New user full mask drooling problems

I'm pretty new to using a cpap machine and (as i'm only 22) am having serious doubts about whether i can live with this for the rest of the month - much less the rest of my life!!

When I have my mask on and i'm not sleeping It's very comfortable and have no issues with that. The problem is that I sleep on my side and drool which gets caught in the mask and makes it very uncomfortable and wet. Another problem that i have is that i get a lot of air pushed into my stomach - so much that it gives me pains until I burp and I burp BIG!! - not very ladylike lol any help or suggestions on what i could do to remedy these issues?

I can really relate on the drool problem. I've been taking a kleenex, folding it in half twice lengthwise, and tucking that into the lower half of the mask. It's not a perfect fix but it has helped. I don't have any input on the other problem unfortunately.

Can relate, occassionally drool myself. To me this means I am fully relaxed, good sleep. Some on here use a chin strap and have seen headgear that will help keep your mouth closed. May want to do a search and try one out.

Have you tried other interfaces that aren't really "masks"? (Swift, Optilife, etc.)

Not sure they'd stop the drooling, but they won't collect it.

And, if all else fails....tape.

Hi Kiwidancer

My drooling problems were related to my humidifyer settings, as I lowered the settings the drooling decreased.

With reference to the air problem reading the thread on aerophagia might help.

cheers

Mars

I drooled the first week and after that it started decreasing and then disappeared. I, too, was worried about living with that! It turned out for me to be a non-problem.

Mindy

thank you all for your replies, but i've been using this for over a month with all different humidifier settings (even tried off for a while) and I still have the problem. I will try the tissue thing but i'd rather something that was a better long term solution.

Was drooling a problem before you used the CPAP??????????

My son cannot use a face mask without taping or a chin strap for the same reason - he's so bad, he fears he'd drown in his sleep!

As LinkC says, you could try taping at night. For my son, it definitely works.

She's drooling, she's drooling, she's drooling down the river......

I have a massive problem with drool pooling in the mask. It feels disgusting! I found an odd but effective solution. Panty liners! The absorb all the drool and keep everything dry plus because they have adhesive on the back, the stay in place all night! A little gross, I know.... But very effective!

OMG! That panty liner idea sounds like it would work a treat! I drool so much I am worried about drowning! I'm going to give that a go!

Since I have started using the CCrap machine, I have tried several different masks. I sleep on my side and I dislike them all. I can't tolerate the ones that fit up against the nose for several reasons. I have a feeling of not being able to breathe in enough air even with the machine running. They shift around on me no matter how tight I make the straps and wearing an additional chin strap, which I need to try to keep my mouth shut while I sleep, makes me feel like a stuffed tomato with all the gear on my head. I've tried the nasal mask, but again I have to wear an additional chin strap to try to keep my mouth closed or my ears will painfully pop. I've settled on the full face mask as the somewhat tolerated choice. Still a big problem is drooling. Wearing a full face mask plus a chin strap is just too much on my face to comfortably fall asleep. In addition adjusting the chin strap as tight as I can tolerate does not stop me from drooling no matter where I place it to pull my mouth shut. I hate the feeling of the wetness in the mask after a few hours of usage and invariably will wake up, yank the mask off, and not put it back on for that evening. The air pressure seems to force the drool to spread around the mask making the inside edge wet. The air flow cools this saliva down and I feel that sensation on my face! UGH!! A person in this forum has made the suggestion of using a woman's panty liner which would hold itself to the inside of the mask using the adhesive they come with. Being a man that device would not have particularly crossed my mind! But, it sounds like it would be worth a try. Have no idea what sizes they come in and/or they can be cut to fit in the mask but I will investigate to try to cut down the pooling of drool.