Newbie struggling with chipmunk cheeks

[cbbn845599]

I am about a month into APAP therapy, and struggling to get decent sleep. I am a mouth breather so that has some impact here. I had a nasal mask for the first two weeks, but air kept leaking out of my mouth. And if I'd close my mouth, my cheeks would puff up, waking me up.

I then swapped to a full face mask, and while I can breathe through my mouth, I wake up in the middle of the night with my cheeks puffing up on switching from inhale to exhale. I've tried pushing through, but I just can't sleep. I figure my machine should be adapting the air levels (ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet), but don't know if there's anything else I should be doing. It seems chipmunk cheeks happen regardless.

I'm about ready to say this whole thing just isn't worth it, as my sleep is worse now than ever. Any thoughts?

[snorasaur]

I am with you with "worse sleep now than ever". I'm one week into my therapy, and I have those same cheeks. I've resorted to wrapping my jaw/head with a sticky 1st aid bandage to keep my slack jaw from letting the air "puff" out between my lips. It actually helped with the cheeks thing, but today I feel like I got hit by a truck. Full ears, a mild headache, foggy minded. Yuck. I hope this isn't what tonight and tomorrow holds in store for me.

I have ordered an actual chinstrap, it's coming today

[GrumpyHere]

firm foam cervical collar as julie states. if you can't find it locally, try amazon. here's the one i use-
https://www.amazon.com/Coreline-Cervica ... 227&sr=8-8

also, while many people use tape, here is the method i use instead-
viewtopic/p1089718/viewtopic.php?f=1&t= ... &#p1086296

i use these two methods together and it really helps keep my big yap shut.

good luck!

For some members scunci keeps the chipmunks away.

[zonker]

firm foam cervical collar as julie states. if you can't find it locally, try amazon. here's the one i use-
https://www.amazon.com/Coreline-Cervica ... 227&sr=8-8

also, while many people use tape, here is the method i use instead-
viewtopic/p1089718/viewtopic.php?f=1&t= ... &#p1086296

i use these two methods together and it really helps keep my big yap shut.

good luck!

For some members scunci keeps the chipmunks away.

say, ain't that copyright infringement?

[GrumpyHere]

firm foam cervical collar as julie states. if you can't find it locally, try amazon. here's the one i use-
https://www.amazon.com/Coreline-Cervica ... 227&sr=8-8

also, while many people use tape, here is the method i use instead-
viewtopic/p1089718/viewtopic.php?f=1&t= ... &#p1086296

i use these two methods together and it really helps keep my big yap shut.

good luck!

For some members scunci keeps the chipmunks away.

say, ain't that copyright infringement?

So how many strikes do I get

[zonker]

So how many strikes do I get

my attorneys will be contacting you first thing in the morning.

nah, i'm quite pleased to see my words being used again.

[GrumpyHere]

So how many strikes do I get

my attorneys will be contacting you first thing in the morning.

nah, i'm quite pleased to see my words being used again.

Truth be told, I am just too lazy to type when there is perfectly good info I can just quote.

If newcomers would just use the search function ...
Gold in them thar hills, etc, etc, etc.

[Sheriff Buford]

i use a full face mask and a total face mask. I wouldn't worry about the chipmunk cheeks unless they are inferring with your sleep. I have the chipmunk visit every night. no problems.... it helps with the seal on the lower portion of my mask.

Sheriff

[ChicagoGranny]

I figure my machine should be adapting the air levels (ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet),

What are your machine settings?

[snorasaur]

Last night I used my chin strap, and I did pretty well.

What I've noticed is as time progresses and the pressure level automatically increases, I'll get the chipmunk cheeks and then the air puffs out between my lips and yes, it wakes me up. Sometimes continuously. I am able to fall back to sleep very easily but it's not an ideal situation, lol. It's worse if I'm on my back, the problem with being on my back seems to be I need higher pressure to combat the apnea but then that higher pressure affects my cheeks and, again, I wake up continuously (I'm a side or stomach sleeper, but I'll sleep on my side only when wearing the mask).

My settings were all preset by the equipment provider. I'm unable to adjust the pressure setting, if that's even possible.

(ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet with a DreamWear Gel Nasal Pillow Mask)


Something else, my left nostril feels as if it's larger these days. And it's mildly painful when I wake up, it does go away after several hours.

Please let me know if I shouldn't reply to this post, I went for it as it seemed within the context. Thank you

[GrumpyHere]

My settings were all preset by the equipment provider. I'm unable to adjust the pressure setting, if that's even possible.

Please let me know if I shouldn't reply to this post, I went for it as it seemed within the context. Thank you

The raison d'être for this forum is that we take control of our own therapy with help of the very knowledgeable members of this board and OSCAR.

Yes, you can change your settings.

Yes, you can reply to this thread re: mouth breathing.
But please start your own topic for your own therapy (and try to stay in that thread so people helping you don't have to search for relevant info elsewhere)

Please read the stickies. Download OSCAR. Read the clinical guide for your machine.
https://www.respshop.com/manuals/ResMed ... 520her.pdf

Best of luck.

[ChicagoGranny]

Please let me know if I shouldn't reply to this post, I went for it as it seemed within the context. Thank you

You should start your own thread. As it is, you are hijacking CBBN's thread. It's confusing for all to attempt to help more than one person in the same thread.

[Pugsy]

When I have some time and feel more like it I have some ideas for people who have chipmunk cheeks problems and it is waking them up frequently..and it's the pressure increases that seem to cause the problem.
The idea is rather radical..and involves using OSCAR and the person being willing to adjust the settings and learn how to understand the OSCAR results shown.

And yes...anyone can change their settings...just involves knowing the secret handshake to get into the clinical setup menu....but I don't advocate that people go about doing that willy nilly and not understanding what they are doing and why.
Hence...the education thing.

[zonker]

The idea is rather radical..and involves using OSCAR and the person being willing to adjust the settings and learn how to understand the OSCAR results shown.

[Pugsy]

The idea is rather radical..and involves using OSCAR and the person being willing to adjust the settings and learn how to understand the OSCAR results shown.

Yep....an idea that came about after a discussion with a sleep tech who was doing titrations on people with leak issues.
Long story and no time to go into all of it right now.
It is radical in the sense it involves limiting the max on the auto adjusting machines. Sometimes the machine wanting to go higher creates more of a problem than whatever it is trying to kill with more pressure is causing a problem. We have to decide which problem is the worse problem and make a compromise.