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Full Face Mask for petite face/ Air in Mouth
#1
Full Face Mask for petite face/ Air in Mouth
I'm new and clueless at this stuff, so please bear with me. Found out randomly I have mild apnea a few weeks ago. I didn't have a full sleep study done, but did the at-home study and it showed 11 AHI. Doc prescribed a Dreamstation Auto with humidifier. Started a week and a half ago with nasal pillows P30i, size small (I have a small, almost child sized face). 

The first few nights were great and I felt so relieved to have the CPAP, and the pillows worked fine, except my husband said now I'm snoring/making noises through my mouth so I was keeping him awake. I've never snored at all previously. 

The nasal pillows started leaving blisters/sores along my nostrils and on the skin just under my nose, so I used neosporin and they've gotten better, but not completely gone. Biggest problem now, is I'm getting huge air bubbles in my mouth, which blow up my cheeks like a chipmunk, and even though I taped my mouth shut last night, it was worse because it made me panic and wake up every time my mouth filled, as it felt like I was going to suffocate. When this would happen, my ears would plug and I'd get a headache. 

After a couple hours of repeatedly waking and panicking, the tape finally blew.  Also, my mouth dried out from collecting the air in there, and for the first time last night, my nose dried out painfully as well. Needless to say, taping is not an option. How high can I turn up the humidity level? It's at 4, but we are at a higher elevation.

I'm supposed to pick up a chin strap tomorrow to attempt to stop the mouth snoring, and a different nasal pillow which I was told just sits under the nose and doesn't go in it, hoping this would alleviate the sores. However, after having tried the tape last night, I don't believe the chin strap is going to work - as the pressure ramps up, it just somehow gathers all the air in my mouth and the chin strap is not going to keep that from happening. Yes, I've tried putting my tongue on the roof of my mouth, but as soon as I fall into a deep sleep, it falls.

All of that said, if I switch to a full face mask, what is the recommendation for very petite faces? 

Also, my Dreamstation doesn't appear to have a place for an SD card, unless I'm missing it. I've checked several times, as I want to download OSCAR and see what's happening. It has a built in bluetooth chip. DreamMapper says 90% pressure (what does this mean?) is 11.9, average is 9.4, min is 4 and max is 15. Ramp is on. It says mask fit is 100% but there is absolutely no way - I had air coming out from around one or the other of my nostrils all night!

Advice? Thank you.
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#2
RE: Full Face Mask for petite face/ Air in Mouth
Welcome to the circus.

I'd consider the following, consider a ResMed P10 pillows mask. It's the least invasive there is according to those that use it. Next, look for your clinical manual on the top CPAP setup manual for your specific PAP. Third is get OSCAR to see your sleep data for yourself for free. Bonus is you post it here and we can advise you on PAP therapy. Finally you need to request to get your own copy of that home test results. HIPAA says yes you can get this.

It sounds like a lot of work but it pays off by making therapy work a lot better. It is a shame you didn't time in sooner, we'd advise you to have gotten a ResMed AutoSet. We can help still.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#3
RE: Full Face Mask for petite face/ Air in Mouth
Thank you so much for replying!

I'll see if I can switch to the Resmed P10, shouldn't be a problem. I guess I should go ahead and try the chin strap then?

What does this mean? 
"Next, look for your clinical manual on the top CPAP setup manual for your specific PAP." What will I do with this? Again, sorry, I don't know what I'm doing.  Rolleyes

I just downloaded OSCAR onto my computer but have no idea what to do next. Right now it's downloaded and there is a link, but there's a box popped up that says "Choose the SleepyHead or OSCAR data folder to migrate or CANCEL to skip migration." I haven't done anything because I don't want to mess it up. Without an SD card, how do I get the data?

Lastly, I may be able to just get the At Home Study data from my patient portal? 

Thanks again.
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#4
RE: Full Face Mask for petite face/ Air in Mouth
Nasal pillows will be great but they won't help if you can't prevent the mouth breathing. The Resmed F20 comes in a small size and many find it to be a comfortable mask. Do a search for "resmed f20 sizing" and you will find instructions on how to measure your face for sizing and a sizing template. A similar search for other masks will probably bring up sizing instructions and templates. I hope you can find a mask that is comfortable. Someone who has a dreamstation will be able to tell you were the slot for the SD card is located.

The F20 is a full face mask
Download OSCAR

Organize Charts
Attaching Charts

Mask Primer
Soft Cervical Collar

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.

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#5
RE: Full Face Mask for petite face/ Air in Mouth
I did find the SD card location, by looking at the manual. So please disregard that question lol.

Thanks for the recommendation, Melman. It's looking like I'll need a full face mask, sadly, as I don't know how to stop the mouth breathing. All of my life my mouth has fallen open as soon as I fall asleep. But the worst problem is even when it's taped shut, the air just balloons out of my mouth!
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#6
RE: Full Face Mask for petite face/ Air in Mouth
Since you haven't used SleepyHead or OSCAR before, you can select the "Cancel". You don't have any prior data to import.
Crimson Nape
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com
___________________________________
Useful Links -or- When All Else Fails:
The Guide to Understanding OSCAR
OSCAR Chart Organization
Attaching Images and Files on Apnea Board
Apnea Helpful Tips

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#7
RE: Full Face Mask for petite face/ Air in Mouth
Thanks, now another box has popped up, with profile information. Should I do this now, or wait. Does this need to be password protected?
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#8
RE: Full Face Mask for petite face/ Air in Mouth
No, you don't need a password. You need a name and possibly your timezone for a profile. Anything else is icing on the cake.

Please review the links listed in my signature below.

- Red
Crimson Nape
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com
___________________________________
Useful Links -or- When All Else Fails:
The Guide to Understanding OSCAR
OSCAR Chart Organization
Attaching Images and Files on Apnea Board
Apnea Helpful Tips

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#9
RE: Full Face Mask for petite face/ Air in Mouth
So far so good. OK then if you would feel better with a full face mask, try the Fisher and Paykel Vitera small. If you get it, we can do a step by step adjusting. I've got the same mask in medium. It's a very light, loose fit but if you do it correct there's no leaks.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#10
RE: Full Face Mask for petite face/ Air in Mouth
Thanks for your help, Red and Dave!
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