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+--- Thread: Drooping eyelid/chin strap failure (/Thread-Drooping-eyelid-chin-strap-failure)
Drooping eyelid/chin strap failure - Visitor - 01-03-2016
Hi,
I've got great ahi results and yet:
Several mornings I wake with a severely drooping (left) eyelid and know my chin strap fails at times, i.e. I spend short stints with my mouth open and wake at times out of breath. It's not very obvious from my stats (I will post them later in case any of you wizards can spot something. I need to tighten the chin strap very hard to have a sound night sleep (so hard I wake with clear sunken line marks on my face). Even so, lying on my pillow sideways will make the strap just that bit looser and I still manage to breathe through my mouth (it also tends to slide off a times, but the main problem is the pillow pressure somehow making it looser).
My chin strap is single. Assuming its failure is the cause of this problem I seem to have only a few options: switch to a better type of chin strap (two parts to it?). Any recommendations? Alternatively: switch to a full face mask. After using only nasal pillows, I'm of course not keen to make that last move. But there is no sense in keep on feeling terrible regularly
Any hints from others who have had this problem? What about the (severely) drooping eyelid? It's a massive nuisance, not great to look at, but above all, a clear sign my day is going to be a struggle.
Hope someone can point me in the right directly. I could talk to my specialist of course as well if there is no well known fix to this. Also, keep in mind I'm paying for all this myself, so I can't go through a large amount of options (insurance won't cover cpap over here).
And happy New Year to all btw
even though we're already into it a little.
RE: Drooping eyelid/chin strap failure - Sleeprider - 01-03-2016
A chin strap can be a reminder and may help with some mouth opening, but it sounds like you are well beyond that. Even with a chin strap, if the tongue falls, then air will make its way into the oral cavity and escape. No chin strap can stop it, although there may be a mouthpiece that could be used in conjunction to stop the air.
I think you've give nasal therapy a fair shot, and it's not working. There are many alternatives with the full face and hybrid masks, that would be much more appropriate for you. I am going to assume the data is overwhelmed by large leaks, and may not be so useful, but feel free to post so we have a better idea of how much time in LL we are talking about.
RE: Drooping eyelid/chin strap failure - Visitor - 01-03-2016
Thanks Sleeprider. I'll post those date soon.
My impression is it does not happen a lot per night but as this morning was a big problem for me I'd say the data will be revealing of any issues.
RE: Drooping eyelid/chin strap failure - Visitor - 01-03-2016
Darn, I forgot to put the card in last night. So no data I guess (I'm on resmed at the moment, no longer the breas, need to update my info).
I guess it won't makes sense to display data from the past week? I had problems but not like last night. Last night was really bad, judging from the way I woke/drooping eyelid.
What are my options for a full or hybrid? I tried a nasal mask before (rather than nasal pillows) and it was a bit of a pain with the skin irritation though I solved some of that thanks to advice on the boards. Am a bit apprehensive trying new masks as in my case it means paying for each in full until I find the "right" one. I was lucky with the P10 which I bought after the nasal mask following lots of good reviews online. No idea where to start with full face or hybrid. Is there a clear "winner" for that too (of course no mask is perfect for everyone).
RE: Drooping eyelid/chin strap failure - PaytonA - 01-03-2016
Since mouth breathing/leaking is the problem, it would not make a lot of sense to go to a nasal mask. With that thought in mind, most universally successful full face mask seems to be the Simplus. It is *not* universally successful, only the *most* universally successful. That is my thought anyway.
Best Regards,
PaytonA
RE: Drooping eyelid/chin strap failure - Visitor - 01-03-2016
Thanks for that tip PaytonA I'll check out the Simplus
RE: Drooping eyelid/chin strap failure - Sleeprider - 01-03-2016
Going back to the leak issue, an easy demonstration is in order. Clench your teeth as tight as you want...now breath through your mouth. Not the position the tongue must be in to block flow, and where it is when you can breathe. As long as your tongue drops down and back, you will have the mouth leaking problem, so the task of the chinstrap is not to tightly close your mouth, but rather to gently keep it closed so the tongue seal is not lost.
Learning to maintain the air seal with your tongue is key to nasal therapy. You can practice this while awake under full pressure to learn to manage the pressure. If you can gain enough control with your airway and tongue to do things like talk, or drink with a straw, you are a Jedi master, and the skill may transfer to your sleep. May the Force be with you.
RE: Drooping eyelid/chin strap failure - Visitor - 01-03-2016
Thanks Sleeprider, will do but I'm dubious about maintaining this while asleep and while laying on the corner of a pillow which presses in your cheek. The seal will get loose by the pressure on the cheek. Not something you can control while asleep unless I'm missing something. I tend to roll off a little from the side of the pillow facing down and that seems to dislodge the seal. I might train myself to keep another position, but am not sure yet how.