FFM mouth breathing tip?

kayfouroh · Post by **kayfouroh** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 9:17 pm

So I just got my HC431 in the mail today from a trade on here, and it is my first FFM. I love it, I took a nap today with it and it was great!

I wanted a FFM because if I get a stuffy nose, it is there for days. I tried mouth breathing with this FFM and to put it bluntly, it feels like my mouth is going from to :0 with all the air being pushed in it. Like I am on a motorcycle with my mouth open.

Any tips?

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 9:54 pm

Mouth-breathing with a full face mask is "possible", but not a lot of fun.
My advice is to try to get your nasal passages as clear as possible. Use cool water in your humidifier and turn the heat OFF.......THEN, try to keep your mouth shut.
If everything "works", it'll be like being outside on a cool fall/winter night.
It also helps to keep the room temperature cool, too.
It may also depend on what the source of the stuffiness is, too. Maybe some mild decongestants. Nasal inhaler.....I use a Mentholatum or Vicks inhaler.....a couple of sniffs up each nostril.

Den

kayfouroh · Post by **kayfouroh** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 10:00 pm

I have tried many things, including saline spray, Afrin (which I never want to use again), sinus pills for severe congestion, Neti pot, etc. None of these work.

trice54 · Post by **trice54** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 11:11 pm

I am confused....I thought that the purpose of a ffm was so that you COULD breathe thru your mouth...???
Still a newbie...Trice

sharon1965 · Post by **sharon1965** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 6:15 am

well trice
after a year on cpap i'm no longer a newbie, but i thought the same thing!

i thought the idea was to avoid losing therapy air through your mouth, and that you could breathe through either your nose or your mouth and still get the full benefits

????

i'm going for a fitting on a quattro tomorrow...what should i expect then?

bdp522 · Post by **bdp522** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 6:30 am

With a FF mask you CAN breathe through your mouth and not lose therapy pressure. BUT it take some getting used to. You have to get used to the dry mouth, unless you can get your HH to crank out enough moisture AND can avoid rainout. You have to get used to the feeling of rushing air in your mouth.
We should breathe through our nose when ever possible, when it isn't possible a FF mask will allow us to continue treatment by breathing through our mouths. But like Den said...it is possible but it isn't alot of fun.

Brenda

barb_z · Post by **barb_z** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 6:40 am

I remember putting my face over a pot of warm water to get sinus relief with a towel over my head. It felt soooo good. They also sell a nasal unit that delivers heated steam in most drug stores. So, when I am congested, I put my humidifier on MAX and breath in that nice warm heated air. If I have to open my mouth I can, but usually my nasal passages open up gradually.

sharon1965 · Post by **sharon1965** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 7:12 am

[quote="bdp522"] We should breathe through our nose when ever possible, when it isn't possible a FF mask will allow us to continue treatment by breathing through our mouths. But like Den said...it is possible but it isn't alot of fun.

Brenda

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 10:38 am

kayfouroh wrote:I have tried many things, including saline spray, Afrin (which I never want to use again), sinus pills for severe congestion, Neti pot, etc. None of these work.

You MAY want to have an ENT (or alergy specialist) check out what your "issues" are that are preventing you from breathing though your nose.. You have to be able to breathe to do this therapy.

Den

kayfouroh · Post by **kayfouroh** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 10:41 am

I really should go to the doctor about it, shouldn't I?

HelpMeBreath · Post by **HelpMeBreath** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 10:46 am

I am mouth breather. The first mask I had (I am new to all of this) was a full face mask they used during my sleep study. If you open your mouth it is ridiculous, like a the famous wind tunnel videos. I cant use straight pillows because I will inevitably open my mouth. I picked up a hybrid and its great. I no longer wake up from my cheeks blowing out as soon as I start breathing through my mouth.

I also need to breath through my nose as I fall asleep.

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 10:55 am

kayfouroh wrote:I really should go to the doctor about it, shouldn't I?

Actually, I believe that a good percentage of the reasons for my needing CPAP therapy are in my nasal passages and not necessarily in my throat/windpipe.
My nose got broken in high school football and I also may have some other issues "up there". The fact that cool, pass-over humidity works for me (seems to shrink the tissues in my nasal passages) is one of my clues. I never was aware of septoplasty and turbinate reduction until reading about it on this forum.....AND, none of my doctors even looked up my nose to check that out.
I'm not interested in surgery or having it checked out further because what I'm doing is working for me at the present time. However, if my situation was more serious, I'd be getting it checked out.

Your call......

Den

sharon1965 · Post by **sharon1965** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 11:15 am

ok
maybe i'm dense, but i stil don't get it

what is the point of using a full face mask if it's necessary to breathe through your nose anyway?!! i wasn't looking at getting a ffm so much for congestion concerns, more for mouth leaking/breathing

so how will this benefit me?

thanks
sharon

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 11:29 am

sharon1965 wrote:ok
maybe i'm dense, but i stil don't get it

what is the point of using a full face mask if it's necessary to breathe through your nose anyway?!! i wasn't looking at getting a ffm so much for congestion concerns, more for mouth leaking/breathing

so how will this benefit me?

thanks
sharon

For ME, it makes nasal breathing easier (it trained my mouth to stay shut). The air is disbursed in a larger area (inside the mask) and is not a direct shot up my nostrils. I've never tried a nasal mask, but if I were to use one, I'd HAVE to tape my mouth shut and that's not an option that appeals to me.
Since I have a mustache, I don't think I'd get a decent seal from something like the Activa or Comfort Gel masks either.

When I put my FF masks on.....I'm in my "comfort zone".

Den

mindy · Post by **mindy** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 11:38 am

I followed conventional wisdom and got a FF mask (Quattro) for the winter so I'd have it when I'm congested. I got quite a surprise when I was in my second week or so and my nose got stuffed up and completely blocked while I was asleep with FF .... woke up in a panic because I couldn't breathe (my body didn't think to open my mouth)! I ended up having to get up in right then and used a saline solution to do nasal lavage to fix the problem.

However, I generally do like the FF better *when* I can get it to seal. It seems to be a hit or miss thing. Some nights I'll just plop it on my face and I go all night without waking up. Other nights I can't get it to seal from the get go. Then I give up and go to one of my nasal pillows masks.

Mindy

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