New to forum and CPAP

hwara · Post by **hwara** » Thu May 08, 2008 4:50 am

Good Morning everyone I am new to CPAP (about 30 some days) and I am on my third mask already. I first did the Mirage Swift II and it worked well for a few nights but I got some rainout and my Mom knitted me a cover for my tube; after a few more nights I couldn't do it anymore, I would lay on my side and it would like and the pressure up the nose seemed to start to bother me some so I tired another nasal pillow - the Opus 360 and I would "drown" myself a lot of nights with the rainout. I would constantly adjust the humidifier to different settings, so I tried to have the tube loose instead of up over the face and it would leak, rainout and I really started having problems with the pressure of the air up the nose, I was getting sore spots. Now I am on the Comfort Classic Nasal Mask and I am getting some leaks when I loosen it up, but if I wear it how I should I get a sore face (for lack of better words), I get a few sore spots on the face and it wakes me up at night.

Also, since I have been on the CPAP I find that it feels funny breathing during the day also. Not sure how that it tied into it all.

Any help, suggestions, anything would be great. Thanks and I love this group - I have read some posts and will be spending the weekend searching this wonderful forum!

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): humidifier, mirage, nasal pillow, swift, rainout, CPAP

Hawthorne · Post by **Hawthorne** » Thu May 08, 2008 5:04 am

Would you click on "profile" at the top and fill in some details about your machine, mask, etc so that we know what you are using. People are better able to answer your questions if we know what machine, etc you have. Welcome!

cflame1 · Post by **cflame1** » Thu May 08, 2008 5:07 am

Laura,
Welcome... if you'd fill out your profile with your machine, mask, etc... it would probably help.

If your machine is higher than your bed, lower it. A lot of people have theirs on the floor.

Another option is to heat the hose or to get a heated hose.

tony22 · Post by **tony22** » Thu May 08, 2008 5:39 am

cflame1 wrote:Laura,
Welcome... if you'd fill out your profile with your machine, mask, etc... it would probably help.

If your machine is higher than your bed, lower it. A lot of people have theirs on the floor.

Another option is to heat the hose or to get a heated hose.

Cflame1, does anyone make an add-on heated hose? I thought F&P were the only ones that had a heated hose capability with their machines.

cflame1 · Post by **cflame1** » Thu May 08, 2008 5:50 am

Comes from sleepzone.com.au

tony22 · Post by **tony22** » Thu May 08, 2008 8:17 am

I guess the problem is that it only seems to be available in a 6 foot length. I sleep in a king size bed and do move around a bit. Wondering if this length that is coming with my F&P will be enough.

GumbyCT · Post by **GumbyCT** » Thu May 08, 2008 8:20 am

I've seen 8ft at sleepzone.

Pineapple · Post by **Pineapple** » Thu May 08, 2008 8:40 am

Rainout - my h***

Sugestions (some already given, most came form other forum members)

1) Move your CPAP as low to the florr as you can.
2) Adjust the humidifer (you said you tried this, but did you try turning the heater off and could you stand it?)
3) Hose cover.
4) Put you hose under your covers (this will help keep the air warm)
5) Heated hose - see this link for more discussion:

LINKS to discussions about the Aussie heated hose - to prevent rainout
viewtopic.php?t=5305
(thank you rested gal)

6) Dry your hose daily - some people use thier CPAP blower to do this, I swab mine.
7) raise the temperture of the room a little.

hwara · Post by **hwara** » Thu May 08, 2008 10:05 am

Thank you for all the advice! I will try putting the machine on the floor (at the moment it is on my bedside stand). I usually keep the majority of the tubing under the covers and I have a knited cover on it also.

I have a few medical conditions that prevent from turning the humidier off (sjogrens syndrome) - I have tried but was not able to go the whole night without pain.

Is the breathing feeling a little funny (different) during the day a typical side effect of the CPAP? Any suggestions on the Comfort Classic? I am ready to return it (I bought the insurance) to try a new one, but I don't even know where to begin now.

I know it will be worth the effort but this is driving me up the wall. Thanks again for all the input!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu May 08, 2008 5:09 pm

Not sure if this will help, but here goes.

Get Mom to knit you some additional snugglies for any part of the mask you can conceivably cover. I wear a Nasal Aire II, and there are two side hoses that lead to the main hose. I had dreadful rainout, even with the main hose covered, until I got those side hoses covered too. Tell Mom that Fleece works good, too. Oooo.... Tell her to get that fuzzy yarn...

I have a terrible time forcing myself to GET UP, and LEAN OVER and turn off my machine when I get out of bed. I wish I could tell you I have a legitimate medical reason for this, but I just don't. Anyway, what happens when I don't, and I just let it "blow itself off" is that I get bad results on my data. So... I've been laying around on my fat behind contemplating how to easily turn the machine off without having to change my whole get out of bed routine. Because Gosh Forbid I should start getting out of bed on the OTHER SIDE, where the machine lives...

It occurred to me that I could hook the machine up to this Xmas light remote control unit, that I currently have hooked up to the electric space heater. I use this remote to turn the heater on and off from bed, since it's a long way over there to the space heater (like a foot and a half ) and I don't have any other heat in the bedroom. Works really well. I could plug the CPAP into that, and use the remote to turn it off. It turns on by itself pretty good.

I've also got one of my lamps on something similar, but NOT wireless. It's this extension cord that plugs into the wall, then you plug in your electronic device to IT, then you run this EXTRA switch cord to wherever you want it. That lamp had it's switch broken years ago (Not by me), so I've had it on this cord forever. The switch cord just dangles over my headboard and I can flip it on and off at will.

I could use that, too.

Anyway, now that you know I'M A RAVING FAT LAZY SLOB PIG, maybe some of this might help.

Hey, at least none of these devices require I BARK or CLAP! My neighbor, who is bonafide elderly (as opposed to me, 43 chronological years, but the body of an 87 year old), got a clapper to deal with her bedroom lamp. But it quit working. So she started BARKING at it.

I finally had to ask her where the dog was, and why I never see it in the backyard and did she make it use the toilet?

So, she fessed up. And she quit barking in bed. I think she's using the Xmas light remote control gizmo I gave her...

LOL,
Babs

PS - I've also contemplated poking the CPAP off with a stick. But then, where would I put the stick? If it's in bed with me, won't it poke me? Do I have to rig up a special hanging device for the stick next to the bed? And what color should the stick be? See? It's very complicated....

Pineapple · Post by **Pineapple** » Fri May 09, 2008 9:32 am

Babs,

Having pulled my CPAP off it's stool one night getting lost trying to get to the lightswitch, I wouldn't call your gizmos "lazy"

Hwara,

Masks - I tried the Comfort Classic at the sleep center and refer to it as the "lesser of the evils" My DME seamed to think the Comfort Gel is the choice for people who don't like the comfort classic. I like the Flexi-fit 407. I'm trying the Mirage Micro, but I haven't decided if I'm going to keep it. If the Comfort Gel or Flexi-Fit (or any other sugestions thaat come up) don't work for you, come back and ask for opinions on the Micro, I've got to decide this weekend if I'm keeping it or if I'm going back to the Flexi-fit.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri May 09, 2008 4:06 pm

Oh Pineapple.... I can just imagine the horror there.... Sounds like something RobbieH would do. In fact, I think she did that a couple of times...

My machine's pretty well ensconced on the bookcase next to the bed. Not in any danger of getting tripped over or tipped over or anything.

And maybe if you saw that my bed is a good 4 feet off the ground, you might understand why getting in and out of bed is a conscious thing not to be undertaken lightly.

In fact, I have strained my back LEAPING out of bed once to race to the phone because I had family refugee-ing from a hurricane and I knew any caller at 5 am had to be them.

I don't do that anymore...

LOL,
Babs