CPAP Following a DCR (tear duct surgery)

Has anyone had a DCR Surgery or Lester Jones Tube and if so how did you manage to use CPAP afterwards. I am having surgery next week and just found out that this may be a major problem with CPAP usage. They said possible a full face "TOTAL" face mask is a possible option. Please share I am running out of time!

navymomncali wrote:Has anyone had a DCR Surgery or Lester Jones Tube and if so how did you manage to use CPAP afterwards. I am having surgery next week and just found out that this may be a major problem with CPAP usage. They said possible a full face "TOTAL" face mask is a possible option. Please share I am running out of time!

That would be the option that came to my mind. Go to CPAP.COM and look for them. Kind of like a SCUBA mask or ones that firefighters use with their air packs. They would even out the air pressure over your face and not concentrate it in your nasal passages.

Here's a link:

https://www.cpap.com/cpap-masks/total-f ... p-mask.php


Den

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Why are you having this surgery? Is the problem it's solving bad enough to mess up your CPAP?

A total face mask or an Oracle oral mask would prevent problems with nasolacrimal duct leakage. The total face mask may be cumbersome and hard to fit. For the oral mask, you have to learn to use it without the nose plugs. I found the oral mask dried out my throat and I didn't like the feeling of not breathing through my nose.

There's more info in the useful links in my signature line below.

Yes the tear duct surgery is very necessary. I have a completely block tear duct and the constant drainage is causing problems with my vision.

navymomncali wrote:Has anyone had a DCR Surgery or Lester Jones Tube and if so how did you manage to use CPAP afterwards. I am having surgery next week and just found out that this may be a major problem with CPAP usage. They said possible a full face "TOTAL" face mask is a possible option. Please share I am running out of time!

That is what I plan on using for a week after my deviated septum surgery. It isn't going to be easy since I can't run it as high as I would like to keep the AHI down due to trouble in controlling leaks. But I figured it is better than not using any pap therapy.

I didn't consider the oral mask because when I tried it previously, I absolutely despised it and couldn't last more than a few minutes when using it.

Best of luck with your surgery.

49er

What about wearing (if only temporarily) a sleep mask that covers your eyes but still accommodates Cpap?

http://www.dryeyeshop.com/onyix-p327.aspx

Julie wrote:What about wearing (if only temporarily) a sleep mask that covers your eyes but still accommodates Cpap?

http://www.dryeyeshop.com/onyix-p327.aspx

That won't do anything useful if the problem is air coming out of the nose into the nasolacrimal duct.

IMO, the total face mask is the best solution.
Karen at Pad-a-Cheek makes a mask liner for the Fitlife mask, which may help with comfort.
Although this mask is meant to be worn with the bottom edge in the hollow above the chin,
DH pulled it below his chin for great fit, and a sweet wave in his beard.

navymomncali wrote:Has anyone had a DCR Surgery or Lester Jones Tube and if so how did you manage to use CPAP afterwards. I am having surgery next week and just found out that this may be a major problem with CPAP usage. They said possible a full face "TOTAL" face mask is a possible option. Please share I am running out of time!

Since my sleep apnea is severe, that would be a very scary surgery. I am not sure I would be able to use CPAP afterwards with any mask.

I had an injury to a tear duct one time and CPAP air would blow out of the duct into my eye. It was nearly intolerable. Fortunately the duct healed in about two weeks and CPAP again worked fine.

I would ask the doctor about a temporary tube. I believe my doctor uses Crawford tubes for temporary. This would give you a chance to see how CPAP goes for you with a tube. If CPAP works fine, you and your doctor could then again discuss the necessity and risk of CPAP use with a Lester Jones tube.

You are smart to have a concern. It could be a serious matter.

Please bookmark this thread and let us know the outcome. It could help others.

Best of luck.

I just had a partial block that resolved with time, but was contemplating DCR till I saw the problems with CPAP. Check out the dry eye zone for any other alternatives before committing to the DCR.

I had tear duct surgery about 15 years ago for a blocked duct. This has not caused a problem for me with the cpap.

brendastarr wrote:I had tear duct surgery about 15 years ago for a blocked duct. This has not caused a problem for me with the cpap.

You don't say,

1. Whether or not you had a permanent tube, such as Lester Jones type, inserted or not.
2. Whether you were already using CPAP at the time of surgery or started CPAP at a later date.
3. What type of mask you use.

Without this information, I don't consider your comment useful to the OP.

navymomncali wrote:Has anyone had a DCR Surgery or Lester Jones Tube and if so how did you manage to use CPAP afterwards. I am having surgery next week and just found out that this may be a major problem with CPAP usage. They said possible a full face "TOTAL" face mask is a possible option. Please share I am running out of time!

BTW, I consider the two masks recommended here, total face mask and oral-only mask, to be very hard to tolerate. Neither is something I would want to try to use long term.

I have been trying to use the full face mask since I had one eye tear duct surgery years ago. Air leaks so badly and flows over the eye anyway. cpap definitely a problem with DCR as the surgery make a small hole near duct in nostril. Air rushes through there to eye. Eye very sore and red. Will go back to mouth/nose mask. Nose tubes are even worse as pressure is so great on duct. Yet I am hopeful!

Vacation bound wrote:Air leaks so badly and flows over the eye anyway.

One of the strengths of this forum is helping people get their masks to quit leaking. But, you need to engage.