Can't get this thing figured out!

[JoshK83]

I've read quite a few posts out here and I find so many of you that say you have had amazing results! I wish I could say the same! I had so hoped that his would be the solution to many of my issues I've been having in my life but I can't even seem to get the mask thing figured out.

First mask was a respirtronics (not sure on spelling) over the nose mask and it wore the bridge of my nose so hard I could barely wear my glasses. Second was a set of respirtronics nasal pillows and these seem to make my nose dry out worse than the mask, got to the point where my nose constantly hurt up inside my nose. Went back to the over the nose mask wearing a band aid over my nose every night to minimize the wear and tear on my nose.

My CPAP is a respirtronics model with humidifier and the CFlex option. Nothing seems to help it’s like I’m getting nothing from it. I’m still exhausted every day and am falling asleep at work and on the road. I’ve even increased my sleeping hrs I’m getting 7-8hrs a night.

Anyone got any pointers for someone that’s ready to give up on this thing? I’ve been using it for 2.5 months and I just don’t feel like it’s doing me any good. If any it’s costing me sleep from waking up and having to adjust it all the time. Any recommended masks? I’ve been using the ones my medical supplier has provided but the people there are about as worthless as the come. I’m amazed they can run a business like that.

[Perrybucsdad]

Josh, first join the forum and update your equipment so we know exactly what you have.

Secondly, most of us really had to work at it to make it work. It doesn't just happen.

A few questions for you:

- Do you have a humidifier? If not, I wonder if this was why your nose was dried out with the pillows. Many users here have the humidifier as it makes the use of CPAP much more comfortable.
- What pressure or pressure ranges are you using?
- I had problems with my full face mask (FFM) as well, and eventually switched to the pillows. I have a humidifier, so I never had the dryness that you had. If you have the humidifier, you may want to try increasing it (not sure what setting you have it on).
- With the pillows, I also found out that if you tighten the straps too much, the pillows will force themselves into the nostrils and it will cause them to get sore. I loosened my head strap by one notch and that made the world of difference. Now I feel like I am sleeping with nothing on my face, not fighting with all the leaks, and getting a much better night sleep. See my link to "So you think you're a mouth breather" in my signature for some other interesting facts and findings.

The main thing is finding you a mask that you like and is comfortable. There is a great site (http://www.cpaplibrary.com/mask-trials.html) that offers mask trials for $14. This basically covers the shipping and you get to try the different masks. Take a look at it as this may be the most cost effective way to find a mask that you can tolerate. Getting you to the point of sleeping soundly will make a world of difference.

One last thing, once we know exactly which model unit you have, we can help direct you to software so you can better see what is going on. There is a great OpenSource product called Sleepyhead that one of our members is creating. Being opensource it is free, but we need to ensure you have a fully data capable machine.

Welcome!

John

[HoseCrusher]

There are times when skin irritation is related to wearing the mask too tight. You may want to try loosing things up a little and see if that helps. If you get too loose your leak data will increase, so be sure to check your data while playing with this.

Another idea is to pick up a pulse oximeter. That will give you two more channels of data to compare with the flow data you have from your machine. O2 levels and heart rate can help sort things out, but there is a learning curve.

A lot of people here have walked down that same path and most of them have figured out how to make this therapy work. You can anticipate many helpful suggestions and tricks to try.

[Mary Z]

You certainly can get it sorted out and you've come to the right place to start. When you see postings by other people you can look at the list of their equipment to get an idea of what masks people are using. Sometimes you need to adjust the straps, but sometimes it's not the right mask for you. Talk to the people you got it from, about proper sizing or maybe a different mask. Soon enough you'll get used to the machine.