Options for when I'm unable to use my machine

[bwexler]

I can not advise anyone else to go against medical advice!

For myself when I have an issue and my doctors advice isn't serving me well, I have no problem firing him and seeking a doctor who thinks and believes more like I do. When it come to CPAP therapy I depend more on what I learn here than any advice from my doctor. I have been teaching my primary doctor, who I generally like, about OSA. I have only seen a sleep doctor twice, I do like him. He is the one who recommended my second sleep study and ASV machine. But I have no idea if or when I will see him again.

I would not want to skip CPAP because of a sinus infection, but I might want to monitor my therapy closely and also be monitored by a competent doctor who understands both OSA and Sinus infections.

[deecantsleep]

Everyone here is so awesome! Thank you! You all seem so knowledgeable and experienced.

I know there is no single solution that works for everyone, so I'm going to try the mask suggested by JDS74 first. If I can find a way to continue my CPAP therapy close to 100% of the time, then I'll be happy. The pain suffered from the sinuses is deep, so I'm not too concerned about using the clips. I'm more concerned about the dryness in my throat that an oral mask may cause. I already keep my humidifier on 5 (the highest level), and I still have chronic sinus and throat dryness even without infections. I'm willing to take a chance. This seems like a much better option than the OTC devices that retain your tongue or shift your jaw. If it doesn't work, so be it. I have to start somewhere! I'm not due to see my ENT, RRT or respirologist for several months, so I'm kinda on my own.

Thanks again to everyone who posted a thought or suggestion. You make me feel welcome!

[JDS74]

I just posted a discussion on how to get additional humidity that may apply to your situation.
The Oracle mask does require lots of humidity so if you find you need more, this is a way to get it.

[deecantsleep]

I just posted a discussion on how to get additional humidity that may apply to your situation.
The Oracle mask does require lots of humidity so if you find you need more, this is a way to get it.

Thanks! That would be awesome if I could get that to work! I'll check it out!

[flyer1357]

Hello! I am a newbie, having been on a Resmed S9 Autoset with a Mirage FX nasal mask for 2 weeks. My pre-treatment AHI obtained from a night test is 37. It has gone down to ranging from 0.6 to 2.9 in the last 2 week while on cpap. I often have a blocked nose even when I have a cold, but can usually breath with my nose during the day time. When I sleep, however, I often mouth breath when my nose is blocked. I have been told that I therefore should use a full face mask. I do not understand how this would help in my case. When I mouth breath the mouth and the nose airways are separated by the blockage and there is no problem of air going into the nose leaking through the mouth. Not sure in what way will my treatment be comprised. My average leakage rate has been around 6 litre/min, and has never exceed 24. Any views will be much appreciated.

[Goofproof]

Hello! I am a newbie, having been on a Resmed S9 Autoset with a Mirage FX nasal mask for 2 weeks. My pre-treatment AHI obtained from a night test is 37. It has gone down to ranging from 0.6 to 2.9 in the last 2 week while on cpap. I often have a blocked nose even when I have a cold, but can usually breath with my nose during the day time. When I sleep, however, I often mouth breath when my nose is blocked. I have been told that I therefore should use a full face mask. I do not understand how this would help in my case. When I mouth breath the mouth and the nose airways are separated by the blockage and there is no problem of air going into the nose leaking through the mouth. Not sure in what way will my treatment be comprised. My average leakage rate has been around 6 litre/min, and has never exceed 24. Any views will be much appreciated.

XPAP, works by putting pressured air in your airway (nose & or mouth). A full face mask, provides both ways to get that air in, it also keeps mouthleaks from effecting your treatments. Jim

[zoocrewphoto]

Hello! I am a newbie, having been on a Resmed S9 Autoset with a Mirage FX nasal mask for 2 weeks. My pre-treatment AHI obtained from a night test is 37. It has gone down to ranging from 0.6 to 2.9 in the last 2 week while on cpap. I often have a blocked nose even when I have a cold, but can usually breath with my nose during the day time. When I sleep, however, I often mouth breath when my nose is blocked. I have been told that I therefore should use a full face mask. I do not understand how this would help in my case. When I mouth breath the mouth and the nose airways are separated by the blockage and there is no problem of air going into the nose leaking through the mouth. Not sure in what way will my treatment be comprised. My average leakage rate has been around 6 litre/min, and has never exceed 24. Any views will be much appreciated.

If you are mouth breathing while using a nasal mask, and your nose is block, then you are breathing in from your mouth and not getting pressurized air to keep your airway open. Might as well have no machine attached if the air isn't going to actually go in.

[flyer1357]

I agreed with your point. But from the data graphs it seems my mouth breathing is occasional and for very short durations. As such I still get treatment from the machine most of the time.

[flyer1357]

I presume when my nose starts becoming blocked, my mouth opens to breath before the machine can respond and force open my nasal airway by increasing the air pressure? Maybe I should use a chin strap to keep my mouth shut and let the machine do its part? Yet I really do not fancy the thought of suffocating with both nasal and nasal airways closed.

[jencat824]

Everyone here is so awesome! Thank you! You all seem so knowledgeable and experienced.

I know there is no single solution that works for everyone, so I'm going to try the mask suggested by JDS74 first. If I can find a way to continue my CPAP therapy close to 100% of the time, then I'll be happy. The pain suffered from the sinuses is deep, so I'm not too concerned about using the clips. I'm more concerned about the dryness in my throat that an oral mask may cause. I already keep my humidifier on 5 (the highest level), and I still have chronic sinus and throat dryness even without infections. I'm willing to take a chance. This seems like a much better option than the OTC devices that retain your tongue or shift your jaw. If it doesn't work, so be it. I have to start somewhere! I'm not due to see my ENT, RRT or respirologist for several months, so I'm kinda on my own.

Thanks again to everyone who posted a thought or suggestion. You make me feel welcome!

I used to have chronic sinus infections, constantly. I used a saline spray, which didn't help much. Then I discovered the Neils Sinus Rinse & I rarely suffer from a sinus infection now. I've been on CPAP 14 years & most of that time I suffered with chronic sinusitis. I learned to wear my CPAP anyway & I actually think it helped. For most of those years if I had slept without my CPAP during an infection, I would have been considered non-compliant. I know its too painful, I get that, but I'm suggesting you try the nasal rinses in addition to the oral mask. They clear the gunk out & continued use keeps it out, at least its worked for me.

Good luck & let us know how these suggestions & that oral mask works for you.

Jen

[zoocrewphoto]

I presume when my nose starts becoming blocked, my mouth opens to breath before the machine can respond and force open my nasal airway by increasing the air pressure? Maybe I should use a chin strap to keep my mouth shut and let the machine do its part? Yet I really do not fancy the thought of suffocating with both nasal and nasal airways closed.

If you are breathing through your mouth while using a nasal mask, then you are not receiving therapy during that time. If it is only a few minutes during the night, then it isn't a big deal. But if it frequent or a decent amount of time, then you may be having apnea events again. You will either need to find a way to keep your mouth close and nasal passages clear, or go with a full face mask.

[Kiralynx]

I am subject to periodic major upper respiratory infections, and my usual masks, nsala pillows all, are right out.

However, the Resmed Liberty, which is a hybrid, works well for me in these instances. I still have the nasal pillows AND I have a mouth piece to keep the pressure up.

I also crank the humidity up as high as it goes. Frequently, the added humidity will clear my nose and I will be mostly breathing through the pillows.

I also use, during hayfever season (we have ragweed that grows 15 feet high around here!) that using a Nasaline irrigator to flush out my sinuses about 20 minutes before bed time can work wonders.

No way I will go without my machine for hay fever!

[flyer1357]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences with me. I have started nose rinse with saline and will see how it works. Apparently my mouth breathing during sleep is infrequent and for very short durations, so it should be ok for me to stick to nasal mask which is more comfy. Will try using a humidifier later when the ambient humidity is low. Currently it it mostly over 80% at this locality and does not feel dry at all. Still don’t see how a full face mask will help in my case since I only mouth breath when my nasal airway is completely blocked. So the pressurised air going into the ff mask will only go the easy way directly into th lung and will not exsert pressure on the nasal airway to keep it open. I tried out a loaner ff mask one night and was woken a few times with chipmunk cheeks and gas in the stomach the next morning.

[zoocrewphoto]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences with me. I have started nose rinse with saline and will see how it works. Apparently my mouth breathing during sleep is infrequent and for very short durations, so it should be ok for me to stick to nasal mask which is more comfy. Will try using a humidifier later when the ambient humidity is low. Currently it it mostly over 80% at this locality and does not feel dry at all. Still don’t see how a full face mask will help in my case since I only mouth breath when my nasal airway is completely blocked. So the pressurised air going into the ff mask will only go the easy way directly into th lung and will not exsert pressure on the nasal airway to keep it open. I tried out a loaner ff mask one night and was woken a few times with chipmunk cheeks and gas in the stomach the next morning.

I think you are misunderstanding the reason for using a full face mask.

If you wear a full face mask and your nose is blocked, then the pressurized air will go through your mouth AND KEEP YOUR AIRWAY OPEN. If you breathe through your mouth while wearing a nasal mask, you get regular, UNTREATED air, and you can have APNEA EVENTS.

The purpose of the full face mask is NOT to unblock your nose, but to KEEP YOUR AIRWAY OPEN. Keep in mind that sleep apnea is when the airway collapses. It is NOT about the nasal passages - it is about the full airway, down your throat. I do NOT breathe through my nose at night, any night, but without a cpap machine, I average 79 events an hour. I clearly stop breathing while I have air going in my mouth (without cpap). When I use my machine, my ahi is almost always less than 2, and usually less than 1. Huge difference, and I rely on the air going through my mouth 100% of the time.

If you breathe through your mouth while wearing a nasal mask, it is no different than taking the mask off.

I have no idea why you would have chipmunk cheeks with a full face mask. The whole point of a full face mask is so that you can open your mouth. You don't need to keep it closed with a full face mask.

[flyer1357]

I went back to take a closer look at a cross-sectional diagram showing the head airways, and wow, you are so correct. I have all along mistaken the location of nose blockage as being the same as where the airway collapses in an apnea event. Indeed they are not, and the air going in thru the mouth also passes through the latter before going into the lung. So ff masks will no doubt help mouth breathers. Thank you so much for clearing this up for me!