Cheeks puffing like a blowfish on pressure 20

[Matty332]

G'day!

I have a question regarding the blowfish phenomena, where if you have a full face mask on and you start to properly breath through your mouth and not nose on a higher pressure- your cheeks puff out like a blowfish. I have been fitted a small size quattro without the forrid brace, and I seem to wake up every night between 12-4 and the bottom of the cpap mask is in my mouth and pressure is escaping.

I fit the bottom strap tightly in hope the mask won't ride up my face. But I now know why it is happening - last night I woke up again with the mask in my mouth, so I pulled it back down and noticed that when I am awake I breath through my nose and suppress the blowfish effect by closing the back of my throat with my tongue so the air doesn't enter my mouth, it obviously enters my lungs only. So I thought I would relax my mouth and see what happened. Sure enough my cheeks puffed out and my mouth opened slowly wider and wider, until the seal was broken and the bottom of my mask was in my mouth! I thought the straps weren't tight enough so I kept tightening them tighter and tighter until every morning I am waking up with a strap pressure indentation on my face.

I have two questions, with this problem occurring frequently during the night - I am not getting the proper restfull sleep am I? So my treatment is not optimal right? I wonder why the CPAP machine keeps giving me a smiley when it happens alot every night?

second question:
Do I fix it by getting a large size qauttro with forrid brace that fits so low that even if the blowfish effect opens my mouth wide my bottom lip won't go under the mask? Or is it time to try a nasal mask with chin strap? My sleep specialist recommended this a month ago but I have been a bit tight in the wallet due to being off work but if I need one I can get one.

Thanks again for any advice,

-Matty

[JohnBFisher]

It's one reason I switched to a full face mask. You might want to ask your RT about that as an option. And yes, I had to go to the Large mask. My biggest problem is that my mouth drops open during sleep. That drops it below the bottom of a regular mask. But it does not fall below the bottom of a large mask.

[MaxDarkside]

Just to say you are not alone. I have the same mask and I also was set to 20 (briefly). Not only did my cheeks blowfish, and the mask levitate but also it forced air into my stomach. Nope. I cannot tolerate it either. I run lower, just tolerably high pressures to try to reach that optimal ... the treatment vs. blown out of bed.

P.S. I have the large mask. I have a thin but longer face. Really, I'm probably a medium and a half, so have to use the large.

[Namlehse]

I have a Quattro FX in Small.. they started me at a pressure of 18 with it. It definitely made me feel like a blowfish. I now have a Quattro which seems to have more displacement for the air. It does well when it comes to not blowing me up like a balloon. I haven't been awoken burping in a while either, which is a plus.

I recently received a Pad-a-cheek anti-leak strap, so I'm considering giving the FX another shot..

[archangle]

Have you tried a chin strap?

[cindjo717]

I have the Quattro FX and have woken up several times with the mask riding up my face and my mouth below the mask. I am a mouth breather, I also have the blow fish effect at times too. Most times though the mask stays put. I don't know why sometimes it rides up like that, I know that I sleep with my mouth open probably most every night and it does not happen every night. When I place my mask on my face I try and keep it on the low side as much as possible. Seems to help.

[macewa]

I would say it is the high pressure you have to use. I had similiar problems. I am now using a total face mask and love it. Wearing chin straps and all wasn't going to work for me during the summer. I cannot use the swamp cooler to cool my house because of my allergies and just the thought of a mask and straps scares me because it will get hot. I also think that most companies do not guarante no mask leaks once you get pressure over 19. That higher pressure play heck with us.

G'day!

I have a question regarding the blowfish phenomena, where if you have a full face mask on and you start to properly breath through your mouth and not nose on a higher pressure- your cheeks puff out like a blowfish. I have been fitted a small size quattro without the forrid brace, and I seem to wake up every night between 12-4 and the bottom of the cpap mask is in my mouth and pressure is escaping.

I fit the bottom strap tightly in hope the mask won't ride up my face. But I now know why it is happening - last night I woke up again with the mask in my mouth, so I pulled it back down and noticed that when I am awake I breath through my nose and suppress the blowfish effect by closing the back of my throat with my tongue so the air doesn't enter my mouth, it obviously enters my lungs only. So I thought I would relax my mouth and see what happened. Sure enough my cheeks puffed out and my mouth opened slowly wider and wider, until the seal was broken and the bottom of my mask was in my mouth! I thought the straps weren't tight enough so I kept tightening them tighter and tighter until every morning I am waking up with a strap pressure indentation on my face.

I have two questions, with this problem occurring frequently during the night - I am not getting the proper restfull sleep am I? So my treatment is not optimal right? I wonder why the CPAP machine keeps giving me a smiley when it happens alot every night?

second question:
Do I fix it by getting a large size qauttro with forrid brace that fits so low that even if the blowfish effect opens my mouth wide my bottom lip won't go under the mask? Or is it time to try a nasal mask with chin strap? My sleep specialist recommended this a month ago but I have been a bit tight in the wallet due to being off work but if I need one I can get one.

Thanks again for any advice,

-Matty