some newbie questions

[roym]

Hi
I have been doing cpap for the past 3 days.
a) Pretty much every day i wake up extremely thirsty. sometimes in the middle of the night. Any suggestions what to do. First day i felt some runny nose and congestion but thats gone away. Also felt pain on my nose bridge but thats gone away too.
b) What is the best way to get hose and mask. I can find hose on ebay for $10. Are they they same as what everyone uses. I think DME was charging $50 (I think). ebay/online is definitely more convenient than driving to DME. c) Also whats the best way to specify the mask. I don't need to buy a new contraption but only the piece that comes in direct contact with the face. the hose is easy to search for - i just type in resmed S9 hose and results pop up. Also where to buy these from as well.

thanks for your patience.

[JWR]

a) Pretty much every day i wake up extremely thirsty. sometimes in the middle of the night. Any suggestions what to do. First day i felt some runny nose and congestion but thats gone away. Also felt pain on my nose bridge but thats gone away too.
b) What is the best way to get hose and mask. I can find hose on ebay for $10. Are they they same as what everyone uses. I think DME was charging $50 (I think). ebay/online is definitely more convenient than driving to DME. c) Also whats the best way to specify the mask. I don't need to buy a new contraption but only the piece that comes in direct contact with the face. the hose is easy to search for - i just type in resmed S9 hose and results pop up. Also where to buy these from as well.





Hi Roy . Dry mouth is probably from breathing through your mouth , I learned to breath through my nose by placing my tongue on the roof of my mouth just behind my teeth while I was still using a total face mask . It did take awhile to be consistent at it but now I only need a nasal mask. as far as replacement parts like mask seals and hoses check out the suppliers list at the top of the page , you just need to give the the make and model of mask your using . hope this helps , I'm sure you'll get more answers from others . just happy to hear your trying cpap again .

[trish6hundred]

Hi roym,
What JWR said.
I'm glad to hear that you haven't given up on CPAP therapy, keep up the good work.

[herbm]

Ditto on Dry Mouth being MOST LIKELY you are opening your mouth.

If that is the case, then a little only makes your mouth dry but a lot will interfere with your therapy so it needs to be addressed for both reasons.

You really need to figure out your machine and your mask specific models.

Your Resmed S9 is more of a "series" with various models that make a BIG DIFFERENCE, e.g., Elite, Autoset, etc.

Since you already have a Host and Mask you probably won't need another hose for some time (unless your cat or dog chews on it ).

As to the mask, find out the brand and model.

Post all that in your profile so people can always see it when trying to answer and help you.

You may not need a new one but a lot of people go through 7-8 masks before they find "The ONE" (or the 2-3) that works for them.

It's not clear what part of the mask you are trying to replace.

Some DME's let you swap out masks during the first 30 days etc.

Masks have "cushions" that are replaceable, but you likely don't need any replacements YET, unless you mask isn't right for you and then you need an entirely new MODEL of mask.

[JWR]

a) Pretty much every day i wake up extremely thirsty. sometimes in the middle of the night. Any suggestions what to do. First day i felt some runny nose and congestion but thats gone away. Also felt pain on my nose bridge but thats gone away too.
b) What is the best way to get hose and mask. I can find hose on ebay for $10. Are they they same as what everyone uses. I think DME was charging $50 (I think). ebay/online is definitely more convenient than driving to DME. c) Also whats the best way to specify the mask. I don't need to buy a new contraption but only the piece that comes in direct contact with the face. the hose is easy to search for - i just type in resmed S9 hose and results pop up. Also where to buy these from as well.





Hi Roy . Dry mouth is probably from breathing through your mouth , I learned to breath through my nose by placing my tongue on the roof of my mouth just behind my teeth while I was still using a total face mask . It did take awhile to be consistent at it but now I only need a nasal mask. as far as replacement parts like mask seals and hoses check out the suppliers list at the top of the page , you just need to give the the make and model of mask your using . hope this helps , I'm sure you'll get more answers from others . just happy to hear your trying cpap again .

Forgot to add . Practice using your cpap while your reading or watching TV . After a while you learn that you can lock the back of your throat were you can open your mouth and air won't come out so you can swish a little saliva around to help with the dry mouth . I even figured out that I can take a drink from a water bottle and swallow just after exhaling , you can say one or two words with out a hurricane coming out of your mouth . also helps to think to yourself that the air in the room is poisonous and the only way you will survive is to breath through your mask . sounds funny but it works .

[PollCat]

You may need to invest in a chin strap to help keep your mouth from dropping open during the night. After sleeping with one for several months, my body 'learned' how to keep my mouth shut and I no longer need the strap.