Something is wrong, something is amiss!

[Culby]

I may have mentioned in another post that the weekend I started CPAP (has it been more than a week already? My how time flies.), I got a nasty sunburn on my nose. Blistered up an everything. For a while, it didn't seem like being on the mask was hurting it at all. It seemed to be healing pretty nicely. Now, not so much.

In the past few days, it looked like the redness would be gone by the end of the day, only to return in the morning. The past two days, I've woken up in the morning with the skin open and pussing and/or bleeding. Not gonna lie, it's pretty terrible. And the only thing I can come up with is that the inner seal on my mask sits right on the bridge of my nose, where the burn was/is.

Do I need to take a night off from the mask to let this heal fully?

[cflame1]

put a bandaid on your nose prior to putting your mask on.

mask is probably not adjusted right (though I don't know how that one gets adjusted right).

[Culby]

I called the DME, and will be swinging by there at about 11 with my mask. I'm guessing I might be wearing the mask too tight, but it seems like if I loosen it up, I leak all over the place.

[imsleepynomore]

Anytime you have a red area lasting a long time before fading this indicates a pressure area ,this info applies to any area of your body. You have the end result of a pressure area sore this will take more than 1 night to heal .You are on the right track having your DME checking this out and refitting a different mask. Maybe one of those bandaids for blisters will help heal and allow you to use a mask at the same time. Good luck keep us posted.

[Mary Z]

I had an area like that turn really nasty and had to take 20 days off the machine to let it heal completely. If your DME can't get the mask off that area on the bridge of your nose and a bandaid doesn't help, a new mask may be in order. I found a mask that does not touch the bridge of my nose at all. See my profile.

[BlackSpinner]

Padacheek sells liners for masks that prevent this. Look her up in members. Until you get them, find an old 100% cotton t-shirt or panties, lay you mask on it and cut around it adding about an inche. Cut out a small triangle for the nose/mouth and try it on for size, trim as required until it fits. Make a paper pattern of it and cut out many of them.

Many of us have skin which does not like being smothered in silicone.

[Culby]

Just got back from the DME. The lady took a look and said that it was clear that the pressure being caused by the mask on my bridge was causing enough problems for us to explore a new mask. She gave me a SwiftFX to try out for a couple of days while my nose heals. If I like it, we'll stick with it. If I don't, my nose will have healed enough by then to try something else.

[OutaSync]

Good call on her part. And if you do go back to your nasal mask, use some padding, either a bandaid or liner (I use both) to prevent further damage. Once you get one of those sores, it is much easier to get them again. You have to protect your nose!

[Janknitz]

The swift fx is a great mask. You probably won't want to go back to your old mask. Check out the fitting tips on my blog below.

[ozze_dollar]

I have a Nasal Pillows mask just for this problem. When my nose gets better I go back to the Mirage softgel.

[hosehead_dolphy]

Thank you Jankitz for the blog about fitting the Swift FX. I just got mine yesterday. Slept with it last night. I really liked it. But I am glad I read your blog because I think I might have had it to tight. Really sad that DMEs do not give better fitting instructions. I am headed to bed now to try the fitting the way you said! Good night!

[Culby]

Might take me a while on this SwiftFX. I kept having the same issues that I had with the start of my EasyLife: Yeah, it's loose, but it feels too loose. Turn my head one way, and it starts to slow-leak. Finally at about 5am, I got up in a huff and took it off for about a minute or so. When I put it back on, I adjusted a bit, but now I don't know if it was too tight or not. Probably was.

The onkor data was interesting, though. Started out with a lot of CAs, and then a pretty quiet night until 5am. Once I started the machine again, I had another barrage of CAs.

[codinqueen]

I found the secret to leak-free sleep (well, mostly) INVOLVES LETTING THE UPPER SILICONE STRAP THAT GOES OVER YOUR HEAD SHOULD BE LOOSE ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO PUT YOUR 4 FINGERS THRU IT. sORRY, CAPS LOCK WAS ON! The strap that holds your nasal pillows to your nose that goes around the cheeks should be adjusted tight enough to hold the pillows too your nose that when you turn your head it doesn't slip, and this involves needing to put that cheek strap just about 1 finger above the bony protruding bump on the back of your head. I also think use of a hose management system is critical to no leaking every time you turn over. Some people find that hanging their face over the pillow when laying on their side also helps, or maybe experimenting with various pillow styles might help. I have used this mask now since Feb this year and really like it, but I do notice the cheek strap started to get stretched out by July, so I am getting a new one soon, every 6 months my insurance will spring for another one, with a small co-pay from me. I am a side-sleeper and still use my same pillow, just sleep closer to hanging a piece of face off the side of pillow.
As far as the nose blister, those blister bandaids are great but might not be big enough to cover your area.
Also, if your nostrils start to get sore now with the Swift FX, get some Lanisoh (sp?) available at the baby aisle of your local grocery phrmacy, used by breast feeding moms and a great product to prevent or treat nasal sores, we have found, and some people notice the pillows stay in placed better because of the slight tackiness of this product. It is so good, I also use it on cracked and bleeding heels with good results. It is less than $10.00 and tube lasts a long time. Don't let any skin sores get the upper hand by protecting the area, and the nasal area is well-protected by this ointment.
I believe you (and your nose-bridge) will be very happy with the Swift FX if you can find the right fit and hose management system. I use the Cozy Hose Boss on my wall by Pur-Sleep, less than $20.00 and some other hoseheads use various do it themselves, or purchase from Lillian Carter or other on-site catalog. Make it yourself can be searched here: "hose management systems" and is really inexpensive if you are at all crafty, or a super carpenter or plumber. Best of luck! Sorry for the long post!!!

[Culby]

Nevermind, I can't trust any of the data from last night becauuuuuse...



Woof.

That second section is where I turned off for a little bit, then turned it back on with the straps tighter. The leaks are better, but I had 11 CAs in that one hour.

Update: I switched out the medium pillows for the large, they seemed to fit better this morning. We'll see tonight.

[Pugsy]

The leaks are better, but I had 11 CAs in that one hour.

Could these have been sleep onset centrals or even data scored while you were awake? The machine doesn't know if you are awake or asleep. It just reports what it senses.