about the full face mask and cpap unit

deedee · Post by **deedee** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 6:08 am

Good Morning
I need to know what I should do here
I am so inpatient waiting for my doctor to get reports from the sleep lab
, he will hopefully have them by tomorrow.
My question is
they gave me a full face mask at hospital
I used on the cpap unit I have here now as they told me to continue using the old one until I get new one .
anyhow, monday was ok tuesday was ok sleeping with this
But last yesterday morning when I got up
the top on my nose near the eyes really hurt bad and were all inflamed
, and my bottom teeth were killing me.
lastnight I took it off about 3 am as I could tolerate it
I have all redness around the nose and the cheek area
I need some suggestions here before I get my unit . the maks is a size small , it is comfortfull face mask.

I can not stand it , the pressure for one i know is not good enough, it is very low right now I need it to be adjusted to a 10
right now it is on a 5 .
I was told to keep using it till I got the new one
I also cna not stand the air continously flowing , please any help would be appreciated
. I am not sure if I am paying out of pocket yet or not for mine equipment
I have nys medicare so I will see first what they will allow me to have
I do not work due to medical issues. so it will depend on what thye say
Dee

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Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 2:35 pm

I like the nasal prongs rather than the full face mask. My son (15) uses the full face mask, and he has more marks on his face than I ever have. Did they try different masks on you at the sleep study? They should have given you a choice of things to try. I know that there are some styles I really like, and some I really hate!

As to getting used to the machine -- have patience. It is something your body needs to get used to, and it takes time. I have been using my cpap for 5 years now, and would not give it up for the world. I don't even nap without it, and it has been on every trip I have taken since getting it.

Again, have patience (but your face and teeth shouldn't hurt). I couldn't talk when the CPAP was on for the first few months, because air would just shoot out of my mouth whenever I opened it. However, that has calmed down.

Good luck! Getting the sleep really helps.

NightTrain · Post by **NightTrain** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 8:41 pm

Hi DeeDee... to help give you some quick relief from the mask... I have three quick suggestions.

1.Loosen up the straps a little. Adjusting seems to be a never ending task, but it is very important.

2.Put your mask on first, then turn on the machine. The pressure is enough to distort the seal to your face if you are turning on the machine and then putting your mask on. A slightly rippled flange seal definitely will cause some irratation.

3. Wash the area of your face that the mask will be resting on before going to bed.

4. Read the posts related to your other questions. All of the suggestions I have provided have been found here.

Good luck!

NightTrain · Post by **NightTrain** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 8:46 pm

Okay, so that was four. Another quick tip... cpap.com has a great tool for deciding what size mask you would need for the varying types of masks available.

idahogal · Post by **idahogal** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 9:22 pm

Dee, I had that same problem. I thought it was that my mask was too tight or I had it on wrong. I found out today after a visit to the RT that I was having a reaction to the gel part of the mask. I switched to nasal prongs and will try that tonight. I hope this helps.

Susan

deedee · Post by **deedee** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 6:44 am

thank you yesterday I had a pretty good day till about 5 pm then got hit with the fatigue bad
lastnight I could not sleep with it at all I think I used it for 2 hours, it felt like I was not getting enough air
so I ended up taking it off
I am still waiting for someone to come and either bring the new machine or adjust the settings on the cpap unit I already have here.
I am using at the moment a cpap unit with a setting of 5 , and I need it it set at a 10
I wish they would hurry up
Dee

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Additional Comments: cpap pressure: 12