Falling out of love with my CPAP

[Rigby]

I loved the CPAP the first night I used it. For about three years I wore a couple different nasal masks with a pressure of 8. Then about a year ago I started wearing it less and less because of nasal stuffiness. I'd try to go back to it but it was uncomfortable or too hot or I kept waking up with leaks. I called my Dr. and had another sleep study and they ordered me a new machine and mask. When I tried my new machine I was shocked at the pressure. For the first time I had to use my ramp. After a couple weeks I went back to the Dr. and he told me my pressure had been increased to SIXTEEN! I have gained 20 pounds since my original study and I know that can affect a lot, but SIXTEEN? I feel as though I'm "breathing uphill" all night. The new mask also leaked so they replaced it with the mask I had previously been using. I'm still miserable and still leaking AND now I'm waking up with my mouth open which I NEVER did before. My mouth is too dry to lick a stamp, seriously. Could the pressure be too high? Or, if sixteen is the correct pressure for me, is there another style of mask I should try? I'm really off track here, but I REALLY want to be able to wear my CPAP the way I used to.

I really appreciate any suggestions.

[OwlCreekObserver]

Sounds to me like the increased pressure is causing air to leak from your mouth. I'm sure that others will offer suggestions, but I would probably either switch to a full face mask or resort to taping my mouth, as described in numerous posts on this forum. If your insurance pays for your equipment, I suggest that you ask your doc about a full-face mask. If that turns out not to be a satisfactory solution, at least you'll have saved a bit of cash.

[dsm]

I loved the CPAP the first night I used it. For about three years I wore a couple different nasal masks with a pressure of 8. Then about a year ago I started wearing it less and less because of nasal stuffiness. I'd try to go back to it but it was uncomfortable or too hot or I kept waking up with leaks. I called my Dr. and had another sleep study and they ordered me a new machine and mask. When I tried my new machine I was shocked at the pressure. For the first time I had to use my ramp. After a couple weeks I went back to the Dr. and he told me my pressure had been increased to SIXTEEN! I have gained 20 pounds since my original study and I know that can affect a lot, but SIXTEEN? I feel as though I'm "breathing uphill" all night. The new mask also leaked so they replaced it with the mask I had previously been using. I'm still miserable and still leaking AND now I'm waking up with my mouth open which I NEVER did before. My mouth is too dry to lick a stamp, seriously. Could the pressure be too high? Or, if sixteen is the correct pressure for me, is there another style of mask I should try? I'm really off track here, but I REALLY want to be able to wear my CPAP the way I used to.

I really appreciate any suggestions.

Best suggestion I can make is don't ever let your therapy lapse again - your health will worsen more, heart will be put under bigger strain, likely put on more weight. It becomes a downhill slide for us when we don't come to grips with it.

If it really is causing serios stress, drop the pressure to 14 or 15 (but no less) & try to get your therapy under control. The alternative is a bilevel but that may mean buying it yourself.

Good luck with this but do undersatnd that you are the architect of your own destiny re this therapy

DSM

[Sleepy Taz]

Rigby,

I just looked at your machine and it is a bare bones machine that is outdated. You need something like a resmed S8 elite ii that has a exhale relief so that you can get used to the higher pressure. I am at 17 and use nasal pillows with mine and for the first time in twenty years I have little or no leaks. If it isn't too late I would demand a change to any unit that has a cflex or any exhale relief. You also need to have a unit that can monitor your therapy and can download the results so your doctor can review them. Please try to stay positive and stay in touch with the people on this site. I struggled for the last twenty years on my own and have learned more in the last two weeks since I found this site than in all of those years combined. Educate yourself so that you can take control. In time it will be second nature.

[elader]

Full face masks are not torture. I love my mask. I am always stuffy when I lay down and the full face mask makes it a non issue. I wake in the middle of the night now and don't even realize I am wearing it. The lack of a pressure differential between airway and mouth makes the pressure seem much lower.

[Gerald]

Rigby..........

DSM and Taz are telling it like it is. You'll be wise to "listen" to what they're telling you.

If you don't take charge of your own therapy.......if you continue to be "bovinely compliant".....and do as you're told by the doctor along with his buddies, failure is in your future.

Your health is at stake.....learn as fast as you can......upgrade your machine, get software, and start experimenting. Apply good logic and intellectual honesty (the foundation stones of The Scientific Method).

You can do it!

Gerald

[LinkC]

I have been at 16 from the git-go. Yes, higher pressures are a challenge. My BEST results come from an Optilife (nasal pillow) and taping. I can also get by with a Hybrid mask, but I get leaks at the pillows without lots of "nipple grease" (the actual tradename escapes me at the moment). I use the Hybrid only when my cheeks are sore from the tape.

Yes, if you have any mouth leakage you WILL wake up with cottonmouth--so dry you can barely swallow. It's not pleasant.

I haven't found a FF mask that's kind to my nose...a PadaCheek nose pad works for some. I'm not one of them. So taping is my best recourse. And, at pressure 16, leakproof taping is a challenge, as well.

You will find many methods for taping here. My old standby is NEXCARE "Absolute Waterproof Tape". It's flesh-colored, somewhat stretchy and will stick to anything (it can also leave welts on your cheeks when you pull it off!). It takes two overlapping strips to adequately cover my big mouth. Otherwise I get leaks at top or bottom.

I'm experimenting with a white cloth first-aid tape (forget the brand right now) that is wider, cooler, and cheaper than the above. But I have to shave at night or it hurts like heck to remove in the AM.

With either tape you MUST "roll your lips" in (make a "granny face" and clamp your lips between your teeth. Your teeth act as a backer so you can press the tape on hard.) It feels a little funny to have your lips held in that position, but you won't lose any lip-skin when you pull the tape in the AM. It also holds your lips firmly together to prevent saliva leakage from ruining the tape seal.

Best of luck with whatever route you go!

[WindFlyer]

Full face masks are not torture. I love my mask. I am always stuffy when I lay down and the full face mask makes it a non issue. I wake in the middle of the night now and don't even realize I am wearing it. The lack of a pressure differential between airway and mouth makes the pressure seem much lower.

Right on! In some ways the FFM is even more comfortable than the nose mask for me because with the FFM there's no pressure on the philtrum, which can hurt quite a bit.

[Uncle_Bob]

I loved the CPAP the first night I used it. For about three years I wore a couple different nasal masks with a pressure of 8. Then about a year ago I started wearing it less and less because of nasal stuffiness. I'd try to go back to it but it was uncomfortable or too hot or I kept waking up with leaks. I called my Dr. and had another sleep study and they ordered me a new machine and mask. When I tried my new machine I was shocked at the pressure. For the first time I had to use my ramp. After a couple weeks I went back to the Dr. and he told me my pressure had been increased to SIXTEEN! I have gained 20 pounds since my original study and I know that can affect a lot, but SIXTEEN? I feel as though I'm "breathing uphill" all night. The new mask also leaked so they replaced it with the mask I had previously been using. I'm still miserable and still leaking AND now I'm waking up with my mouth open which I NEVER did before. My mouth is too dry to lick a stamp, seriously. Could the pressure be too high? Or, if sixteen is the correct pressure for me, is there another style of mask I should try? I'm really off track here, but I REALLY want to be able to wear my CPAP the way I used to.

I really appreciate any suggestions.

Like Sleep taz said you need a machine with exhale relief. I had your machine at first for a week on a pressure of just 7 and found it very hard to sleep with. I should imagine with a pressure of 16 on your current machine it would be easier to exahale out of your ass rather than down the tube.

I find the S8 Elite II with EPR very comfortable to sleep with.

[rubymom]

I just switched to a Bi-Pap machine and it's going much better than I was doing on a CPAP at 20.

Talk to your doctor about getting a new machine. Good luck!!