Frustration, leaking, and taking off the mask

geoDoug · Post by **geoDoug** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 7:12 pm

Yes, I know that that these topics have been covered ad nauseum here. But I don't remember this particular combination.

Here's the deal: I get intensely frustrated with leakage and making sure things are right. I simply can't go to sleep if there's an audible leak. I'd end up getting less-than-perfect therapy, which is better than nothing, of course, but that's not what I'm thinking at the time. While I'm fiddling around and getting increasingly frustrated, I'm thinking "dammit this has to be just right or it won't work." I realize that this is late-night irrational thinking at its finest.

The reason I'm writing now is that last night was a fantastic example. Lately the seal on my mask has been great. However, last night I went to bed and couldn't for the life of me get rid of the dreaded "whistling." After 5 minutes of adjusting and getting frustrated, I took off the mask and slept the whole night without it. And of course I feel like crap today, am completely mush-for-brains, have been struggling through every sentence, keep losing my train of thought, blah, blah, blah...

Usually, if I read about about people taking off their mask in the night out of frustration, it's because they have this thing strapped to their face. Quite understandable. This is different, though. I'm OK with using the mask. It's frustration with not getting it to work right that night. Am I the only one who has had frustration of this kind? Is it the result of not wanting to see leak numbers in Encore that are off the charts? Is this a "too much knowledge can be a bad thing" issue? I mean, this frustration wouldn't exist if I didn't, ya know, actually care so much about my own health.

Doug.

sleepycarol · Post by **sleepycarol** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 7:18 pm

I get frustrated with leaks similar to what you are talking about. I have several masks now and simply change masks. I was having pretty good luck with the Nasal Aire until I ended up with a sore on my nare and it seem to get infected and so have used an alternate mask the last few nights so it could heal.

Have you tried switching mask when your other is leaking?

geoDoug · Post by **geoDoug** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 7:21 pm

sleepycarol wrote:Have you tried switching mask when your other is leaking?

That I've never tried. Not a bad suggestion.

Doug.

sleepycarol · Post by **sleepycarol** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 7:23 pm

Good luck!!

It is no fun when you are trying to get to sleep and you hear the dreaded hissing sound!!! Who can ignore it? It drives me bananas and figure switching is better than not getting any sleep.

odawa · Post by **odawa** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 7:26 pm

ok maybe you can help me with this one. I'm getting a whistling noise from my nose. I'll have the mask on and have to keep adjusting to change the pitch so I can sleep over it. I'm not sure what causes it. I blow my nose before bed, so I dont think that is it. I know I have the strangest things happen to me

sleepycarol · Post by **sleepycarol** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 7:34 pm

Is the whistling noise coming from your nose? Or is it coming from your mask?

If it is coming from your nose have you tried using a saline nasal spray to moisten it? What setting do you have the humidifier set on?

teach · Post by **teach** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 8:24 pm

I can really relate. I have no problem sleeping with cpap except when the seal of my mask leaks. At this time I only have one mask I like and think that might be the problem. It seems like when I used to switch off masks every other night, the plastic would be a little stiffer and not leak. I would like to know what other people do too. It is very upsetting when you can't sleep.

odawa · Post by **odawa** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 9:07 pm

It sounds like its coming from my nose. I'll try the nose spray, my humidity is on 2 Would turning it up higher help?

sleepycarol · Post by **sleepycarol** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 9:21 pm

I would try turning it up and see what happens.

Have you had your nose checked for a deviated septum?

jimbassett · Post by **jimbassett** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 9:42 pm

In my case a mask will work good for about three nights and then it refuses to seal. So I change masks about two times a week and sometimes more to keep something that will seal without too much frustration. I try to switch off from nasal to ff to prongs and start over again. It does help. jim

momadams · Post by **momadams** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 9:44 pm

Odawa-
You might check the exhaust ports of your mask.
I find that the Swift II whistles when moisture gets in any of the exhaust holes.
Shari

goose · Post by **goose** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 12:21 am

Hey Doug....
I can relate!!! I don't take the mask off, but I seem to be obsessed with the leaks....I've given up trying to get the leak rate in Encore Pro to match (nearly) the mask stats that are published. At 33 LPM the machine can deal with it.....How bad does Encore show??? You may be like me - just obsessing over it unnecessarily!!! Folks here finally convinced me I was loony.......not that it wasn't apparent prior, but......

What bugs me is the feeling of the air escaping where I know it's not supposed to.
When I was using the ComfortGel mask it was eye leaks around the nose. With the HC431 it was total leakage around the beard area (figures).....With the Headrest it's just a tweak around the end of my nares (slotted) where the size large pillows don't seem to cover a times (other times it's just fine) I've also tried silicone putty...it works, but didn't improve my leak rate stats.

I note from your profile you are using the Hybrid -- sorry can't help you with adjustments on that one.....

Some of the time I do what Carol suggests and just change masks for a while.....generally it's the ComfortGel as the 431 doesn't seal at all most of the time.
I also wear earplugs most nights (Wife snores like a freight train) so I really don't hear leaks as much as feel them (which is probably good because the Headrest mask seems to be pretty noisy as masks go...)

Good luck dude -- you'll get it wired!!!!!

take care
cheers
goose

geoDoug · Post by **geoDoug** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 12:53 am

goose wrote:Hey Doug....
I can relate!!! I don't take the mask off, but I seem to be obsessed with the leaks....I've given up trying to get the leak rate in Encore Pro to match (nearly) the mask stats that are published. At 33 LPM the machine can deal with it.....How bad does Encore show???

For the Hybrid at my low pressure, the intentional leak-rate is somewhere in the mid- to high-thirties. I don't expect to ever get figures that match that. I'm happy if I can realistically keep a night's average in the forties. When I said that this last week's average has been pretty good, the leak data was actually under forty a few times. Blew me away.

How bad does it show? I'd guess that an average for a week is usually high 40s.

goose wrote:You may be like me - just obsessing over it unnecessarily!!!

Yes. That was exactly my original intent of this thread. I wanted to know that there was somebody else out there that was so concerned about their leakage that it kept them awake. It isn't the noise of the leakage. It's what it means.

I started with the POS mask that Apria gave me. It was leaking into my eyes, so I went to the Hybrid. That's worked pretty well for me. I have a Liberty that I'll use as a backup.

goose wrote:Good luck dude -- you'll get it wired!!!!!

Thanks. "dude"? You must be a fellow child of the 80s. Ever notice that the word "dude" is possibly the most flexible word in the English language? But I digress...

Doug.

goose · Post by **goose** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 1:25 pm

Ha!!!! Yeah -- it's a pretty versitile word.....

Me?? I'm a child of the 60's refusing to get "old".....Up until a few years ago I was still surfing, skateboarding etc......what stopped me??? The realization that I wasn't healing quickly anymore.....
Same reason every time I think of getting another Motorcycle -- I just think of the impending road rash and/or broken bone(s) and say "nah".........

You're certainly not alone. There was a thread a few weeks ago about leak rates and I found a lot of folks that were "worried" about it and working on controlling the numbers......For me -- I think I know where the leaks are, but am having trouble eliminating them, so I'm just putting up with it for now.
May try another mask -- but I like the headrest style.....

Anyway -- I'm sure if you keep at it you'll get it....numbers don't sound all that bad, but I can totally understand what you're up against!!!!

take care
cheers
goose

krousseau · Post by **krousseau** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 2:27 pm

Harmonic whistling sounds are almost always due to water/condensation-and then usually in or near the exhaust (according to a knowledgable CPAP using RT I saw). Her statement has been true for me. Humidification management has been the solution. Easy to say-the devil is in the details.

Leakage/hissing sounds are frustrating and it is usually just been a matter of fussing with the mask, pillows or whatever. Sometimes I have a notion about where leaks occur so taking the mask apart and putting it back together sometimes works for me as it takes care of those parts I don't think would leak. My option of last resort is earplugs. Yes it is irrational, after all I still have the leak. It will be on my data and if it affected treatment-I'll go back to the mask during the day to see what is wrong. If you take the mask off you don't get feedback about how bad the leak really was. Sometimes non PAP related factors affect the sounds from the mask/system-blankets near the exhaust, moving the bed closer to a wall, a new pillow, being irritable, being perfectionistic.

One night I discovered it wasn't my mask at all-it was my partner-so make sure what you are listening too.

Humidifier

Additional Comments: Pressure 16 cm H2O at altitude 6550ft

Frustration, leaking, and taking off the mask

Frustration, leaking, and taking off the mask

Leaky mask