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Leaks, red eyes, etc

Posted by portlandhead on March 18, 2002 at 14:41:31:

I haven't partaken of this site for about half a year. Glad to see familiar names still encouraging others and giving sound advice. That's why I came back, in fact.

I've been on CPAP for about 10 months. Three days ago the gel forehead cushion on my mask ruptured and I put it aside until I get a new one delivered. Ever since I've been using CPAP therapy, one of my measures of success (or not) has been how my eyes look. Do they look tired, do they match how I feel, etc. Since using CPAP, I've noticed my eyes are always red rimmed and bloodshot. Even on nights where I know I slept long and well, the next morning I look like I'd been on a binge.

Well, the first night I didn't use my CPAP due to the mask problem, I noticed my eyes looked bright, clear, and healthy. This was a night when I got to bed at 2:30am and had to get up at 8am--slightly more than 5 hours sleep. I was dog tired and fuzzy headed, but my eyes looked great. Same thing the next night and the next (even getting more sleep, too).

So I concluded that the leaks that plague me every night I use my mask are causing irritation of my eyes. For many months now, I have observed how variable the fit of the mask to my face is. The skin/flesh on my head is incredibly mobile against my skull and jaw, to the extent that I can create a mask leak under the best of circumstances simply by moving my head slightly, whether I have my head against a pillow or not. I also have a full face Mirage mask, which I had great hopes for until I used it. It leaks like a sieve around my eyes regardless of what I do, and my wife finds me snoring when I wear it. Not to mention how it causes my mouth to inflate, etc.

Does anyone have any suggestions about the eye irritation issue? As far as I am concerned, mask manufacturers are challenged to make a one-size-fits-all mask design that will fail in some way for most users. I haven't tried the conformable gel style mask, where apparently one heats the mask then puts it on your face to take a set to your contours. My experience suggests that my skin would simply move in a new way and it would leak.

I have also "titrated" my snoring so I understand when and how it happens. I have discovered that when I position my lower jaw forward, the back of my throat opens and I no longer snore. This makes me think of the advantages of a mouthpiece, which my dentist will supply me for about 200 bucks. No idea if insurance will cover it.

Lastly, CPAP therapy has not been heaven on earth for me. I notice a slight improvement in alertness, but I remain fuzzy-headed most of the time, my cognitive and thinking processes are reduced, and the trend does not show improvement. I know I sleep more and wake up less. My wife never complains about snoring unless I am visited by those nocturnal bogeymen who remove my mask without my knowing it. (How many of you wake up to find your mask off your face and lying next to you? This happens frequently to me and I am a light sleeper who usually remembers every wakeup at night.)

Any comments, suggestions, help?

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