Nasal pillows - inhaling ok, but exhaling through mouth

rabidcoconut wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 14, 2019 2:51 pm

Maybe you'd do better with a hybrid mask?

I'm a mouth-breather who has never been able to find a full face mask that fit right, and I can't use just the nasal pillows. I've got the mirage liberty (there's at least 1 more on the market now too) that has the nasal pillows and a small mask that goes over the mouth but not up and over the nose.

I will look into that, thanks! i've just been to the primary care doctor who said my nasal passages are really... really irritated and swollen. I should forego nasal pillows or nasal masks for some time.

casereport wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 14, 2019 2:09 pm

Thank you so much! This explains everything.

And everyone around me was telling me that using a CPAP is basically like wearing an oxygen mask. So I thought the machine was actually feeding me air(oxygen)...

Oxygen masks just put an oxygen rich environment in front of your mouth/nose, you still have to suck it in with a lower pressure in your lungs. CPAP works the same way, but it's at a very gentle pressure (cpaps can't even blow up a balloon, the pressure is so low), just enough pressure to help hold your airway open.

Now, there ARE specialized bilevel machines (ventilators) that DO force air into you, they're used for people whose brain doesn't tell them to breathe at times during the night. Those DO force air in, and it's VERY obvious (pressures up to 30cm/h2o on some of them).

casereport wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 14, 2019 2:09 pm

There is a reason why I am not a STEM major.

Well, it's hard to know anything if someone hasn't adequately explained it to you

casereport wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 14, 2019 2:09 pm

So it must be something else that's hindering my progress with nasal pillows - poor fit, discomfort, wrong pillows, my deviated septum, etc, etc. But I know that CPAP will work as long as I get the mask right.

Unfortunately, finding the right mask for your individualized needs is one of the more challenging aspects of successful cpap use.