New guy,, been on CPAP for a few nights

Hey guys.. new guy here.. i filled in my equipment below...

last night was my 4th night on CPAP and im not liking it so far. I dont feel any better yet, and the mask turns out to be quit uncomfortable. I put the mask on when i go to bed and adjust it as comfortable as possible.. but when i wake up .,. the spot RIGHT under my nose and above my lip hurts. another problem im having is that ill wak up in hte middle of the night, a few times, with the feeling of a drip of water on the tip of my nose.. it drive sme nuts and itches so i rip my mask off and itch it.. infact there is condenstation on the tip of my nose... i have adjust my humidifier and im around 2 right now.. bascially my water basin for the humidifier is empty when i wake up... ive been using sleep aids.. (Ambien for the first few nights, and tylenol PM last night) and i feel like CRAP when i wake up.. i just read that sleep aids can have adverse affects on apnea and the treatment.. is this a fact?

im using a chin strap that bothers my jaw and seams too tight.. and i notice if i dont wear it my mouth with open and the air blows out of my mouth.. my equipment supplier said i have a 30 day trial period to switch masks... i might go to a full face so i dont have to worry about it anymore.. the only problem is that i have a full beard and would rather not shave it off to keep a seal!!! i dont know if my mouth opens b/c of the sleep aids or if its just the way i sleep.. my wife says (prior to treatment) that i snore and she thinks its through my mouth.. so i could only be left to assume that i am orignally a mouth breather during sleep

my sinus's also seam to get congested when i lay down so thats why im thinking monday i might go to my supplier and take back my nose mask and swap it for a full face.. tonight ill attempt to go to bed with no sleep aids and see how i feel in the morning

Hi, Paully,

I've been working on this CPAP for some time and I don't like it yet. But now it's become a part of my routine. I just do it. I have found that if you find something that works great, it only works great for a few days then you have to try something else. I do feel better than I did. I used to feel like a zombie all day wanting sleep but not being able to even nap. Now, I "sleep" more than a lot of people, but at least when I'm awake, I'm actually awake.

If you go through a search, you will find many threads that address your problems, including the beard one. I don't have one, thank God.

I'm sure you will get much help from the people on the forum. I was months into my therapy and ready to give up when I found this place. It was extremely beneficial.

Well, I don't have any expereince with the mask you have. I have the Swift LT which is a nasal pillow mask and is a lot lighter and more comfortable than the looks of the one you have. Nothing on the forehead and nothing on the top of the nose. It works great for me, but I'm not a mouth breather. You might be better off a full face mask. I'm just not sure which one seals the best and is the most comfortable. Hopefully other people will chime in on here with their opinions.

I too take Tylenol PM to help me sleep and find it doesn't make me too groggy in the morning. Once you start getting EFFECTIVE CPAP threatment, it WILL get better and you will start to feel better. Just hang in there and don't get discouraged. Keep asking any questions you have on here. There is a LOT of knowledge and lot of good people on here that will try to help you. Is you're machine data capable? Have you considered getting the software and card reader so that you can see how you are doing yourself? Read throught the articles on here and learn as much as you can. You have to be committed to make this work, and education most definitely helps th process.

I'm not sure about a beard and a good seal, I'm sure there are other people on here that have a beard that will let you know thier expereinces.

paully wrote:Hey guys.. new guy here.. i filled in my equipment below...

last night was my 4th night on CPAP and im not liking it so far. I dont feel any better yet, and the mask turns out to be quit uncomfortable. I put the mask on when i go to bed and adjust it as comfortable as possible.. but when i wake up .,. the spot RIGHT under my nose and above my lip hurts. another problem im having is that ill wak up in hte middle of the night, a few times, with the feeling of a drip of water on the tip of my nose.. it drive sme nuts and itches so i rip my mask off and itch it.. infact there is condenstation on the tip of my nose... i have adjust my humidifier and im around 2 right now.. bascially my water basin for the humidifier is empty when i wake up... ive been using sleep aids.. (Ambien for the first few nights, and tylenol PM last night) and i feel like CRAP when i wake up.. i just read that sleep aids can have adverse affects on apnea and the treatment.. is this a fact?

im using a chin strap that bothers my jaw and seams too tight.. and i notice if i dont wear it my mouth with open and the air blows out of my mouth.. my equipment supplier said i have a 30 day trial period to switch masks... i might go to a full face so i dont have to worry about it anymore.. the only problem is that i have a full beard and would rather not shave it off to keep a seal!!! i dont know if my mouth opens b/c of the sleep aids or if its just the way i sleep.. my wife says (prior to treatment) that i snore and she thinks its through my mouth.. so i could only be left to assume that i am orignally a mouth breather during sleep

my sinus's also seam to get congested when i lay down so thats why im thinking monday i might go to my supplier and take back my nose mask and swap it for a full face.. tonight ill attempt to go to bed with no sleep aids and see how i feel in the morning

Lots of us use nasal pillows (Swift LT seems to be pretty popular) and are to me far and away the most comfortable way to go.

Mouth breathing will still be a problem. Chin straps are semi-successful for me, but I still tend to get some lip flutter type leaks there. I've started taping my mouth, but I'm not comfortable suggesting anyone do that and with a beard it might not be effective for you anyway. Denture strips have been mentioned as well, do a search if you're interested as there's a method to doing that. Once again, when you seal the mouth you are taking a risk so I don't suggest that to anyone.

Good luck.

I've only got one full night and a partial under my belt, but can say I like the swift lt in my profile (If I GOT to wear something at least it ain't much)

might be lucky with the mouth open thing, I used to breathe thru my mouth cause my nose would always plug then I'd snore like crazy
with the CPAP pushing air I don't use my mouth so much, I did drool all over my pillow last night (ain't done that in years) but my tongue sealed the back of my mouth so air wasn't pushing thru. (at least I don't think so)

leak rate said 0 this morning so musta been ok?

looks like I'll be going up in pressure soon though, hopefully it'll still work

paully wrote:Hey guys.. new guy here.. i filled in my equipment below...

last night was my 4th night on CPAP and im not liking it so far. I dont feel any better yet, and the mask turns out to be quit uncomfortable. I put the mask on when i go to bed and adjust it as comfortable as possible.. but when i wake up .,. the spot RIGHT under my nose and above my lip hurts. another problem im having is that ill wak up in hte middle of the night, a few times, with the feeling of a drip of water on the tip of my nose.. it drive sme nuts and itches so i rip my mask off and itch it.. infact there is condenstation on the tip of my nose... i have adjust my humidifier and im around 2 right now.. bascially my water basin for the humidifier is empty when i wake up... ive been using sleep aids.. (Ambien for the first few nights, and tylenol PM last night) and i feel like CRAP when i wake up.. i just read that sleep aids can have adverse affects on apnea and the treatment.. is this a fact?

im using a chin strap that bothers my jaw and seams too tight.. and i notice if i dont wear it my mouth with open and the air blows out of my mouth.. my equipment supplier said i have a 30 day trial period to switch masks... i might go to a full face so i dont have to worry about it anymore.. the only problem is that i have a full beard and would rather not shave it off to keep a seal!!! i dont know if my mouth opens b/c of the sleep aids or if its just the way i sleep.. my wife says (prior to treatment) that i snore and she thinks its through my mouth.. so i could only be left to assume that i am orignally a mouth breather during sleep

my sinus's also seam to get congested when i lay down so thats why im thinking monday i might go to my supplier and take back my nose mask and swap it for a full face.. tonight ill attempt to go to bed with no sleep aids and see how i feel in the morning

If you are on your fourth night and still determined to make the CPAP treatment work and are still trying things to solve problems, you meet the definition of "successful" and are doing great. So you need to pat yourself on the back for that--you deserve it. You found this board and are asking questions, so you will do fine if you keep on target like you are doing.

For some, they need to settle into the routine and let the stress of it all fade some before they start to feel better. Some take to it like a duck to water, but they, I believe, are the exceptions, not the rule.

If you have pain in the morning from your mask, you are likely putting it on too tight. Most masks these days actually seal better if they are on fairly loose. But almost everyone starts out overtightening. It is counter-intuitive just how loose the mask needs to be. The seal inflates to create a comfortable seal. If you overtighten, the seal is prevented from forming properly and you get more leaks, not less.

The drips of water are called "rain out," "rain-out," or "rainout" around here as a way of describing the condensation that forms inside a hose that is not insulated and that has air in it that is warmer than the air outside the hose. I insulated my hose by buying some cheap sports-style headbands, cutting them open with scissors, and putting them over my hose. Some run their hose under the blanket of their bed to insulate it. Some buy fancy hose covers.

Sleep aids affect your sleep. It is your call, in conjunction with your health professionals, what you should do. Temporary use may not be a bad thing in getting used to things, but if you can find a way to get the sleep you need without medication, that is a good thing to try to do. Research articles on sleep hygiene to find how you can get into a routine of sleep rituals that trigger all the sleep-inducing chemicals in your brain naturally.

Getting the right mask rarely happens on first try, so take advantage of the offer to try different masks. For many, getting the right mask for them is half, or more, of the battle. Some full-bearded men have found success with full-face masks, so don't think that is impossible. It is good to own a full-face mask as a backup, even if you one day switch to a nasal mask and find a way to make that work for you. If you are a mouth-breather, a full-face mask may be the best way to start out your therapy. You can try other things later.

If your sinuses get congested, you may want to try getting a squeeze-bottle setup for sinus irragation, or nasal irrigation. Some of us have found that if we take a little swim in the ocean, as it were, standing over our sink, either using pre-mixed packets or mixing our own salt-and-baking-soda mixture, about an hour before we go to bed, that makes all the difference for us.

The above are only ideas to think about. What works for one may not work for another. The main thing is that you keep doing what you are doing--trying things, experimenting, asking for help, fighting the fight.

Wish you the best, fellow hoser.

jeff

on the sleep aid thing, I tried those prior to CPAP treatment and found them to be horrid on my system. Id' feel like a MACK truck ran me over.

don't think I'll EVER use a sleep aid again, short of an 8lb ball peen hammer to the head

HI,

Contact your DME and tell them that you are having problems and that you want to try something else. "Remind" them that you have a beard and that you would like to try a variety of beard compatable masks , nasal pillows and Hybrid devices. They should be able to bring you several to try during the visit. Remember that you have lay down and move from side to side to really check the fit. It took me six (6) different full face masks to find the right one for me.

BTW I also had initial issues with the red spot on the bridge of my nose. My mistake was thinking that the slight hissing from the "engineered leak" (to exhaust CO2 from the mask) was a seal leak that I had to fix. So, I over tightened the mask. After figuring out, trial and error, how to get the right size and fit for a mask--minimal leaks and no red spots. It is amazing how loose the mask can be--if it fits your face.

Look through the different masks and nasal pillows at https://www.cpap.com -there's lots of different masks and lots of comments about them from "owners". If you are going to experiment with masks or nasal pillows form CPAP.com consider the insurance until you find what works for you.