HELP
I am ready to give up for tonight I am having major mask tolerance problems. I have a remstar PRO M series with a C-flex ( which I do not use), pressure of 9  I  use a respironics comfortgel nasal mask which I like best but I am getting a very sore nose bridge even with any/ all adjustments possible-or major leak issues.   My alternative is the fisher & paykel opus pillows but that is also causing soreness or leak issues and severe sinus/ facial nasal congestion, drainage, sneezing and pain- I do not believe that the congestion is caused by a humidity issue as it is only with the pillows and not the nasal mask even though I have adjusted the humidity with both the nasal mask and pillows I know that I am very hard to fit as I have a very small face.  Either way I am not sleeping well, last night I ended up taking the mask off after 3 hours and slept the longest in a week  but do not feel refreshed and my face/ sinuses hurt.  I had an absolutely wonderful titration study- felt great but I have been trying different things since I got my set up almost 2 weeks ago and nothing seems to work for more that a night or two. I do not feel like it is working even when I am not having mask issues.  I am getting frustrated and beginning to have minor anxiety issues. At least without the CPAP I was sleeping for 8-10 hours a night without the sinus pain and drainage/ sneezing.  What can I do for tonight since it is a weekend and I can’t just call my DME / RT/ Sleep doc?  I do not want to give up but I would like to get a full night of sleep without waking up from mask discomfort ( and being awake for several hours) Should I take something like a Tylenol PM to help me sleep ( will it help me stay asleep- I do not have trouble falling asleep- only staying asleep)?  BTW I am new to all of this- but have done lots to educate myself. Thanks Heidi

I've not used the Opus and am not at all familiar w/it. There is a thread here in this forum regarding the use of Mack's silicone ear plugs rolled into a thin rope and placed on the mask where it fits across the bridge of your nose which seals leaks and makes the mask fit more comfortable if it is skin irritation causing the soreness at the bridge of the nose.

If it is more a bruised feeling at the bridge of the nose you may find that loosening the top straps of the headgear somewhat and tightening the lower straps instead will help. The angle between forehead and bridge of nose quite likely not being right for you can also cause the same bruised bridge of nose discomfort.

It is not at all unusual for nasal pillows to cause a sore, chapped interior of the nose and/or swollen nasal passages and congested sinuses as the pressurized air is blowing more directly into your nasal and sinus passages w/the nasal pillows than with a nasal cushion or full face mask type of interface. Ayr gel applied to the chapped interior of the nose can help w/that until your nasal passages toughen up. Blowing your nose clear and spraying w/a good saline nasal spray can help w/the nasal congestion caused by the nasal pillows.

While we should NEVER TOLERATE even minor leaks near the eyes, minor leaks elsewhere should just be ignored for now. These new machines are quite capable of compensating for some good size leaks. The important thing at first is adjusting to the mask fit and getting used to sleeping all night w/mask and CPAP. Sometimes just running your fingertip along the "seam" between mask cushion and facial or nose skin can seal a minor leak.


_________________
Some people are like Slinkies... Not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
Resmed VPAP Auto. Humidaire 3i, Simplicity & Micro masks, ResScan 3.4, S8 ResLink, Embla oximeter.

Live Wired, I didn't check your mask on the Resperonics site but I believe it has a forehead piece to which the nasal mask is attached.  If I'm right, then the connector has an adjustment which changes the angle at which the mask sits on your face.  Have you tried making the adjustment so that there is less pressure on your nose?  It changes the tilt of the mask so there is less pressure at the top and more at the bottom.

My husband uses a Resperonics ComfortFull 2 (a full face mask) and he also got a sore spot on his nose which was eliminated by making this change.  And we found out about it by accident.  Unfortunately, this is a common problem.

If you actually have broken skin on your nose, keep it clean and cover it with something like moleskin when you wear the mask.

Lived wired, I have a opus nasal pillow and I have been using it for about 2 weeks and hurts the heck out of my opening of my nose (nostrils) they were very sore, but now it is just very chaped and know I have been putting vasiline in my nose when I wake up. (I would do it at night but I heard never or try not to have anything with potraleam vasline.) I still hurt but I put put with it. Keep in their! I am going thou the same thing you are. I got my cpap about a month ago, had to change mask type right way and I had a wonderful sleep study WITH the cpap.