this is sooooo frustrating

IM a 36yr old male....i have had sleep apnia all my life!
I am average size (32 inch waist) and i think i have had sleep apnia all my life but it has progressively worsened over time.....my mom talks about me doing it as a kid!
i have had nose surgery and uvila removed with absolutely NO HELP
i got a cpap a few months back!
since then i have went through numerous masks!! NONE seem to let me sleep all night!
i am sure i snore louder than just about anyone in this forum and its taking a toll on my relationship!

I AM A MOUTH BREATHER but the nasal masks seem to leak less than anything else but makes my throat and mouth hurt from me opening my mouth trying to still breath through my mouth and air going in the mouth!
IT almost seems as the nasal masks makes me open my mouth by filling it up
the nasal pillows really irritate!
all face masks for me leak.....gather condensation too and all masks make me feel like im sufficating! ive tried everything i know except for that new total face mask!
It makes me feel like i cant breath out air because the pressure coming in prohibits me from from breathing out!
if i turn the pressure down to the point that it doesnt do this.....it doesnt help my apnea!

I sleep on my side....i can NOT sleep on by back because of acid reflux! this doesnt help with mask leaks either!

PLEASE HELP!

What machine do you have?

What mask are you using... and where does it leak or not feel comfortable?

What other masks do you have and what was wrong with them?

What's your pressure, do you have exhale relief if so what's it set to?

Welcome aboard! Great folks and info here. Please post the info that Cflame1 requested. It'll help folks understand what might be going on.

Jonwinser,
First off welcome aboard. Can you fill out your profile and list what equipment you use and the pressure your machine is set at? Sounds like mostly mask leak problems. I have not used nasal masks much at all so I can't help with them, but mask leaks will happen with all masks.

Have you read through the instructions on putting your mask on and tightening up the headgear? I read through mine a few times and finally sat at a mirror and read through it step by step and put the mask on. That helped me reduce my leaks. Don't over tighten that will make things worst.

What helped me a lot was that I was unable to exhale with my pressure up at 20 so my doc ordered a BiPap machine for me and I could finally exhale. Most insurance companies will not pay for a BiPap up front until you have tried and failed with standard CPAP. This is something you can talk to your doc and DME about.

This is frustrating but make a list of all the problems you are having. Then re write the list with the worst things on the top and begin to tackle that list from the top.

Gerry

i do not have a BIPAP....i do not have insurance and can not afford one at this time!
I know one of the masks is a quatro .......the other 6 i do not know the names of the masks
i know 2 other are resmed masks too
i had to get it all used (all came with extra new seals for them)
the cpap i got used with only 90 hours....person i got it from ....his father shortly after he got it ended up in a nursing home!
its a Fisher & Paykel's SleepStyle 604

it makes it all hard when you are limited in funds to keep on trying things that are not working!

Hi, I have alot of the same issues! I currently am using a full face Mirage Quatro and I love it! Of course all masks leak when you lay on your side. I also run a sleep lab and we have recently purchased a pillow made for CPAP users! It has a cut out on each side of the pillow, so your mask rests in a hole and doesnt cause a leak!!!

When I sleep on my side, my Hybrid mask does not leak. I have an old memory foam contour pillow and sleep on the edge.

Did you have a sleep study done?

jonwinser wrote:it makes it all hard when you are limited in funds to keep on trying things that are not working!

That's why you should register and enter your equipment (see USER PROFILE at the top left of the page), please select display as "text" instead of "icons". Might be someone has suggestions that will help make your current equipment work well. I hear ya on the limited funds; I was laidoff last March and insurance runs out next month unless I find another job...no fun.

I, too, have a quattro, and sleep on my side. I sleep right on the edge of my normal pillow so the mask is not pushed around, and it doesn't leak unlessI have an episode that causes the air pressure to rise way up, in which case the machine blows the mask right off my face! I feel so lucky that my DME gave me a bipap machine -- it makes breathing out so much easier, and made the adjustment to xPAP possible.

Hello Katcw: I too am a mouth breather. Because of this fact, I have to use a face mask (covers nose and mouth). I have had my first bi-PAP for exactly 10 days - and now have had a sore throat for over 1 week. At first, thought I was getting a cold, but then realized it might be the bi-PAP. At any rate, yes, it is difficulty to get the mask NOT to leak, if not impossible. If it is not blowing in one of my eyes, it is leaking out the chin. Another problem in common, is it also seems to make my mouth fill up with air and then I do open it for comfort sake. Have always gone to sleep with mouth shut, but opens on its own. I snore also. Everything is frustrating, but have managed to sleep with it on for 8 1/2 hours on one night. The pressure is set at 18/16 and I have a ramp-up of 45 minutes. Awaken, when it gets full blast (blows the darned mask practically off my face). If it weren't such a seriour matter, I would be laughing my head off. Actually, hope to laugh about it some day, but right now it is sooooo frustrating and I sympathize with you. But, being so new to this thing, I don't have much help for you right now. Good luck to you. Joyce

OH OK!
I was beginning to wonder if i just needed a bipap instead of the cpap till you posted yours
i knew of where i could get a resmed vpap 111 for 250 and was thinking my machine may be the culprit....
but i am soooooo scared of investing more money in this and it going down the drain!
has anyone used a cpap unsuccessfully and then was successful on a bipap or vpap?

Hi Jon: I have never been on CPAP, but my doctor put me on bi-PAP since the pressures were so high - 18/16. You might have to go back and try the mask again. I could not tolerate the nasal mask or nasal pillows in the sleep lab, period. All it did, was blow the air right down my throat and I did not like that feeling. If you are a mouth breather, the mask will be better. Joyce (TwiLight56).

I was first put on CPAP and kept at it for months and had a terrible time. I could not get a mask to seel and I had a hard time exhaling against the pressure. I quit, four years later my doc insisted I get back on cpap and I went in to get titrated to a BiPap.
I did have problems with leaks but I was sleeping through the night. I finally had surgery having my tonsils removed and a UPPP. I am going to have my nose fixed next spring and the doc said if I lose a few more pounds by then I may not need cpap at all.

Many people are unsuccessful with standard cpap and then are successful with BiPap or Bi Level therapy.

Gerry