Kiddo saying can't breathe w/pillows...humidifier adjustmt?

[SleepingUgly]

We switched our son from the Micro to the Swift FX for Her. One night he woke up and said his ear hurt. Last night he couldn't breathe through his nose at 1am... The leaks are much better than with the Micro--or at least seem to have the potentially to be--and it doesn't put the same pressure on his developing face, so I'd really like to persist with the pillows. I already turned the humidifier down from 80 degrees to 76. Any suggestions about what I should set it to? Is there something else we should be doing?

BTW, as a kid he's constantly exposed to germs so the congestion could be due to a virus, allergies, or the CPAP. I have no idea which! He doesn't seem very congested during the day these last few days, so he definitely doesn't have a full blown cold.

[jabman]

Maby you could adjust the humidifer down a little lower like down to 70% to see if it helps. It could be that he is comming down with a cold, It is that time of year.

[jilliansue]

Hi, SleepingUgly,

I have had problems with congestion/stuffiness at night, even when I don't have a cold. Initially, I got hooked on the Afrin type of spray. I got a script for Nasonex, a nasal steroid, and it helps. I would like to not take it nightly forever, but, it does help. So maybe he is just congested at night without being sick, as happens to me. I, too, have awakened feeling I can't breathe, can't get enough air into my lungs.

Good luck to you and the young'un!

Jilliansue

[SleepingUgly]

I edited my original post to indicate that the humidifier is set to DEGREES, not PERCENT, a minor detail that has been lost on me for apparently months.

I set it down to 72 DEGREES tonight. I hope this helps.

Thanks!

[jabman]

I edited my original post to indicate that the humidifier is set to DEGREES, not PERCENT, a minor detail that has been lost on me for apparently months.

I set it down to 72 DEGREES tonight. I hope this helps.

Thanks!

lol, I used percent also, even though I knew it was degrees.

Edited to add __- I hope your son has a better night tonight.

[ozij]

SU, I hope very very much that lowering the humidifier's amount of humidity will help.

However, for some people the air flow from nasal pillows is a mechanical irritant that causes congestion -
If that were to turn out to be the case, could you ask the kid's doctor whether a test of slightly lowering the pressure is a good idea?

If the optimal pressure for controlling his AHI is too high for leak control, and his sleep is disrupted, then compromises have to be searched for: he has to get the best sleep possible for him -- not the lowest AHI.

I'm sure you don't need the following comment, but for others who may not have thought of it: Since a child grows and changes rapidly all the time, his face shape and size change as well - whichever mask a child uses, I think it should be re-fit from scratch frequently - my thinking (base on nothing...) is once a month -- or maybe once in 6 weeks, 6 weeks being my hairdresser's recommended interval for keeping my hair in shape.... and yes, I realize what a hassle that can be since a refit doesnt' always catch the first time...

By the way, SU, is Kiddo capable of tweaking the mask on his own already?

[Muse-Inc]

SU, my first mask, my beloved OptiLife (pillow), require lots more humidity during the coldest days. I ran at 3/4 to almost max during the colnest nights. In warmer weather, I needed less humidity. When I had to move to a FFM, I found I needed little humidity compare to my pillow mask.

With his change in mask, based on my experience, I'd say monitor the humidity and adjust as needed to achieve comfort.

[SleepingUgly]

By the way, SU, is Kiddo capable of tweaking the mask on his own already?

He doesn't seem to wake up to the leaks except a small proportion of the time. So he may be having arousals, grinding the heck out of his teeth, or showing signs that it's causing arousals like closing his mouth or something, but doesn't become fully alert. He does sometimes wake up to problems, like headaches, or dizziness, but only rarely to leaks. It makes tweaking leaks problematic when you're not aware you're having them, yet they are disturbing your sleep.

[Tovi]

I have allergies. I found the 'can''t breathe' feeling was because the humidity and heat weren't high enough for me. It seemed counterintuitive to me, but that's what my sleep doc suggested. I set it to 79 degrees and 4.0 humidity. The air feels slightly warm and moist and that's soothing to me

I also use EPR. With it turned off, I feel I can't breathe out without a lot of effort, which also makes feel like I can't breathe.

[ozij]

By the way, SU, is Kiddo capable of tweaking the mask on his own already?

He doesn't seem to wake up to the leaks except a small proportion of the time. So he may be having arousals, grinding the heck out of his teeth, or showing signs that it's causing arousals like closing his mouth or something, but doesn't become fully alert. He does sometimes wake up to problems, like headaches, or dizziness, but only rarely to leaks. It makes tweaking leaks problematic when you're not aware you're having them, yet they are disturbing your sleep.

I can see how problematic that is.
Is he capable of tweaking it during a mask setup session, some time in the afternoon (not at bedtime)?

[SleepingUgly]

I set it to 79 degrees and 4.0 humidity.

With the climateline, I only see degrees on the screen. With the slimline I see the 4.0, 3.0, etc. but not degrees. What am I missing?

[SleepingUgly]

Is he capable of tweaking it during a mask setup session, some time in the afternoon (not at bedtime)?

We haven't tried having him adjust straps. He can seat/reseat a nasal interface. He may be able to do pillows, but I'm not sure. So far the pillows haven't gotten totally dislodged. At this point in his life he's not going to be able to troubleshoot leaks like I do (e.g., adjusting straps, putting Lansinoh on the pillows, etc.).

Now we have a new problem. The Ruby chinstrap, which we were using as a chin lift and a mouth cover, has caused red, raw marks on his chin. I got this myself from that chinstrap in the past, and it hurts! These last two nights were the first two in a few days that he used the pillows all night, and now this. If it's not one thing, it's another. Sigh.

[ozij]

Oy.
You've got my full sympathy.

[archangle]

If you're feeling that you're not getting enough air through the nose, try opening your mouth and see if air gushes out. That may tell you if you've really got a problem, or it may convince your mind that air is coming in.

[SleepingUgly]

I edited my post to indicate that my son had worn the pillows all night 2 nights in a row, not me (I wrote "I"...a little over-identification, perhaps?!). He complained one night of a headache and something else, but not that he couldn't breathe. No idea if it has anything to do with turning the humidifier down to 72 degrees, or he's just over whatever made him feel congested. Now we're on to how to deal with the chin. Air leaks out of his mouth badly, so being able to use the Ruby as a chinstrap/mouth cover was great progress. But there's no way we can put something on his chin the way it is. It looks like an abrasion/rug burn in two spots. But I had one just like it from the Ruby, and I'm sure it hadn't been slipping around so I don't know what it does to cause that. Hoping it works solely as a mouth cover if it doesn't go under his chin tonight...