First Week With APAP- Wet Mask

Hello everyone,

A little background about me: I'm a thin, 23 year old male with sleep apnea. I picked up my APAP (Respironics System 1 560) last week, and has changed my life for the better. I have way more energy and the ability to think. Also, I haven't experienced any heart palpitations which I felt almost every day.

My problem is I'm waking up a couple times a night because the mask cushion of my resmed quattro air softedge touching my face is really wet and slimy. I've been taking off the mask and wiping the mask and around my mouth with a wash cloth I keep next to my bed. I'm using the humidifier at level 3 (out of 5), but am afraid to make it lower, as I cannot stand the dryness when I don't use the humidifier (did that the first night because I didn't have any distilled water).

Does anyone have any recommendations on how to deal with this problem? I've searched the forums and google and found mask covers called Remzzzs, but I'm not sure that they would help with this problem. Also, they're pretty expensive.

Also, an unrelated question I can't seem to find the answer to by searching the forums is if you feel the beneficial effects the first night, will it keep getting better over time? I feel amazing, but still a little tired sometimes. I've probably had sleep apnea most of my life and not realized it, so maybe there's a lot of sleep to catch up on?

Thanks

Do you happen to have the heated hose option that is available for your machine?
The heated hose has a black end where it attaches to the humidifier.

Sounds like you are getting rain out in the mask. Condensation from the moisture coming in along with moisture in the air that you exhale cooling in the mask. A mask liner would help absorb the moisture. A heated hose would better help prevent it in the first place.
You can make your own mask liner with an old T shirt..you can buy permanent mask liners that last for months and months from Padacheek.com.
http://www.padacheek.com/
Increasing the bedroom temperature will help prevent the air in the mask from cooling and releasing the moisture.

Welcome to the forum.

I've heard of heated hoses before, but didn't realize they would help with the moisture problem. I'll have to call my DME provider to see if I can get one, unless it would be cheaper online. I'll also check out those permanent mask liners, seems like a more thrifty option then the throw away ones.

Thanks for the tips, Pugsy!

The 560 machine has the heated hose option but you also need the separate lid and a different power supply unless yours happens to have it already.
$75 online for the conversion kit
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-hea ... e-kit.html
It helps prevent rain out by keeping the entire hose warmer at a more constant temperature so that hopefully the air at the mask level will stay warmer.
Otherwise the warm air from the heated humidifier starts cooling as soon as it leaves the humidifier and by the time it travels up the hose to the mask it has cooled quite a bit and this is when the chance of condensation occurs. Warmer air holds more moisture..cooler air has to release it.

In the meantime you might also see if you can make some sort of hose cozy to help insulate the long hose. Anything that helps the air to stay warmer will help. Before the heated hoses that's what we had to do all the time. I fought rain out for 2 winters until I bought a stand alone heated hose (back then my machine wasn't heated hose capable) and then I finally got a machine that came with a heated hose and it was really nice. The hose cozies help but they add weight to the hose so that's a bit of a drawback.

Old socks with the toes cut out will make a decent cheap hose cozy. Secure with tape or rubber bands. Might help now until you get a more permanent solution. My first hose cozy was just a remnant of a bit of fleece wrapped around the hose. Used it for one winter. Not pretty but it helped a lot.