1 year 10 masks, dental devices, surgery, Oracle question

buckeyered · Post by **buckeyered** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 12:03 am

I never even knew this type of mask until I noticed a picture of it in a members profile. Is this the only mask of this type? It's the only one I could find on cpap.com like this.
My first question would be how can it stay sealed on your mouth? It doesn't look as if it would cover enough area in case your mouth drops a little.
From reading the reviews on cpap.com it looks as if people have more of a problem sealing the nose, I would think swimmers plugs would work.
Is there something you have to bite down on? It's hard to tell from looking at the photos how exactly it works. I am at my witts end at finding a mask that works, I have gone through 10 masks in a year, tried two dental devices, had nasal surgery and I still in the same spot I was in a year ago except I am out a lot of money since insurance only covered a little part of all this. I lost my employment of 10 years over this and the strain all of this has put on my family and I is unbearable at times. My hopes in using a nasal mask in connection with a dental device have dwindled away since the dental device only seals good inhaling but leaks fairly easy on exhale. I have tried everything to seal my mouth nothing works, I can bear the swift mask but cant keep my mouth sealed. Could the oracle help me? I was considering the activa before I found out the dental device would not work well with cpap.

wabmorgan · Post by **wabmorgan** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 1:08 am

I would probally suggest a Full Face Mask.

As for the Orcile, I wouldn't recommend it. I tried it, couldn't get use to the thing in my mouth.

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 1:29 am

Search for CPAP-PRO or CPAP PRO, you should find all the posts about it, most not very positive.

I only know of one person who has been able to tolerate that mouth mask for more than a week.

you think stopping leaks from the mouth is difficult, wait until you need to stop it from leaking from your nares. Get one of those old fashioned clothes pins and put it on your nose, put the hose in your mouth and turn on the machine, wear it for 15-minutes, you'll get the idea what its like.

taping is really not that bad if you use the right tape, I did it for nearly a year and it worked well. For long term comfort and ease of use the FF mask is the only way to go.

lvwildcat · Post by **lvwildcat** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 5:07 am

Hey Tim-yes I'm the one who loves the Oracle pm'd you

SelfSeeker · Post by **SelfSeeker** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 7:44 am

buckeyered,

Sorry to hear about all the problems.

I understand the strain put on your family and losing your job because of this, it is tough. Hang in there hopefully soon you will be better and back at work.

Why did you try different dental devices? Was it to keep your lips closed/air in.

Have you tried taping, and using a nasal mask? (Not sure it would work if you have a mustache.) Many do tape with success.

I know you have tried many masks. Too bad, you could not get the hybrid to fit you, I really like it.

Is mouth breathing the big issue or do you have other issues as well.

Activia is a nasal mask, so if all your other masks failed you because of mouth breathing so will the Activa.

For anyone who may know, is losing air on exhaling bad? Is it not exhaust air. Or would this be considered a leak for a machine, expecially if the machine did not have CFlex or EPR.

buckeyered · Post by **buckeyered** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 11:53 am

Thanks for the replies, I have tried lots of full face masks but unfortunately my eyes recede farther into my head at the top of my nose and no mask has been able to not leak there except the swift and hybrid. I could not get the hybrid to stop leaking at my mouth, it's almost like I have these two lines that goes from the outside's of my mouth down to the outer edges of my chin allowing air to escape. I tried the dental devices to try to seal my mouth so I can use the swift but the air just comes out the mouth. I have tried taping and poly but my jaw drops down (I guess with force) after I fall asleep and breaks the seal, chin straps do not help at all. So the way I see it is my options are to find a way to seal my mouth and use a nasal mask or to seal my nose and use a oral mask.
I have always been a mouth breather since it was very difficult to breath through my nose until I had surgery, I am just now starting to get use to breathing through my nose during the day. So I am now at the point of what to try next, I don't think breathing through my mouth only with the oracle would be that big of a deal since until recently thats the only way I did breath. Anyone have a oracle for sale? Any other suggestions? Thanks everyone for listening.

SelfSeeker · Post by **SelfSeeker** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 1:14 pm

buckeyered,

Have you tried a Nasal Aire II.

Would you be willing to try one.

Is the inside of your nose ok to use prongs.

I have sent you a private message.

Racehorse · Post by **Racehorse** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 9:05 am

I posted a reply to your message BUT it vaporized into cyberspace I guess, for it is not visible in this thread.

Try the Oracle.

I am on my fourth one and it is the ONLY mask I find usable.
Fortunately for me, I had no difficulty in nose exhaust leaks and I used NO method of clips, etc.

I had so much trouble with keeping my mouth shut with other masks that they were of no practical value.

btw .... my wife of 40+ years says I have the same difficulty keeping my mouth shut when I'm awake also .... LOL

thedean · Post by **thedean** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 9:36 am

The oracle will require a very good humidifier like the aussie system.
The other full mask that could help is the old Respironics Total.
It seals around the forehead so nasal / eye problems are not an issue.
Good Luck and God Bless

buckeyered · Post by **buckeyered** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 2:27 pm

Update: My DME had a change of heart and called me back and said they could get me an Oracle without waiting the four months because of it's billing code.
My DME field rep (she has been very nice and tries to help me) just dropped my oracle off (they had to order one for me) and I am playing around with it and it seals very well, I laid in every position I could and couldn't get it to leak although I wont know for a few weeks how well this works for me I am in hopes this is it. It is much more comfortable than a dental device so I don't think I will have a problem falling asleep with it. I am sure humidity will be a problem, I set my humidifier at 5 and I got a dry mouth after 15 minutes of testing it out, it wasn't real bad but I guess I will need to keep some water by the bed.
Any suggestions on how to get more moisture to my mouth? Does the heated hose increase humidity or just prevent rainout? I know if it prevents rainout that would increase humidity but if rainout has not been an issue would humidity still increase? I cant find swimmers nose plugs at wally world, I guess it's a seasonal item, any suggestion on who would sell them this time of year?

cpapjack · Post by **cpapjack** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 3:00 pm

buckeyered wrote:I cant find swimmers nose plugs at wally world, I guess it's a seasonal item, any suggestion on who would sell them this time of year?

Buckeye,

Check this link out for nose plugs. A tad expensive for nose plugs, but if you can't find them anywhere else, this may be your only option.

Oracle Nose Plugs

Jack

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 3:07 pm

Best of luck with the Oracle ... do keep us informed on how well it works ... or does not.

You may want to try a sports specialty store like Academy, Sports Authority, etc. for nose plugs.

Heated hose will only help maintain what ever moisture the humidifier has added to the air (or as you noted, keep it from precipitating out into the hose as rainout). To maximize humidity you need to consider what parameters affect it: 1) air flow, 2) water temperature, and 3) the water surface area. The air flow is the parameter you will not be able to control because it is a function of the Rx CPAP pressure, mask CO2 exhaust venting, and your normal breathing characteristics (ie. lung volume and rate of breath). Therefore you can only optimize humidity by maximizing water temperature and water surface area. Since your machine’s HH already has a predetermined size, the water surface area is not adjustable on it … which leaves only your temperature control … or you build your own HH to optimize both water surface area and water temperature.

buckeyered · Post by **buckeyered** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 5:17 pm

I have never had to set my humidifier to the max before so I am not sure if rainout will be an issue or not as it gets colder out. I keep the thermostat in the house set at 66 degrees (how do you make that little tiny o go up for degrees)
but it hasn't been to cold out lately so the house has been staying right around 70. (Snow is headed our way for tomorrow though)

buckeyered · Post by **buckeyered** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 5:23 pm

Those plugs are the ones that come with the oracle so I have them but they are uncomfortable and I have been told by others that they wont stay in without taping them in. I will use these plugs tonight because they are all I have so I am going to make them work until I find something better. Also as I posted in another thread the instructions that came with the oracle says to stop using the plugs after two weeks since I will have been trained to mouth breath.

lvwildcat · Post by **lvwildcat** » Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:05 pm

keeping my fingers crossed;I pm'd you

Mask

Additional Comments: Machine:Resmed S7 Elite; Oracle Mask(YES! My DREAM mask!!)