pap cap

[pdean44]

I am not sure yet If i will need to use the pap cap or not. I would like some feed back from those of you that are using one or a similar type of device. For the last month or so I was sleeping on the couch when my wife was working to cut her a break so she could sleep when she had to get up for work the next day. I got my machine 2 nights ago and wanted to get used to it before I moved back to our bedroom. So I have not had my wife next to me to see if she noticed any mouth breathing or any other issues. Tonight i will be moving back to my place by her side. We have been together since we were teens so it was very important to me to get this situation under control. I am 52 now and did not like this separation this problem was causing. I had no idea I had apnea when I went to see my doctor. I just wanted the snoring to stop. I am extremely happy so far with how this has been going. No where near as rough as I anticipated. This group really helped me to gear up for what to expect. I really do appreciate all of your postings that I have been sifting through as I waited to get my gear. Now once I get the eqipment I need to monitor how things are going I will feel like I have a lot more control over how things are going. Working on that part

Just need to order that reader when I have some extra cash.

[LSAT]

QUOTE..." Now once I get the eqipment I need to monitor how things are going I will feel like I have a lot more control over how things are going. Working on that part "


With your machine, you can monitor your data on the screen each night without a reader.

[SleepyInIndy]

The most prevelent sign that you are 'mouth breathing' is a dry mouth/throat. While the dryness can be caused by other things, it is usually all the air going into your nose and right out the mouth.

For me, when I first started therapy I did not mouth breathe. After about a week or so, I started to. I improvised a chinstrap using the sash from my terrycloth bathrobe. My wife nicknamed my getup as 'Marley" from Scrooge. That seemed to fix my problem but, of course, a lasso on my round head wouldn't stay in place throughout the night. Thus my investment in the pap-cap. Others have found other chinstraps that work for them.

I don't believe that any chinstrap will 'winch' the jaw closed. Instead it acts as a firm reminder. Even with my pap-cap, I can still open my mouth if I desire. As such, they don't work for everyone. If the strap doesn't work, you will probably have to look for and find a full face mask that works for you. But in determining if a strap will work, you might look at a 'home-brew' version before making the investment. For me, the pap-cap was worth the investment.

[pdean44]

QUOTE..." Now once I get the eqipment I need to monitor how things are going I will feel like I have a lot more control over how things are going. Working on that part "


With your machine, you can monitor your data on the screen each night without a reader.

Still trying to figure out how to do that I cant seem to find the areas where it is accessed. Will have to sift through the manual i downloaded.

[JohnBFisher]

QUOTE..." Now once I get the eqipment I need to monitor how things are going I will feel like I have a lot more control over how things are going. Working on that part "
With your machine, you can monitor your data on the screen each night without a reader.

Still trying to figure out how to do that I cant seem to find the areas where it is accessed. Will have to sift through the manual i downloaded.

Sending you a PM ...

[fidelfs]

I also found that chinstraps don't work. I have the papcap, the design is great but it has a flaw for big heads or maybe sensible heads.

If I set papcap well, to prevent me to open the mouth, I won't be able to sleep because pain caused by the chinstrap or if I leave it just snug then I am able to open the mouth.

Full face mask looks like alternative, but be prepared to a fight/war with leaks. The flaw I see on the current design is the mask is symmetric and our faces are not. To compound the problem the masks are made of hard plastic that does not give if you move and the mask touch anything it will dislodge and leak.

[Bearcat42]

Speaking for myself I love my Papcap and wouldnt use anything else. My wife never has complained of me mouth breathing, but that doesnt mean it isnt there. My leak numbers look good when factoring in the leak rate for my mask so I am satisfied with what the Papcap is doing to help my therapy.

[Ms.Snuffleupagus]

I tried my PapCap with my Opus 360 nasal pillow mask last night. It was only the second time I tried it. Usually I tape my mouth. Well my leak rate was 0.0! The only thing was that because I was worried about mouth leaks and wasn't sure what to expect, I had it cinched up real tight. I am going to try it a little looser tonight and see what happens.

[tattooyu]

You do have to cinch the chinstrap pretty snug on the PAPCap, but I think Bret may be redesigning the chinstrap to help with that. For me, it's the only thing that allowed zero leaks with my Swift FX (formerly my Swift LT). I love it, but I have a rather small head. Actually, I find that to be a little bit of an issue, as the front of the cap sometimes rides down into my brow area. Maybe one day he'll have different cap sizes?

[Bearcat42]

You do have to cinch the chinstrap pretty snug on the PAPCap, but I think Bret may be redesigning the chinstrap to help with that. For me, it's the only thing that allowed zero leaks with my Swift FX (formerly my Swift LT). I love it, but I have a rather small head. Actually, I find that to be a little bit of an issue, as the front of the cap sometimes rides down into my brow area. Maybe one day he'll have different cap sizes?

I had the same problem when I first started using the Papcap. I had all kinds of trouble with the cap riding down to the brow area but I slid it as far back as I could and it seems to work well for me like this. It is the most comfortable when I keep my hair cut relatively short. My chinstrap is fairly snug and even sometimes leaves a little bit of a mark but if there is a redesign in the works I would certainly like to try it.

[KatieW]

I love it, but I have a rather small head. Actually, I find that to be a little bit of an issue, as the front of the cap sometimes rides down into my brow area. Maybe one day he'll have different cap sizes?

This happened to me too, so I modified the front of the cap--fold the front edge of the cap under, from 1/2 inch - 3/4 inch, tapering it to nothing when you get to where the velcro in the back starts. Give it a good press with a steam iron, (don't iron the fuzzy velcro as it's very heat sensitive) try it out for one night. If works well, then you can sew it down, if you want.

[fidelfs]

I tried my PapCap with my Opus 360 nasal pillow mask last night. It was only the second time I tried it. Usually I tape my mouth. Well my leak rate was 0.0! The only thing was that because I was worried about mouth leaks and wasn't sure what to expect, I had it cinched up real tight. I am going to try it a little looser tonight and see what happens.

Does not hurt when you do that?