New large leaks after 18 months of normal leaks... (w/ chinstrap)

[vintage]

Changed max to 14, mostly because 20 seemed like a big jump. I can bump this up as I get more data.

People don't seem to understand that just because a machine CAN go to whatever the max is set to that it changes nothing if the machine NEVER goes near that max. The max is just there in case something special ever happens that might cause the machine to WANT to go higher for some reason or other. Setting a lower max doesn't change the machine's response when in auto adjusting mode. All it might do (when set too low) is prevent the machine from trying to go higher when it thinks it needs to go higher to hold the airway open.

Nah, I get this.

There is a very valid reason that in Science 101 they advise one change at a time because if you make more than one change you don't know which change did what.

The reason we want to try taping the mouth first when attempting to isolate the cause of large leaks is to eliminate the chance of mouth breathing leaks. If the tape stays secure through the night (yours didn't) and we still see big leaks then we know that the leak isn't from the mouth opening and have to look at mask movement.
To fix a problem we first have to identify the problem. Obviously the fix for a mouth leak is going to be different from a mask movement leak.

Pick a pressure to use that is comfortable for you both in terms of mentally and physically....gotta get the sleep first for anything to really matter. Then keep that pressure and don't go changing it willy nilly.

You do need more minimum but it is allowable to increase the minimum in small baby steps so that you can more easily get adjusted to the newer pressure. You can also maybe extend the ramp time in hopes of being asleep when the ramp ends and you are at full pressure....or even use the Auto ramp feature instead of regular ramp.

I start ramping at 5 IIRC but was awake by the time ramp ended and I was at 7. I'll try 6 minimum and see how that goes tonight.

I'll also try w/ different mouth tape tonight to see if leaks continue.

Thanks!

[Dog Slobber]

hey, i well remember you giving me hell about seven years ago for failure to understand!

I guess I must have sensed the promise that you held.

[zonker]

hey, i well remember you giving me hell about seven years ago for failure to understand!

I guess I must have sensed the promise that you held.

i've missed these! i dunno how you do it, i'm just happy with the end results.

[Pugsy]

i dunno how you do it

He's really good with the photo shopping editing stuff....really, really good at it.

[zonker]

i dunno how you do it

He's really good with the photo shopping editing stuff....really, really good at it.

i can only look on with awe.

[vintage]

Forgot to put the SD card in two nights ago when I used transpore tape for the whole night. MyAir reported 32.4 L/min two nights ago which is a little weird given the transpore had my mouth tightly shut

Remembered to put it in last night. I used transpore until about 130am. I was drooling and it came loose so I took it off. Couldn't imagine ripping it off again in the a.m. (it hurts!) so I switched to a Somnifix around 140am:



I woke up feeling groggy and knowing I was exhaling through the slit in the Somnifix, so that's likely responsible for the large leaks after 130am. No leaks beforehand with the Transpore which certainly suggests it's preventing mouth leak.

Tonight I'm going to try a Somnifix with Transpore over it to minimize ripping on my lips when I take it off. Hopefully I get a solid night of good data.

[tisket]

Personally I found Somnifix to be useless. Never tried micropore but if it's painful to remove, I would try paper tape or the blue sensitive Nexcare tape. It is narrow so you might need several overlapping pieces but it is easy to remove.

[vintage]

Personally I found Somnifix to be useless. Never tried micropore but if it's painful to remove, I would try paper tape or the blue sensitive Nexcare tape. It is narrow so you might need several overlapping pieces but it is easy to remove.

Thanks. I'm casting a wide net with the tape. I ordered some of the Medvance Soft Silicone Tape today on the recommendation of someone in another thread.

I'll take a look at the Nexcare tape if I can't find a pain-free solution. Appreciate the tip!

[vintage]

Here's last night:



Up until 330am I was using Somnifix with 3m micropore tape over top. The slit in the Somnifix allowed me to breathe enough that an exhale pushed the 3m off my face. Which meant air could leak from the system.

I got rid of the Somnifix junk and used only 3m micropore with a chinstrap from 330am on. That seemed to do the trick! Despite too little sleep I feel pretty good this morning (and felt pretty good before looking at the data) so hopefully micropore + chinstrap does the trick going forward.

Thanks to everybody for helping me unpack this issue.

[tisket]

Always bend the ends of the tape over itself to make "handles" that are easy to grab and pull off the tape. If you have to do it while half asleep you don't want to be trying to scrape firmly attached tape off your cheeks to be able to start pulling.

[vintage]

Always bend the ends of the tape over itself to make "handles" that are easy to grab and pull off the tape. If you have to do it while half asleep you don't want to be trying to scrape firmly attached tape off your cheeks to be able to start pulling.

Makes sense!

Here's last night's data with a 2" piece of tape over my mouth plus a chinstrap:



Looks like the large leak problem was mostly mouth leak. Not loving sleeping with tape but better than feeling exhausted and I'm sure I'll get used to it.

Also seems like I should up the max even more.

[tisket]

0.01% large leak? Yeah I'd say it was mouth leaks.

I'd try it without the chinstrap. Chinstraps seem mostly useful for full face mask users whose seal over their mouth can break if their jaw drops. As a nasal pillows user I got no benefit from them when I tried several. The tape will hold your mouth closed. Your jaw relaxing isn't going to be enough to pull off the tape.

Note there is something called "chipmunk cheeks" which is what happens when your tongue relaxes but your mouth is taped shut. Your cheeks will puff way out as your mouth fills with pressurized air. This wakes some people up at first. If it isn't waking you up, it means you have either learned to sleep through these little disruptions, which is what has caused the problem in the first place, or else the tape is helping your sleeping mind remember to keep your tongue in position and keep your mouth airway closed.

[vintage]

0.01% large leak? Yeah I'd say it was mouth leaks.

I'd try it without the chinstrap. Chinstraps seem mostly useful for full face mask users whose seal over their mouth can break if their jaw drops. As a nasal pillows user I got no benefit from them when I tried several. The tape will hold your mouth closed. Your jaw relaxing isn't going to be enough to pull off the tape.

Note there is something called "chipmunk cheeks" which is what happens when your tongue relaxes but your mouth is taped shut. Your cheeks will puff way out as your mouth fills with pressurized air. This wakes some people up at first. If it isn't waking you up, it means you have either learned to sleep through these little disruptions, which is what has caused the problem in the first place, or else the tape is helping your sleeping mind remember to keep your tongue in position and keep your mouth airway closed.

Will give it a go w/o the chinstrap.

Thanks for the heads up re: chipmunk cheeks. Got them last night. Any suggestions on coping with them?

[tisket]

0.01% large leak? Yeah I'd say it was mouth leaks.

I'd try it without the chinstrap. Chinstraps seem mostly useful for full face mask users whose seal over their mouth can break if their jaw drops. As a nasal pillows user I got no benefit from them when I tried several. The tape will hold your mouth closed. Your jaw relaxing isn't going to be enough to pull off the tape.

Note there is something called "chipmunk cheeks" which is what happens when your tongue relaxes but your mouth is taped shut. Your cheeks will puff way out as your mouth fills with pressurized air. This wakes some people up at first. If it isn't waking you up, it means you have either learned to sleep through these little disruptions, which is what has caused the problem in the first place, or else the tape is helping your sleeping mind remember to keep your tongue in position and keep your mouth airway closed.

Will give it a go w/o the chinstrap.

Thanks for the heads up re: chipmunk cheeks. Got them last night. Any suggestions on coping with them?

Nope, just roll over and go back to sleep. It will eventually stop, just like you stopped waking up and fixing mouth leaks in the past.

[vintage]

0.01% large leak? Yeah I'd say it was mouth leaks.

I'd try it without the chinstrap. Chinstraps seem mostly useful for full face mask users whose seal over their mouth can break if their jaw drops. As a nasal pillows user I got no benefit from them when I tried several. The tape will hold your mouth closed. Your jaw relaxing isn't going to be enough to pull off the tape.

Note there is something called "chipmunk cheeks" which is what happens when your tongue relaxes but your mouth is taped shut. Your cheeks will puff way out as your mouth fills with pressurized air. This wakes some people up at first. If it isn't waking you up, it means you have either learned to sleep through these little disruptions, which is what has caused the problem in the first place, or else the tape is helping your sleeping mind remember to keep your tongue in position and keep your mouth airway closed.

Will give it a go w/o the chinstrap.

Thanks for the heads up re: chipmunk cheeks. Got them last night. Any suggestions on coping with them?

Nope, just roll over and go back to sleep. It will eventually stop, just like you stopped waking up and fixing mouth leaks in the past.

Thx. That was my approach last night. Cheers