need advice fast

nettermo · Post by **nettermo** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 10:55 pm

I've been on CPAP for 6 weeks. Have purchased two different nasal pillow masks to no avail. Hubby suggested full face mask (I'm a mouth-breather), so I'm suppose to pick it up on Wednesday.

Now I'm reading about rainout, gas/nausea and other delights associated with full face masks. Have I made a horrible mistake? My machine is lower than my mattress & hose is covered - haven't dealt with condensation so far. I run my RemStar humidifier on 3.

About my other masks...the nasal pillows don't bother me at all. But finding a mask that is (relatively) comfortable AND one that will keep the pillows in place has been elusive, so far. The masks are waking me up 10-12 times a night. Kind of defeats the purpose of using the machine.

My apnea was mild to begin with. I'm about ready to chuck the machine and live with the apnea. But since our insurance hasn't covered a penny of any of this, I don't think my hubby would appreciate it.

I just want to sleep!! Any input would be appreciated (other than "quit whining." That's a given.)

Thanks!

Treesap · Post by **Treesap** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 11:02 pm

It takes time to get completely use to the fact that you have something on your face all night long.

I felt so horrible when I was diagnosed with OSA that I couldn't wait to get my machine and start feeling better. I had almost zero coping skills, severe headaches, and extreme grogginess. I guess it was a mind-set for me. I told myself "I'm doing this to make my quality of life better, and I will do it no matter what."

I had a few nights where I threw my mask across the room and cried. Then I reminded myself of how much better this therapy was going to make me feel.

momadams · Post by **momadams** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 11:13 pm

Rainout and gas aren't limited to full face masks.
I've had those happen with all the masks I've used to a certain extent.

Don't get discouraged. Who knows what will be down the road! When I first started, I used a nasal interface, but fought mouth breathing with chinstrap, dental splint (for bruxism), silicone wax tooth dam, and poligrip strips. Six months later, I don't even need the chinstrap (still use the splint). Lips can indeed be trained, once they realize that the nose will work. I even find myself nose-breathing during the day -- a rarity in my pre-CPAP life.

Write, ask questions, lots of great help here.

Shari

Assimilate · Post by **Assimilate** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 4:13 am

nettermo wrote: About my other masks...the nasal pillows don't bother me at all. But finding a mask that is (relatively) comfortable AND one that will keep the pillows in place has been elusive, so far. The masks are waking me up 10-12 times a night. Kind of defeats the purpose of using the machine.

It will take time to get used to sleeping with any mask on. I think waking up 10 times a night is better than having 100 + apneas a night and waking up 100+ times a night (whether you are aware of the disruption to the sleep or not).

The way I look at it is inbetween those 10 times a night I wake I actually get some sleep. Before cpap I had none. Also my heart isn't being punished every night. Try some different masks, until you find the right one. But don't worry about the waking, its normal.

Saying that, I am looking forward to the day I sleep through the night

GrizzlyBear · Post by **GrizzlyBear** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 5:30 am

Hiya,

I don't want to be a scaremonger at all, but please consider the consequences of giving up the treatment. If you're not already aware, check out some of the websites giving information about what sleep apnea can lead to.

For a start, try these couple of articles which were posted on this site:

http://paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?196177

http://pub.ucsf.edu/newsservices/releases/200801102/

As the other posts say, it seems to take forever to find the right mask. For some people it seems to be a search of a lifetime. For others, they seem to find the right thing pretty quickly. However, it is really worthwhile to keep going. For some of us it is very painful, both physically and emotionally, but we have seen the consequences of this disease on other people.

This is what one poster said about the cognitive impairment issue:

GrizzlyBear is referring to an article in today's cpaptalk banner. It was interesting to me, as cognitive impairment has affected two of my female relatives with OSA, as well as my dad.

My grandmother died before sleep apnea was widely recognized, but I suspect she had it because she was always tired, needed a daily nap for most of her life, and was dependent on sleeping pills. In old age, she was quite forgetful and disoriented, but it wasn't Alzheimer's.

My sister became very forgetful and mentally impaired in her early 50's. After her OSA diagnosis and treatment, her mind came back.

Our dad also had OSA for over 30 years before he died. He was never treated, but I suspect that his dementia was due to untreated apnea.

What the article says is that older women with untreated apnea are more likely to suffer cognitive impairment if they have a certain gene variant. It doesn't say that apnea leads to dementia, but that a relationship does exist.

The article has me wondering if my family has this genetic variant, and if it is behind the physical characteristics sometimes linked to OSA. In my case, as well as my sister's, our doctors blame our apnea on an abnormal physical structure, perhaps inherited from our dad and his mother.

This is not to say that any of this is GOING to happen to you, but that the risks are increased - and there are other risk factors as well. Check them out, and please make sure you make an informed decision if you do decide to give up.

Regards (and I hope you don't think I'm being patronising),

GrizzlyBear

Joffive · Post by **Joffive** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 7:45 am

I have moderate apnea; mostly hypopneas. Sometimes I suffer from excessive
sleepiness and sometimes not. I am active and still young enough to play hard and enjoy life (45). However, my blood pressure which was always low (but not TOO low) had gone up for the last 10 years or so to the point that I was borderline hypertensive. 3 weeks on CPAP and I went for a follow-up visit. My BP was 108/60. I truly believe this is because of CPAP (and I haven't gotten all the kinks worked out!). IMHO, you should take this one small victory at a time. You say you don't mind the pillows, which ones are you using? Maybe one of the pros here can help with a little tweaking here and there on your favorite to keep it in place. I think they'll tell you to fill out your profile and keep coming back.
Good luck to you and congratulations on taking steps to improve your quality of life!

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deglorious · Post by **deglorious** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 8:25 am

I had more rainout and gas with my nasal mask than with my full face mask. I really prefer the ffm. I can sleep all night and even open my mouth without getting woken up. Try it, you might like it!

Deglorious

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 9:46 am

THANK YOU!! Whether or not that will be true with me...it's exactly what I needed to hear!! I'm just apprehensive about the change, as I tend to be a little clautrophobic. However, now that I am accustomed to sleeping with my head "strapped up," I think I will do okay.

[quote="deglorious"]I had more rainout and gas with my nasal mask than with my full face mask. I really prefer the ffm. I can sleep all night and even open my mouth without getting woken up. Try it, you might like it!

Deglorious

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mindy · Post by **mindy** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 10:33 am

Nettermo,

I'm a mouth breather, too and have worked with both nasal pillows and full-face masks. I haven't found the perfect mask yet but have found some coping strategies. Here are several - all "borrowed" from other forum members (see especially threads by Rested Gal for pantyhose tights stabilizing straps and Rosemary's threads for mouth leaks).

Currently I'm using a stabilizing strap with my Swift II so that it doesn't start leaking a lot when I shift in my sleep. I'm careful to run it above where the vents are and set it so it won't accidentally cover them! Then I used a Tiara Topaz adjustable chin strap. That helps to keep my mouth closed but doesn't quite do the job. So I also take the J&J "hurt-free" 2" wide tape and cut a length that I can tie (single tie) at the back of my head and use that to cover my mouth. It's *very* easy to get off in a hurry if you need to and seems to take care of the rest of my mouth leaks.

I'm sure you'll find your own best solutions as you get some idea of what can be done. One that I haven't tried yet (but may do so soon) is to get the "Headrest" nasal mask and replace the headgear with the pantyhose tights a la Rested Gal

Mindy

krousseau · Post by **krousseau** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 11:02 am

Before you accept delivery on that FFM. Have you tried some of the tips to stabilize the mask on your face such as tying it with a nylon stocking or modifying the headgear with extra strips of velcro. The idea is NOT to make it too tight...just to keep it in the right place on your face. If too tight it can deform the mask or cause sore spots. If you can get it not to leak while you are awake...but in your regular sleeping position...then you know where you want it to stay once you go to sleep. Good chin straps can help...good ones support your mouth in the closed position without pulling your jaw backward. The old cartoon/picture of the scarf around the head of the kid with mumps is the way to go.

And as Dr Krakow pointed out-it is easy to blame the mask for awakenings that are really related to the treatment not being set right yet.

Humidifier

Additional Comments: Pressure 16 cm H2O at altitude 6550ft

need advice fast

need advice fast

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