dry mouth/nose itch/burps

[christinepi]

I've been on CPAP at 8cm for 2 weeks now. First I tried the Swift FX mask, but my tongue shriveled up to a prune several times each night, I had tremendous issues with air puffs, plus my nose quickly developed a chafing spot. So I switched to the Mirage Quattro full face mask. That took care of the annoying air puffs, but my mouth/tongue still dries out, if not nearly as bad. Now I have new problems: after ca 5 hours, the edge of my nose starts itching furiously, which means I have to turn the machine off and take the mask partially off and scratch, while trying not to wake my husband and going back to sleep quickly (ha). In addition, it seems there's lots of air in my tummy that at the same time the nose itches wants to get out, and I have to kind of burp and burp--also not helpful for sleep. So I just take the mask off for the rest of the night.

Is this a mask issue? Pressure issue? I've been playing around with humidity levels (went from 3.0 to 5.5, w/o making any difference) and temperature (ranging from 70 to 78, also w/o any difference). It's so frustrating. My days are full of previously unknown exhaustion.

[Willtry]

The problem with the Burping will go away when you resolve the dry mouth. The reason for the the dry mouth is that you are sleeping with your mouth open causing it to dry out and so with the dry mouth you swallow and of course when you swallow the air in your mouth is under pressure. So you are swallowing air. The reason for feeling exhaused during the day is the lack of quality sleep I bet your AHI has risen. may be a chin strap would help until you get used to the mask. also there is a mild salt spray you can use that may help with the dry mouth feeling ask you chemist / doctor.

[LSAT]

I also have the nose itch...it is annoying. I simply unhook one side of my Quattro, reach in and scratch, then re hook the strap. Not necessary to turn off the machine. Be sure to wash your face before putting on the Quattro, it will make a better seal.

[robysue]

The air in the stomach and the burping is also called aerophagia. Yes, it is a result of swallowing air. And it can be worse when you breathe through your mouth, but even if you don't breathe through your mouth, it can be a problem. I've struggled with it ever since starting in September and I've had no issues with mouth breathing at all. It can be a rather uncomfortable (indeed intolerable) side effect of the pressure for some people. If you search the forum for aerophagia you will find some tips for how to minimize it and how to deal with it. But for some people, it really is a substantial problem. For me, my sleep doctor is hoping that a recent switch to BiPAP will help me cope with it.

Your signature indicates you are currently running in APAP mode with a range of 4--12 cm. Do you know what your 95% pressure levels tend to look like? The 95% pressure levels are the ones that are on the detailed sleep qualitiy report on the S9's LCD--so you don't need to download the data to check for that. Do you know what your titrated pressure was? Or did you have a titration study? In either case, you might want to call the sleep doctor's office and report that the aerophagia is serious enough that it's disrupting your sleep and leading to serious daytime exhaustion in and of itself. You should also let the doctor's office know if any of your other previous apnea-related daytime symptoms are getting worse instead of better now that you've started therapy.

As for the itchy nose, I wish I could help, but I can't: On my first titration study I started to sneeze uncontrollably and my nose started to itch uncontrollably whenever a nasal mask was placed on top of my nose even before the straps were put on. After a few tries, the tech suggested trying a nasal pillows mask instead and that one was not a problem for me. So I'm now using the Swift FX without any of the problems that you encountered. But since you have mouth breathing issues, that fix won't work for you.

Good luck

[christinepi]

"Your signature indicates you are currently running in APAP mode with a range of 4--12 cm. Do you know what your 95% pressure levels tend to look like? The 95% pressure levels are the ones that are on the detailed sleep qualitiy report on the S9's LCD--so you don't need to download the data to check for that. Do you know what your titrated pressure was? Or did you have a titration study? In either case, you might want to call the sleep doctor's office and report that the aerophagia is serious enough that it's disrupting your sleep and leading to serious daytime exhaustion in and of itself. You should also let the doctor's office know if any of your other previous apnea-related daytime symptoms are getting worse instead of better now that you've started therapy."

I feel like an idiot, but I can't figure out how to find out what my 95% pressure levels look like. I down loaded Uncle Bob's manual and it doesn't say anything in it where this info is hidden. I know how to get to the sleep quality window, but it only says Period, Usage, Mask Fit and AHI. Where's the pressure level you're talking about?

I haven't had a titration study done yet, but will in January.

[Tiki]

I have the same machine as you and I think you have to hold down the "info" and "setup" buttons at the same time to see another screen of stats on the s9. It will give you how long you wore the mask, your auto settings, and your pressure, along with some others.

[Diplomacy]

You can burp all day on CPAPtalk.com!

[christinepi]

I have the same machine as you and I think you have to hold down the "info" and "setup" buttons at the same time to see another screen of stats on the s9. It will give you how long you wore the mask, your auto settings, and your pressure, along with some others.

I tried that. I just don't get what the 95% thing is and what I look for to find it on that screen.

[larry63]

I've been on CPAP at 8cm for 2 weeks now. First I tried the Swift FX mask, but my tongue shriveled up to a prune several times each night, I had tremendous issues with air puffs, plus my nose quickly developed a chafing spot. So I switched to the Mirage Quattro full face mask. That took care of the annoying air puffs, but my mouth/tongue still dries out, if not nearly as bad. Now I have new problems: after ca 5 hours, the edge of my nose starts itching furiously, which means I have to turn the machine off and take the mask partially off and scratch, while trying not to wake my husband and going back to sleep quickly (ha). In addition, it seems there's lots of air in my tummy that at the same time the nose itches wants to get out, and I have to kind of burp and burp--also not helpful for sleep. So I just take the mask off for the rest of the night.

Is this a mask issue? Pressure issue? I've been playing around with humidity levels (went from 3.0 to 5.5, w/o making any difference) and temperature (ranging from 70 to 78, also w/o any difference). It's so frustrating. My days are full of previously unknown exhaustion.

I now all about the exhaustion - I really envy the people here who feel better when they start therapy.

The conventional wisdom has is that if you're mouth is severely dry, then it means you're leaking air from your mouth.
Let's ask this: is this only when you're using CPAP? Because for me I always even before PAP had that quart bottle of water by my bed.
Usually It was all gone by morning (woke up a few times a night to chug a lot of water). So in my particular case I can't say that I drink more water during the night after CPAP then before.
I just haven't kept count. I'm on several meds that can contribute to a dry mouth.

I know what you mean about the itching and skin irritation. I have two bleeding sores right now, and and I wake up several times a night to take lift up the mask to scratch an itch.

As far as whether it's a mask isssue, pressure issue or what ever, please feel comfort in that there there are many (well at least a few) on this board who
feel _worse_ after starting therapy than before. I it is definitely a big dissapointment for me. I was so elated to here that I had OSA and a CPAP could make me feel good as new, only to find out that as disfunctional as I was before, things only have got worse after CPAP therapy.

Unfortunately I think that at present, the CPAP therapy is more of a business then it is an actual medical therapy that is monitored by medical doctors.
So unfortunately it is up to us on this forum to compare notes, so to speak.

[chunkyfrog]

I recently learned that sleeping on the left side aligns the stomach and esophagus so that air is less likely to get trapped.
--Not 100% effective, but it helps.
I also have to avoid that last snack in the evening.
It really bites to see it again in the morning.