Advice please - mouth open

[rice]

A bit of history to explain where I am now. I used a Resmed S9 Autoset with nasal mark for years and it seemed to do the trick. I stopped using it for a few years as my Apnoea was very mild. Recently I was diagnosed as having low blood oxygen saturation when sleeping (around 80+.) After the first sleep study I was told to hire a machine until I could undergo a second study. The interim Phillips auto with P10 mask gave no problems. (The Dr was not happy with the oxygen saturation level in the first study. He wanted to play with the setting during a second study.)

After the second study the Dr said that at the very end of the study they found that with a setting of twelve my oxygen saturation was satisfactory. Therefore the new machine should be set to a constant pressure of twelve. In addition, I should get a chin strap as my mouth opened under the pressure, something it did not do at low pressure levels.

I have been using the new set up for about three weeks. I am conscious of trying to keep my mouth shut by adjusting the position of my head but I don't think its working. I have also tried nights with and without the chin strap but it doesn't seem to make a difference. The result is that I am sleeping for a little longer during the night than I used to but I am now waking up tired and need to sleep for a couple of hours in a recliner after breakfast. (The myAir report shows mask fit results of, 14, 5, 15, 6, 13, 9. All other results are fine.)

So, it looks like I am now worse off than I was before I went to the pressure of twelve. Any suggestions please?

[Julie]

There's a kind of surgical tape people here use to cover their lips (which is how air leaves, chinstrap or not) but I don't know what it would be called in the UK... it's 3M micropore tape, comes off easily without killing you, but stays on overnight otherwise. But I'm sure you can find other similar types there... your chemist could help you, and there are others here as well besides the above that are almost as useful. Put 'tape' in the search bar here to see all the others' comments.

Another thing used here for helping your head stay up and not cutting your airway by falling forward, is a soft cervical collar, often available in specialty sections of the chemists - just put the 3 words into Google and see lots of examples.

[zonker]

So, it looks like I am now worse off than I was before I went to the pressure of twelve. Any suggestions please?

firm foam cervical collar as julie states. if you can't find it locally, try amazon. here's the one i use-
https://www.amazon.com/Coreline-Cervica ... 227&sr=8-8

also, while many people use tape, here is the method i use instead-
viewtopic/p1089718/viewtopic.php?f=1&t= ... s#p1086296

i use these two methods together and it really helps keep my big yap shut.

good luck!

[rice]

Thanks for the advice. I can get the tape from my chemist (its called the same thing in Australia) so I will try that first.

[ChicagoGranny]

Anachronism Alert

Pharmacists were called chemists many decades ago when they made drugs. Drugs are now made by chemists in pharmaceutical manufacturing plants. Among other duties, pharmacists distribute those drugs to patients.

[Julie]

People in the UK and Australia still call pharmacies 'chemists' so it's a good idea to use words they relate to.

[rice]

Two countries (USA and Australia) separated by a common language.

[ChicagoGranny]

Even in Australia, "chemist" is an anachronism. "Pharmacy" is accurate.

Australian College of Pharmacy
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia
The Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia

Curtin University of Technology School of Pharmacy
Griffith University School of Pharmacy
James Cook University School of Pharmacy
La Trobe University School of Pharmacy
Monash University Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
University of Newcastle School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy
University of New England Discipline of Pharmacy
University of Queensland School of Pharmacy
University of South Australia School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences
University of Sydney Faculty of Pharmacy
University of Tasmania Tasmanian School of Pharmacy
University of Western Australia School of Medicine and Pharmacology

[Julie]

Of course School of Pharmacy makes sense - not School of chemistry, but in everyday language, chemist is still used all over... or have you not been to those places?

[GrumpyHere]

OT from bbcamerica.com american drugstores vs british chemists

[ChicagoGranny]

Even the famous Boots The Chemists Limited (founded 1849) came to its senses after 158 years. In 2007 they moved into the 20th century and booted "Chemists" from the name and became Boots UK Limited.

[zonker]

Even the famous Boots The Chemists Limited (founded 1849) came to its senses after 158 years. In 2007 they moved into the 20th century and booted "Chemists" from the name and became Boots UK Limited.

came to it's senses or bowed to pressure?

(from big pharma, of course!)

[ChicagoGranny]

Big Chemi

[zonker]

Thanks for the advice.

sorry for slightly derailing your thread.

please come back and let us know how the taping goes!

[ChicagoGranny]

Thanks for the advice. I can get the tape from my chemist (its called the same thing in Australia) so I will try that first.

1. Another thing that is often recommended is to practice placing the tip of the tongue on the roof of the mouth. Do it when you are falling to sleep. Do this anytime you have a momentary awakening. Some claim to have broken a mouthbreathing habit this way. This is also a good practice when taping the mouth.

2. A consultation and examination with an ENT is also a good idea. The ENT may see some reasons for mouth-breathing that can be corrected. A general discussion about your airway structure and your sleep apnea should be had.