Mouth and throat dried to a crisp with new mask

[Patsyw]

I have a new mask to try - it just came in a plastic bag and doesn`t have a name but, having searched through pictures on the web, it looks like a Legend MD CPAP 12. It smelled horrible of stale make-up so had to disinfect it and soak it in something a bit nicer smelling to get rid of the awful smell. It seems the best fit mask so far and I managed to sleep for 2 hours with it on ... BUT...

I get woken up because my mouth is so dry its pricking my throat and making me cough. Tried it again last night and same thing happened - it really stings. I don`t intend to let my throat get to this state again and wondered if there was a solution. I thought the compressed air was supposed to be humidified. I have a Resmed S9 machine but cannot work out if the humidifier is switched on or not and how to get it switched on if its not. It says nothing in the pamphlet.

Has anyone got any clues about this please?
Patsy

[Tigers Fan]

Does the water level go down?

I have to put water in it?

Yes - you do.

TF

[Patsyw]

Does the water level go down?

I have to put water in it?

Yes - you do.

TF

Totally confused here - don`t know what you mean - there is nothing that says anything about water anywhere on my machine. Its a Resmed S9.
Patsyw

[Tigers Fan]

Hi patsyw

You said that, "I have a Resmed S9 machine but cannot work out if the humidifier is switched on or not and how to get it switched on if its not."

Put water in the humidifier, assuming you have one that you can't tell is switched on or not. If you don't know, look online for sales of an S9 and an S9 with humidifier - which one does your rig look like?

If you have a humidifier, you have to put water into it.

I expect S9 owners are all out for Saturday night by now!

TF

[Patsyw]

Aaahh - been on You tube. It seems I`ve only got half of a machine and they have omitted to give me the bit that goes on the side which is the humidifier (no wonder I couldn`t find it). What`s up with these people - they make me so cross - why send a mouth breather home without a humidifier - isn`t it ruddy obvious that the mouth is going to get dried out. Now this means another trip to the hospital to get the bit thats missing. Aaaarrgh

Anyway thanks for being there on a Saturday night .
Patsy

[Barely Awake]

They don't issue humidifiers unless requested as they are so expensive and some folk would take up supplies that they don't need. As you say, a mouth breather would seem quite likely to require one but I don't know if all do.
When I found I needed a humidifier I telephoned and they sent me one in the post next day. Depends if you need it straight away and whether you think it will get posted promptly.
Best of luck with it.

[Patsyw]

Thanks for your thoughts BarelyAwake - I will give the hospital a call tomorrow.

Patsy

[tallishbloke]

Hi Patsy

Sounds like you were having some problems. Many clinics give out Dry CPAP machines on their own to start with and check with patients how they are progressing. A surprisingly large number of people do not require humidification, and a number of others donw want the hassle of looking after a humidifier, or the extra weight / bulk.
Having said that, if you have managed to achieve a good mask fit with no major leakage through the night and have mouth/throat dryness then you will probably require humidification added to your S9. I presume your sleep clinic will be able to kit you out appropriately.
Good luck

TB

[Mentalfog]

Hi Patsy
Did you manage to get sorted out with a humidifier?

[Patsyw]

Yes, managed to get one ok and started at 1.5 humidity and have been gradually increasing it. Am now at 5 and it is better but still get woken up with pricking sensations in throat which stay there all the next day and cause a tickly cough which means I have to leave the CPAP off completely for a few days until its better. I`m sure this will work out ok after I speak to the sleep scientist. But my main problem is still in finding a suitable mask. It takes me about 2 hours fiddling about (my poor dog hates me now!) and more often than not I end up throwing the damn mask across the room and going downstairs to have a slug of vodka to calm me down.

[Barely Awake]

Not suggesting this might be the case and in my case it could be coincidence, but I once thought that a mask I was given and abandoned for other reasons seemingly made me cough. Whether it was the design, the manner air was directed or something it was made of, I have no idea, but after using it each time I ended up with a background tickle cough. Probably me! However, it might be worth trying another mask.

[James @ Intus]

Also check you actually drink enough water in the day.

I've heard more than once that people cranked up humidification to the max but it wasn't until they started drinking 1-2 L of the old H2O a day that they could tolerate CPAP well.

[Tigers Fan]

Which gets us back to Tesco's English bottled water - Ashbeck. (Slightly acidic so it would clean your humidifier as you use it.) £2.09 for 6 x 2l bottles and you can readily see your weekly/daily consumption. Tastes good, too!

TF

[Patsyw]

Thanks All for good tips

Some excellent tips which all make total sense - thanks to all of you and I`ll definitely give them all a go.
Patsy

[Fredxx]

Just one little snippet to add to the drinking water thing...the 1-2L per day should be spread through the day, drinking it all in one go before bed isn't a great idea!

Also, too much water can be bad for you, but this tends to be very large amounts spread over a day (10+L) or 4+L drunk in a short period, as it can cause Water Intoxication, depleting the sodium levels in the body and causing swelling in the brain. As James said, the recomendation is to drink 1-2L per day spread through the day to keep you healthily hydrated.