Rough 2nd night of treatment

[Mr_Adrian70]

I was hoping my 2nd night of treatment would be even better than the 1st but it was rough. The biggest problem was the bridge of my nose was really hurting all night, and no matter how I tried to adjust the mask it wouldn't stop. Id get the mask loose enough to be comfortable and it would start leaking. Id finally drift off to sleep only to be woke up by either a loud farting noise or high pitched squeel coming from my mask. The leaks were a lot less when I cinched everything down really tight against my face, but then I was too uncomfortable to sleep. The leaks were even worse when I attempted to sleep on my side. I seemed unable to stop the leaks despite making countless mask adjustments.So after my 2nd night of treatment I don't feel I really slept at all. I laid on my back all night in a semi-conscious state trying to ignore the pain in my nose and making adjustments to my mask. Im so tired today, and feeling a little discouraged! I was so hoping when I picked this up it would be a total life changer. Id sleep deeply, have dreams again, and wake up refreshed, and full of energy. Atleast there was no headaches again this morning, and I didn't snore. I just wish id start feeling better. Like I got a full nights rest. Its been so long since ive had one of those!

[Sleeprider]

This article on taming the Mirage Quattro might help https://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/tamin ... e-quattro/

If you think you can get away from a full face mask and headgear, the options become a lot more comfortable. If you're a mouth breather look at the cloth mask options by Circadance, or the hybrid masks https://www.cpap.com/cpap-masks/hybrid-cpap-mask.php

You are still early on in this process and can probably swap masks if you can't sort things out with the Quattro. Since you had a good first night, I'd suggest giving the interface a good cleaning (I use dish soap to strip the oils), and give it another go. Good luck!

[Punchyandtired]

When the mask starts the fart symphony, pull it away from your face about an inch (while cpap is on) and then lay it back down and see if that helped.

[squid13]

To help the bridge of your nose so it won't turn into a sore, take a band aid and trim the sticky part to fit down the side of your nose and lay the gauze part over the sore area on the bridge of your nose.

[SilverIce]

It's tough to find that middle ground between "leaky" and "sore nose". I'm fairly certain that it's next to impossible to find for some face/mask combinations. I was out of my mind and tried about 8 or 10 different masks before I found one that works for me. If the adjustment suggestions above don't seem to work, if you can, try different masks. You should be able to find one that adapts to your face well. This is where a good DME is worth their weight in gold.

[sleepydc]

Hang in there and be patient! I think quite a number of us had a hard time at first adjusting to cpap and finding the right mask, etc.

One thing about some of these full face masks (FFMs): it can help if you tighten the bottom more than the top, so that it's at an angle as it rests on the bridge of your nose:

NOSE /
/
chin /

Also, keep in mind that if your jaw drops or you mouth breathe, that action can "alter" the shape of your face while you sleep, result in leaks, and wake you up. I've found the "partial mouth taping" solution to work very well with my FFM. See below.

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.

[RogerSC]

You might try a mask liner from padacheek:

http://www.padacheek.com/PAC_Maskliners.html

I've heard really good things about them, and the problems that you're having sound like they're exactly what their mask liners are aimed at.