more tips for chipmunk cheeks? Newbie here

[kaiasgram]

I posted earlier today but my post has sunk down the index so much that I'm not sure I'll ge replies. Meantime, I've been studying this forum all day and realize the term you're using for what I have is chipmunk cheeks. I wear a dental night guard and I'm pretty sure my tongue is always up on the roof of my mouth, though I'll start practicing more during the day too. Are there any other suggestions for dealng with this? I'm on the 4th day of a 7 day titration at home and had no choice about the machine or mask (ResMed S9 Autoset and Mirage FX nasal mask, also using cheapo chin strap given to me by Kaiser, though it is keeping my mouth securely closed). My level of distress and disability from many months (possibly years) of apnea and now trying (unsuccessfully) to sleep with the CPAP is sky high. Thanks for any helpful ideas.

[Guest]

You mentioned a dental device. -don't know if you can put that aside for an experiment, but you may want to try this advice I gave to another member today... Good Luck, BaddyNomad.

I was having the same problem with air leakage out of my mouth, then I read a good tip somewhere on this site. As recommended, I put a 3" long piece of 3M Transpore (1" wide) tape over my mouth, but first I put a 1/4" slit in it with some scissors so that the slit is positioned between my lips. Experiment with the size of the slit for your comfort. Also, don't compress your lips too much when you put the tape on; if done correctly you should be able to suck in a small amount of air and also exhale a bit of air. The magic part is that the slit acts as a small relief valve, slowly releasing the "chipmunk cheek" air in a controlled way. This is not recorded by the machine as a large leak and therefore the machine does not "panic" and overreact.

I also set my PR System One settings to a mask leak rating of X2... I forget if the S9 ResMed has that feature or not. The Transpore tape seals nicely and is easy to peel off without leaving torn skin behind. Anyway, it worked for me and all for a couple of bucks worth of tape. Side note: if the power goes out to my machine, I'm able to suck in enough air thru the slit in the tape and the exhale port in the mask/nasal pillow allowing me to awake safely. If you're really worried about that, don't tape your whole mouth... maybe use 2" strip of tape or whatever makes sense for you.

[Janknitz]

Kaiasgram,

Try to find your old post and bump it up. That way you won't have multiple threads going with the same issues. This board is busy and fills up fast.

If you have nothing new to add, just post "Bump" and it will go back to the top.