Welcome to Apnea Board !
As a guest, you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use.
To post a message, you must create a free account using a valid email address.
Login or Create an Account
Mask fitting is extremely difficult. I've already tried 4 different kinds, two nasal and two full, and these have included the "fit packs" with the different sizes to try. Apparently my nose is "too big" for the rest of my face and the bridge is "too prominent" so it causes fitting issues. I can't wear nasal-only masks because of constant mouth leaks, and if I tape my mouth shut or use a chin strap, the apneas increase drastically and I start choking. I can't breathe through a small size mask at all as it blocks my nostrils, so that forces me to wear a medium. To address this, I was making a mask holder out of jersey fabric instead of spending money online to buy one.
It will fit more or less fine for the first half of the night then suddenly around 3 AM it will start leaking and coming off my face, maybe because of sweating. It used to do this periodically when the pressure went up instead of doing it constantly like it does now. I try to readjust, but it doesn't help. I've seen on other boards where people buy or make these stretchy cloth straps to hold the mask on better, so that was my plan. Other options have been exhausted.
I tried a very similar mask, the name of which I forget. It took a real chomp out of my nose and left bruises. I wonder if those silicone pads they sell on Amazon would address that without creating leaks.
Machine: Lowenstein Luisa Mask Type: Full face mask Mask Make & Model: Resmed Quattro FX Humidifier: separate F&P humidifier CPAP Pressure: Epap 4-20 PS 4-20; "auto" rate CPAP Software: Not using software
Other Comments: Using 45 degree angle upper body wedge (36"x36") and 4.5"soft cervical collar; 500 assured tidal vol
08-05-2024, 05:23 PM (This post was last modified: 08-05-2024, 05:25 PM by Jay51.)
RE: Minute long obstructive apnea with cpap on
You have been getting great help from G. Szabo and Phaleronic. I just wanted to add one thing. On my first home sleep study, my SPO2 dropped down to 78. I think I got caught in an obstructive cluster of events that caused this.
You might try a soft cervical collar to try to prevent these very long obstructive apneas. Since wearing a collar myself, the lowest I have seen my SPO2 is maybe 88 or so (very rarely below 90).
Here is some reading on positional apnea:
5.3Positional Apnea
It is interesting on your OSCAR close up that your minute long or so event starts as an OA, but it ends as a CA - your events chart shows the last part of it was a CA - look at the exact time of the start and finish of it (it shows up both in the OA events and CA events). Clear airway event #8.
Advisory Members serve as an "Advisory Committee" to help shape Apnea Board's rules & policies.
Membership in the Advisory Members group does not imply medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.
Thanks! I may need a kid size/youth size cervical collar if that's a thing. Or find a way to make myself one that is the right size. I had tried a supposedly woman-sized one at the start of all this, and it was much too large for me. It also said "soft" but was very stiff and it hurt. I had also tried a wedge pillow to sleep partly sitting up, but it seemed to make the apneas worse and more frequent, so I stopped. Backwards from expectations. I would have those nightmares about drowning then wake up gasping for air like twice a week while using the wedge pillow. That sucker now is a scratcher for my cats!
Pillows are difficult too. "CPAP Pillows" are all sized for very large people it seems. I ended up ordering travel size/child size pillows.
The best solution may be to measure my neck and head and then go to the craft store and look for materials to custom make items of the right size and shape. It's possible. I have a sewing machine. I'm not great at it, but it doesn't have to be pretty. Some cloth, some fiberfill that I'll stuff in very tightly, and some velcro for the closures unless I just go with cloth ties.
Is there a way to determine which apneas are positional by looking at the OSCAR data?
(08-05-2024, 11:57 AM)middleofnowhere Wrote: I tried a very similar mask, the name of which I forget. It took a real chomp out of my nose and left bruises.
I had simlar experiences with some FF mask. The reason I suggested the Mirage Quattro FF Mask is the following. This mask has a tuning knob on your forehead and you can regulate the pressure the mask put on your nose.
As for your negative experience with some wedge pillows, you should not use them if they are so high that they bend your neck forward. I have been using a wedge pillow successfully, only for side sleep. Slide sleep reduces obstructions. But it needs a special mask to avoid leaks.
Machine: Lowenstein Luisa Mask Type: Full face mask Mask Make & Model: Resmed Quattro FX Humidifier: separate F&P humidifier CPAP Pressure: Epap 4-20 PS 4-20; "auto" rate CPAP Software: Not using software
Other Comments: Using 45 degree angle upper body wedge (36"x36") and 4.5"soft cervical collar; 500 assured tidal vol
Have you tried a small size or even extra small size collar? I have seen a lot of collars that come in different sizes. Some people have even used a small "C" shaped neck travel pillow and turned it around backwards (cut out part goes to the back).
Some people simply tuck a part of the pillow between their chin and chest at night to prevent chin tucking. Or anything else you can think of that might work here.
There are sizing charts on the internet also. Have you measured the distance between your chin and your chest? Try measuring it in inches and 1/2 inches. If you post this measurement, we might be able to find you the right size without you having to make your own from scratch.
Advisory Members serve as an "Advisory Committee" to help shape Apnea Board's rules & policies.
Membership in the Advisory Members group does not imply medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.
Neck is 3.5 inches long, 12.5 in diameter, and very sensitive because of hypothyroidism. Anything too stiff is right out the window. I can't even wear a choker necklace.
This mask thing is on my last nerve. I position it very carefully. Then in the morning MyAir says "mask seal adjust" BUT the display on my cpap says "your mask seal was great last night." Then I look on OSCAR and apparently it was super leaky at certain times. Why the contradictory messages between these different systems? The higher the pressure, the more it leaks. I even had an extra strap around it to hold it in place that I made, and that didn't help either. For all I know it made it worse, although it felt more secure and didn't do as much of that farting nonsense.
I keep trying to make it better by adjusting and trying things to reduce the leakage like different pillows and straps and pads and instead it just gets worse and worse each night.
It isn't feasible for me to keep spending money to purchase more masks just in case the next one is better than the 4 I already tried. Each one is $150 and I have to pay out of pocket. My income is very limited.
I also notice at this higher pressure it keeps blowing air into my mouth and it also causes aerophagia and burping all night. I am not a mouth breather, but it forces air *out* of my mouth and down my throat as well. On the other hand I did not see obstructive apneas last night.
Attaching last night's extremely frustrating Oscar pictures.
(08-06-2024, 06:31 AM)middleofnowhere Wrote: I also notice at this higher pressure it keeps blowing air into my mouth and it also causes aerophagia and burping all night. I am not a mouth breather, but it forces air *out* of my mouth and down my throat as well. On the other hand I did not see obstructive apneas last night.
Your last OSCAR shows negligible CAs. Hence, set EPR=2 to tolerate the higher pressure and mitigate leaks. Then, report your feelings and OSCAR.
