Radiation therapy and CPAP mask

Good idea, I now plan on taking it with me. I’m working at doing at least a loose fitting of the nasal pillow straps - using skin tape to position and hold them in place without having the head strap around the back of my head. A barrette in my hair (upper scalp) will help hold them loosely in place, allowing the straps to not rest on the surgical wound

I had radiation a few years back for SCC on the base of my tongue and a few lymph nodes. I used a CPAP throughout treatment. The radiation I received was centered on my neck, below my jawline on both sides as well as the back of my neck - basically to gain access to the tongue. The CPAP straps were above any damaged area from the radiation.

My thoughts are it's important to rest and if the CPAP helps you do that, you need to find a way to make that happen. You could always visit your sleep doctor and see what he or she thinks. Good luck going forward.

Biopsy was thankfully basal cell carcinoma, a rare return in same skin area after Mohs surgery fifteen years ago. I’m leaning toward Mohs surgery instead of radiation - going for an initial consult next week with surgeon. Concern is the scar tissue in that lower side-of-nose area from previous re-construction due to basal cell carcinoma (cartilage from ear was used to re-construct fifteen years ago). My surgeon trained at Mayo Clinic in Mohs and cosmetic facial reconstruction and gets 5 star reviews. I’m anxious right now not knowing what kind of cosmetic result can be expected with previous scar tissue build up. Hard to find anything on the web addressing this return of basal cell carcinoma in same area and what kind of cosmetic issues there might be. Will find out on June 11 during consult. The other issue is whether I need to discontinue CPAP therapy for sleep apnea after surgery, as all CPAP equipment has a head strap that runs across area where there will be a surgical wound. Couldn’t get an answer from my sleep dr - he believes in alternative medicine (I don’t) and simply said, “don’t have surgery”..

@jakefix82, Can you take your CPAP nasal pillow to a your surgeon appoint or consult and see what suggestions they may have? I haven't had that type of surgery but I suspect any kind of nasal mask wouldn't work due to pressure points on the surgical area. You may have to stop using the CPAP for a short time. There is a discussion on this specific topic on the Apnea board that you might want to read through - https://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-Mask-s-to-use-after-nasal-surgery.

Can you let us know what you find out?

@jakefix82, I'm tagging @dpost2 and @johnbishop to see if they have any ideas.

Jake, what was the result of the biopsy? will you have MOHs surgery?

I’m waiting on biopsy results for a small bump on my nose. If it’s cancerous, it will require Mohs surgery and a large bandage. It could also mean radiation in that area. Thinking ahead if either is the case, how do I use my nasal pillow CPAP headgear? I saw my sleep Dr last week and asked him…he’s into alternative medicine (I’m not) and simply recommended not having surgery. I take that as a quack response (he tries to pedal supplements every time I see him). So he’s no help whatsoever. Any suggestions? I looked at the new type nasal pillow mask without headstraps, but they stick on with sticky tape around the nose, where my surgical wound will be.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Did anyone else see the article from Sloan Kettering regarding the immunotherapy drug they are using for rectal cancer patients? It said they used it on 18 patients and all 18 had their cancer reduced or eliminated! I hope this drug can be used for other cancers such as head and neck. This could be a major break through. The name of the drug is dostarlimab. If anyone knows more about this please tell us.

Hello John,
Actually I use a nasal pillow mask. The mask may be ok, but the strap extends over the area to be treated. I’ll check out the site you forwarded.
As you suggest, I’ll be discussing further with my oncology and sleep medicine teams.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful response. -

Hello @dpost2, Welcome to Connect. I'm assuming you are currently using a full face CPAP mask. If that is the case you may be able to try a nasal pillow mask just to see if it might work. They have some new ones that don't use headgear - https://bleepsleep.com/.

I think your best bet is to discuss your options with your care team or sleep medicine doctor/therapist. Have you shared your questions or concerns with your doctor?