Newbie With a few questions

Hi, I was just recently diagnosed with severe sleep apnea, 63 events per hour. I know this has gone on for years. I have a ResMed AirSense 10 CPAP, Full Face mask ResMed AirFit F10. I have used my machine every night since the day I got it, Dec. 14th, 2016. Since I have used it a little over one month now I think I am getting more use to it :) However, the leaks drive me nuts! I tighten my mask, then loosen. I go back and forth. Then I wake up with bad mask marks on my face, and also puffiness around my eyes, and my eyes water a lot. I have the mask as lose as I think I can get it without getting more leaks. Is this normal? One more thing I would like an opinion on is...a few days ago I started noticing my feet and ankles are swelling. Not horribly bad, but puffy enough that when I take my socks off there are instinctive marks in the skin. I don't normally have this. Can this be linked with the puffiness I am getting in my face? My energy was really bad before starting on the CPAP and I am now starting to have some get up and go! This a big accomplishment! I even started exercising on a stationary bike about 2 weeks ago and up to 2 miles in the morning and I do another 2 miles in the evening. Not too bad for a 65 year old hahaha!

Welcome! Have no idea on the puffiness on your face, and feed/ankles. The mask leak issue is central to effective therapy and can leaks can be monitored through myair.resmed.com. Your machine sends the info the Resmed daily. If you are not signed up, get signed up and see what your AHI and leak rates are daily.

Mask leaks can be from the cushion part being the wrong size. There is a large amount of surface area that has to seal and it is supposed to happen when the soft material gets pushed by the air from your machine. If the cushion isn't the right size, you will get leaks. I have a Simplus mask that is similar and started out with medium size cushions. I am a fairly big guy and the medium leaked like a sieve no matter how tight I tightened the straps. Switching to a small cushion really helped and made the mask leak a lot less. It stil leaks some and I use mask pads so I won't feel air in my eyes but the leak rate is pretty low. I also use an Amara View mask and there are NO leaks but the head strap is uncomfortable at times as the side straps cut into my ears a bit and the back part bites the back of my neck. My wife made me a pad to put between head strap back and my neck and that helps a lot. The Amara view DOES NOT LEAK.

Many folks have found that mask leaks are also from your jaw relaxing during the night and your mouth opening. Some keep their jaw from dropping by use of a strap, some actually put tape over their mouth and I use a mouthgaurd and this is critical for me, at least, in keeping my mouth from opening which often would result in the bottom of my mask in my mouth rather than fitted under by lower lip.

Are you monitoring your leak rate by using myair? Anyway, perhaps someone else can comment on the swelling. There is evidence that this issue isn't unique to you as it is discussed elsewhere if you google it:

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Sleep-Disorders/Is-there-a-solution-for-edema-caused-by-CPAP-/show/1259516e the issue and this one came up:

HI wiredgeorge Thank you so much for all of your help and suggestions. You took a lot of time out of your day to help with my issues. I did end up calling my sleep doctor and also my heart doctor in reference to me retaining water. The sleep doctor felt that it had nothing to do with me using the CPAP machine. But my heart doctor felt that it was due to my BP medicine. He had put me on a different medication the first part of December, and he said that some patients do have this problem with this medicine. Thank you again for all your help. And if I have any other issues I will look you up again. I sure hope everything is well in your life. :)

Doing fine. Thanks...