WHICH MASK MIGHT SOLVE OUR CURRENT DILEMMAS???

THEGR808 · Post by **THEGR808** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 12:16 pm

Greetings: My name is Kandi and my husband Mike has been using the C-Pap System for 5 years now, 4 of those 5 years with peaceful sleep.
But in Nov. 2003 he got the gastric bypass surgery done. Since then, he has lost over 100 lbs! He was told by his doctor that eventually over time as he sheds his excess weight, he may not need his CPap mask anymore during sleep. So now, he is partially delusioned into believing that THAT TIME IS NOW!! We have been 'going thru it' when it comes to his sleep apnea and the use-or-non-use of his c-pap machine! Before, it made the world-of-difference in his sleep! He would wake up feeling well-slept & refreshed. But now it is just a big hassle!
Currently, he uses a Solo-LX C-Pap System by Lincare (on HI setting) and an Acclaim 2 Full face mask(which is a cheesy piece-of-crap). We even sized down his mask to a Medium from a Large. But there are several different problems going on here that we are experiencing: #1)His mask is making alot of hissing & suction noises during the night that keeps me awake; #2)He complains that the air that flows thru his hose is TOO COLD and makes him cold at night~from the inside-out--due to the fact that he no longer has that extra 100lb. of 'insulation'!! We have tried setting up a portable heater near his cPap machine to alleviate this problem, so that it pumps warm air to him thru his machine, but our cats have knocked it over during the night; so now he is afraid of sleeping with the space heater on. #3)He 'fights the mask' all night! For some reason, it just isn't the same since he lost all that weight. The c-pap machine just doesn't do the same "miracle-work" as it once did. Which leads us to OUR WORST PROBLEM: #4)MIKE HAS BEEN TRYING TO SLEEP WITHOUT HIS MACHINE ALOT OF NIGHTS; but he constantly wakes me up during the night with gurgling &/or choking noises! And that rumbling SNORING of his is driving me out of our room to sleep at night!! And Mike is once again waking up TIRED & GRUMPY as he did before he first began using the c-pap machine 5 years ago!!
DOES ANYONE OUT THERE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS OR ADVICE AS TO WHERE WE SHOULD GO FROM HERE?? WHAT MASK TO USE? OR HOW TO SOLVE ANY OF OUR CURRENT DILEMMAS??
SOMEONE OUT THERE WITH THE ANSWERS--PLEASE H-E-L-P!!!@
THANKS IN ADVANCE ~ KANDI

NeurosurgeryNP · Post by **NeurosurgeryNP** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 12:30 pm

Get a heated humidifier - makes a world of difference.

Try an Ultra Mirage Full Face Mask or an Activa Nasal Mask - bot are made my ResMed. You can get them at https://www.cpap.com at great prices. No need for a prescription for the masks or humidifier.

Call tem or email them - bumbers are on the site - they are great in getting the fit/sizing problems down.

Sounds like he really needs a new mask and a heated humidifier - don't get a passover humidifier - only the heated one.

By the way, the way I understand it, is that weight loss helps, but not cures sleep apnea.
Hope this helps, Jen

littlebaddow · Post by **littlebaddow** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 12:48 pm

What a great achievement - it's great that he has lost so much weight, very impressive.
It seems from what you're saying that, unfortunately, he is still displaying the classic symptoms of apnea - noisy at night and grumpy during the day
You don't say whether he has seen the sleep doc again and I'm not familiar with that machine, but if it's a fixed pressure CPAP I guess it's very likely that the pressure he requires will have changed with the weight loss.
If you read around in this forum, you'll find a lot of support for the use of an APAP or automatic machine, which varies the pressure depending on what the patient needs at any given time. Add a heated humidifier and the latest generation of masks, and generally the problems you describe will diminish.
I think the most important point though is to convince your husband that, unless the symptoms go away or he has a sleep study to confirm it, he must not assume he is cured.

IllinoisRRT · Post by **IllinoisRRT** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 3:28 pm

I would agree that it might be time to reassess his OSA. From the sounds of it, there is still obviously a problem with his airway, but his needs may have changed with 100 lb weight loss. Which is why he probably is fighting the CPAP all night. I also agree that the heated humidifier is a must. It won't be quite as handy with the Solo CPAP (the Remstars have their own heated humidity system that fits right onto it- with the Solo it is separate), but it will be well worth it. And definitely have him look into other masks. There are SO many options available. Good luck!

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 4:30 pm

kandi, see if you all can get the doctor to prescribe a trial on an autopap machine at home. As littlebaddow pointed out, your husband is probably not "cured" of OSA at all, but might simply do better with a lower pressure after such a big weight loss. A week or two using an autopap could find an effective pressure now.

As everyone is suggesting, definitely he should have a heated humidifier since he's complaining about the air flow feeling cold.

If he prefers to sleep on his back, see if he can try the Swift mask with nasal pillows.

If he likes to sleep on his side, try the Breeze with nasal pillows.

Or...if he wants to stick with a "covers the nose" nasal mask - the Activa by ResMed is a fabulously comfortable, virtually leakproof nasal mask. You wear the straps very loose with the Activa.

If he has to have a full face mask (covers mouth and nose), the ResMed Ultra Mirage FF is a very good one.

Good luck! He really, really needs to stick with this kind of treatment if he's not going in for another sleep study to see how he's doing. What you've described sounds like he's nowhere near "cured". But he certainly probably needs a different pressure now. An autopap is the simplest, very effective way to check on that.

Yoga · Post by **Yoga** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 11:19 pm

I found that the Australian heated hose also made the air coming out of the mask warmer. Check it out at: http://www.sleepzone.com.au/ . Cost about $89 U.S. and about $18 for a transformer at Radio Shack.

rock and roll · Post by **rock and roll** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 1:19 am

What a happy pretty face IIinoisllt you have. Brightens your posts and made me smile I love these pictures

wading thru the muck! · Post by **wading thru the muck!** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 5:10 am

rock and roll wrote:What a happy pretty face IIinoisRRT you have. Brightens your posts and made me smile I love these pictures

R&R,

You are right about that! How are we going to make any more evil DME comments after seeing that bright smile. We all knew Christine wasn't an evil DME anyway.

wading thru the muck! · Post by **wading thru the muck!** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 7:30 am

Kandi,

I would get him a ResMed Mirage Activa. This is the mask I started out with and the mask that I go back to if everything else is failing. It's a great all around nearly fool proof mask. Also because of it's design it can adapt to changing needs.

A while back I posted a thread; "Is your family supportive?" Sounds like you would win the prize! It's great to see that you are so supportive in solving this problem for you husband.

Machine	Mask