Mask question..

After 3 months of suffering by not being able to breath on my first cpap machine, I (practically forced) talked doctor into bipap. (Yes, I know it should be auto, but that will be my first one I'll pay for myself.) The great news is that I can now exhale and am using machine average of five hours per night. It is such a relief. New mask is a profile lite and it has quite adequate means of getting co2 out. I find, though, that the old masks I had with cpap machine do not permit air out easily and if I try to use them with bipap machine, I am not able to exhale without effort (read: keeping me awake). The masks all are technically compatible with the bipap, but just don't vent like the profile lite. I can't tell from pictures of masks if any of the other kinds have good ventilation methods, as good as the profile lite. I would like one other kind of mask to switch to in the middle of a long night. Would you kind people tell me if you have good masks that vent really well? Thank you in advance........Sharonious

They SHOULD all vent well, or you'd die in your sleep (or more likely, notice the CO2 build up and take off the mask).

For COMFORT, the folks on here generally recommend the ResMed line of masks (almost all of them), as consistently well tolerated. I haven't seen anyone specifically talk about the exhalation, but...

Are you using a heated humidifier? I find that too much H/H in a full face mask makes me feel like I can't breathe. H/H in a nasal mask helps keep my nasal passages open, but if I'm breathing it in my mouth, it feels like I'm rebreathing my own exhalations, and psychologically I can't get over the feeling that I must be suffocating.

So before you spend a whole lot on masks, try adjusting the H/H level, try it at different levels over successive nights, and you may find that that, not the mask, is your problem.

(And yes, when it happens, to me it DOES feel as if I'm having trouble exhaling).

Liam, doesn't like heated humidity, but maybe he's just all wet.

Yes, I was ripping the masks off because my chest felt as if it were caving in and I could not breath. My husband would see me asleep and gasping for breath, pulling myself out of sleep and pulling of the mask. On bipap, I can exhale properly and am compliant. I have a h/h but only have the passover kind and don't use the heat with it. Sharonious

Hmmmm. Well, I'm not on biPAP, so maybe I've not experienced what you're experiencing. I hoped the H/H thing would help.

Hopefully someone else has better information than I.

Liam, who wouldn't be surprised, given the general quality of his posts.

sharonious,

Have you tried the ResMed Swift nasal pillow interface? It vents really well. Some people complain that the vent holes blow too much...sounds like just what you are looking for.

They are all supposed to vent? G's, I think my dme ripped me off.. I got a plastic bag with a twist tie... No wonder they were so worried about getting the insurance payment first!

Help and humor. Thanx guyz. Will go back and look at ResMed Swift Nasal Pillow mask on cpap.com. Will laugh. Both now. .....Sharonious

Mikesus wrote:They are all supposed to vent? G's, I think my dme ripped me off.. I got a plastic bag with a twist tie... No wonder they were so worried about getting the insurance payment first!

Yeah, but don't worry too much, Mikesus, we've seen you doing plenty of venting on cpaptalk. Apparently you're just making up for what your mask isn't giving you.



Liam, who finds CO2 inspiring. No, wait, that's who dislikes inspiring CO2.