Gentle ways to tape?

All those histories about the big danger about mouth taping and the people who died because of it makes me laugh, really.

Have a question: what do you think will be your first reaction if lest say you have your mouth taped with that SUPER ULTRA GLUE TAPE and you want to open it? Man, you will rip the tape off with your ''hands'', yes your hands are not taped together on your back, yeah easy.

But easier still, you will not need your hands to get rid of the tape, simply open your mouth that's easy.

The gentlest (and safest) way to tape isn't with tape, it's using denture strips. Strong enough to hold against inadvertant lip parting while weak enough to easily open your mouth, without touching any facial skin except your lips. Less of a use of force, more of a gentle persuasion that will eventually train your mouth to stay closed without any help.

BadBreath wrote:The gentlest (and safest) way to tape isn't with tape, it's using denture strips. Strong enough to hold against inadvertant lip parting while weak enough to easily open your mouth, without touching any facial skin except your lips. Less of a use of force, more of a gentle persuasion that will eventually train your mouth to stay closed without any help.

Wow, interesting idea -- do the ingredients in denture strips dry out your lips or cause any irritation?

Sir NoddinOff wrote:You could easily do that in a full face mask too!

A full face mask has some volume for the fluid to go into. Some could go down the tube until it gets clogged. If you still managed to fill the mask up, the force might push the mask off enough to leak around the edges. Most importantly, you can get the full face off really quickly, while tape might be difficult to remove in some cases.

It definitely would not be fun, though.

kaiasgram wrote: Wow, interesting idea -- do the ingredients in denture strips dry out your lips or cause any irritation?

I did try them. No drying or irritation....remember these actually go inside a person's mouth where the least irritation between dentures and gums would be a major drawback and selling point. The original intended use would have a serious problem if the strips were abrasive in any way.

They do taste yucky though.

The whole idea is a gentle reminder to keep the mouth closed. It isn't like using gorilla glue to seal something.

I use the blue painters tape to cover my mouth. I took one of the suggestions above and cut about a 1/2 inch slit horizontally mid-lips. This has the additional advantage of allowing a straw to be used if you need a sip of water. Also, I have found that if I stick the tape to my arm a few times before applying it to my face, it looses some of it's stickiness and makes removal a much easier project. I realize there is always a first time for everything but in all of my 68 years have I ever vomited without being awakened in time to run for the bathroom. There's just something about nausea that makes all my systems go on red alert. I was laughing at my dog one night and my tape popped right off. Sneezing will dislodge it in a jiffy too. Tape your mouth using any tips that seem appropriate and see just how much is required of you to get it off and I'm sure you will feel more confident using it. And only tell your RT about taping if you want to see them have a coronary!

Suz

I have used the 3M Micropore for years with success. The tape goes on horizontally for me. However, I don't use gloss or chap "preventer" because I'll begin to drool through the place where the tape isn't adhering. Also rolling my lips in is uncomfortable, so I just let the tape stick on my lips. All that said, a great problem arose last August in that I developed a horrible chapping and a rash along with peeling, bleeding and pain around my mouth, in the corners, and on my lips. A staff infection set in and was treated. However, the peeling continued. When the tape was removed pieces of skin would come off, causing bleeding woulnds. Nothing seemed to work until a friend mentioned that she had had a similar problem (not a CPAP user) and that the culprit was an allergy to toothpaste. I stopped using toothpaste immediately, switched to dental soap and the problem completely abated. Now, I apply a paraben and petroleum free moisturizer every night. It allows for good adherence without any chapping. I'm a happy taper and am not in the least concerned about coughing or vomiting.

Thanks for all the follow-up information to taping! Good information

I'll be pasting this information into my "word" file of cpap tips!

I have said my piece about the dangers of taping, gluing, strapping one's mouth closed and I am with a clear conscience now.

Just to point out what the OP said and reiterate: It does not take much foreign matter in the windpipe to create a serious situation. A quality FFM allows for some additional room asides from the small volume the mouth will hold, for vomit, sputum, etc., to be kept from the windpipe until the mask can be torn off.

I would ask that you take a close look at your FFM if you own one. Firstly, it holds a significant volume before aspiration is unavoidable. Secondly, it is designed (with good reason) to be removable in a hurry. It can be torn from one's face almost instantly (look at the design of the straps... they pop off at the base) and the hose itself can be torn off at the swivel quite readily. These are all for a reason. The straps are somewhat elasticized generally and this permits the mask to be moved away from the face to permit foreign matter to drain rather than be inhaled.

Of 10,000 of us that tape or strap our mouths closed, only perhaps one or two will suffer trauma as a result. Personally, I don't want to be that 'one' or 'two'.

I know that this is going to offend many. I taped, strapped, etc. while I was in my nosebag phase and ultimately simply allowed my wife to squeeze my lips closed when she was awakened by the whistling of an open mouth. Better that than awakening to no whistling... no nothing. Sorry guys. I'm just saying...

I also know many that have smoked cigarettes into their 80's and 90's..... and I have a few friends that have died from lung cancer and heart disease likely caused by ardent cigarette/tobacco smoking.

From experience I can tell you that we are invincible until we become part of that one or two that are not.

I would venture to say that even the PAP-CAP (of which I am an owner BTW) is designed for instantaneous removal. It can be torn from one's face/head very quickly. And the truth is that so can that blue painter's tape if done right. Please... just be cautious if nothing else in your efforts to keep your mouth taped or strapped closed.

That's all I'm saying.

Several reasons not to tape:
Any reason you can't pull the tape off quickly: intoxicated, incapacitated due to disease, injury, or being tied up.
also persons prone to extended sleep paralysis after awakening, or suffering from nausea.
Some of these circumstances are rare, others much more common.
And one more: can't find anything but Duck tape (very bad idea)
It is still a personal decision--If I don't feel like it, I wear a full face mask .

Sir NoddinOff wrote:

torontoCPAPguy wrote:Sorry gang. You will NEVER get me taping, strapping or using headgear to hold my mouth closed to prevent mouth breathing. For one thing I get congested at night. And for another thing I had a friend whose mouth was taped. He vomited, aspirated the vomit and died, leaving a widow and two kids. His name was Kleinberg.

You could easily do that in a full face mask too!

Did it..been there...and I'm still here to tell the tale. I was using my quattro and threw up, woke up as I was upchucking. Dumped my quattro in the sink and cleaned me up and went back to bed with my hybrid.
Toronto...was you friend so drunk he could not wake up...that scenario I would believe, but normally being sick with mouth taped or wearing a full face mask.....I don't see it . When the power went out when I was taping, I woke up within minutes..........Just sayin'......

His mouth was well and truly taped with ductape and he was asleep. Just one of those flookey things where by the time he had reached the tape with his hands he had already aspirated vomit and choked to death on it. I suspect that he was well and truly taped up unfortunately. To be totally honest, I have taped using blue 3M 2" painters tape with "handles" by folding back the tape at each end; I also own a PAPCAP. So I have used both and am "sorta" comfortable with either of these as they are quick to take off. In fact, I suspect that the blue tape would allow me to open my mouth every time I was intent on doing so.. the PAPCAP's velcro straps can be played with and it could be somewhat more time consuming to extricate oneself from when a fraction of a second may count.

The most important point to take away from this thread is that you REALLY REALLY NEED to know what you are doing and practice a couple of times perhaps before going off and ductaping your mouth closed in total confidence that you are not going to be that 1 in 10,000 or more.

We have read on here of folks that have used even stronger methods of keeping their mouths closed while on XPAP.

It is dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. I am a gun collector. My family either does not touch a gun or has been with me for extensive training prior to handling a gun. On top of that they are kept trigger locked and in a safe for the most part unless on my person in transit. Guns are dangerous as well. Very dangerous if one does not know what they are doing. And conversely, VERY safe if one knows the rules and abides by them.

Know what you are doing before you start wrapping your head in ductape folks. Good thread - food for thought especially for newbies.

The friend who died is a true story by the way...... and for personal reasons I am not inclined to release any more of the sordid details, but it is and was proof enough for me that one needs to take taping the mouth and strapping things closed very very very seriously. Proof enough for me that it CAN kill you under the right circumstances.

His mouth was well and truly taped with ductape and he was asleep.

Just curious about why anyone would tape their mouth with duct tape and go to sleep? I used to tape but now I tie a bandana around my mouth. It's just so the bandana helps hold my headgear in the back as I'm fine with taping but seriously...duct tape?

Maxie wrote:

His mouth was well and truly taped with ductape and he was asleep.

Just curious about why anyone would tape their mouth with duct tape and go to sleep? I used to tape but now I tie a bandana around my mouth. It's just so the bandana helps hold my headgear in the back as I'm fine with taping but seriously...duct tape?

I agree. It could also cause a nosebleed.

Suzjohnson wrote:And only tell your RT about taping if you want to see them have a coronary!
Suz

Don't tempt me!