Is it so unusual to use a full-face mask? My doctor says so...

SleepGeek · Post by **SleepGeek** » Wed Oct 26, 2022 8:03 pm

CPAPQs4All wrote: ↑
Wed Oct 26, 2022 7:54 pm
My nose is not in a good state at the moment.

Not sure exactly what that means but often the mask will rub a sore spot if/when it moves alot during the nite. Imagine if the mask moves with each breath how many times that is.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Wed Oct 26, 2022 8:19 pm

CPAPQs4All wrote: ↑
Wed Oct 26, 2022 7:54 pm
I can breathe through my nose sometimes.

"Sometimes" is not enough.
Espeically since:

CPAPQs4All wrote: ↑
Wed Oct 26, 2022 7:54 pm
However, I felt as though I was making too much effort to breathe with a nasal mask in my last attempt.

Insist on trying an FFM.
Once you have one, you can compare your very own response to the nasal and decide how to continue.

Would you think a shoe seller was talking sense if they suggest you use "that type of shoe" simply because the one you want to try is so "unsual"?
You're supposed to sleep with that thing night in night out - it has to be comfortable for you, regardless of how it may or may not serve other people.

Hopefully, some time in the future, CPAP masks will be custom made to our faces and perferred sleeping position. You get measured for dentures, you get measured for the frame for your spectacles - nobody tries to foist the most common shape on you. Your doctor thinks he's "data driven" and knows nothing about sleeping with a mask at night. He also doesn't realize the difference between the statistic describing a population, and the real needs of a specific concrete case.
Ignore him as far as this issue is concerned.

ChicagoGranny · Post by **ChicagoGranny** » Thu Oct 27, 2022 6:22 am

CPAPQs4All wrote: ↑
Wed Oct 26, 2022 7:54 pm
I tend to get reflux/LPR if I eat too much too late in the evening, which the doctor said accounts for my blocked nose and ears popping.

No one else has asked, so do you use data to check the efficacy of your CPAP therapy? Having apnea events can cause reflux. Your body struggles to breathe and forces stomach contents upward.

CPAPQs4All · Post by **CPAPQs4All** » Thu Oct 27, 2022 7:05 am

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑
Thu Oct 27, 2022 6:22 am

CPAPQs4All wrote: ↑
Wed Oct 26, 2022 7:54 pm
I tend to get reflux/LPR if I eat too much too late in the evening, which the doctor said accounts for my blocked nose and ears popping.
No one else has asked, so do you use data to check the efficacy of your CPAP therapy? Having apnea events can cause reflux. Your body struggles to breathe and forces stomach contents upward.

That's interesting to know. I have Oscar but have not used my CPAP for a full-night yet.

robysue1 · Post by **robysue1** » Thu Oct 27, 2022 8:04 am

CPAPQs4All wrote: ↑
Wed Oct 26, 2022 7:14 pm
OK, thanks for all of your input.

I will persist a bit more with the nasal mask.
I was told I have a significantly deviated septum. I'm not sure how bad "significant" is and I can breathe through my nose sometimes.
However, I felt as though I was making too much effort to breathe with a nasal mask in my last attempt.
My nose is not in a good state at the moment.
I tend to get reflux/LPR if I eat too much too late in the evening, which the doctor said accounts for my blocked nose and ears popping.

The two phrases I've highlighted are highly significant in terms of determining whether you might be better off with a full face mask.

1) When you say, "I can breathe through my nose sometimes" what exactly do you mean? Do you mean that there are some days where you breathe through your nose all day long, but most days you don't? Or do you mean that you think you usually breathe through your mouth and very occasionally find that you are actually breathing through your nose?

2) When you say that you were making "too much effort to breathe with a nasal mask," do you mean you were finding it far too hard to inhale comfortably with the mask on your nose? Or was exhaling the difficult part? Or was it just taking too much effort to try to keep the mouth shut while trying to breathe through your nose instead of just opening your mouth?

The reason I ask that second set of questions is that those possible problems have different solutions, and the solution for one problem may exacerbate one of the other problems.

If the problem is that inhaling is not comfortable, you may need a higher starting pressure. This is particularly true if you are having trouble inhaling comfortably while using the ramp feature.
If the problem is that exhaling is not comfortable, you may need to check whether EPR is turned on. If it's not turned on, turn it on. If EPR is already on, but not set at its maximum setting of 3, turning it up to 3 might help.
If the problem is that you just really, really wanted to open your mouth and just breathe through it, you might in fact find a full face mask more comfortable even though they are prone to having more problems with unintentional leaks. While most people do find nasal masks more comfortable, there are a few oddballs out there (like my husband) who find a full face mask more comfortable. You won't know if a full face mask is more or less comfortable for you until/unless you actually try one.

clownbell · Post by **clownbell** » Thu Oct 27, 2022 5:01 pm

When I started, my medical provider said the #1 priority was to use the machine for a full night regularly -- and only then would we focus on mask type, pressures, humidity, etc. Push through it.

There are users here who report that they are much more comfortable with FFM than nasal. Forget what populations use, and focus on what YOU need and use.

ejbpesca · Post by **ejbpesca** » Sat Oct 29, 2022 7:12 am

My first experience with a CPAP gear dealer was a local medical supply company that revealed quickly that their expertise was not CPAP. The person put in charge of attempting to get patients fitted for a mask had the belief that the whole purpose of CPAP therapy was to stop mouth breathing. This person insisted nasal masks were essential by using any method possible to force the mouth shut forcing the patient to nose breathe, and not snore. I was a bit shocked at that respiratory therapist's speech to me of how I must be trained to mouth breathe as if I was willfully committing a breathing crime and the training would rehabilitate my evil breathing way.

I have about everything in the book that causes mouth breathing during sleep. I attempted to force my mouth shut during sleep. Chin straps simply do not work for me. My jaw is stronger than any chin strap. Tape did not work. It would take industrial strength duct tape which I'm not going to use.

I stuck with full face masks.

This one encounter with a respiratory medical person who is totally ignorant of CPAP therapy was not the last. To this day, there are no knowledgeable technicians nor doctors in my area for guidance on CPAP gear and masks. CPAP therapy is assigned to pulmonologists and respiratory therapists who begrudgingly have taken this extra realm to their duties and express their resentment of having to deal with CPAP users as if it is a total waste of their time. They so obviously do not know, nor seem to care to know, much about CPAP therapy.

ChicagoGranny · Post by **ChicagoGranny** » Sat Oct 29, 2022 8:30 am

ejbpesca wrote: ↑
Sat Oct 29, 2022 7:12 am
by ejbpesca » Sat Oct 29, 2022 9:12 am

Well stated!

CPAPQs4All · Post by **CPAPQs4All** » Sat Oct 29, 2022 8:57 pm

robysue1 wrote: ↑
Thu Oct 27, 2022 8:04 am

CPAPQs4All wrote: ↑
Wed Oct 26, 2022 7:14 pm
OK, thanks for all of your input.

I will persist a bit more with the nasal mask.
I was told I have a significantly deviated septum. I'm not sure how bad "significant" is and I can breathe through my nose sometimes.
However, I felt as though I was making too much effort to breathe with a nasal mask in my last attempt.
My nose is not in a good state at the moment.
I tend to get reflux/LPR if I eat too much too late in the evening, which the doctor said accounts for my blocked nose and ears popping.
The two phrases I've highlighted are highly significant in terms of determining whether you might be better off with a full face mask.

1) When you say, "I can breathe through my nose sometimes" what exactly do you mean? Do you mean that there are some days where you breathe through your nose all day long, but most days you don't? Or do you mean that you think you usually breathe through your mouth and very occasionally find that you are actually breathing through your nose?

2) When you say that you were making "too much effort to breathe with a nasal mask," do you mean you were finding it far too hard to inhale comfortably with the mask on your nose? Or was exhaling the difficult part? Or was it just taking too much effort to try to keep the mouth shut while trying to breathe through your nose instead of just opening your mouth?

The reason I ask that second set of questions is that those possible problems have different solutions, and the solution for one problem may exacerbate one of the other problems.

If the problem is that inhaling is not comfortable, you may need a higher starting pressure. This is particularly true if you are having trouble inhaling comfortably while using the ramp feature.

If the problem is that exhaling is not comfortable, you may need to check whether EPR is turned on. If it's not turned on, turn it on. If EPR is already on, but not set at its maximum setting of 3, turning it up to 3 might help.

If the problem is that you just really, really wanted to open your mouth and just breathe through it, you might in fact find a full face mask more comfortable even though they are prone to having more problems with unintentional leaks. While most people do find nasal masks more comfortable, there are a few oddballs out there (like my husband) who find a full face mask more comfortable. You won't know if a full face mask is more or less comfortable for you until/unless you actually try one.

Thanks very much for this advice. I had EPR turned on to level 2 (I can turn EPR on or off but I have to request by phone to change the level). From what I read, the CPAP detects the pattern in my breathing and reduces the pressure when it thinks I am exhaling. I felt it didn't adjust to my breathing i.e. it seemed out of sync with the speed of my breathing, so I turned it off.

CPAPQs4All · Post by **CPAPQs4All** » Sat Oct 29, 2022 9:00 pm

ejbpesca wrote: ↑
Sat Oct 29, 2022 7:12 am

I have about everything in the book that causes mouth breathing during sleep.

If it is not too private, could you elaborate?

Deviated septum?

ejbpesca · Post by **ejbpesca** » Sun Oct 30, 2022 2:38 pm

CPAPQs4All wrote: ↑
Sat Oct 29, 2022 9:00 pm

ejbpesca wrote: ↑
Sat Oct 29, 2022 7:12 am

I have about everything in the book that causes mouth breathing during sleep.
If it is not too private, could you elaborate?

Deviated septum?

No problem. 1. deviated septum 2. airborne allergies that cause inflammation, swelling, and blockage 3. scar tissue from sinus infections. 4 relaxation of tissues that seal the nose from the airway causing the mouth to take over as intake. I have been a bit awake at times when I start snoring. Snoring may start with a nasal snore then as that passage way seals, the mouth takes over with a much louder snore. Snoring is not just from mouth breathing, but the sound of snore is different when mouth breathing than nose breathing or a combo of the two. Even though I cannot draw a clear breath while awake through my nose, while awake I nose breath mostly. In sleep, not always, but much of the time the path of air through the nose seals off, and the mouth takes over for breathing which will include loud snoring as collapsed and swollen tissues flap in the airflow.

CPAPQs4All · Post by **CPAPQs4All** » Sun Oct 30, 2022 5:26 pm

ejbpesca wrote: ↑
Sun Oct 30, 2022 2:38 pm

CPAPQs4All wrote: ↑
Sat Oct 29, 2022 9:00 pm

ejbpesca wrote: ↑
Sat Oct 29, 2022 7:12 am

No problem. 1. deviated septum 2. airborne allergies that cause inflammation, swelling, and blockage 3. scar tissue from sinus infections. 4 relaxation of tissues that seal the nose from the airway causing the mouth to take over as intake. I have been a bit awake at times when I start snoring. Snoring may start with a nasal snore then as that passage way seals, the mouth takes over with a much louder snore. Snoring is not just from mouth breathing, but the sound of snore is different when mouth breathing than nose breathing or a combo of the two. Even though I cannot draw a clear breath while awake through my nose, while awake I nose breath mostly. In sleep, not always, but much of the time the path of air through the nose seals off, and the mouth takes over for breathing which will include loud snoring as collapsed and swollen tissues flap in the airflow.
OK thanks

Is it so unusual to use a full-face mask? My doctor says so...

Re: Is it so unusual to use a full-face mask? My doctor says so...

Re: Is it so unusual to use a full-face mask? My doctor says so...

Re: Is it so unusual to use a full-face mask? My doctor says so...

Re: Is it so unusual to use a full-face mask? My doctor says so...

Re: Is it so unusual to use a full-face mask? My doctor says so...

Re: Is it so unusual to use a full-face mask? My doctor says so...

Re: Is it so unusual to use a full-face mask? My doctor says so...

Re: Is it so unusual to use a full-face mask? My doctor says so...

Re: Is it so unusual to use a full-face mask? My doctor says so...

Re: Is it so unusual to use a full-face mask? My doctor says so...

Re: Is it so unusual to use a full-face mask? My doctor says so...

Re: Is it so unusual to use a full-face mask? My doctor says so...

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