Taping- First time advice?

[ElizaNC]

I am determined to make the change from a FFM (Liberty) to nasal pillows but am experiencing mouth breathing and am unsure how to proceed. I've tried two types of chin straps and found they make me hot and uncomfortable. I've read posts here about the success many have had with taping. That makes me scared as heck....What if the power goes out? With my nose plugged and my mouth taped, will I really wake up to breathe?

Even though I'm quite anxious about this, I bought paper tape today and hope I can fall asleep with it in place tonight. I've read to adhere the tape vertically from above the upper lip to under the chin. Does anyone have any additional tips for using tape? I really want this transition to pillows to be a success, but am not sure if taping is the answer. Would love to become a nose breather convert, however my mouth still opens slightly when sleeping. How does one make that happen successfully?

Thanks for any suggestions or help you might offer.

[OkyDoky]

I haven't taped so I don't have specifics for that but i did buy this little alarm which also has a light. You plug it in the same electrical outlet as your machine and when the electricty goes out you will know it. http://www.amazon.com/Powerout-Power-Fa ... rm+failure

[ElizaNC]

[quote="OkyDoky"]I haven't taped so I don't have specifics for that but i did buy this little alarm which also has a light. You plug it in the same electrical outlet as your machine and when the electricty go out you will know it. http://www.amazon.com/Powerout-Power-Fa ... rm+failure[/quote]

That sounds like a fabulous invention which may offer some peace of mind. I will look into this. Thanks very much!

[jilliansue]

I think that taping, as many other things related to using cpap, can be a matter of trial and error! I used to use a chinstrap and wanted to get rid of it and now I tape using the paper tape. This is what I do.

One piece about 3" long diagonally across my mouth. I turn under a corner so that I can more easily remove it if need be. I then put another strip diagonally across my mouth the other way. I then put a shorter piece vertically over the middle of my mouth, covering where the two pieces cross over the center of my lips. This is because that is the narrowest part of the taping job and the extra, vertical piece helps ensure that air won't leak above or below that place where the two strips cross.

Everyone is different, and we all need varying degrees of encouragement to our mouths to stay shut.

Good luck!

[Sir NoddinOff]

Here's what I used to do when using nasal pillows or a nasal mask like the Wisp:

viewtopic/t103969/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9 ... re#p902455

Read the few caveats before attempting.

[Pugsy]

Back when I first started therapy I also visited the taping thing after initially reading about it and thinking "no way"
What I did was first try it out during the day where I could play with putting the tape on and taking it off and experimenting to see just how easy it was to get it off if I needed to and I also experimented on how much air I would get if the mask was on and the machine was off.

What I found out was that I could still move enough air with mouth closed and machine off without huge discomforts.
I also found out that it was really easy to break the tape seal...a big yawn would do it. It's not cemented shut.
Then guess what happened the very first night I taped....big thunderstorm and we lost power. I woke up with mouth still taped and breathing easily using only the vent holes for air exchange (nasal pillow mask) and in no distress whatsoever. In fact when I initially woke up I just lay there breathing and thinking "what's different" then I realized it was the silence that woke me up.

[chunkyfrog]

You could try Chin Up Strips.
It is possible to breathe through your mouth, but not easy enough to be done unless you have to.

[Logies101]

I haven't taped so I don't have specifics for that but i did buy this little alarm which also has a light. You plug it in the same electrical outlet as your machine and when the electricty goes out you will know it. http://www.amazon.com/Powerout-Power-Fa ... rm+failure

Thanks for the link, I've been looking for something like that.

[Oughtsix]

I can assure you that your body WILL wake you up if you are not getting enough air! I had this happen some what frequently before I started using a CPAP.

If you use the nasal pillows without tape and without a chin strap what exactly happens? When air starts escaping from your mouth do you wake up?

[sleepydc]

I am determined to make the change from a FFM (Liberty) to nasal pillows but am experiencing mouth breathing and am unsure how to proceed. I've tried two types of chin straps and found they make me hot and uncomfortable. I've read posts here about the success many have had with taping. That makes me scared as heck....What if the power goes out? With my nose plugged and my mouth taped, will I really wake up to breathe?

Even though I'm quite anxious about this, I bought paper tape today and hope I can fall asleep with it in place tonight. I've read to adhere the tape vertically from above the upper lip to under the chin. Does anyone have any additional tips for using tape? I really want this transition to pillows to be a success, but am not sure if taping is the answer. Would love to become a nose breather convert, however my mouth still opens slightly when sleeping. How does one make that happen successfully?

Thanks for any suggestions or help you might offer.

Everyone has different needs. But taping has worked wonders for me, and frankly I hardly notice it anymore. Below is some stuff I've posted elswhere, thanks in large part to others who have kindly posted advice on these forums. Good luck!

***

For my FFM (full face mask) use I found it started working a whole lot better when I started using tape. For me, the "partial tape method" solves most of the issues with "mouth breathing" and "draw drop," which interrrupts the seal of a FFM (full face mask) because my face changes shape when that occurs and the seal is broken. It's not for everyone, but here's what I'd suggest:

Some people end up using chin straps with FFM's. I tried and disliked chin straps. I have now been using surgical tape for about a year now, and it has worked wonders and works very well for me. I use silk surgical type tape you can get off of Amazon, 2" wide. There's also a 1" wide version. If you gently pull it off in the morning, there's usually no problem. Just type something like "3M-Durapore-Silk-Tape 2 inches x 10 yards - box of 6" or the like on the Amazon site. For me, it works very well with a full face mask (FFM) -- the FFM helps prevent pressure problems if my jaw does open slightly, and the tape substantially prevents my jaw from dropping and also thereby keeps my face largely in the same "position" as I fall asleep (thereby avoiding the inevitable leaks that can occur when your facial shape changes from the point of initial placement/tightening of the mask). .

I was actually worried about not being able to breath with the tape if there was a shut-down. I've found that this set-up, however, offers very few worries:

For the silk tape, apply a 2inch wide strip vertically from a spot just above your upper lip (the indentation just below your nose) down to just under your chin (with your lips closed and your jaw in a comfortable place). As you bring the tape and press it underneath your chin, "fold" the edge back on itself (maybe a 1/2 inch or so) so that the edge hangs a bit from your chin -- makes for easier removal in case of emergency. Because it's only 2 inches wide and vertically placed, your entire mouth is actually not taped -- you can, in a pinch, breath around the edges -- and the silk tape itself I've found by accident (in opening my mouth with it being placed) will also let a little air in if you open your mouth forcefully. In short, it doesn't take too much force to maneuver or breath around the silk tape, but at the same time the tape seems to mostly keep my jaw from dropping when I relax and fall asleep, which is the whole point. [The setup also seems to work best when combined with the technique, described elsewhere on this site, of learning to relax with the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth as your mouth is closed, which "seals" the mouth from the nasal passage and helps prevent dry mouth]. (In placing the tape, I've also found it helpful to focus on firming the contact with the skin at the point below the nose and under the chin more than the lips, which seems to leave a little area of the lip region feeling less taped, if that makes sense). [To remove with less "tear", try pulling up vertically from underneath the chin till you reach your lip, then pull across "horizontally" for the remainder.]

The usual caveats about making up your own mind about this, considering safety issues, etc. apply, of course. But frankly, I'm surprised more people don't do this.