sore face and gas too

sleeplesssue · Post by **sleeplesssue** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 9:57 pm

Sleeplesssue here again. I've been at this a little while now and I'm still having mask problems. I had a small comfort gel mask. It was too big, but the way the head gear fits is nice. Something about that gel made my face look like it had hives for most of the day, then all day later on. I got Breeze nasal pillows and that was nice for a few days. Nasal pillows really make my nose hurt inside, like I've been punched in the nose. It's the inflation thing. so I got a small Gold Seal mask It was awful. The way it fit my head made the tissue under my nose break out and my forehead really hurt. So I made a frankenstien mask out of the comfort gel mask and the Gold Seal. I cut the blue gel thing down and squished the Gold one into it so that it made good contact with my face. Then I could fit it into the headgear of the Comfort Gel mask, which I love. OK, the problem I have now is that the area just under my nose still gets really sore, even bleeds. It's the place where the gel mask is sealed and a little4 seam of plastic sticks out there. I've trimmed it, but it still offends. Is there something I can do to cover my face there and still get a seal? I guess the skin is just so delicate. I've also had a runny nose for about 2 months. What do you do when you have an allergy like that and OTC allergy stuff doesn't help (except benedryl, and I fell asleep driving taking that a while back..no more of that, thank God I woke up in time.) I blow all that stuff down my throat at night and spend all day coughing and sneezing it all out again. Allergies.

I know this has been brought up before, but I am having another problem too that I didn't have for so many months. Air blows into my belly at night. I try to belch if I wake up and realize my stomach is full of air. sometimes it is so full it hurts and wakes me up. And I also now have "gas" so bad, it's awful. I hate to leave home to be around other people because i have such a n awful time with this. Of course it doesn't smell like roses, I can't stand it. But I slept 3 nights without my CPAP over the weekend and the third morning I woke up so sick, and got a migraine, so i stayed awake a while until I got some air in me. Then I took my migraine pill and then felt sick, so i put on my CPAP and went back to sleep so i wouldn't throw up my migraine pill. Sleeping makes the migraine go away, if I can get to sleep, and if I breathe and sleep at the same time.

Good Grief. When will I get this all down to an art and feel good and not hurt my face all at the same time?

sleeplesssue · Post by **sleeplesssue** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 10:16 pm

does your pressure need to be adjusted if you loose weight. I've lost 50 pounds since my prescription was made?

Darth Vader Look · Post by **Darth Vader Look** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 11:23 pm

Hi sleeplesssue,

One thing you could do is to show the equipment you use for your treatment by editing/updating your user profile. That would help us out a lot.

Congratulations on losing 50 lbs. Yes your pressure requirement will be lower now that you have lost the weight. Had you had an APAP (auto machine) it would have made the adjustment for you since it only uses what is needed. The weight loss could be a big factor in your aerophagia (swallowing of air) because your pressure requirement is less. Auto's seem to help that out as well.

In regards to your sore nose when using the Breeze nasal pillows, a heated humidifier may be beneficial if you don't have one already. If you do turn it up another level or 2.

Other things to use include RoEzIt, Secarius gel or Ayr gel and in that order.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 9:55 am

I also have lost 50 pounds since starting treatment (thanks WW!); but I was re-titrated and my pressure actually increased! However, I did not agree with the new pressure and tweaked the machine myself slightly lower than the prescribed pressure but still over my original.

sleeplesssue · Post by **sleeplesssue** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 10:15 pm

thanks for the congrats. I worked hard to loosse it, and am still trying for 30 more pounds to be at my ideal weight. I've lost 60 pounds now. I'm really embarassed about passing so much "air" all the time. It keepss me away from people. I feel totally lousy if I sleep without the CPAP. I'm getting really tired of the skin under my nose breaking down, and the bridge of my nose is high, so it feels like somebody smacked me in the nose all day. It looks like it too, dark circles under my eyes even, on some days. It really looks and feels bruised. Yet, if I loosen the straps, air will leak around the sides of the mask, usually near my mouth. I have high cheeks and then a small mouth. I also am getting a line forming down both sides of my face, along my nose, to the corners of my mouth (ugh). (none of us is growing any younger darlin') My mask leaks at these points if I don't really tie it down. To top it off I'm a mouth breather from way back! I have found that one of those head band things from Old Navy (the kind you keep your ears warm with in winter) fits my head better and is softer than that latex thing my DME sold me, and is cheaper too. (I'm allergic to latex) I put that around my head to keep my mouth shut at night, but I can still open it if I'm awake, or need to. I can't do taping. I have had acid reflux and aspirated before in my sleep. It's too scary for me to have a taped mouth. With the nasal pillows it is the inflation of my nose that causes the soreness, not the drying. My nares are rather oblong too, which makes the pillows rather leaky too. I use a saline gel. I must really be a hard person to fit. I want to sleep well with no pain or black eyes. Even so, life was unbearable before CPAP. I can't go back. My O2 levels were pretty low at my study. My doctor didn't like it at all.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 10:59 pm

Sleeplesssue.......Gidgie here......not logged in......my browser's got a booger somewhere........I know where you're coming from on the gas thing.....my pressure's pretty high......17, and a lot of that air goes down the wrong hatch.......Just lately have been trying out a product from Tums called 'gas relief' still haven't completely fixed the problem, but on the otherhand, haven't embarrassed myself either........Don't know if you can do this with your kind of mask....mine is full face.....but Moleskin, a product made by Dr. Scholls (for feet) works for me......goes on the mask, not the face.......I have heard of something super soft, like chamois has been used too......Hang in there, girl, and think like a cat.......all things are meant to be played with!........Of course, I see you've been really, superbly inventive without anyone telling you!......

tooly125 · Post by **tooly125** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 10:39 am

my browser's got a booger somewhere

Nothing worse than browser boogers!

I also swallow a lot of air I get a little bubble of air that forms in the back of my throat just sits there until i swallow then its down the hatch and the next bubble forms. Looking through the posts it sounds like there are at least a few people waking with stomachs full of air.

sore face and gas too

sore face and gas too

forgot to ask