Rested gal help!!!

cpappy chulo · Post by **cpappy chulo** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 7:18 pm

Hi RG, (and the rest of you GUYS). First of all I think I have read all your posts and thanks for all of your knowledge.
I bought The respironics M series (APAP) + humidifier + Software and I use a comfort gel NASAL mask. I have been using it for 2 wks. and I feel is not helping me. I also believe Im a mouth breather or maybe I sleep with my mouth open. A few mornings I have awaken with a dry mouth. By using the software, how do I know Im a mouth breather?, these are my numbers:

Avg. Max Leak: 108 lpm
Avg. 90% Leak: 53.4 lpm
Avg. Leak 42 lpm
Avg time in large leak per night: 0 minutes

I have an average pressure APAP (90 percentile) of 14-15 cm/H2O. According to the literature that came with my mask I should expect a Exhaust leak rate around 35 LPM. What all these numbers mean.

Avg time in large leak per night: 0 minutes (does this means that my leaks are brief?)

Please, help me RG and you other guys reading this post. Today I have ordered a full face mask. Thanks in advanced for your replies.

cflame1 · Post by **cflame1** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 7:38 pm

try reading about taping... and then try the actual taping... see if your numbers go down.

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 8:10 pm

... or you can try to train yourself not to leak thru your mouth (it does work for some).

While awake during the day, try to practice breathing only thru your nose while holding your mouth open ... you can start off by holding your tongue up against the soft upper palette of your mouth. After a while you may notice that you no longer even have to think about it.

If it does not work for you, you may need to go to full face mask or try taping or glueing your mouth shut at night.

I know there are many who do not believe that it works ... so I'll put my digital fire suit on and prepare to shield the flames.

GoofyUT · Post by **GoofyUT** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 8:59 pm

Worked for me, bro! Got myself trained within a week. No tape, no chin-strap, no Polident, no NOTHING. And, I get great results every night from my Swift NASAL pillows system.

So, it can be done!

Relax and take a break from the asbestos suit, 'berto!

No flames from me!!!

Chuck

_________________

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): swift, Nasal Pillows

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 9:03 pm

Hi cpappy chulo,

Yep, your leaks are too high. The dry mouth is almost a sure sign of mouth breathing or cpap air gushing out of your mouth during sleep.

"Large Leak" is when the leaks (from mouth or mask or both) get so massive that the machine can no longer compensate by blowing harder to keep the pressure up. During "Large Leak" times (which you didn't have) the autopap will stop trying to keep the pressure up and will let the pressure drop down to the minimum in your pressure range settings until the Large Leak is corrected. It will also stop recording "events" like apneas/hypopneas/flow limitations during the Large Leak period.

The fact that you got "0" for "Large Leak" means the leaks never got that bad, but they sure got pretty close to that bad. You're getting very high leaks. The "0" Large Leak doesn't mean your leaks were of short duration...just means the machine never had to go into "Large Leak" operation.

heheh, DreamStalker, no flames from me! I do believe some people can get the tongue into a habit of maintaining a leakproof seal for nasal breathing. I worked on that for a long time, thought I'd achieved it, but never could really count on it. I think it depends very much on the inside geometry of a person's mouth/tongue whether that can eventually work reliably during the complete relaxation of sleep. But I absolutely agree that getting the tongue to maintain a leakproof seal all night can finally happen for some people, after daily practice, just as you said.

There was a time when I thought I had it licked. groan....!! pun intended.

Aug 31 2004 subject: Mouth leak training wheels

GoofyUT · Post by **GoofyUT** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 9:06 pm

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

Fagedaboudit!!!!

C

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 9:07 pm

Oh, something else, Chulo...

Those average pressures of 14 and 15 will probably come down a lot lower after you get the mouth air leaks stopped.

On nights when the tape I use over my mouth comes loose at a corner and lets some air escape out of my mouth, I often see the data showing higher pressures being used than on nights when the tape holds securely.

Links to: Mouth leaks - Air Leaks - Tape - DIY Guard
viewtopic.php?t=8011

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 9:07 pm

[quote="GoofyUT"]Worked for me, bro! Got myself trained within a week. No tape, no chin-strap, no Polident, no NOTHING. And, I get great results every night from my Swift NASAL pillows system.

So, it can be done!

Relax and take a break from the asbestos suit, 'berto!

No flames from me!!!

Chuck

Hurricane · Post by **Hurricane** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 9:14 pm

I also learned how not to mouth breath during cpap, started out with two kinds of chin straps, believe I trained myself to keep lips shut. Keep the straps handy though just in case. One less thing to be moving around at night.

pedroski · Post by **pedroski** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 9:26 pm

Hi cpappy chulo,

I used to mouth breathe all the time at night (before cpap) and had started buteyko breathing training to try and fix my cpap problems (without realising I was cpap). I used chinstraps to keep my mouth closed at night while I was sleeping. Like Dreamstalker and GoofyUT I have managed to train myself not to mouth breathe. Now if I open my mouth while I have my Swift II mask on the feeling is so revolting, I soon shut my mouth again.

Good luck,

Peter

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 9:31 pm

Actually, once you get real good at it ... you can actually talk while being pressured up with the PAP machine. I have not tried singing though as I cannot do it very well under normal conditions either

Oh ... and you can also learn to cough without blowing out your ears or blowing the nasal pillows out of your nares while under pressure ... sneezing is a whole different creature though.

pedroski · Post by **pedroski** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 10:29 pm

Regards Dreamstalker's comment (challenge?) re singing with the mask on: Well my wife will be glad to hear that, something for her to look forward to
I haven't tried coughing with the mask on yet, but clearing your sinuses by blowing against pinched nostrils is a weird feeling with that extra pressure in there.

cpappychulo · Post by **cpappychulo** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 1:46 am

Thanks Rested Gal and all others. I have learned a lot. THANKS

-SWS · Post by **-SWS** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 2:19 am

DreamStalker wrote:Actually, once you get real good at it ... you can actually talk while being pressured up with the PAP machine. I have not tried singing though as I cannot do it very well under normal conditions either

Oh ... and you can also learn to cough without blowing out your ears or blowing the nasal pillows out of your nares while under pressure ... sneezing is a whole different creature though.

Also... Remember those vacuum cleaner displays in the stores years ago? A beach ball would hover endlessly in mid air, directly over the airflow's exhaust. Don't see why the more dedicated enthusiasts among us couldn't learn to do that trick too.

Some of these learned skills clearly demonstrate members here taking therapy to bold new levels. Anyone interested in starting a new club called Association of Transcendental CPAPists please report back to this thread. We need to know how many plastic A.T.C. cards to print out. It might not be a bad idea to work on a group charter as well. And I think we would do well to practice synchronized beach-ball maneuvers for public display during certain holidays and parades.

I almost forgot to mention.... Good luck, cpappy chulo! You have come to the right place for advice!!!

blarg · Post by **blarg** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 2:43 am

-SWS wrote:Anyone interested in starting a new club called Association of Transcendental CPAPists please report back to this thread.

What, no whirling dhervish CPAP branch?

Rested gal help!!!

Rested gal help!!!

Yup, WORKS!

Shame!!!

Re: Yup, WORKS!

Mouth breathing

Singing with the mask on

Mask