Suffocating feeling when wearing the mask/awful dry mouth

[sapphireskye]

Ok, here I go again on another thread. I am trying like heck to use my Ultra Mirage FF mask till I get my replacement mask. It is my understanding, after I spoke with my DME rep, who has been off all week, that my humidifier is cranked as high as it will go. Irregardless, sometimes when I put this mask on I feel like I am not getting enough air. I have to talk myself down, and try to calm myself down, and am not having the best time of complying. Sometimes it seems like the air is not cool enough. I am set at a pressure of 8. I have mild -possibly moderate apnea.:not sure because I still have to see my doctor)
Anyone else have this problem? Also, even with the humidifier, I am getting a sore throat and my mouth is so dry I get a ewwy film, and tongue is parched. My throat is parched too. Obviously, I am a heavy mouth breather. I wake up gagging and choking and coughing every day. This happens even without the mask. Probably because of my stupid sinuses. Also, my meds dry my mouth out more. I live in Colorado and where I am it is pretty dry. Ok, I guess that is enough rambling for now.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
I AM Drinking some wine early lol.
What a crazy, lousy day today was. Marital woes.

God bless you all
Chelle

[Snoredog]

What kind of machine do you have?
What is the problem with the mask?

So far, all we know is you have 8cm pressure and a UltraMirage Full Face mask and you experience suffocating feeling and dry mouth. Address the problem logically one by one.

Dry mouth: Breathing exclusively out your mouth (even w/FF mask) due to nasal congestion can cause dry mouth (assuming your salivary glands are functioning normally). If using a humidifier it should prevent some of the dry mouth irritation, but turn it up too high and that can contribute to congestion problems.

Suffocating feeling: Usually means your air pressure is not high enough, or if using any Ramp and/or it is an autopap, the low pressure setting may be set too low, or if your machine is a Remstar w/Cflex, you can have the cflex setting set too high, OR you have the heated humidifier cranked up too high putting too much moisture in the incoming air, this causes the turbinates to swell (natural function) to limit the moisture in the incoming air and can contribute to congestion, OR you using a nasal spray like Afrin too long that contributes to rebound effect and can be contributing to the congestion problem.

First thing you need to do is verify your machines settings.
if using a ramp, what is the starting pressure set to? What is the timer set to? if it is a Remstar machine, what is the cflex setting set to? Dry mouth and nasal congestion: we breathe through our mouth when we cannot breathe through our nose. If your using any kind of OTC nasal sprays you need to discontinue use of those and use only a saline only spray or rhino wash instead.

[sapphireskye]

Yes these are all great questions, but I have to say
I am pretty dumb about all this.

I have a Remstar Plus with C Flex. I do not know anything about the settings.
It was pre set when the DME rep gave it to me. All I know is she said it was said to the highest humidifier setting and at a pressure of 8. I am not gonna mess with it till she is back in the office next week. I really don't know much about this machine.

My mask is painful on my face, leaks around the mouth, causes pressure sores.
I do not use the ramp feature on my machine. I do not use nasal sprays because they irritate my sinus passages more. I do not believe I produce a normal amount of saliva. This has always been a problem. I have chronic dry eyes, and dry mouth. My medication only makes this worse. Lets just say I have certain characteristics of autoimmune disorders (Raynauds, High ESR, HIGH C Reactive Protein,borderline RF, occasional leukocytosis, joint issues), without having a specific diagnosis of one if that makes any sense. My one doc definitely thinks I have autoimmune problems, but could only pinpoint immune dysfunction. Sinus is chronic, but I cannot tolerate sprays and decongestants because the decongestants bother my heart. I haven't tried basic saline in a while. I have thought about getting this thing called a sinu cleanse, which they sell at Walgreens to flush my sinuses. It is basically like a neti pot with saline, and then you can just learn to make your own. I haven't gotten the courage up to try that yet. I need to read this remstar manual and figure it out. Is it ok to increase the pressure setting without permission of your doctor? What will this do exactly?

I will try to get other info when I can

Thanks
Chelle

[RobbyRobert]

I experienced the same suffocating feeling when I first got my machine. I ended up increasing the pressure from 5.0cm to 5.6cm, even though my doctor did not approve. I slept much better with the higher pressure. (I discovered that the humidifier on the RemStar Pro lowered the pressure by .3cm, according to the manufacturers documentation.) I eventually increased the pressure to 6cm.

A few months later I switched masks from the Breeze to the Swift. (These are nose pillow masks and not full face.) That also improved my sleep. Finally, a few weeks ago I got a new machine, which is an APAP or CPAP Auto depending on which term you like. (Resmed S8 Vantage). That also improved my sleep.

I would encourage you to talk to your doctor about getting an APAP, and possibly changing your mask. My first doctor would not prescribe an APAP, nor would he change my pressure. (I had to do it on my own by searching Google and finding out how to change the pressure.) He was not happy that I changed it, but there was no arguing with how much better I felt with the increased pressure.

Shortly after that I moved from Little Rock, AR to Medford, OR and got a new sleep doctor. She was very open to trying new things and has been a great help. Earlier this month my local DME loaned me an APAP (S7) for a week at no charge. I loved it so much that I bought the S8. I think it is doing a superior job, and the information from the smart card seems to confirm that. My AHI is 3.4, and my average pressure is 5.7cm, with a range from 5 to 9cm.

The key thing about CPAP is, you have to have the right machine and mask that works for you. It may take a few weeks or months of testing to figure out what works best for you. Don't give up. At first, I couldn't wait to take my mask off, and usually took it off the first time I woke up, even if I had only been asleep 2 hours. Now, I rarely wake up and I don't take it off until I get out of bed. My CPAP actually helps me go to sleep. I have been on CPAP for 7 months, and have never felt about my sleep. A month ago, I even stopped taking Ambien, which I had took every night for almost 6 years. I feel like I am sleeping better than I ever have.

Occasionally I have nights when I don't sleep well. When that happens I try to figure out why, and then try to correct it. Sleep is somewhat fluid, and what works now, may not work down the road. I periodically read the posts on this forum and a few others and try to glean some information and advice that might help me.

Just keep trying and don't give up! When it finally works the way it should, it will be wonderful and even life-changing!

Have a great day!

Robert

P.S. As for the marital woes, don't give up. My wife and I went to a FamilyLife marriage conference 10 years ago, and it changed our lives for the better. We have now been married 17 years. Go to FamilyLife.com and check out their "Weekend to Remember." They have a conference in Colorado Springs in March, and Denver in April. They even offer a money back guarantee, so there is really no risk at all!

[sapphireskye]

Hey thanks for all the advice. I am supposed to see my sleep doc for the second time (1st time since on cpap) this coming week. I hope I have the date right, cuz no one was in the office this week. Also, thanks for the advice on the marital conference. I dunno if hubby could get off work for one, but I will check into it. I am nervous about asking my doc about the apap and changing pressures lol. But, I will talk to him about all this when I see him. He seemed pretty nice, but I have only met him once.

Happy New Year
Chelle

[RobbyRobert]

Don't be nervous about an APAP or Auto CPAP. All it is a CPAP that senses what pressure you need and automatically adjusts to give it to you. The original APAP machines were horrible, but now they are really good. I think a few years from now, they will be norm. What is great about an APAP machine is it can adjust to changes in your sleep and even your health. For example, if you have a cold, it will give you more pressure and you will be able to sleep better. Also, some people might require a pressure of 5 or 6cm when sleeping on their side, but might need 10 or 11cm when sleeping on their back. An APAP can make that adjustment almost instaneously. A CPAP only has one pressure and can never compensate for those things.

As for changing pressures, I actually talked to another doctor before I did it, and he told me I could change it up 2-3cm and it wouldn't make hurt me at all.

If you are suffocating, or feeling like you are, then you need to do something. Talk to your doctor, and don't be shy. You need to be comfortable or it does no good. Keep trying and asking questions until it works right! For me, I knew that if I didn't change pressures, I couldn't use the machine. Interestingly, when I changed masks a few months later, my original pressure of 5cm was not suffocating. The current settings on my APAP are now 5 to 10cm (I've never gone over 9cm)

Finally, even if your hubby has to take some vacation days to go to the conference I would really encourage you to do it. I know so many people whose marriages have been totally changed by it.

Keep us posted about what your doctor says and how it works out.

Robert

[snork1]

Sometimes the suffocating feeling is caused by clausterphobia for people new on CPAP, and it would go away after awhile.

Usually low pressure "starve out" suffocation doesn't happen until down around 4-5cm or lower.

I find if my nose is plugged, I tend to feel more suffocating feeling.

GET THAT NOSE WORKING! (based on my experience). The saline rinse is easy and the safest "first defense" for a stuffy nose. I do the saline flush twice a day. I keep it simple. A pinch of salt in about a third cup warm tap water. Blow it gently up my nose with a pediatric squeeze bulb from Walgreens. The nice thing is you can work up to a good flush gradually if you are nervous. Start by barely squirting it up your nose and then blow it out, and over time work up to taking the saline in deep, rattling it around your sinuses and blowing out the gunk that has no business being in there. It is AMAZNG what a difference that can make.

Dry mouth from mouth breathing seems to happen even with a full face mask, which is all the more reason to get that nose working.

[Guest]

sapphireskye

For what is is worth I posted something similar a few weks ago. Some suggestions, but trial and error solved it for me for the most part.

I had air leaks. Once that ceased within a few days so did the lousy taste. Not all as I think some will remian as a side effect of the cpap in general.
If your mask is too tight it will leak, if it is too loose it will leak, just keep fiddling with it.

I tool the headgear from one and put it with another and it helped. I also shortened the headghear as I think that they are all to big for us ladies.

I found that many of the manufacturers have some interesting tips for fit. I am only on cpap for 4 months and have learned so much and when I made a change in something that is right, I know the next morning for sure.

[osmium sleeper]

Anyone that has sinus problems would do themselves a favor by investing in a Neti Pot http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Secrets-C ... 000OLEC6I/ and learn to use it religiously with a hypertonic saline solution.