Questions after 2nd Night of CPAP and Nasal Pillows

Hi -

Just woke up from my 2nd night of CPAP using nasal pillows. Feel better but have several questions - thank you for your helpful responses

Silly as it may sound, the outside of my nostrils hurt when I take off the "head gear" in the morning. Anything to do about this?

Secondly, the inside of my nose feels sore and runs for about an hour - anyone experience this?

Lastly, my doc told me that in the beginning if I wake up in the middle of the night and have "had enough" of the mask, etc. and want to remove it and go back to sleep it's okay - anyone heard of this?

Thank you!

Rich wrote:Just woke up from my 2nd night of CPAP using nasal pillows. Feel better but have several questions - thank you for your helpful responses

Silly as it may sound, the outside of my nostrils hurt when I take off the "head gear" in the morning. Anything to do about this?

Secondly, the inside of my nose feels sore and runs for about an hour - anyone experience this?

Lastly, my doc told me that in the beginning if I wake up in the middle of the night and have "had enough" of the mask, etc. and want to remove it and go back to sleep it's okay - anyone heard of this?

Rich,

I'm about a week ahead of you so take what I say with a grain of salt.

If the outside of your nostrils hurt I think you may be jamming the nasal pillows either too hard against the bottom of your nose and/or too far up into your nose. It seems easy to give myself the "pig nose" and that really makes for soreness pretty quickly.

The first couple of nights the lining of my nose felt kind of stretched too thin and very sensitive. By the third night the feeling was much less. I do get some running in the morning although it's hard to judge. Right now I have my full-blown seasonal allergic rhinitis (actually, I think using the CPAP delayed the onset of my Spring allergies by a week or so). I wouldn't worry about it if it's just mostly a morning thing that passes off. Give it a few more days and see.

On your final question, here's what the respiratory therapist at the DME told me. He said the first couple nights, put it on a bed time and if it drives me crazy just pull it off and forget about it. No big deal. After a few days, I should try to keep it on as long as possible but if that's just 3, 4, 5 hours some nights that's OK. The main goal is to be able to use CPAP every night over the long term so you don't want to feel pressured and anxious your first couple weeks, just do what you can do comfortably and try to build it up to all night after a few days or a few weeks. Good advice, I think.

Brent:

Thank you very much for your kind reply!

Rich

Hi Rich,
Welcome on board...

Brent's right on all counts ... The outside of you nose hurts when the mask is jammed against it.

People have solved runny nose problem by upping the temprature of their heated humidifier. And if you get too much humidity in the hose and it starts gurgling, start saving for the Heated Hose. Ordered from Australia, http://www.sleepzone.com.au - a wonderful addition to therapy for many of us.

O.

Hi, Welcome to the club!
I am about a month into my membership. I am a lover of pillows. I use the Breeze with the green nose pieces. A few thoughts. First of all, look back into older posts here, either scrolling backward or using the search engine, because this is a subject that comes up a lot. This nose thing. I got many practical hints that have made it work for me. Tweaking, it is called.

What pillows do you use? Consider moving up a size, if that is an option. Also, make sure they are angled correctly. On the Breeze, rotate them around to get a good angle. On the Swift, it is more like rotating the barrel that gives you the adjustment.

Also, if you didn't do this before you started to use them, give them a good soak in water and a mild soap like baby shampoo. Sometimes there are residues that irritate.

Do you have a humidifier? It could help that inside-the-nose sensitivity, and also the runny nose. Humidifiers have their own issues, and I personally am still trying to use one successfully, but they are important for nose happiness. And if the nose ain't happy, ain't no one happy

Nose care: try using a gel like Ayr gel (saline) or KY around the nostrils before you put the pillows on. Later on you might be able to stop using the gels, but at the beginning it really helps.

If you get a sore, dab some over the counter antibiotic ointment on it during the day. If it is very sore, take a break from the pillows by using a nasal mask for a few nights. Or just not using the CPAP for a night or two, which seems a lesser option.

If you have a hard time keeping the mask on all night, don't worry too much. In time you will extend your hours. It won't hurt to be without if you just can't get back to sleep with. After all, before, we were all "without" every night! Just try to push it a bit each night, and soon it will be the whole night. Some have no problem adjusting right away, and some take some time. Me, after one month I have no desire to sleep without.

And most of all, keep posting and persisting!
In one short month you can be answering other people's questions!

AII

And my two cents, if you go into your profile and complete the section on equipment, and write pressure settings, etc. in additional comments, the information will help us help you even more.

It took two weeks for my nostril pain to go away. I had the same issues as you describe. It's all good now...I had to switch between two masks for the first two weeks, my old standard silicone and the Swift. Hang in there!