Bipap not fitting

[Blubear]

Hi Guys,
My dad is having problems with his Bi-pap. It slips away from his mouth when he is sleeping at night and according to my mom the sound is so loud it sounds like "a flock of geese flying by" This keeps her awake. My dad has tried using bi-pap through the nose but then when he lays down to sleep he chokes and wakes up. My mom has tried to adjust the mask on the bi-pap but my dad HATES being fussed over. Any suggestions?
Hugs, Kari

 

[joelc]

I wish I could suggest something. It sounds all too familiar but once I got my trache and vent those problems are no longer an issue.

Maybe someone else can suggest something.

 

[GlenBrittle]

All I have is questions:

Does he have a mask that covers both nose and mouth?

Does he have a beard?

If he has oily skin, does he wash his face before putting on the mask? I do have oily skin on my face and must wipe that mask off and have my face washed.

Does he have a humidifier on his Bipap ? If so, is the room cold and takes the mask off because of condensation ?

Glen

 

[Blubear]

Humm.......he does not have a beard. His skin isnt oily, and he does nothing to his face prior to use of the bi-pap. The mask fits over both his nose and mouth. He does have a humidifier on his bi-pap. He does not take it off in the middle of the night because of any condensation. He sleeps through the loud sounds, my mom cant. Could the condensation be why it slips off?
Hugs Glen!

 

[lgelb]

My bearded, oily-skinned husband (on CPAP years before ALS diagnosed) tried many nasal and full face masks before settling on the Quattro full face mask. If it is adjusted properly, it should not require fine-tuning at bedtime nor come off. Once it's adjusted, the straps should all stay as they are and you are only snapping in the two lower prongs each night. Slippage suggests the straps may be too loose or too tight (my money is on too tight).

Each night, it is important to put it on, then turn on the air flow and let the mask settle in. If the straps are at the wrong length, start loose and only tighten enough to keep the mask on. The suction does the rest.

For many sleepers, if there is a choice of position, it will be on the side.

For those paying out of pocket for masks: you can replace the cushion by itself on the Quattros and some other masks (check prices at places like cpap.com), thereby avoiding replacing masks/headgear indefinitely, as long as you wipe the mask down ever so often. It is only the soft part (the cushion) that really wears down, and that is only every few months depending on facial oil and other things. The cushion should be cleaned more frequently than the mask, but not necessarily every day as the manuals advise. Frequent cleaning can degrade the seal. It may be better to have a clean face than a clean mask. Through trial and error you can see what cleaning schedule (we use Citrus II wipes) works for you.

And yes, I would consider a heated humidifier a necessity. If dryness/irritation is an issue, NasoGel and/or Ayr throat spray may also help with comfort if used before bed.

 

[GlenBrittle]

Humm.......he does not have a beard. His skin isnt oily, and he does nothing to his face prior to use of the bi-pap. The mask fits over both his nose and mouth. He does have a humidifier on his bi-pap. He does not take it off in the middle of the night because of any condensation. He sleeps through the loud sounds, my mom cant. Could the condensation be why it slips off?
Hugs Glen!

it could be condensation. Its amazing how a little moisture can make the rudest noises.
Also , like said above , if it isnt adjusted properly , it will move. Also , remember that too tight is just as bad as too loose.

Glen

 

[Blubear]

Oh thank you guys so much! I will get this info to my mom and hopefully she can get a good night sleep!
Hugs, Kari

 

[jbaiza]

We had these problems with my moms mask and we got it through Walgreens and we went through about 5 different masks till we finally found the one that works for her. And they have adjustable Velcro straps so its easily adjustable. I can get the make and model for the mask we are using.

 

[Katie C]

It really sounds like the mask is not adjusted properly if it's slipping off. This may just be one of those times when your dad is going to have to put up with some fussing so that the equipment can be adjusted to work properly.

 

[tdamess]

It really sounds like the mask is not adjusted properly if it's slipping off. This may just be one of those times when your dad is going to have to put up with some fussing so that the equipment can be adjusted to work properly.

i agree another way is a mask i use but , i am a mouth breather it is called an orcal mask... so it works better for me than a face mast because i have such difficulty breathing Thur my nose ... you can google it it also can be used with no strap but don't like the way it fits into mouth so i rather use strap .. youtube has a video on it .... best of luck

 

[Blubear]

Oh thank you guys for all these options! I will let you know if any of it works!
Hugs! Kari

 

[kelly]

My hubby uses the nose mask that self seals. He also uses a chin strap to hold his mouth shut. I also notice that it gets noisy when I have the humidity to high. I keep it at 2 most of the time. Good luck...I know that the bi-pap is a challenging thing to deal with at the end of the day..and middle of the night.

 

[Blubear]

Thank you sweet Kelly girl!