Masks for Sleep Apnea

[Johnsel]

Good Morning everyone

Need some advice. My husband was diagnosed 4 years ago with sleep apnea, along with PF. He was given a CPAP machine for night time along with an oxygen machine. Up until a few months ago all worked well, but for some unknown reason he appears to have become allergic to the mask. Wearing it for only one night it leaves a nasty sore on his nose, even when he puts some lint on his nose under the mask it still gets sore, and in a matter of nights the nose gets an awful open wound on it. He has told the oxygen company and they gave him one to use up his nose but this also has made his nose terribly sore. Is there such a thing as a mask for allergies. Living in Spain, and still not able to speak a lot of Spanish, it’s difficult to make the oxygen nurse to understand, she just gives him another mask but they all do the same. Any suggestions. Carole x

[Ian1967]

Hi Carole, the only masks I’ve heard about an allergic Reaction to is, latex masks I think some are still made of this, the vast majority are made of silicone. if your husband has developed an allergy to these masks, there are some made of memory foam.

Do you know what type of mask your husband uses, is it full face, which normally cover the bridge of your nose to just above your chin, or is it a nasal mask, these either have a cushion which sits just under your nose, there is also nasal pillows masks, where the pillows fit into your nostrils?

By your description it sounds like your husband is using a full face mask, if he is he could try the ResMed AirTouch F20, this uses a memory foam cushion, as opposed to the ResMed AirFit F20 which is basically the same mask but has a silicone cushion, the AirTouch F20 might be good for your husband, because of the soft memory foam cushion, if he has already used the AirFit F20 you just need to swap the normal silicone cushion for the memory foam cushion from the AirTouch F20, they are interchangeable.

There are also a few full face masks, all silicone which sit under the nostrils to just above your chin, they are the AirFit F30, AirFit F30i and Philips DreamWear full face mask.

Sorry for all the different mask models I have given you, it can get very confusing, I have been there myself, finding the right mask can be very frustrating, but is more than worth it for the quality of your life, which CPAP and BiPAP usage brings.

I hope I have been some help.

Ian.

[Johnsel in reply to Ian1967]

Thank you so much Ian for your really detailed reply, very helpful. John hasn’t been keen on using a full face mask but maybe we should look into it. The masks he has tried are the nasal mask that fits over the nose and his oxygen is feed that way also, a pillow mask which fits up the nose. Both these masks cause problems but only until recently, he has been using a CPAP machine for 4 years. Thank you again for all your help. Carole

[Patsy164]

Hi Carole, I use mask liners for my full face mask which helps. I have a Resmed Airfit F20, which is made of silicone and I use RespLabs Mask Liners, which are for full face masks, they are not available since Covid but I have heard the Silent Night full face cpap face liners are available on Hope2sleep.co.uk. They sell everything cpap and bipap, They also sell gel pillows for the nose. I was the same with the sores on the bridge of my nose but using these Mask Liners help a lot. I would try the mask liners or pillows before buying a new mask.

I hope you can resolve the problem before having to fork out on a new mask. Let us know how you get on. X😊

[Johnsel in reply to Patsy164]

Thank you Patsy for reply, will certainly look into the company that sells gell pillows and hope they deliver to Spain. Thanks again for your help. Carole x

[Northern-soul]

Hi, I also use CPAP and have had the same problem. You can actually get a pressure sore from an ill fitting mask, I certainly have experienced this on the bridge of my nose.

It sounds like your husband could do with being re-assessed by the team supplying his CPAP and come up with a different mask.

I currently use the Res Med air touch with the memory foam cushion. These masks sit slightly lower than the bridge of your nose which allows you to wear glasses if you want to read etc. ( I use CPAP during the day also, not just night time). Although my hospital will only provide your first mask, any further supplies you have to purchase yourself and they are expensive. I think I paid £90 for 3 cushions, but be aware that they can only be cleaned using special wipes as water degrades the memory foam.

Other hospital trusts may have different policies.

In the meantime just a simple plaster over the wound below the mask may help during the night whilst the mask is worn but must be removed afterwards in order for the wound to heal.

Hope that this helps,

C xx

[Johnsel]

Hello Northern Soul thank you for your reply. We live in Spain and unfortunately cannot speak much Spanish (even though we went to classes for 3 years). It is difficult at present to speak to our Oxygen and CPAP nurse as we really need to visit her (not easy at present) so a telephone conversation is out of the question. Also John is on steroids for his PF and his skin is extremely thin and plasters cannot be worn as they take his skin off when removed. Thank you again for your helpful reply. Carole x

[skischool]

Carole,i know these people are in southern Spain but they may be able to give you a contact number for a similar group in your area who could possibly help.

euroweeklynews.com/2020/07/...

Best wishes Ski's and Scruff's x

[Johnsel]

Thank you Skis we actually live in Southern Spain and know the newspaper very well so may give it a try. ❤️