Whining new Hose Head

justsharon · Post by **justsharon** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 9:13 am

Hello everyone,

I've had my CPAP for about a month. My sleep study showed a RDI of 100, just had my pressure adjusted up to 10.4 ( I was snoring over the 9). My nose is sore from the nasal pillows ( size S ) the simple cushion (size L ) moves and leaks, thus waking me up. I'm feeling frustrated and not feeling much more rested than before I started using my CPAP. I'm sorry I'm whining but I just can't seem to get comfortable. Do I just need more time?

Has anyone tried the CPAP PRO mouthpiece thing?

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 9:53 am

Hi Sharon,

The sleep disruptions from the equipment can wear you out just as much as the sleep apnea did before. You've come to the right place to find out ways to make it all work better so that you can finally get some sleep while getting treatment.

justsharon wrote:the simple cushion (size L ) moves and leaks, thus waking me up.

Try putting a homemade stretchy soft strap over the front of your ComfortLite 2's "simple cushion" nosepiece. Tie the homemade strap behind your head, up high on the back of the head....like so:

That picture is showing a different mask (Aeiomed "Headrest"/Aura) but the placement of the extra strap (shown in red) is the same way I use a homemade strap with my ComfortLite 2. Keeps the "simple cushion" in place much better all night. The homemade extra strap doesn't have to be worn tightly at all. Just having it "there" gives that little bit of extra stabilizing much in the same way that putting one's fingers lightly against the front of a mask can stop a leak.

Any long strip of cloth will do for making a homemade strap. I use the leg cut off a pair of pantyhose tights. But you could use a long strip of T-shirt material, or flannel...anything that will be soft and have a little give to it. Tie the homemade strap behind your head with a doublestart knot so the "knot" will lie flat. A doublestart knot will stay tied but is very easy to take loose in the morning:
http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/doublestartknot.htm

It helps to rig up a way to hold the main air hose above your head, too. Keeps the weight of the air hose from tugging at any mask when you toss and turn:
LINKS to Hose hangers and methods of managing the air hose

justsharon wrote:Has anyone tried the CPAP PRO mouthpiece thing?

viewtopic.php?t=6091

For more help getting all the pieces of the puzzle together in this kind of treatment, see Mile High Sleeper's great info resource:
http://www.smart-sleep-apnea.blogspot.com/

justsharon · Post by **justsharon** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 10:07 am

Thanks Rested Gal, I'll give the additional strap a try. I must say my husband loves my machine......first time in eight years he has slept WITHOUT his ear plugs.

Sharon

snoregirl · Post by **snoregirl** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 10:55 am

Your husband gets to feel better right away, you will too in time.

Hang in there.

justsharon · Post by **justsharon** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 11:38 am

Thanks for the encouragement.......I know the CPAP has got to be healthier for me. During my study my O2 sats dropped to 69%. So I'm willing to stick with it. Everyone here is so helpful, I've really learned alot since I started reading here. Thank you again.

Sharon

Gerald · Post by **Gerald** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 4:02 pm

Sharon......This is my first post on this board. I'm using the same mask as you do....and I have some ideas that may help you conquer your difficulties with it.

First, I realized that I needed some sort of lube between the nasal pillows and my nose. I figured that lanolin might be a good choice....and my lady found some for me. It's called "Lansinoh"...and it's for breastfeeding mothers. I've found that it works great! It's a great lube....and acts as a sealant to help prevent air leakage. In the morning, my nose is very "happy"....soft as a.....well, you know.

Second, I found that the small version of nasal pillows was the best physical fit for me....but the air opening on each "pillow" seemed to be too small. I carefully cut a little off of each pillow to open up the air passages.

Third, I discovered that the angle between the nasal pillows and the plastic air tube was not right.....I couldn't get the pillows into my nose at the correct angle....for optimum comfort and seal....and still have the pillow head connect up to the air supply tube correctly. Time for modifications!

At this point.....I want to diverge....and give you an engineering technique I learned long ago. i grew up in the school bus distribution business....I was a school bus dealer.....and operated a bus rebuilding shop for many years.

When a bus came in that needed a mirror in a place where a mirror had never been mounted before, I had a method of installation that never failed. I would get in the driver's seat, ask one of my mechanics to hold the mirror head close to the bus....and in the general area where I knew it should be mounted. I would then ask him to move the mirror head around....changing the angles...until I found the best possible position for viewing. At this point, I'd tell him to "FREEZE, DON'T MOVE"....and I'd get out of the driver's seat, walk to where he was holding the mirror in space....and THEN, I'd figure out how to engineer a bracket that would attach the mirror head to the bus in exactly the best position.

Notice, I went at it backwards....I experienced the RESULT I wanted BEFORE I installed the bracket. Instead of mounting a bracket on the bus where I THOUGHT the mirror head might should be, I did the job in reverse.

Now...to get back on track. I found the same "mirror mounting" technique to be what I had to do to get my mask to work properly. Here's how I did it.

I took the pillow head off of the air supply tube.....lubed my nose with lanolin....and got in front of a magnifying mirror so that I could experiment with different angles where the pillows contact my nose. I even used an additional hand-held mirror for better observation.

Once I figured out the optimum angle of insertion, I looked at the angle of the air supply tube connection.....and realized that I couldn't make the two parts come together....and still have comfort. I then began my modification.

Underneath the pillow is a "T-Shaped" piece of metal which acts as a stiffener and positioner. With a small set of needle-nose pliers, I began to change the "curve" of the metal stiffener...so that the angle between the pillows and the air supply tube became less....so that the pillows finally fit against my nose perfectly....when the nasal pillow assembly was connected to the air supply tube.

I also changed the distance between the pillow heads by squeezing the "T-Shaped" stiffener together...so that the side-to-side measurements were changed.

I tried it out....and found a GREAT improvement. Excellent comfort...excellent seal.

Fourth....When I had conquered the fit problems with my nasal pillows, I decided to try out the "direct seal" type pillow assembly. I found that a size #4 was very similar to the "small" nasal pillow assembly....except that it fits against the nose in a different manner.

I went through the same "mirror mounting" process with the #4 "direct seal" assembly....and came up with a slightly better system (for me, at least) than the "nasal pillow" style.

At this point, I have not tried out the full nose cover style "simple cushion seal"......I intend to do so....but I have my doubts that the seal and comfort will beat the "direct seal" type assembly. Like you have found, I suspect it'll leak air...and probably won't give me more comfort than I have achieved with the "simple pillow" assembly.

Unlike you, I've only used my system for about 10-nights....but, I have just about got it adjusted to fit my face in a VERY comfortable way. I'm quite pleased. I realize that I could never purchase the services I've just described to you....I'm a mechanic with engineering and fabrication abilities....and there's no way I could find anyone who would take the time necessary to "tweak & tune" the way I'm doing.

I can only encourage you to take matters into your own hands...and learn how to make the adjustments necessary to get the most out of your head gear. The "tweaks & tunes" amount to no more than 1/8" to 1/4" here and there....but they make all the difference.

You can do it.

Gerald

Bonnie · Post by **Bonnie** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 8:17 pm

You've just accomplished what a lot of us do. Lab-ratting to perfect fitting on specific problems....Welcome and congratulations on your lab-ratting!! Sounds like you're on the right track to a great fit.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 8:42 pm

Bonnie wrote:You've just accomplished what a lot of us do. Lab-ratting to perfect fitting on specific problems....Welcome and congratulations on your lab-ratting!! Sounds like you're on the right track to a great fit.

I agree, Bonnie! Gerald's a born lab rat!! That's a huge compliment, btw, Gerald. Loved your reverse engineering way of going about it.

KimberlyinMN · Post by **KimberlyinMN** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 1:23 pm

Gerald wrote:First, I realized that I needed some sort of lube between the nasal pillows and my nose. I figured that lanolin might be a good choice....and my lady found some for me. It's called "Lansinoh"...and it's for breastfeeding mothers. I've found that it works great! It's a great lube....and acts as a sealant to help prevent air leakage. In the morning, my nose is very "happy"....soft as a.....well, you know.

Will the lanolin do any damage to the silicone on masks or nasal pillows? I did go buy this stuff today (the Lansinoh) at Walgreens. I suppose I should ask first, buy later... LOL

Kimberly

oldgearhead · Post by **oldgearhead** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 1:54 pm

I've been using Bag Balm (mostly lanolin) off and on since 2001 and I
see no ill-effects on the nasal pillows. Even my very old Adams Circuit
nasal pillows look and feel fine.

Another thing that works well with the Simple Cushion is one of those
chin straps with the hole for your chin. Just put it on the CL2's tube, then
install the simple cushion, tie the chin strap behind your head, and use it to
increase the contact pressure of the simple cushion.

KimberlyinMN · Post by **KimberlyinMN** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 1:58 pm

oldgearhead wrote:I've been using Bag Balm (mostly lanolin) off and on since 2001 and I
see no ill-effects on the nasal pillows. Even my very old Adams Circuit
nasal pillows look and feel fine.

Thanks so much! I'm looking forward to gooing up my nostrils tonight. I did tell my mom when I talked to her this morning that all of her telling me to NOT stick something up my nose seems to be working -- it still seems kind of weird to be sticking the nose pillows up my nostrils. (I wonder if they will change shape because of this?)

Kimberly

Whining new Hose Head

Whining new Hose Head

Re: Whining new Hose Head

Whining new Hose Head

Whining new hose head

Re: Whining new hose head