SleepyJules

Thank you so much for your quick response Sierra. I will continue to look for demineralised or RO. Given up on distilled. The info on checking for Ca or Mg is most useful. There is an Active Plus P1000 Brita here - maybe I'll use that if I have no luck in the shops!

Hi. I am on holiday in the UK and can't find the correct water to use in my CPAP. Can someone please tell me which types of water are acceptable? I can buy distilled water off the shelf in some supermarkets in SA but can't find it on the shelves in the UK. Also tried online, Boots, Halfords, Waitrose, etc. Unfortunately the sales assistants don't seem to know one water from the other. Can you please clarify for me? Thanks.

Thanks for that. I'm in South Africa and I don't think there many varieties of masks here. I will look out for the one you suggest tho. My skin is obviously very sensitive. When I cover the one sore that has healed I see another one breaking out in a different area.

I'm using a MirageQuattro. It's quite comfortable really but the sore has reappeared and I'm giving the machine a break again until it heals. The Gecko Nasal Pad was a waste of time. Caused far too much mask leakage. I've since cut the Gecko into tiny pieces to cover the sore and stuck it down with a plaster. But alas this hasn't helped either. I have a cough and a cold and I took the mask off for a few seconds to cough or sneeze (without turning on the light). The next morning my sheet was full of blood and there were even splatters of blood on the wall. Saw my GP who said I had a burst capillary in my nose as well as the sore on the outside. I'm wondering whether this could have been caused by the CPAP machine. I have a long history of nose problems - two operations - for deviated septum and epistaxis.

Many thanks for your responses sleeptech and psilver. Good to know the type of water used doesn't affect my AHIs. I'm going away next week for six weeks and will see the doc when I get back. I have to give the machine a break for a couple of nights as I have a sore nose again. Saw the GP yesterday who said a capillary had burst in my nose. Could this be from the CPAP?

Gee the more I read on this forum the more confused I become. I have just read that the CPAP machine can cause chest pain. I didnt know that and have had bad chest pains some days. Humidifiers - to use or not to use? I use mine at 2 and that seems to work well. Since starting using the machine a few weeks ago I noticed crackling noises in my throat/behind my nose. I now have a cough and a cold and have been steaming my face a few times each day. This seems to have reduced the crackling sounds. The night before last I slept well (waking up two or three times to cough) and my AHIs were 2.2. However last night I also slept well (didnt wake up to cough at all) and my AHIs were 16.2. This is all too much for my brain. Just cannot figure it out. Altho last night I used purified water and the night before I used distilled water. Could distilled water be that much better? Also my husband says I slept on my back most of last night and he could hear me snore with the mask on. Dont know what to try next!

According to my sleep clinic my AHIs were 27 when tested 18 months ago. My CPAP machine was originally set at 17 but it was too high for me. Swallowed so much air I thought I would pop. They then turned it down to 13 which worked well but since pushing it up to 14.6 my AHIs rose. How do I know what leak rate is? I have a Resmed Elite S9. Thanks.

Sorry. The APIs I refer to should read AHIs 🙄

I've been using my CPAP machine for about a month now. Initial results were good. APIs below 5. Then I developed a sore on my nose so stopped using the a few days until it healed. I saw my sleep doc who increased the pressure from 13 to 14.6. My OSA is quite severe and the pressure need to get to 17. He sold me a silicone Nasal Mask for the sore which is helping somewhat. However my APIs have now risen - mostly above 10. Does anyone know why this has happened. I have trimmed the silicone nose pad quite a bit as it caused a lot of mask leakage.

Well JenCarol. I'm 67 and was diagnosed two years ago with an AHI of 27. I've only just relented and bought a CPAP. My machine was set at 18 originally, which I couldn't handle. I thought I would pop the next day I swallowed so much air. So I had it turned down to 13. For two weeks all went well. I slept well, with more energy during the day, and AHIs below 5. But I did develop a sore on my nose and had to stop using the CPAP for a few days for it to clear. I've since had the machine bumped up to 14.6 and struggling again. It seems the sleep dentist is right. My central nervous system is very sensitive and I'm just not getting the sleep that I need. My AHIs are now between 7 and 11, which is still too high. I'm back to sleepy during the day.