BiPap

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Hi, Chris.

Well, I think I spoke too soon. Mom was complaining about her nose hurting and when I took a look at it, the skin had broken terribly!

So, the band-aid lasted close to a year, but not anymore.

I agree. The problem is that Mom is on the bipap 24/7, she can never get any relief from the pressure on her nose.

I took a piece of Alyven (sp?) foam that we used to help keep pressure off her back wound and put it under a band-aid just for last night. Today, I may put a duoderm on. The nurse will look at it tomorrow. The "comfort care" may be the thing, too. Let me know how you make out.

Good luck and God bless,
 
Ok I am going to say this again and it was an embarrassing moment to say the least...I was having trouble with my bipap and redness on the side of my mouth. I went to my pharmacy and asked him what I could use with my bipap? Well he came out of the back and said out loud, the only thing I recommend is K Y jelly, he said follow me and I will show you where it is...so I followed the nice ,helpful man and picked up my jelly . Told him thank you and bought it ,took it home and it works and does not destroy the piece that goes around your face.... Maybe this will help other bipap users? Linda
 
I've read the K-Y suggestion too.... I think I tried it once to see if it would seal up a "gap" and it didn't work for that. Right now, I am blessed with a mask that makes no actual red marks or wounds, just a few creases (like a sheet will make) Every once in a while it must not be high enough up on my nose, and instead of being more on my forehead between my eyebrows, it slips down on the bridge of my nose and leaves a sore spot. What has worked as well as anything in getting it to heal up quick is Estee Lauder's night repair (the concentrate version) not sure of the exact name, its over on the dresser but I can't read it from here. The Comfort Care gel pads sound like the best for a deeper problem. I tried something similar with my first mask and it did help quite a bit. I don't remember the manufacturer.

p.s. Linda, when my daughter was a baby I used K-Y to hold the ribbon in her hair. Put a dab on a lock of hair and tie the ribbon around it while its still wet. Works like a charm.:wink:
 
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Lin, that sounds great! I've cleaned up the site as much as possible and it's starting to look a little bit better but it's still a work in progress. Did you all have any problems with air leaking around the bridge with the pad on there? That is honestly one of my biggest frustrations...It seems like any thing I've used on Mom's nose, be it gauze, band-aids or whatever, I can never get a good fit around her nose. It drives me nuts that something so simple is such a struggle.
 
We have used almost all of the above suggestions at one point or another. Each one of the tips are very helpful for a time. My husband is on bipap 24/7. About a month ago the gel pads were slipping some after weeks of use and he woke up with the skin on the bridge of his nose raw & bleeding. He was in such pain with it especially at nights. Our palliative care nurse took a look and recommended that we try the "DuoDerm Extra Thin Dressing" These dressings are used in healing pressure sores. She brought us some to try. It is like a miracle on his nose! It has taken a few applications of the dressing. It stays on his nose under the "gel pad" and he no longer suffers with a raw nose and pain. Hope this helps!
 
Nothing to add here except to say thanks for all of the ideas. My mask is not fitting too bad now but occassionally I do have red marks on the bridge of my nose so I will keep all of these solutions in mind.

And Rick and Joan, so nice to see you here!
 
Are BiPap masks that different from CPap masks? My husband has used the same CPap mask for over 3 years. It has never left a mark.
 
Missy, they are the same.
 
Joan, I'm going to look into the DuoDerm. I just FINALLY received the comfort care gel pads in the mail the other day. I was told they shipped 2 weeks ago...this was after the third phone call to the company. During that conversation their sales rep asked me, "Where exactly is Virginia?"
My response being, "The east coast" (she was just a few states north of us mind you)...to which she replied "The east coast of what?" Now by this time, I was starting to get a little angry when I had to tell her, "The United States". She didn't believe me! After I assured her that Virginia had officially been around since 1788. That's when I asked to speak to someone else. Oh my word...what a phone call!

I veered off topic, sorry!

Back to the gel pads...I'm weary of placing it directly on the broken skin. (Just as an added tip...I've found if you lay a small gauze pad with a little bit of hydrogen peroxide on it over the nose, it helps pull out any infection and will help it dry out and scab over a little during the day). Putting it over an open sore just doesn't sit right in my mind.
 
Quick update...

This past Thursday while at the ALS clinic in North Carolina, the Respitory Therapist got us information on a ResMed/Mirage Liberty "full" face mask and contacted our local home health shop. We had someone waiting on us when we got home with the new mask! This design uses roughly a 3" x 5" piece that fits over the mouth, but has the 2 nasal pillows on the top. It took about 20 minutes for her to get adjusted to it, as she was worried about having anything "in" her nose...but it works great. No pressure on the bridge at all...as nothing is there! We're going to rotate between the two masks once her nose has healed to try and keep sores from popping up.

I don't know how new of a design this is, but it's 100% better for her/us. It's definitely worth the time to look it up if you are having similar problems. Thank you all for all the previous ideas mentioned also...I think we ran the entire gauntlet of options, as I'm sure most of you all have also.

Hoping this helps! ...
 
Thanks for the tips! I guess you can get pressure sores just about anywhere!
 
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