Severe Facial Bruising and Pain

[Missyb0o]

Hello everyone! I am a newbie. I just got my machine Friday. I am having a problem with facial bruising and pain. I was diagnosed with OSA. I have severe allergies and constantly congested and have been for years. I am allergic to antihistamines and the only thing I can take is Sudafed. I am a mouth breather and have a full mask. The issues I am having besides the adjustment is that I have bruising on the sides of my mouth, cheekbones and across my chin. My face is painful to the touch. In just the short time and adjustment period I am already finding I am breathing better. I was told I am high pressure at 18. My machine has a function called SensAwake which drops the pressure when I wake and builds slowly until I am asleep. Is there anything I can do about the bruising? As the nights go on, I am staying asleep for less time and waking up with severe pain in my face. I have a very small face so my mask size is small. Going bigger is not an option according to my respiratory therapist as a size medium swallows my whole face. Since I am a mouth breather I cannot do any nasal masks due to the congestion. Any advice? Does the bruising and pain ever stop or is this something I am going to have to put up with forever because I cannot breathe? Thanks.

Missy

[BlackSpinner]

For most people there is no bruising or pain. You probably have the mask on much too tight. If when you loosen it, it leaks it is the wrong mask for you.

There are many different Full Face masks on the market and you need to go back to your DME (supplier) and tell them to get you a different mask.

[Sheriff Buford]

I think your mask is way too tight. Unless you have an abnormal condition, you should not have bruising or pain on your face. Your mask should "float" on you fave. Having a mask too tight will cram the mask cushion against the face (surface area) and will leak. Try loosening the mask. I got a replacement mask last night. The manufacturer changed up the head harness, so I was dealing with different straps. But the tension did not change. When I fire the machine up, my mask will inflate (very slightly) and the air pressure will make the mask rise very slightly. If the mask doesn't do that, then I have it too tight. My mask has more surface area than yours, but the concept should be the same. Hope this helps.

Sheriff

[Pugsy]

No mask should ever cause bruising or pain.
If it does..it's either too tight...poorly fitted...wrong size or simply not the right mask for your facial structure.
Bruises...totally unacceptable.

[Jack356]

You received good advice--your mask is way too tight!

I use the Mirage Quattro full face mask and it took me a week to realize that I get a good seal with very light pressure. I started off tightening the mask far too much and woke up with a headache every morning. Each night I loosened the straps more and more to where I thought it wouldn't hold the pressure but it does. Last night for the first night I was unaware I even had a mask on most of the night. I didn't fiddle with how tight I staered the night with and tonight I'm going to see what effect loosening the straps even more will have.

Last night was my 21st on the machine---I started with the Quattro FX mask but no matter how I adjusted it it never stopped leaking so I switched masks. I have been using the new mask 6 nights and believe it will be the one for me.

Loosten those straps! If that doesn't work take the advice about switching masks.

Good luck---you are saving your life!

[BlackSpinner]

When you go back to your RT, bring your machine, a yoga mat and your favourite pillow. Set your machine to full pressure, put the new mask on, lie down on the mat with the pillow the way you like it. Relax your face as much as possible (practice this at home) The mask should float on your face and almost disappear from your consciousness. It should be no more in your mind then your night gown or the feel of your pillow.


Relaxing your face: wriggle your jaws from side to side and feel the tension loosen. Wriggle your eyebrows and get the tension out of them, massage your eyebrows by pulling your fingers over the bone of the eye socket. Now take your four fingers and slowly work from your hair line at your brow down to your jaws on both sides of face, making tiny circles. Breathe deep and slow while you do this. Then work from your jaws along the bottom of your skull to the back of your neck. By now you should be slack jawed and look like you are zoned out. Pay attention to how this feels. Try and get to the same state when you put that mask on. Note that your jaw muscles are some of the most powerful muscles in your body and they hold a lot of tension so wriggle them before you put your mask on.

[chunkyfrog]

The FullLife didn't work for me either. Leaked like a minnow bucket.
But the ComfortGel Full Face mask by the same manufacturer fits great.
The current model (ComfortGel Blue Full Face) is nearly identical in fit.
The gel is heavy, but much softer than the hard frames that push through silicone masks.
I even altered the headgear to fit my little froggy head.

[Missyb0o]

Thanks everyone! My RT fitted my mask and put it on me.I then wore it for 3 hours as she measured and watched. The difference was, I was sitting up at that time. I took the majority advice and loosened it last night. It felt better, but like chunkyfrog said, it leaked. Not from around the sides (I loosened those straps) but from around the chin. I got 2 hours of sleep last night and didn't have any more intense pain. Still some bruising of course but my face feels better. I just woke up from a 3 hour nap and felt okay. Tonight I will loosen the chin straps and see if that helps. If not then I really feel this is not the mask for me. I picked it out of the array brought and it felt the best. I appreciate all the help and advice given. I realize adjustment just takes time. Some day I hope that my mask does float around my face like BlackSpinner says. It has only been a short time with it but my headaches are already going away.Thanks again!


Missy

[BlackSpinner]

Think of your mask like you would a pair of shoes that you will be walking in all day while sight seeing. You don't want to notice them, you don't want blisters and want them to give you good support so that at the end of a day of sight seeing you can go and party.

[Sir NoddinOff]

Obviously loosening the mask and applying a hot towel to your face are first candidates to relieve your symptoms. , but I would like to ask if you are taking any blood thinners like Plavix (generic: clopidogrel) or any of the other variants. The reason I ask is that I take these meds and often find that even a moderate bump or undue pressure can leave a nasty bruise. This is not a new discovery by me, but a common side effect of these drugs.

[Missyb0o]

The only drugs that I take are Mirapex for the RLS and Plaquenil for my Lupus. I am not currently on any blood thinners or anything of that sort. My doctors seem to think that the sleep apnea is the direct cause of my auto-immune disorders so this is the first step in the treatment plan. I generally do not bruise very easily at all. The hot towel made the swelling and pain worse (I tend to be opposite of everything! ) But ice helped. It has also been almost 4 months since I had any steroids. I think it was just too tight. The face is still tender tonight but at least it doesn't feel like I have hot knitting needles being jabbed in my face.



Missy

[Sir NoddinOff]

That's good you are feeling better, Missy. Let us know how you fare in the next week or two... maybe you're just getting used to the mask

[teachcsg]

Hi Missy,
Congratulations on reaching out and looking for help.
As they have mentioned already there are many full face mask out there so try different ones out.
Now this is just my opinion but the full life is a terrible mask. I am sure some people out there love it but most pts I put it on it leaks, you have to tighten it way too much, the straps are unruly etc... Not sure why they started you on that mask. I don't think its me (my opinion) only because none of the RT's I work with use the full life either plus the reviews on cpap.com are pretty bad too. Very bad mask IMO!
So definitely ask your therapist for another mask. You probably know the mask manufacturer will allow a 30 day exchange so the DME should not have an issue exchanging it.
Try the Resmed Quattro mask it works well...also the Resmed Liberty mask is a hybrid mask that will not put pressure on your cheeks etc...its a little different and not for everyone but if bruising and pain are a problem with the other mask the Liberty may help. (look at cpap.com for pictures and reviews)
Good luck. Dont give up...you will find that with a different mask your experience will be very different.

[Missyb0o]

Thank you for the help. I did reach out to my RT and I was looking at trying the ComfortGel FF. Many people seem to like that one too. I am of course getting the runaround with my RT and have not even received a phone call. The mask itself is not bothering me as much since I loosened it. The problem is the air leaks. As my face relaxes, the bottom seal leaves. I cannot even get the thing to reseal. I have to get up, turn off the machine, take it off, put it back on try to adjust it to reseal (which NEVER happens), get frustrated, rip it off and get up for the day. I sleep from 1:30-3:30 am and that is it. I might have an hour nap with my machine in the late morning but that is all I am getting. I had to go through my sleep doc and they contacted her. Still no call. IDK what I am going to do but the next call is the insurance company and find a new DME supplier. It will work out. In just the little time I am asleep, it has made a world of difference. Just looking forward to a full night.

Thanks,
Missy

[Julie]

Hi - I find ice is good for lessening strap marks also, and have no autoimmune problems.