Why is my Face Swollen?

FatBruno · Post by **FatBruno** » Wed Feb 02, 2022 10:56 am

I believe this was my best night so far since I've started.

Miss Emerita · Post by **Miss Emerita** » Wed Feb 02, 2022 5:19 pm

Better numbers for sure. How do you feel today?

FatBruno · Post by **FatBruno** » Wed Feb 02, 2022 5:36 pm

I feel good. I've had this permanent crease developing on my face though from the mask. Every day it is red. I think the mask must be on too tight.

I have a new anti-leak strap coming in from PadACheek soon:

https://www.padacheek.com/product-page/ ... leak-strap

I am hoping with this strap I can loosen the mask a bit but still keep it on my face without the leaks. I'm not sure.

Otherwise, I feel more rested and stronger. I have more energy which is really great! I might try upping the EPAP to 7.0 tonight. I'm not sure. I'm still experimenting with the neck brace, but I'm reluctant to sleep through the night with it until I have at least a few good naps with no problems.

loggerhead12 · Post by **loggerhead12** » Wed Feb 02, 2022 7:39 pm

FatBruno wrote: ↑
Wed Feb 02, 2022 5:36 pm
I think the mask must be on too tight.

Yes.

FatBruno wrote: ↑
Wed Feb 02, 2022 5:36 pm
I might try upping the EPAP to 7.0 tonight.

The sooner the better. Then 8. Then 9. And onward to where you need it to be.

Miss Emerita · Post by **Miss Emerita** » Thu Feb 03, 2022 12:14 am

Glad to hear you’re feeling better! Keep us posted.

FatBruno · Post by **FatBruno** » Fri Feb 04, 2022 11:19 am

Pushed EPAP to 7.0.

Miss Emerita · Post by **Miss Emerita** » Fri Feb 04, 2022 12:33 pm

How are you feeling today?

FatBruno · Post by **FatBruno** » Fri Feb 04, 2022 2:34 pm

I feel fine. On the whole, my life has improved with the machine; I don't get as sleepy as I used to. The whole thing sort of peaked for me when I fell asleep talking to my wife one day. I knew there was a serious problem.

But I don't take naps daily anymore. I've only had a couple naps since I started; before my BiPAP machine, I was taking 1-2 naps each day. If I slept in on the weekend, I was in bed for 10-11 hours.

My biggest struggle now really is just the mask. I woke up early this morning, and I had to itch my nose, and I was just sick of wearing it, so I sat up in bed and took off for a few minutes, used the bathroom, and put it back on only to take it off again briefly. I am still waiting on my doctor to send me the Philips DreamWear full face mask which I really hope will improve things.

I'm not sure if the higher EPAP is doing anything. Lately, I will wake up and I can't even tell if the machine is running. I mean, it has to be, but I can't tell if the air is being pushed or not. But I also got a ResMed Climateline Air tube which I've set to 80℉. Before the air was always cold (it's winter after all), and I could tell the air was being pushed into my face hole. Now it's hard to tell.

Little by little, it's all coming together. Tomorrow I will get my PadTheCheek anti-leak strap which I really am hoping will help.

I am cleaning my Mask Liner every day because I find that it helps keep my skin clearer. It's a pain in the rear, but there's really no substitute for being able to sleep and breathe properly again. I'm thankful for the whole process, as painful as it is sometimes to adjust.

FatBruno · Post by **FatBruno** » Sat Feb 12, 2022 12:10 am

So, I got the Philips Dreamwear Full Face Mask. The mask leaks went away the first night. However, the silicone deeply irritated my skin. I loved the shape of the new mask and everything, but I just can't seem to wear it. Pretty annoying.

So, in the middle of the night I literally put my F20 back on. I've come full circle.

The other day, my PadACheek anti-leak strap came in. I put that on my F20, and the leaks have reduced significantly. I'm happy about that, and I feel it's probably as good as it will get; unless I want to order a new mask liner for my Philips Dreamwear. That would protect against the silicone, I guess.

On a side note: I've been raising my EPAP 1 point each night. My AHI was going down (as low as 4.2), but last night it went up again (6.0 AHI) with an EPAP of 9.0. Bear in mind, I started with 25 IPAP / 5 EPAP. So, I am lowering it back down to 8.0 tonight.

What should I be expecting with raising the EPAP? Also, should I keep PS @ 5?

FatBruno · Post by **FatBruno** » Sat Feb 12, 2022 11:42 am

Last night going back to 8.0 EPAP

Miss Emerita · Post by **Miss Emerita** » Sat Feb 12, 2022 11:51 am

That last chart looks pretty good, and the main thing is that you're feeling more comfortable at night and more rested during the day. I recommend leaving your settings where they are for a week or two to see how the results look over time, given how much natural variability there is from one night to the next.

You continue to have a lot of snoring and flow limitations, but if they aren't bothering you (or anyone else), then you can ignore them.

You've come a long way and done a lot of problem-solving. Impressive!

FatBruno · Post by **FatBruno** » Sat Feb 12, 2022 11:56 am

The snore data is confusing to me, and I don't know what flow limitations even are. I ask my wife if she can hear me snoring, and she says never. She says she can't even tell if I'm asleep or not, so I don't understand that.

I am going to leave things alone for a couple of weeks. I'm sort of tired of fiddling with it to be honest.

The best part about the day is that I never feel sleepy anymore. I do sometimes wake up (like last night) and have to take the mask off for a few minutes before putting it back on. I'm not sure why; I think I just get sick of wearing it.

zonker · Post by **zonker** » Sat Feb 12, 2022 12:01 pm

i just want to underline what miss e has said.

it's hard to be patient, i know. i just last month started using my bilevel machine after years of apap. now, i've gotten used to it fairly quickly, thanks to my years of apap use. and my ahi is in tip-top shape. now i'm concentrating on my comfort. i want to see if it dovetails with my multiple awakenings while trying to sleep.

results there are hit and miss. and i am as impatient as hell to make this work.

i really need to take the advice of miss e. that is, when i try something new for my discomfort and awakenings, i need to just relax (HEH) and give it time.

good luck, fatbruno!

FatBruno · Post by **FatBruno** » Thu Feb 24, 2022 9:14 am

My AHI seems to be getting worse. I've made only a few adjustments to IPAP/EPAP. Last night's data is the second worst I've had since I started. Is it "bad" though? I'm not sure. I guess I am going to set my IPAP back to 25 because I'm capping so often at 24.

More concerning to me is that my AHI has been increasing each night for the last week. I'm really not sure what's going on. I just see these clusters of apneas in my data, but I have no idea how to stop them.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

Miss Emerita · Post by **Miss Emerita** » Thu Feb 24, 2022 12:25 pm

The events, snores, and flow limitations are all mostly clustered, which suggests a possible sleep position problem. Has anything changed in these areas: pillow, side-sleeping vs. back-sleeping, curling up vs. stretching out?

Often, position problems result from tucking the chin down toward the chest. This produces a slight kink or compression of the windpipe, which makes obstructive events, snores, and FLs more likely to occur. If you use a high pillow, you can try switching it out for a low, fairly firm pillow. But the best way to address chin-tucking is using a soft cervical collar.

Don't despair: if you use one for a while and it works, you may not need to keep using it.

And my go-to question: how are you feeling?

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