Kbarnes - Therapy Assistance

[Kbarnes]

Hello im new here and need some help. hopefully one day i will know enough to help others struggling. Ive been on the cpap for about a year and a half now with mixed results. Sometimes I sleep terribly for days on end and sometimes if im lucky i have multiple days in a row where i wake up feeling like a normal person. Trying to force nose breathing seems to help a bit but is still unreliable for good sleep and very difficult on account of my lifelong sinus issues. I have a full face mask and a resmed airsense 10. Ill upload the oscar data if it helps though im still not sure how to interpret most of it. Also im not sure exactly what graphs would help to look at honestly.  If anyone has any insight i would greatly appreciate it as this is becoming debilitating.

[Sleeprider]

Have you ever tried a nasal pillows mask like the Resmed Airfit P10? A full-face mask makes nasal breathing harder to accomplish, while nasal pillows can directly open the nasal passages. Even with a cold or allergy congestion, I have never failed to open a viable airway with nasal pillows. If you haven't tried it, it's worth a try.

[jdougc]

Sleeprider, is right about the nasal pillows. 
Be sure to use lanolin.
Use this link  for chart organization.
https://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph...ganization

[Kbarnes]

That would be amazing. I often struggle to breathe through my nose, how exactly do they open them up? And do you have any tips for forcing nose breathing throughout the night when sleeping? It seems like its hit or miss whether i can pull it off. I always try my best but often wake up breathing out of my mouth drooling. Mouth tape has never worked for me and seems like a terrible thing to have to do every night.

[Kbarnes]

Thank you so much. I was having trouble finding resources to interpret Oscar. Theres a lot going on here, could you point me in the right direction for the most important measurements to look at and what would be the most worrisome red flags?

[jdougc]

There are YouTube videos on Oscar.
Many are by sellers and get cut out.   
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32JwMc6dphQ  
Watchout for clusters of events, that indicates positional apnea, like kinking a hose. No pressure can help, but a soft cervical collar can help.
Large leaks compromise therapy.
Flow limits are restrictive breathing. Machines miss many of these, you have to zoom into your flow rate chart and see flatten tops, delayed inhalations- chair looking type, or other ragged artifacts
Good luck.

[jdougc]

I would suggest two things to help minimize mouth breathing.
I use 2x 5 inch strips of sports tape. Try it through the day to get used to it.
I just started using a plastic device inside my mouth to minimize leaks, so far so good. it is called  SomnoSeal. Decent price, mine didn't come with a black stand.
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[Sleeprider]

Let me just add, nasal pillows actually inflate the nasal passages making them physically larger. Also, I am a big advocate of using EPR (exhale pressure relief) in your settings. This function actually is bilevel pressure support, and as you inhale, increases pressure during inspiration. This "assist" in breathing ensures the inspiratory pressure does not close up your nose due to pressure drop just when you need it. Give it a chance and you may be amazed. Tape is okay, but hold off until you know you need it. A full face mask, provides general pressure to the mouth, nose and face in the region of the sinuses. Tightening a full face or nasal mask mask that impinges on the face near the side of the nose can put pressure on the sinuses and obstruct your nasal passages.

[jdougc]

Sleeprider, is correct about the nose billowing.
It scared me at first as none of my other masks did that.

[super7pilot]

More info or a link to that mouth piece. I have a mouth piece that suctions your tongue forward. But it causes drool city.