HELP New P-10 Use=Blow Fish Cheeks

Hi All & thank you so much for your reply Pugsy...MyAir total now is for pressure 5.6-10..(rx was 7-12 originally with Amara View):
6:46 hrs. (2.20hrs. of that with pillow)
Leak 14 (26 with pillow)
Events 2.0 (3.8 with pillow) usual event under 1.0

The right nostral had the weirdest feeling was like I was drowning & icy in air, but my SD card not available last night. Tonight I will try again with 7-10 to see if that feeling is gone or some what better. Trying to get the best pressure to achieve use closest to my rx.

Will need help reading my SD card tomorrow...thanks again..Lil

I have a sneaking suspicion that the higher leak numbers with the nasal pillow probably mean some mouth leaking is going on. How much we worry about them really depends on how much mouth leaking is going on and for how long.
I know I have mouth leaking sometimes but it's never for very long and rarely is horribly high and it never wakes me up so I just choose to ignore it.

You might be able to use a lower pressure with nasal pillow than you have to use with the full face mask...I can't promise it but often people who use a full face mask are able to use less pressure with nasal pillows and get same results.

I don't know what to make of your complaint of "drowning in icy air"....I can't relate to that at all when speaking about just one nostril. Now I have had what I call ice cube nose syndrome because the bedroom air was rather cool and the air going up my nose caused by nose to get cold and it hurt and woke me up. That was fixed by adding a heated hose...or turning up the heat on the heated hose.

Don't worry...we can help you understand what you will be seeing on those software reports. It doesn't take long to get the hang of it.

Hi Pugsy..Thank you so much for your encouragement..I use Micropore tape for my mouth..did get a little cheek air last night. Interested in uping my temp for the heated hose I have...the air was awful reminded me of dry ice with a hurricane in my right nostral.. it did wake me up. I was able to feel comfortable with the pillow, by resitting it & opened up the strap at the top. This icy feeling with hurricane wind is something that needs to be addressed..awaiting your opinion...Lil

What temp are you using now on your heated hose?
What temp is your bedroom? Maybe it gets a little cooler as the night goes on??
Sounds like you just need to increase the hose air temp a little...worth trying and easy to do.
Funny thing about hose temp...sometimes just a small change can make a huge difference.

Hi Pugsy..I guess have to get into the Clinicals of the machine which I'll do tonight.
I will up the temp for the hose..I think it is on auto now. I will need lots of help to get Sleephead onto this site though..not a computer geek at all..thanks so much..looking forward now to actually trying to use pillows again...Lil

Hi Pugsy..Couldn't wait to change out..just up the temp. to 83 from 81..pressures now 6-10..got the SD card in the slot..just rearing to go to bed tonight with my Med. pillow...Lil

Hi All...Used the P-10 for full night last night. Chipmunk cheeks every 4 seconds so I was kept up most of the night..taped up mouth & blowing air out the sides. Did keep my tongue against the roof of my mouth without any good result yet. The AHI was better at 1 +, but the leak rate was very high. Pressure was at 6-10..I raised the humidity to 3 & temp to 84 was (81)..so I didn't have that icy feeling in the nostril like I had 2 nights ago. The odd thing is that Sleepyhead now isn't showing me my line graphs..(could be the washing machine spin it took?). I am so tired this a.m. I can hardly focus. Can't understand the instructions right now re: puts my stats on this forum. So the chipmunk cheeks will disapate sooooooon???? What if I also used a chin strap would that help to lessen them??...TIA to all who can help..Lil

When did the SD card take a swim in the washing machine?
Before you put it in the cpap machine last night? Did you even put the SD card in the machine last night?

The chipmunk cheeks are from the air going up the nose and down the airway and instead of proceeding down the airway it is trying to exit out the mouth because there's nothing blocking the air from entering the mouth at the back of the mouth. The air takes the path of least resistance and there's no resistance at the back of the mouth.
Lips are closed...air enters the mouth and cheeks puff up...hence chipmunk cheeks.

The trick is to figure out how to block the back of the oral cavity so that air doesn't sneak into the mouth.
The bigger trick is to continue to block the back of the oral cavity when you are asleep.
If you can't get it mastered while awake then it's going to be real hard to continue to do it while asleep.
Normally the tongue to the roof of the mouth thing works.

Are you saying that even while awake and no matter how you position your tongue you can't block that back door?

Hi..I did put the SD card in last night, but it doesn't have the usual line graphs I normally see on Sleepyhead. I am not knowlegeable enough to try to get it on the forum. Do I need to suck in my breath & then place my tounge on the roof of my mouth to close the back door??? How do I know it has worked??? Are there any sure tests??? I thought this chipmunk cheek problem was supposed to disapate with time??? I am so tired I can hardly stay awake today..any more help for me..maybe a chin strap would do it???...Lil

I really need to see the Sleepyhead stuff to have much of any idea as to what might be going on.
Are you missing all the graphs or just some of them?
If all of them are missing maybe the SD card didn't get seated in the machine properly. If it isn't seated properly then the machine can't write the files to the SD card that are needed to give us the graphs.

Do you know how to zip a copy of your SD card and upload that zipped copy to someplace on the web if I give you a place to put it? Or is what I just asked totally Greek to you?

The chipmunk cheek thing does sometimes go away but only once a person masters the closing of that back door.
I don't know what you are doing or not doing that is causing you to have problems.

Hi...I remember reading about sucking in your breath & putting your tounge on the roof of your mouth which will form a seal????? I am missing the line graphs & have the others with the numbers on it & yes I am a little clueless as to how to do it though I have looked at how it can be done...any help there???...Lil

Hi..Should I place my tounge at the roof of my mouth towards the back by curling it to reach the back area???? Also a chin strap to be used (with tape also)??? Hope I can get this together to get a good nights sleep...TIA..any help will be appreciated..Lil

Using the tongue in the roof of mouth trick to close that back door...I never bothered with taking a big breath...I just planted the tongue in the roof of the mouth and rest the tip of my tongue behind my front teeth.
You probably need to play with this while awake and not under the pressure of falling asleep and then practice whatever position works for you so that it is second nature come bedtime.
During the day my tongue pretty much rests up behind my front teeth unless I am talking or eating.

How to zip the SD card..you have to go to the card (not into the card) and right click your mouse (assuming Windows computer) and from the menu you choose
"Send to" from the choices and within the Send to menu is the "compress" command line and compress means zip.
So you have to know how to navigate to the drive where the SD card is sitting and then you compress it...then upload it..and if you can figure out how to upload it you can put it here and I can then use it in my SleepyHead and see for sure what all is going on.
https://www.dropbox.com/request/gh8F4m0t45SyKpREbagM
If you can get me a copy of your entire SD card...I can use my software to see what's going on.
Otherwise you have to use Sleepyhead and do the screen shot thing....and I don't know which might be easiest for you since you admit to being a bit clueless about this computer stuff. It's stuff I do all the time and it's hard to explain in words how to do it. If I was sitting with you in front of your computer I could show you but it's hard for me to explain. I am not the greatest in putting into words the steps needed.

When did you wash the SD card?

There is another way to block the back door besides with the tongue but even though I can do it easily...I have no idea how I do it. I can talk and yawn and even open my mouth wide and stick out my tongue.....all without having the air enter my mouth and this is at full pressure. I just don't know how to explain it.

Chin straps are mainly for a gentle reminder to not open the mouth. I don't see how they could help in preventing chipmunk cheeks caused by air entering the mouth because having the mouth and lips closed doesn't do anything in terms of closing that back door entry point.
I supposed if it were tight enough it might keep the cheeks from blowing up but I would think that would mean so tight it would be uncomfortable and so uncomfortable it likely would keep a person awake.
Chin straps aren't something I would advise using for preventing chipmunk cheeks. I know of only one person using a chin strap for that purpose and she also tapes her mouth and she does all this because her tongue simply is so small it can't block that back door no matter how perfectly she positions her tongue.

A full face mask won't prevent chipmunk cheeks either. All a FFM would do is prevent loss of therapy pressure out the mouth. If chipmunk cheeks are waking a person up it's going to happen no matter which mask is used.

Hi Pugsy...I washed the SD card 2 days ago...I didn't have hardly any chipmunk cheeks with any of my other masks.... think I will try again tonight & put my tounge curled toward the middle of the roof of my mouth, tape & chin strap..keeping it at 6-10...my nose is fine so far with a med. pillow & lanolin..after tonight I will try to get you some detailed info...thanks so far for your help..Lil