newbie frustration

I have been using cpap for about 3 weeks and am about ready to give up. I first started out with the resmed swift nasal pillow system and it was comfortable but with chronic sinus/allergy issues I most the time can not breath out of my nose so that obviously did not work. So I started with a mirage ultra ffm and it just seemed too small (I had size small as suggested by dme). Of course my nosebridge was killing me to the point I had a sore on it despite every adjustment I could on the mask. So I then tried a medium mirage ffm and it leaked like crazy. Then with both masks I woke up with tons of moisture, drool or whatever the crap was and then I am wet with a wet mask that will not seal. I bought the pad a cheek nose bridge protector and that helped some with nosebridge soreness but not with the pool of moisture in my mask. I adjusted up and down on the humidity and am now back at a 2 on the remstar pro machine. So tried a F&P 431/432 and tried with the foam insert and without and had a river of moisture under the seal in the middle of the night and tons of leaking of air and a major sore throat. I am about ready to throw it all in the trash. The dme company is frustrated with me and I am obviously frustrated also. Any suggestions apprechiated!
Jen

Jen,
Is it possible that the air humidity in your room is high enough that you don't need the heated humidfication? I've recently turned mine down to zero with no ill effects. I thought I needed high humidification because I was so dried up all the time, but now that I have triple taped my mouth so it can't leak or drop open, it's less dry and I don't need any heated himudification. I still have water in the chamber and get some humidity from passover. I don't know if that will help you. Just a thought. When I wore a full face mask, I still had air blowing through my mouth and drying me out. I also have a lot of allergies and can rarely breathe out of both nostils at the same time. I breathe through my mouth alot during the day, especially when working outside when my nose swells shut completely. Somehow the air blasts through that and I haven't died yet!

Bev

Well, the thing you DON'T want to do is give up.
Sounds like you have your humidity set too high for one thing.
I can't judge whether your mask is the right size or not, but the UMFF is my mask of choice, and I know that there's a lot of adjusting one can do with it.......AND, if it's cinched down too tight, it'll leak. The excess moisture in your mask can also make the seal worse (causing it to slide around on your face). I like to wear mine with the top straps VERY loose and the forehead support in the full upright position (no angle) to the point where it actually doesn't touch my forehead. Any/all pressure is on the lower straps. The seal needs to inflate with the airflow to seal it against your face, so a little looser may be better than too tight.

Hang in there.......it's too early to give up.

Den

Other thought(s) after reading Bev's post.......

Are you doing a nasal cleansing each night before bed? Too much humidity can cause nasal passages to close up and cool (passover) humidity can help to keep the nasal passages open. Try to keep your mouth shut and breathe through your nose in the FF mask with your tongue held to the roof of your mouth.

Den

Thanks for the replies. I have chronic sinus problems that make it that my nose is just not worth much. If I try to breath through my nose it is great till it is totally clogged and worthless. Dr says only surgery could fix it maybe. Not sure what a nasal cleansing is but not sure if I should try it due to my high risk of reoccuring sinusitis. Hope to figure out something that will work for me.
Jen

I never heard of sinus rinsing before I came here, either. I have chronic sinusitis and have found that using Neilmed's sinus rinse about an hour before masking up, actually helps clear my airways and allows the air to flow through my nose. I also have a slight septum deviation and do not want to have any more surgery. You can find the sinus rinse at Walmart or just about any large drugstore, and/or on line. It's not as bad as you expect it to be. Really, a lot of people here wear by it and make it a part of their nightly routine.

Bev

Hey reef,
The nasal cleansing is probably using a neti-pot (google on it and you'll find them in your local drug store -- I recommend using the powdered stuff they provide rather than trying my own mix -- but that's just me. Works very well!!!!! I don't use the one with pressure -- I let gravity do its thing....).
I've had allergies and nasal issues for over 40 years and generally use a nasal interface -- ComfortGel or Headrest -- and have essentially taught myself not to mouth breathe -- that said, I don't minimize your clogging issues!!!!!!!! I do have a Full Face mask for those nights when the nose just won't clear, but the leak rate is so bad it's like not having a mask on at all (I have facial hair, so it doesn't seal properly - If I needed the FF mask full time, I'd have to shave!!!!)
A "might solve the problem" wouldn't be good enough for me to have the surgery -- nothing is 100%, but that sounds like a pretty strong maybe......

The first thing that came to my mind when I read your initial post was that you have the mask strapped on too tight -- as Den has already mentioned. I have no experience with your particular mask, but I know with my ComfortGel mask, when I first started with it, I had it cranked down waaaayyyy too tight. My glasses are padless so that red, sore ridge in my nose caused me real issues!!!! Like Den, I have the top strap fairly loose to allow the flap to inflate and seal -- if it's down too tight the silicone flap won't inflate properly -- something to consider.
But again, I don't use that mask so Den, who does, will have far more beneficial "tuning" info than me.....

Good luck -- hang in there -- don't give up!!!! You did the right thing by coming here for advice and help rather than just chucking the whole thing -- we'll be happy to work with you as best we can!!!!

take care
cheers
goose

reefdreamer wrote:I have been using cpap for about 3 weeks and am about ready to give up. I first started out with the resmed swift nasal pillow system and it was comfortable but with chronic sinus/allergy issues I most the time can not breath out of my nose so that obviously did not work. So I started with a mirage ultra ffm and it just seemed too small (I had size small as suggested by dme). Of course my nosebridge was killing me to the point I had a sore on it despite every adjustment I could on the mask. So I then tried a medium mirage ffm and it leaked like crazy. Then with both masks I woke up with tons of moisture, drool or whatever the crap was and then I am wet with a wet mask that will not seal. I bought the pad a cheek nose bridge protector and that helped some with nosebridge soreness but not with the pool of moisture in my mask. I adjusted up and down on the humidity and am now back at a 2 on the remstar pro machine. So tried a F&P 431/432 and tried with the foam insert and without and had a river of moisture under the seal in the middle of the night and tons of leaking of air and a major sore throat. I am about ready to throw it all in the trash. The dme company is frustrated with me and I am obviously frustrated also. Any suggestions apprechiated!
Jen

Hi Jeni I am a newbie too who had lots of mask issues. I went through 4 masks this first month to get one that works. I switched to the Mirage Quatto at last after trying Mirage Ultra,FF432,and one more I can't remember right now. With the Quatto I was finally able to get good seals and no leaks. But I have not had your problem with rain-out. This is a good place for help I would not have made it without it. I am sleeping very well once I get to sleep. So hang in it will get better. You may need but yet another mask. Don't let the DM not let you change all you want in the first month. You have to find a mask that works or you won't stick with it. Melinda

For the rainout - Put the machine down below your bed, on the floor if you have to. Water runs downhill.

Turn the humidifier to OFF, using it in passover. If you get rainout there don't put water in it. If you are comfy there, leave it. If not turn it up 1 unit each nite until you are comfy or get rainout again. If rainout again turn it back down in 1/2 increments. A heated hose will help with rainout too.

Keep in mind you will have to keep adjust as the weather changes, so each nite can be different. When the heat is turned on, you will have to turn the HH up again.

I was having trouble with rainout when I first started. I soon realized it was just from my mask and not from the hose or humidifier, and that when I had a lot of mask leaks the moisture from my own breath was accumulating in the mask and coming back into my face. Once I got the mask to stop leaking the rainout went away. Good Luck.

reefdreamer wrote:. . . using cpap for about 3 weeks . . . started out with the resmed swift nasal pillow system and it was comfortable but with chronic sinus/allergy issues I most the time can not breath out of my nose so that obviously did not work. . . . Any suggestions apprechiated!
Jen

Jen,

Just a thought from a fellow newbie: Don't judge the success/failure of the nasal pillows by your experience during the first three or four weeks. It can take a while for your nasal passages to adjust to PAP therapy. All that air pressure makes some people go dry and other people get runny for a few weeks at first. You may want to try practicing nasal irrigation every evening and eventually try nasal pillows again, once you are a little more used to PAP therapy. You may find that once you get your humidification and irrigation figured out, your sinuses will improve enough for nasal pillows to work for you even during allergy times, if you sleep on your side.

jeff

reefdreamer wrote:I have been using cpap for about 3 weeks and am about ready to give up. I first started out with the resmed swift nasal pillow system and it was comfortable but with chronic sinus/allergy issues I most the time can not breath out of my nose so that obviously did not work. So I started with a mirage ultra ffm and it just seemed too small (I had size small as suggested by dme). Of course my nosebridge was killing me to the point I had a sore on it despite every adjustment I could on the mask. So I then tried a medium mirage ffm and it leaked like crazy. Then with both masks I woke up with tons of moisture, drool or whatever the crap was and then I am wet with a wet mask that will not seal. I bought the pad a cheek nose bridge protector and that helped some with nosebridge soreness but not with the pool of moisture in my mask. I adjusted up and down on the humidity and am now back at a 2 on the remstar pro machine. So tried a F&P 431/432 and tried with the foam insert and without and had a river of moisture under the seal in the middle of the night and tons of leaking of air and a major sore throat. I am about ready to throw it all in the trash. The dme company is frustrated with me and I am obviously frustrated also. Any suggestions apprechiated!
Jen

The DME being frustrated with someone new to this therapy is sad, not unusual, and sad. They should understand it takes most people many changes in masks, learning about the equipment, and more to get settled. I found if I acted in a professional manner with mine, they had the tolerance to stick with my many questions and changes. (Not saying you're not being professional with your DME.) It's just that some people voice their feelings and frustrations and DME employees are ill equipped to handle emotions so they might shut down and want to turn the other way, or worse get irritated with their customer. So, when a customer comes along that is professional about it all, it's a breath of fresh air (no pun intended) for them.

It sounds like you're kept at it, trying different solutions. That's key. Just keep it up and stay with us here on the forum so we can help you through it all. It took two months for me to feel settled. I wanted to cry and rip the mask off my face at first and eventually, better rest and more knowledge on what works for me paid off.

Also, it takes the body more time to adjust than our minds in my humble opinion. We make equipment changes and the body needs to adjust and settle in.

Hang in there!

Thanks everyone for the advice. I am still battling issues. I turned down the humidity to a 1 and tried the F&P 431 and had another flood in the mask of whatever it is (drool or whatever it is) and the mask leaked all night like crazy no matter how tight I made the thing. So went back to the ultra mirage and trying to rig it up to work good. I am not going to force myself to breath though a nose that doesn't work, I am just to comfortable with mouth breathing and if I try to not mouth breath and breath through a clogged up nose it just does not work. I am sure the dme company only gets frustrated with losing money on masks I can not use. Thanks,
Jen

Keep at it!!! You're trying different things and that's a good thing!!!!!!!
Totally understand the nasal thing -- there are times!!!!

I don't like the HC431 either -- I still have it for those times when my nose doesn't work, but with facial hair it doesn't seal very well.....
There are others here that swear by the Quattro or the Ultra Mirage Full Face masks...so you may want to give one or both of them a try......I'm sure others will chime in on those two....

If the DME get's frustrated -- too bad!!!! It's their job to support your needs!!! Approach them nice, but be ready to be very persistent.....As I said in another post, It's best to be nice, but sometimes it takes fangs to get their attention -- with mine, I needed to show them the fangs, but I didn't have to use them

You're doing good -- keep it up!!!!!
Take care
cheers
goose