+- Apnea Board Forum - CPAP | Sleep Apnea (https://www.apneaboard.com/forums)
+-- Forum: Public Area (https://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Forum-Public-Area)
+--- Forum: Main Apnea Board Forum (https://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Forum-Main-Apnea-Board-Forum)
+--- Thread: HHHHEEEELLLPPP! (twisting, turning, mask leaking) (/Thread-HHHHEEEELLLPPP-twisting-turning-mask-leaking)
Pages:
1
2
HHHHEEEELLLPPP! (twisting, turning, mask leaking) - Stroppy - 08-16-2014
I bought my first machine yesterday! HOORAY!! It's an F&P ICON APAP with a Simplus full-face mask (necessary as I tend to mouth breath when sleeping on my back). The lady who helped me set up the machine tried the large mask and I found it just leaked too much so we went for the middle-sized one. Well and good. Got home...had dinner...watched tv and then got everything organised for bed. Set the machine up, filled the humidifier to the right level...mask on...in bed.
The technician set the unit up to ramp the pressure up slowly from a starting level of 4 then going up to 10 after twenty minutes, adjusting up to 20 as needed (my diagnosed pressure needs are between 10 and 20). So there was relatively little discomfort at the start of the night and all went well UNTIL...... At about 5am my dog barked to let me know she wanted out so she could go to the toilet (she generally wants to stay outside after that). I jumped up, forgetting I had the mask on almost toppled the machine. Realising I was about to have an expensive accident I stopped, pulled my mask off quickly and let the dog out.
Pulling off the mask was a silly mistake. In a sleepy befuddlement I reassembled it and had a devil of a time getting a good seal. Once everything seemed okay I nodded off again BUT within a half hour I woke up from a yucky dream, lying on my back, my jaw having gone slack, mouth wide open and obviously snoring. The jaw drop had defeated the mask seal and air was pouring out over my chin.
Seeing that I tend to twist and turn onto my back when sleeping how the devil am I going to stop the jaw from dropping down? I saw a special chin strap on Ebay designed to be used with CPAP/APAP masks. Will these do the trick or is there another way to stop this from happening? A friend told me to use pillows to stop me rolling onto my back but I've tried that in the past and it never worked...even the tennis ball in a pillow case didn't work.
HHHHHHEEEEELLLLLPPP!
Anyone have a solution???
RE: HHHHEEEELLLPPP! - JimZZZ - 08-16-2014
(08-16-2014, 05:18 AM)Stroppy Wrote: Anyone have a solution???As you can see in my profile, I like the CareFusion PurSom Ultra Chinstrap worn under my Simplus harness. I fasten it firmly but not tight so that it suggests that I keep my mouth shut but is not an absolute lock.
RE: HHHHEEEELLLPPP! - zonk - 08-16-2014
Falcon Sleeping Position
![[Image: sleepingposmaskleft1b.jpg]](http://www.uarsrelief.com/sleepingposmaskleft1b.jpg)
![[Image: sleepingposmaskright1b.jpg]](http://www.uarsrelief.com/sleepingposmaskright1b.jpg)
I find in this position don,t roll on my back
RE: HHHHEEEELLLPPP! - justMongo - 08-16-2014
Stroppy: you are fortunate the machine didn't tumble or slosh water into the blower unit.
RE: HHHHEEEELLLPPP! - Stroppy - 08-16-2014
(08-16-2014, 09:20 AM)justMongo Wrote: Stroppy: you are fortunate the machine didn't tumble or slosh water into the blower unit.Yep! I was worried about that.
LOL! Zonk...I'm too fat for that position!
OK... So I guess I buy a chin strap. More money ... Sad wallet.
RE: HHHHEEEELLLPPP! (twisting, turning, mask leaking) - trish6hundred - 08-16-2014
Hi Stroppy,
Better luck tonight. Hang in there for more responses to your post.
RE: HHHHEEEELLLPPP! (twisting, turning, mask leaking) - retired_guy - 08-16-2014
I love sleeping on my back and I think it's worthwhile to work with the therapy until you can do that. But, lots of folks can't get there, so there is that too.
But there are a couple of things in your post that caught my eye: First, the ramp time. I do not know why some of the DME's insist on setting the ramp for such a long period. Most, or many, people end up turning it clear off once they're used to the machine anyhow. At 20 minutes the machine won't actually do everything it's designed to do for 20 minutes after you lay down. If it were me, I would change the ramp setting to not more than 5 minutes.
2nd, you mention when you got up with the dog you forgot you had a mask on. That's great! That says you are already comfortable with the process. Good job!
In regards to the chinstrap, I have gone through quite a few of them, including one I got from EBay that probably is the one you're looking at. It didn't fit at all, way too small, so it now lives in the puppies box.
Jimzzz turned me onto the Puresom Pro and I like it a lot. Follow his post on that. It's why we pay him the big bucks.
Good job Stroppy...
RE: HHHHEEEELLLPPP! (twisting, turning, mask leaking) - Homerec130 - 08-16-2014
I still use the ramp for about 20 minutes as it helps me clear my mind and drift into la-la-land. I find if I don't, it will sleep for about 20 minutes and then be wide awake for the next 2 hours. Guess if is from my old flying days when I used to do 20 minute naps. If I get up during the night, I don't use the ramp. I talked to my DME about the ramp and his attitude is whatever you are most comfortable with.
I also use a hose buddy that brings my hose over the top of the headboard and down. I found that my numbers got a lot better once I got this setup. They are available from a majority of the suppliers on the list, or you can put a hook in the wall over the headboard and run your hose up and over. You can get a heavy duty elastic band, loop it around the hose and then over the hook.
Homer
RE: HHHHEEEELLLPPP! (twisting, turning, mask leaking) - Stroppy - 08-17-2014
Thanks to all who replied and offered encouragement. Night two seemed to go a bit better, save for sleep taking a long time to arrive. When the doggy barked this time I remembered to just gently pull the hose free from the mask. I can't say I can remember waking up finding my jaw had slipped from the mask but my mouth was dry and the mask had moved up so it must have happened whilst I was in lala land. I am going to order a good chinstrap online. That should solve the problem.
As to the ramp time mentioned above, I tried using the machine with no ramp time and after initially feeling overwhelmed with the pressure within five or so breaths I was breathing okay. The tech has set the machine to vary between 10 and 20cm but after I have been lying still for a while I can't really notice the pressure change, thank goodness.
Two other things in the learning curve. Having an itch on or around your nose is pain when you are all masked off and ready for sleep and coughing with a mask on is yucky!
RE: HHHHEEEELLLPPP! (twisting, turning, mask leaking) - JimZZZ - 08-17-2014
(08-17-2014, 02:35 AM)Stroppy Wrote: Having an itch on or around your nose is pain when you are all masked off and ready for sleep...I am insanely irritated by anything that tickles my nose so have become the poster boy for a roomy full face mask and well trimmed nose hair. If the air flow moves a nose hair, I will awaken and remove the mask for sure.