Is my humidifier working?

idahogal · Post by **idahogal** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 8:52 am

I have been on cpap for 1 month today and love the benefits. In the last week or so my humidifier is not using as much (about half) water as it used to and I am waking up feeling like I have a cold. I also wake up in the night with my nose burning. The HH comes on. The green light says its working. I just feel so dry in the morning. Is it possible that there is some reason the humidifier would not work in spite of everything saying it is? Does over filling the water chamber cause it to not work properly? I would appreciate any advice.

oceanpearl · Post by **oceanpearl** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 9:07 am

Never fill the tank above the fill line. You might want to check the manual and see how to set the heat levels. You might need to raise the heat level.

Nitro Dan · Post by **Nitro Dan** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 11:44 am

Yep, turn up the heat a bit...

idahogal · Post by **idahogal** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 9:32 pm

Thank you, I turned up my humidifier. I had it set on 3 but cranked it to 5. I have not had any rainout issues so I hope this does not start that. It does get very dry here in southern Idaho in the winter so I am hoping this will solve the issue. Thanks again.

Linda3032 · Post by **Linda3032** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 10:53 pm

Susan, if you run your humidifier at 5 for 8 or 9 hours, you should almost empty the reservoir. If your humidifier isn't almost dry in the morning, then I would think that something is wrong with it.

Let us know.

idahogal · Post by **idahogal** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 7:07 am

Ok, cranked up the humidifier last night on a setting of 5. I woke up in the morning with about a quarter of an inch of water left in the tank and still had a burning inside my nose in the morning. I am beginning to wonder if this is some type of issue with me and not the machine. I did however manage to wrap myself in the hose last night and yank the whole unit off the table in the night. I am sleeping 8 hours at night but wake up with a terrible burning in my nose. I am wondering if a saline nasal rinse would help this problem. HELP!

RobertinTX · Post by **RobertinTX** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 10:13 am

IMHO.....which, along with my two cents, won't buy a cup of coffee.....
I'd try another mask if this continues. I've tried the nasal pillows and can't stand them, I've used a nasal mask for yesrs and it works fine for me..
What it all boils down to is what works best for you.. After all it is you that benefits from these hose in the head machines.....
Whew, I'm glad I got taht off my chest......I feel better already !

roztom · Post by **roztom** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 10:56 am

Susan:

I've had a real problem trying to adjust to the Swift Nasal pillow.
It's like having a fuel injector in your nose.

Tremendous burning and pain in the nose - like my sinus's were burned.

I even tried the AYR gel - for nasal-aide but the Swift & I seem not to have a future together.

In the meantime- I have a Nasal mask that works pretty well.

Good Luck,

Tom

idahogal · Post by **idahogal** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 11:18 am

Tom, Exactly. I could not have described it better myself. It just burns so bad. I am getting my aura today so I am hoping that this maybe will solve the problem. I have a mirage as a backup if the aura does not help. I have a hard time with the ff mask because I am such a side sleeper these days so I keep that just in case I get sick. My husband is fully convinced that I have joined the ranks of the mask junkies now! I hope our dilema straightens out soon. Thanks

Linda3032 · Post by **Linda3032** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 11:23 am

Susan, try some Neosporin cream in your nose for a couple of days. You can even use it at night. Be sure to protect against chafing with the Aura at first. I never had any problems with the Nasalaire or Aura, but many do.

Don't wait for the Aura to start hurting before you start using a protective ointment or gel.

And, be forewarned, you will probably get some rainout. Protect against that too. My 4 hosecovers on the heated hose work for me.

idahogal · Post by **idahogal** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 11:29 am

Linda, Thank you for the advice. I would much rather know what to protect against before hand rather than try to fix it later. I will order a hose cover today for next day delivery. I have neosporin cream here so that is a plus. I chafe even when I get a cold so I would probably have issues. Do you still use both masks or are you favoring one over the other (NAll and Aura)?

Linda3032 · Post by **Linda3032** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 11:39 am

I hope never to have to use the Nasalaire again. The Aura is so comfortable and my "numbers" have improved drastically.

Don't get me wrong, I wore the Nasalaire for 3 years. But I didn't know what I was missing until I tried the Aura. Plus, my husband said the Aura was so much quieter.

It's a no brainer.

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 11:50 am

idahogal,

Just a quick warning. I know of NO ONE who can use the Aura with a hh setting of 5 without being subjected to rainout to the Nth degree, unless maybe you have a heated hose. If you are going to try the Aura tonight, I would suggest turning it down to 2 for the first night. Good luck.

roztom · Post by **roztom** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 11:54 am

Speaking of rainout: I use the ULtra Mirage Nasal and I get rainout when I set my HH to 4.

Tom

idahogal · Post by **idahogal** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 12:08 pm

Thanks all. Great advice. I will turn down my humidifier until I get the aura "adjusted" to me. I am also having my husband bring home some rubber bands for me and have the rubber band trick bookmarked. My biggest fear in life is suffocation so there is no telling what I would do in the night if I encountered rainout! Thanks for the heads up.

Linda; I am hoping I have the same results with the Aura. Have you ever tried to sleep on your stomach with the Aura? What kind of pillow do you use?

Mask

Additional Comments: cpap pressure: 12

Mask

Additional Comments: cpap pressure: 12

Mask

Additional Comments: cpap pressure: 12

Mask