what would be a good mask for facial neuropathy

[rickyjoe48]

While I am not newly diagnosed, I am awaiting my first titration study so I do not have any equipment list.
I have a facial neuropathy which is an artifact of a sinus surgery. (mid-face deglovng with attendant orbital facial nerve damage). The surgery was in 1994 so I am convinced the neuropathy is permanent.
There is an area up to one inch wide on the left side of my face starting at the inside corner of my eye, extending down along the side of my nose to the top of my top lip that is highly sensitive to touch. Stimulation in this area causes headaches, pain in the area plus several of my teeth also hurt. I wear contacts most of the time because the weight of glasses becomes unbearable after a short period of time.
Does anyone have A suggestion for what type of mask to start with? I am not a mouth breather. I first tried an oral appliance and for seven months enjoyed good comfort; my blood pressure became manageable and i went from four meds to two while my subjective symptoms all got markedly better. However, at my follow up sleep study, I still have an AHI of 37 With 202 RERA’s Over the study period. Since I still have severe apnea with the OA I wonder if higher pressures will be needed for effective treatment.
Thanks I greatly appreciate any help.

[Pugsy]

Welcome to the forum.

A lot of people think that severity of the OSA will dictate pressure needs but that's not true.
People can have a really mild AHI of say 8 and need 20 cm pressure and the next person might have an AHI of 100 and only need 6 cm pressure.
It all depends on the tissues in the airway and how much pressure is actually needed to hold prevent the collapses.

For masks...look at something that touches your face as little as possible.
That is usually going to be one of the nasal pillow masks...check out the one I use (link below).
Also take a stroll through the various nasal pillow masks out there.
https://www.cpap.com/cpap-masks/nasal-pillow-cpap-mask

Pay special attention to the TapPap since you are accustomed to a mouth guard. Might be right up your alley...no headgear and just barely touches the nostrils.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/tap-pa ... k-improved

[rickyjoe48]

Thank you Pugsy,

The TAP- PAP makes sense. I am wearing a dream TAP now and should’ve thought of that. I have been looking at the circadiance cloth masks, But since they cannot be hospital sterilized The lab was reluctant to use them. I imagine that they will have the same issue with the TAP device. Circadence Offers a 30 day return policy so I was going to order them myself for testing. Even one night of a constant headache with a hard plastic/ silicone face mask on is far from appealing, And it certainly makes sleeping a practical problem. A cloth mask also has issues over 12 cm and might be self-limiting if that is what is required. fortunately for me the nostril side of my nose is outside the affected area.

Have you heard anything about the TAP - PAP for side sleepers?

[Pugsy]

I actually used the TapPap for a little over a year with great success.
I am primarily a side sleeper but like most people do spend a little time on my back. I try to keep it minimal because sleeping on my back causes a lot of back pain.
I changed to the P10 for a couple of reasons.
1...the P10 venting is silent and doesn't annoy my husband
2...at the same time the P10 was released I was also having some dental work done on a couple of very old crowns that needed repair so I couldn't really use the mouth guard for a while. Good time to try the newly released (back then) P10 and I liked it so well I just never went back to the TapPap.

Once I got used to the mouth guard (never even had braces or used anything like that) the TapPap pretty much disappeared on my face.
The pillows don't have to be super snug to seal. You can easily sleep in any position you wish...I even did some sleeping on my stomach with it. I woke up some mornings and couldn't feel the mask, or mouth guard or even the machine blowing air. Sort of like I wasn't even using them but I was.

[kteague]

+1 on the TapPap suggestion if you meet dental requirements. I am at times prone to being easily agitated by sensations and when I get like that I don't want headgear touching me. My teeth felt a bit sore the first week or two but in the years since then it has been the most easy to forget and leak free mask. If you do decide to go with this mask, you might want to read up on prior tips on here. The one I'd consider most important is the instruction to wiggle it while fitting to loosen it a bit. My first time I tried I had it on so tight I was holding warm water in my mouth trying to soften the mouthpiece enough to get it off. Lesson learned. Outside that mask, maybe viewing the other options would reveal one that has headgear that does not press on your problem area.

[TropicalDiver]

At the other end of the spectrum, how about something like the FitLife Total Face?

[chunkyfrog]

Or think about a cloth mask? (Sleepweaver)

[rickyjoe48]

thanks everybody, i think i’ll try the cloth mask first. lots of good ideas, the full face mask might be something to explore if nothing else works though