newbie mouthbreather

thanks to all who responded to my previous "poor me" post

i finally am somewhat set up with my new equip 1 month after diagnosis although not totally happy with my mask--knowing me i will be on a perpetual quest for the "perfect one" if any such thing exists.. apria has been a nightmare..i couldn't sleep with my set pressure of 12, had to cajole my doctor and dme as well as apria to give me an autopap. am still stuck with comfortgel fullface mask although i have a liberty hybrid on the way.. the nasal pillows look so appealing, but knowing i am a mouth breather that is not effective for me..nor will i tape my mouth shut or have some jaw surgery to fix my overbite..all in all...as you all have been there and done that..its been a bumpy ride..there were nights where i would be crying into my mask thinking poor me...but i don't want to be a victim..i want to make the best of this situation and be greatful that i am getting treatment while many just cut short their life by many years due to ignorance..

its still not normal for me..i have been sleeping on average for four hours a night with the full face..and then pull it off at four am and doze off in bed..trying to break that pattern...but once my pressure hits 12.all the leaks, whistling..dry mouth issues gets me up..would appreciate any tips on this adjustment period..i am really trying to make my comfortgel fullface work for me..i have not been able to try any new ones at apria and with the liberty on the way i can't experiment...i am willing to fork over the many and buy extra masks that will work but don't know where to start for the fullface ones..also my RT stated that my mask is "top of the line" and that i would just have more issues with the others. are leaks just nml and i have to "put up with it".. i know this isn't a perfect science..


my AHI in my titration study was 3.50--it was zero at a pressure of 12, but i can't tolerate straight CPAP at 12..

thanks for hearing me and letting me vent..i only asked for a liberty after all you wonderful people suggested it..is it possible for a mouth breather to ever convert to a nasal pillow.. tried a nasal cpap unit and felt like i was suffocating..i had to open my mouth and all the air just gushed out..it did not feel normal for me..

cheers
hopeful gal..

Hello Hopeful Gal -
You sound like me! Total mouth breather here and I even wear a TMJ mouth splint. I had to turn up my humidifier to avoid the tongue stuck to the top of my mouth problem. My titrated pressure was 11 but I have set my auto to 10.5 to 13.5 and it has been pretty good.
I love my Mirage Liberty. I tore the Full Face Mask off each night after about 2 hours so you are making it longer than me. Have you tried the PurSleep stuff?
AuntieNae

This device completely solved my mouth breathing:


Just kidding. I have caught myself mouthbreathing at night.....I don't know how much....but I am concerned about it. I have taped my mouth closed before, however, I can only do it when I have no sinus problems. Probably tape and the NeliPot nasal rinse each night is what I need. You will do fine. Keep asking questions and some more qualified than me can help.

Georgio

I was a mouthbreather my entire long life but that changed with CPAP. I use nasal pillows and they opened up my nasal passages enough that I rarely breath through my mouth during the day. Don't rule out the nasal pillows. If you have a chance to try them, give them a shot.

Lynne

Just looked at the OptiLife Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear. That is cool. I am a mouth breather and during the tests they had a big rubber band around my head to keep my mouth shut. It looks like this does it in a much elegant? way

The Swift LT is another very popular nasal pillow mask. My mother and I are both using it.

lost in chicago wrote:Just looked at the OptiLife Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear. That is cool. I am a mouth breather and during the tests they had a big rubber band around my head to keep my mouth shut. It looks like this does it in a much elegant? way

Well, actually not. The chin cup on the OptiLife is just a sort of stabilizer, and is not effective for mouth leaks at all. Given this fact, and the option of using mouth tape to truly effectively keep my mouth leaks completely under control, I prefer the Swift LT nasal mask. It's amazingly comfortable, and the trade-off for using mouth taping rather than a FF mask is worth it to me. Just my opinion. You can find more information about mouth taping than you ever dreamed of, by entering it as a search at the top of this page. All the best to you in your quest!

I use chin-up strips to keep from mouth breathing - FDA approved - allows you to cough or sneeze if you need to - much safer in my opinion than taping.

http://www.chinupstrip.com


Gail