Second go round with Cpap

[ComfortablyNumb]

Hi Everyone,

This is my second go round with cpap. I was originally diagnosed 10 years ago and prescribed at a relatively low level ( 7cm ). I used it for about 3 years and gradually felt i didn't need it anymore.

To make a long story short I had a sleep study done and was set a high setting of 14cm. During my sleep study I got up twice with extremely dry mouth. Well, yesterday I just received my ResMed s9 elite and I use a ResMed Mirage Micro nasal Cushion Mask. I set the Humidifier at 4.0 and couldn't go the entire night because of the extreme dry mouth. This is a surprise to me because in my first go round I never experienced this. Could it be a combination of the new air pressure and the mask I'm using? I welcome any thoughts and suggestions on this. Thanks in advance!

[cflame1]

I'd suspect mouth breathing.

[ComfortablyNumb]

Thanks cflame1. Would a full face mask be the solution then?

[robertjvan]

Would a full face mask be the solution then?

Maybe maybe not; I just another sleep test and they found a chin strap With the half mask worked better then the full mask; atleast for me it did. The tech though a full mask would work but not true.

[cflame1]

you can still mouth breathe with a chin strap

I'd recommend either a full face mask (FFM) or tape/polygrip

[jamiswolf]

Hi Comforablenumb...
Glad you got back to therapy. I agree it would be nice to be healed...but ongoing therapy is the norm.

Work on the issue at hand. Chin strap may help. People go so far as to tape lips together.

Nasal masks seal better and if you can solve this mouth leak issue, you will be better off.

Anyway, that's what comes to mind.
Jamis

[BlackSpinner]

A Hybrid works too.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/RespCa ... -Mask.html

[archangle]

you can still mouth breathe with a chin strap

I'd recommend either a full face mask (FFM) or tape/polygrip

Taping your mouth risks suffocation if the machine quits blowing and you don't wake up. You will be rebreathing your own exhaled air. Oxygen will decrease and CO2 will increase. This can cause you to sink deeper into unconsciousness and stop breathing. This is why the FDA requires all full face masks to have an anti-asphyxia valve.

Most people will wake up and be able to take the mask or tape off, but it's not a sure thing.

Another risk is aspiration pneumonia if you vomit before you can get the tape off. Aspiration pneumonia is very bad. Google it.

Many people tape anyway despite the risks. The risk may be small, but you'll probably be doing this for the rest of your life so risks add up.

[moresleep]

Sounds like mouth breathing, all right.

I had it, and the only fix for me was taping--I use 2" 3M Micropore/NexCare, which is a sort of paper tape. I tear off a long piece and bend over one inch or so at each end, for easy to grab flaps. Probably not an ideal solution, but so far I have not heard of anyone dying from it There are also inline valves one can buy for the hose, which open when the pressure goes off, similar to the valve in a full face mask. You can also get a power monitor (Radio Shack $15), plugged into the wall, which sounds an alarm if the power goes off. For that matter, my present machine is running on a deep cycle battery system, and also has an alarm that sounds if that power fails. I have the legacy Respironics ASV (tank model), and its humidifier actually has a valve that opens to the ouside if pressure fails. That's so far down the hose, though, that I really should get that inline valve, to place at the mask end.

I tried full face masks, but did not get along well with them. Not only were there constant mask leaks, I found that the mask pushed my jaw in, increasing the apnea problems. But, many people here seem to do fine with full face masks. Chin straps also did not work for me. I have not tried a hybrid mask. For me, by far the best mask has been a pillow mask, currently the Swift II (I tried the FX and LT, but did not like them, although they are supposedly improved versions).

Well, good luck with the problem. It really does sound like it is a mouth leak; and, leaks of all kinds have to be dealt with before Cpap therapy has a chance of working.

[Pugsy]

Well, yesterday I just received my ResMed s9 elite and I use a ResMed Mirage Micro nasal Cushion Mask. I set the Humidifier at 4.0 and couldn't go the entire night because of the extreme dry mouth.

Welcome to the forum.
Please add your equipment to your profile so we can see at a glance what you use each time.
If you have never formally registered to the forum you will need to do that first or log in under your other screen ID if that ID has registered.
Here's how to add you equipment.
wiki/index.php/Registering_Equipment_in_User_Profile

Dry mouth...first suspect is mouth breathing. Could be a little or a lot. It doesn't take much mouth breathing to dry out the mouth. Your machine collects data. You can use software to look at the leak line itself to see if you are mouth breathing enough to impact therapy. You may or may not be losing a lot of pressure through the mouth
Software available in Uncle Bob's signature..here. memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=38643

Using the software tutorial here..http://montfordhouse.com/cpap/resscan_tutorial/

Finally even people who do use a full face mask can complain of dry mouth. They still breathe through the mouth and it dries out. They just aren't losing therapy pressure with a full face mask. There are some products available to help limit dry mouth. Biotene has a mouth wash.

[Bobby269]

I use the Quatro FX full face mask. I use the climate line hose which when attached allows you a choice of temperatures.( when set to auto ) For me 81F helps. This and Biotene reduces the dry mouth, but doesn't completely eliminate it. If I would breath only through my nose it would stop.