New to Forum - BiPAP Res PRO2 CFLEX - 1st night!

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 10:27 am

Don'g give up on the nasal pillows mask.

A week after starting with the Breeze my nose (nares etc) was very painful. The RT suggest a 2-3 nigh t break to let my nose heal. I took it and ever since the Breeze has been my best friend.

We are not used to something touching our nares like that, and the skin has to toughen a bit. Snork1 compared it to getting used to riding a bike - you don't go out a full day ride the first time.

The soreness is your body's natural way of saying "hey, not so fast, we've got to train for this", not an indication that this isn't for you.

O.

OldSeaRock · Post by **OldSeaRock** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 4:57 pm

All, thank you SO MUCH for your help, encouragement and advice.

Most of all - CONGRATULATIONS TO BILL who finally got his machine!!

I'm definitely going to switch between the masks once my nares get over the trauma.. and I'll go with the larger pillows for sure.

Here is something I find interesting - tell me if I'm crazy:

Last night I had a wonderful sleep with the regular nose mask (the one in the picture below). However, the air pressure with the mask didn't seem to be as strong as with the nose pillows. Noticeable difference, and I adjusted nothing on the machine. Is that normal? Am I looney?

Only other comment is that my nose got a little wet from the mask, I'll guess that's condensation or something. Slept like a baby!

Again - thank you all. You're good people.

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 5:32 pm

Oldsearock:

I agree, the pressure you feel when you're using nasal pillow interfaces feels much strong than with a regular nasal mask. Perhaps because the stream of air is more concentrated with the pillows, rather than a tube bringing air into a more open space through a larger ended hose. But I agree with you.

BTW, I like how you listed your location, "Earth."

OldSeaRock · Post by **OldSeaRock** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 5:46 pm

Earth is easier to type than "Third planet from the Sun".

OldSeaRock · Post by **OldSeaRock** » Sat Aug 06, 2005 4:19 pm

Well, I've learned a couple of lessons.

The Breeze "mask" has been functioning quite well but last night I awoke to a couple of leaks - no biggie, I just adjusted the mask and went right back to sleep.

This morning I noticed that the mask was making the spot under my nose sore.. not nearly as bad as the nose pillows made my nares sore, but sore none the less.

After my fourth night on the machine I can tell that I'm getting restful sleep, I feel much better with more energy. My wife says that my leg movement is almost nil, which is good news to me.

QUESTION: Again, I had a good bit of condensation inside the mask. Should I try adjusting the heater on the humidifier to a lower setting? Any suggestions?

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Sat Aug 06, 2005 4:46 pm

OldSeaRock writes:

QUESTION: Again, I had a good bit of condensation inside the mask. Should I try adjusting the heater on the humidifier to a lower setting? Any suggestions?

Absolutely. I started, before I had my new setup and had an external humidifier, at a 2.5 and had heavy rainout. Had to turn it down to a 1-1.5. Now with my new machine that has the built-in humidifier, I keep it at a 1. I find it's enough to do what it's needed to do and I don't get the rainout.

Of course, like everything in CPAP Land, it's on an individual basis, so 1 might be too low for you. But experimenting with different settings is the only way you will figure out what is best for your individual needs.

It's all trial and error. But I am very glad to hear you're already starting to feel the renewed energy. It is a wonderful thing once all the benefits of being hooked up every night to a hose and a mask start to kick in. I am a bit addicted now.

OldSeaRock · Post by **OldSeaRock** » Sat Aug 06, 2005 4:49 pm

Per usual, THANK YOU for the kind tip Lori!

And I find myself ready to go to bed earlier than normal - knowing that I'm going to sleep well and feel rested.

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Sat Aug 06, 2005 4:56 pm

OldSeaRock writes:

Per usual, THANK YOU for the kind tip!

And I find myself ready to go to bed earlier than normal - knowing that I'm going to sleep well and feel rested.

Ain't that the truth!!! When you know you're going to feel like a new person again, probably something you haven't felt in years, it can't happen soon enough. It's like being a kid who can't wait to go to the amusement park- you're in such a rush to get there. What a wonderful feeling. Who would have thought sleeping could be such a treat?

And, as usual, you're very welcome for the tip. Hope it helps.

OldSeaRock · Post by **OldSeaRock** » Sat Aug 06, 2005 9:14 pm

Tonight I'm going with RG's advice, back to the nose pillows but using the lime green/LARGE pillows. My nares are less sore than the spot under my nose where the mask has been for the past two nights.

Also, with Lori's advice I've set the humidifier on 1; It was on 2 so we'll see how that works.

I must say that the Breeze head set has been perfect for me. If the nares are sore in the morning then I will rotate between the pillows/mask until I get used to the pillows. The air flow that I get with the pillows is much better than the nose mask.

OldSeaRock · Post by **OldSeaRock** » Sun Aug 07, 2005 2:37 pm

It worked. The lime nose pillows were so much more comfortable than the clear (medium sized) pillows. My nares are a tad sore but all in all, a good night. We'll try the same setup tonight and see how it works - but I'll have the nasal mask at the ready just in case.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sun Aug 07, 2005 4:53 pm

Glad to hear that sticking limes up your nose helped, OSR.

I wouldn't give them a chance to cause tenderness on the second night. I'd alternate masks every night for a week or so. Toward the end of the week, the snout will probably be acclimated enough to the "every other night pillows" that you could start using them on some consecutive nights. Just a thought. I'd hate for you to end up back on square one...perhaps sneak up on them (the pillows) a bit more.

OldSeaRock · Post by **OldSeaRock** » Sun Aug 07, 2005 6:30 pm

You're a real character, RG...

OldSeaRock · Post by **OldSeaRock** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 5:51 pm

I guess this thread is a testimony regarding a couple of things.

First, I must say that the local DME has been wonderful! They're privately owned and as such, the R/T told me, they work with their customers as closely as possible.

Sunday night (my FIFTH NIGHT with the machine) I wore the lime colored, large Breeze nose pillows. All went very well, when I awoke on Monday my nares weren't too badly sore - much improved over the second night.

Monday night - went back with the nose pillows, same setup. Nares were sore at 5am, I woke up and took the mask off. Fortunately I had gone to bed early enough that I felt well rested at 5am so I fixed some coffee, fixed my wife a surprise breakfast (brownie points are
never bad!) and determined to take RG's advice, I called my DME this morning regarding the ResMed Activa mask.

They had both the Ultra Mirage and the Activa in stock. So I tramped on down and the Ultra was smaller, more comfortable and basically the same sort of setup. I'd planned on having to pay something for it (copay) and the R/T told me to take it, see if it works and not worry about it.

So, we'll try the Ultra Mirage tonight - which makes 1 week to the day of having the machine. I love the Breeze nose pillows but they're going to take getting used to. The Breeze nasal mask leaks because of the way I sleep... so that's out. Now we'll try this Ultra Mirage and hopefully this will be the 'break' that my nares need in order to adapt to the Breeze nasal pillows.

The nose pillows deliver much more air (to me) than the masks do. I hope to graduate to the Breeze nose pillows and stay there at some point. There is a certain amount of fiddling I have to do with those darn pillows but the volume of air is worth the hassle.

Lastly, for those others who are new and trying to get this down... just hang in there. I hope you've got a DME that you can work with. If not, CPAP.COM has the best prices I've found. I'm thankful for my DME and the help I've gotten here.

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 6:01 pm

OldSeaRock,

You are so calm and relaxed about this whole thing, I get de-stressed listening to how you phrase your threads. Guess that is one of the reasons for your success already, your positive attitude. Nothing gets to you. I give you a lot of credit.

A bit of food for thought. I had a huge miniseries on this site about my experience with the Breeze that ended up "never-ending," except for the fact I had to get rid of it. Sold it to someone on this site for very cheap and he loves and uses it. So, as we always say, what's good for one person is not necessarily so for another. But I went to the Swift and absolutely love it. Have used it every night since I got it a few weeks ago. It is all of 2 oz. or so, is a nasal pillow interface, but the pillows are attached to what I like to call a "barrel," and it's literally the lightest, most comfortable mask I've used yet. I am not giving it up. The only problem I have with it is, it makes marks on the sides of my face when I wake up due to the neoprene "stays" they put on the elastic straps to keep them stiff, but there is another thread on this site and some of us are doing things to try to solve that problem (lab rats, as Restedgal likes to call us all who do that). That is the only negative I can say about it.

Just thought you might want to look into it. I was using the Activa before for about six weeks; and although it is a good mask, and definitely, as Rock & Roll says, should be the mask for all newcomers, I don't think it can hold a candle to the Swift.

Let us know how you make out with the Ultra Mirage. Hope it works out well. Good luck!

OldSeaRock · Post by **OldSeaRock** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 6:17 pm

Thank you for the compliment, Lori! Hey, there are people starving, innocent people being blown up by idiot zealots, all kinds of atrocities...... man, we've got it made, we're blessed

I read your trials and tribulations with masks Lori and it was a huge help to me. I came to the conclusion that the perfect mask probably doesn't exist - and like most everything else in this world, preferences are personal. It's like ozij stated before, "we aren't designed to wear tupperware on our heads and get a good night's sleep"! OK.. I paraphrased a bit, my apologies, O.

The threads about the Swift system have been like most others, +/-. If this current rotation doesn't work then guess what I'm going to?

We've all had our moments with these thingamajiggs and thank goodness for a forum like this. I thought this (BiPAP) would be easy.