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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on June 14, 2010 at 10:46am

Bob, I have heard of people using denture holding strips to hold their lips together or painters tape. Those who use the denture strips (have no idea what they look like and if they're a trim to fit between the lips), say they can wet their lips, open their mouth for a moment, and lick the strips and seal again.
I do have a request that in discussions about what mask works for us. Can people please mention their IPAP? Some masks that work at a lower IPAP may not work for some of us with a high IPAP.

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Permalink Reply by Bob Schwartz on June 14, 2010 at 11:47am

Mary Z said:

Bob, I have heard of people using denture holding strips to hold their lips together or painters tape. Those who use the denture strips (have no idea what they look like and if they're a trim to fit between the lips), say they can wet their lips, open their mouth for a moment, and lick the strips and seal again.
I do have a request that in discussions about what mask works for us. Can people please mention their IPAP? Some masks that work at a lower IPAP may not work for some of us with a high IPAP.

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Permalink Reply by Bob Schwartz on June 14, 2010 at 12:18pm

Hi Mary,
Thanks so much for the information. I found http://www.chinupstrip.com/ on the web which is specifically for this purpose. I'll try the painters tape first. I'm going to also order some and see how they work. I'll let the forum know.

Regarding IPAP, I have no experience but am also curious. I have a friend who has had only the IPAP and is very complementary about its use. He noted that his insurance would not cover the upgrade but he could afford the difference and so he paid for IPAP. As I understand it the IPAP has a pressure sensor that regulates the pressure to a minimum level to prevent throat closure.

When I was first diagnosed with severe sleep apnea, I received a full face mask set for 15 inches of water pressure. I had intermittent success ( 50%). My physician suggested trying other masks from my supplier. I eventually changed to the nasal pillow mask which worked well (95%). Within two months I started feeling a pain in my chest which I believe was my lungs. I told my physician about the pain and he was puzzled and suggested a a PFT (Pulmonary Function Test) which showed nothing wrong. I asked if I could reduce the pressure from 15 and see if it helped. He was not in favor of this as my diagnosis of was "severe". I mentioned that the nasal pillows worked but my lungs hurt. He was surprised that I was using a nasal pillow and said that 15 was too high. He ordered my pressure dropped to 11 and my pain disappeared in 2 days. This is a long story that suggests that pressure levels (that IPAP regulates )were important to me. Perhaps there are some professionals that can inform us about the needs and benefits of IPAP. I'm going to check if medicare will cover its cost.

Regards,
Bob

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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on June 14, 2010 at 1:48pm

Bob, glad you are finding some solutions to the mouth breathing. I wasn't clear in what I meant about IPAP, I was referring the to the IPAP as inspiratory pressure, and EPAP as expiratory pressure. For example mine are set at IPAP 22, EPAP 18 . These terms are used without regard to what type of machine, except that the numbers may be used as a range, rather than set at a particular value as mine are. These are the pressures it takes to splint the airway open. Sorry if I'm being simplistic and repeating what you know.

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