only marks I had this morning was a tiny red spot on the bridge of my nose, which went away in a couple of hours.

[dae3dae3]

I don't have any advice other than what has been given but I can give some encouragement. Just keep trying and messing around with it and you will get it figured out eventually. I think I am on my fourth mask and my AHI is now very low after much fussing and messing and getting poked by my wife because the mask was leaking and lots of frustration. I even fired a sleep doctor along the way.

Some people get it right the first night but I would bet it is a minority.

[dae3dae3]

I hope things went better last night.

[carbonman]

Because I'm new I don't have a lot of ideas and wondered if you good folk would suggest a few I might try. Many thanks!!!!

I would also suggest a Papcap, to replace
the neoprene headgear.

http://www.pur-sleep.com/products/prodD ... rch=&page=

The UM mask works very well w/the Papcap.
Much more comfortable and more options for adjustments.
Add the PC mask liner, makes for very comfortable therapy.

You'll get it.

It's your life.
It's my life.