Vomiting into a full face mask ?

Sorry for the morbid subject but can anyone answer this question - If I go to bed feeling sick and wearing my full face mask then later on in the night while sleeping vomit into my full face mask - can I choke to death from this happening while wearing a full face mask.

Cheers Peter

Well, I know that wouldn't happen to me since I have some advance notice that I'm going to vomit, and I'm usually hanging out very near the toilet, so no suffocating for me.

You can have issues with that wearing nothing at all, too.

But it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a nasal backup mask of some type if you need it.

In theory, perhaps. Even if you don't suffocate, aspiration pneumonia is a nasty thing.

Unless you're unconscious, presumably you'd take your mask off. If you grabbed your mask in a sudden panic vomiting in the middle of the night, don't you think you'd be able to rip it off quickly? I guess there's some risk you'd end up with some material in the wrong place before you got the mask off.

Maybe we should be careful about using a FFM if we're somehow impaired, such as taking certain meds, excessively drunk, etc. Or even when nauseous.

Anyone who is seizure prone should definitely discuss FFMs with their doctor.

your profile shows use of nasal masks...

but if you have any indication of queasiness, the quick release straps on the ResMed and Resp FFM will allow you to get the mask off really quickly.

I'm amazed how fast I can remove my Quattro when a hayfever allergy sneezing fit hits me unexpectedly.

DyingOnMyFeet wrote:Sorry for the morbid subject but can anyone answer this question - If I go to bed feeling sick and wearing my full face mask then later on in the night while sleeping vomit into my full face mask - can I choke to death from this happening while wearing a full face mask.

Cheers Peter

Hi Peter,

For whatever reason the answer I want to give you is "No, do NOT take the extra drink before going to bed".

I do not know why that came to me but whatever. Just a silly thing I suppose.

By all means do have a lot of fun!

Cheers!

Tod

I did...and I'm still here to tell the tale . I had food poisoning and woke up vomiting into my quattro, ran to the bathroom with both hands covering my mask. Cleaned up and left that mask soaking in the sink for the rest of the night....put on a spare mask and and spent the rest of the night in my recliner Next morning I cleaned the yukky mask with a vinegar & water soak and a soapy wash Others will tell you that you will choke to death on your vomit....yes, I agree...IF you were sleeping on your back, you might........but we all know that we are not supposed to be sleeping on our back when you have positional osa.......RIGHT!!!!!!!
I hope it never happens to you or any others....but remember you will wake up as soon as you start to vomit and since you are sleeping on you side , you wont aspirate the vomit.
Nan

As a teetotaler, it never occurred to me to think about vomiting while drunk. I guess that is something to think about...

Todzo wrote:

DyingOnMyFeet wrote:Sorry for the morbid subject but can anyone answer this question - If I go to bed feeling sick and wearing my full face mask then later on in the night while sleeping vomit into my full face mask - can I choke to death from this happening while wearing a full face mask.

Cheers Peter

Hi Peter,

For whatever reason the answer I want to give you is "No, do NOT take the extra drink before going to bed".

I do not know why that came to me but whatever. Just a silly thing I suppose.

By all means do have a lot of fun!

Cheers!

Tod

You could vomit in your sleep without a mask on and choke to death under the right conditions. I would say that under similar conditions a mask sure isn't going to help.

Heavylids wrote:You could vomit in your sleep without a mask on and choke to death under the right conditions. I would say that under similar conditions a mask sure isn't going to help.

The right conditions are that you are sleeping on your back........if you are sleeping on your side, the vomit will flow to the left or right. With positional osa we are not supposed to sleep on our backs...it makes our throat that much easier to collapse. Anyway...those that have had problems or have died, were sleeping on their back and the vomit could not flow away from their airway and they choked. Trust me...when you vomit, it wakes you up instantly....and if you are sleeping on your side or stomach...you have the ability to get up.
All this is moot of course if you are so drunk that....I'll leave the rest to your imagination, since I don't drink alcohol .

If one is so drunk as to render them unable to wake up prior to vomitting, then one is probably too drunk to have masked up in the first place!

nanwilson wrote:

Heavylids wrote:You could vomit in your sleep without a mask on and choke to death under the right conditions. I would say that under similar conditions a mask sure isn't going to help.

The right conditions are that you are sleeping on your back........if you are sleeping on your side, the vomit will flow to the left or right. With positional osa we are not supposed to sleep on our backs...it makes our throat that much easier to collapse. Anyway...those that have had problems or have died, were sleeping on their back and the vomit could not flow away from their airway and they choked. Trust me...when you vomit, it wakes you up instantly....and if you are sleeping on your side or stomach...you have the ability to get up.
All this is moot of course if you are so drunk that....I'll leave the rest to your imagination, since I don't drink alcohol .

If I'm going to vomit, I feel queasy (and in pain) for quite awhile before;
I usually can NOT sleep until the bad stuff is out and flushed away.

nanwilson wrote:I did...and I'm still here to tell the tale . I had food poisoning and woke up vomiting into my quattro, ran to the bathroom with both hands covering my mask. Cleaned up and left that mask soaking in the sink for the rest of the night....put on a spare mask and and spent the rest of the night in my recliner Next morning I cleaned the yukky mask with a vinegar & water soak and a soapy wash Others will tell you that you will choke to death on your vomit....yes, I agree...IF you were sleeping on your back, you might........but we all know that we are not supposed to be sleeping on our back when you have positional osa.......RIGHT!!!!!!!
I hope it never happens to you or any others....but remember you will wake up as soon as you start to vomit and since you are sleeping on you side , you wont aspirate the vomit.
Nan

Positional osa, ??? I think I can sleep fairly well while on my side, my opinion anyway. Its when I'm on my back that I struggle and cant breathe well, snort, snore, jerk, etc. At my sleep study, had to do it twice to get the right numbers and or results, whatever, he told me that I should sleep on my back if I could. Something to do with the different stages of sleep and when your body locks up or something that it is better for you to be on your back. I remember him claiming that it would be healthier to sleep on my back. Always learning something here.

ughwhatname wrote:If one is so drunk as to render them unable to wake up prior to vomitting, then one is probably too drunk to have masked up in the first place!

There's a time delay between alcohol consumption and maximum intoxication level.

People who have consumed a lot of alcohol and are "on the way down" often do a lot of "normal" things to get themselves ready for sleep before losing consciousness.

BTW, the OP didn't say he was drinking, but the question of putting on a FFM while seriously drunk and vomiting later is a valid concern.

It would also be a concern for someone who's loved one has passed out or is about to pass out drunk. Do you mask them up or help them mask up?

How about someone taking some sort of legitimate meds that leave them semi-sedated in their sleep?

Choking to death? I guess it is possible, but the real concern is aspiration pneumonia and septic shock.
It happened to my wife a year and a half ago. Cause was not awakening due to being zonked out with Ambien. She was in a coma for five days and in CCU for 10. Damn near lost her.

So yes, you want to take every step necessary to PREVENT anything like that happening. Someone mentioned switching to a nasal mask. GOOD IDEA. One night on that isn't going to change a thing in your overall therapy. In fact -- it is my own opinion that too many people are being talked into the FFM.