Mouth Flapping

frostman · Post by **frostman** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 6:15 pm

WOW I bet this has happened to most you experienced cpapers. But last night I was trying my swift again, still leaking, but I must have been in a very deep sleep because I was dreaming about this strange sensation in my mouth. Finally I awoke and my mouth was open and boy was I flapping, I hated it. I don't think it happened much, but last night was really bad

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 7:30 pm

Frostman,
Don't misunderstand me, I loved the Swift. Have moved on to the Aura now, but still say the Swift is a great interface. However, one problem I find that has disappeared since moving on is, I used to have what I described as mouth puffs and serious mouth breathing. My mouth puffs would be these incredible bursts of air, so strong that when I would tape my mouth to stop the mouth breathing, it would actually break through. Had to be creative and figure out ways to keep the edges from leaking due to them. I found turning the lips inward before patching with Tegaderm or doubling up on the vertical edges if I was using the smaller sized patch worked.

But my point is (it takes me awhile but I eventually get there) I think the Swift is a bit hard on the breathing when it comes to mouth reactions. Since I have been off of the Swift, I no longer even need to tape my mouth anymore. I don't wake up mouth breathing and my software corroborates this fact. Very low leak rate. Also, no more mouth puffs. I don't know what it is that causes certain interfaces to produce these reactions in some of us, but that is what happened in my case.

When you use the Swift, it may be necessary to do something to stop the mouth breathing. The Swift was the only interface/mask I found to cause me to mouth breath, with the extra added mouth puffs, too. And this is my fifth mask in just over three months of treatment. If someone could explain this, I'd be very interested to hear why they think it caused this. I will restate, I really like the Swift a lot, but that was one problem I am happy to say is gone since I don't use it anymore.

frostman · Post by **frostman** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 8:50 pm

Lori love your posts, for only being here a short time you have been busy. I think I am going back to my Activa for awhile, it is so quite, doesn't leak much, I would hate the idea of taping my mouth

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): activa

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 8:54 pm

Frostman,

Thank you! But I feel horrible. I guess I didn't say it enough. I really liked my Swift. It was my favorite mask until the Aura. I did have some Swift-specific problems, such as mouth-related breathing problems. But if not for the Aura, I would still be happily using it with some modifications. I feel if you really like the mask, do what you have to to get it to work for you. But if you really like your Activa and get good results with it, God bless you and good luck. I hope I didn't scare you away from the Swift, though. That was my last intention with my post.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 11:05 pm

It could also be time related and not mask related: by the time Lori got her Aura, she had been attempting not to mouth breathe for 2 or more months.

WillSucceed, Janelle and others have reported that training helped them evetually stop mouthbreathing. Janelle uses the Swift. WillSucceeds favorite is the Breeze.

O.

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 7:04 am

O,

Not for nothing, but I never successfully was able to stop mouth breathing with the Swift and didn't try for two months to stop without taping. I started mouth breathing when I switched from the Activa after about six weeks to the Swift. I had been using the Swift and not knowing why my leak rates were fluctuating and were usually on the high end of the spectrum for that mask. And when I discovered it was from the mouth breathing, which I wasn't familiar with doing with the Activa, I started taping and patching. I tried for a very short period of time, maybe not even a week, before I realized I couldn't stop it without "help" and started to use Tegaderm. I used it right up until about a week ago, now that it doesn't happen on the Aura anymore, and I have very low, constant leak rates.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 9:29 am

So what you're saying is that the Swift was a cause of mouth breathing for you.

Which makes this whole mask fitting business even more interesting and mysterious.

I wonder if anyone can offer an explanation for that phenomenon.

O.

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 12:13 pm

O,

I would agree on the basis of deductive reasoning that the Swift caused mouth breathing for me. I never had it before or after using it. Why? That's a whole other question. Is it really the reason or coincidence? Who knows? All I know is that it hasn't happened since stopping using it and it never did before.

You are far more scientific-minded than I am and I was kind of hoping maybe you could give me a reason for it, or even an educated guess. I haven't the slightest idea why I can use the Aura with none of that, which is also a nasal pillow interface, but can't use the Swift without having to tape my mouth. And wouldn't you think that if maybe the case was that the Swift delivers a stronger rush of air to the nasal passages, that my therapy would be more effective with it? Yet I don't see that being the case, either.

O, I am lost on this one. I would be open to hearing any possible reasoning you may have as to why it would be the interface or any other cause you can think of. I don't know.

Grabraham · Post by **Grabraham** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 3:08 pm

Everytime I see the words "Deductive reasoning" this silly joke pops in my head. Enjoy!

Taking a well-earned break from the detective business, Sherlock Holmes and Watson were on a camping/hiking trip. They had gone to bed and were lying there looking up at the sky.

Holmes said, "Watson, look up. What do you see?"

"Well, I see thousands of stars."

"And what does that mean to you?"

"Well, I suppose it means that of all the planets and suns and moons in the universe, that we are truly the one most blessed with the reason to deduce theorems to make our way in this world of criminal enterprises and blind greed. It means that we are truly small in the eyes of God but struggle each day to be worthy of the senses and spirit we have been blessed with. And, I suppose, at the very least, in the meteorological sense, it means that it is most likely that we will have another nice day tomorrow. What does it mean to you, Holmes?"

.
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.
.

"To me, it means someone has stolen our tent."

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 3:17 pm

Thanks, Grab. Very cute.

(Bet you can tell I found a great smiley site?)

WAFlowers · Post by **WAFlowers** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 4:00 pm

Sleepless on LI wrote:(Bet you can tell I found a great smiley site? )

Nope, all I can see are red X's .

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 4:26 pm

WAFlowers wrote:
Sleepless on LI wrote:(Bet you can tell I found a great smiley site? )
Nope, all I can see are red X's .

NO!!! I see the smileys. Do you have your smileys enabled??? Please don't tell me no one else can see them. No, wait. Barb saw them earlier. What's going on?

Can anyone else see anything but a red X on that last post??? How about this now

Bill, what about the sun by my signature???

fnorette · Post by **fnorette** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 5:19 pm

I cannot see any of your links to instagiber.net .

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 5:35 pm

fnorette wrote:I cannot see any of your links to instagiber.net .

First of all, how do you know where the links are to? That surprised me. Does it come across as just a link? On my computer, it is showing the actual animated smileys. I'll have to check into this one. What are you seeing?

PS: Just went on my daughter's computer as a guest on this site and saw all the animated smileys as I see them on mine. Also, Barb was able to see them before.

I am going to post a thread and see who can and can't see them and try to figure this one out. Thanks for the info.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Sun Sep 25, 2005 12:50 am

Lori -
I can see you smileys
I have no idea about the Aura -Swift differnce. If anything, I would attribute it to the different ways these masks touch ones' face and upper lip.

O.

Mask

Mouth Flapping

Mouth Flapping

masks and mouth breathing