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[Equipment] Well that didn't work and neither did that one
#1
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Well that didn't work and neither did that one
Started with F&P FFM (usable but kind of uncomfortable and gets the best data results)

Tried a hybrid with the nose pillows (still a work in progress - trying different combination of masks and pillow sizes)

Tried the Quattro Mirage (most comfortable, but yet I tore it off two nights in a row and don't know why. Maybe leaks.)

Tried an oracle last night (most promising, but when I woke up way early this morning my mouth was a mess of drool. Coughing and choking)

May try a hybrid of the hybrid. Close off the nose pillow holes on the mask and use the nose blocks from the oracle to seal my nose.

If that does not work then I guess it is back to the F&P FFM

This is all so frustrating as I have high hopes each night of waking after 8 hours of sleep and it is not happening, yet. Yet is the key word.

I used to scuba dive and really thought that the oracle would do it for me.

I am just uncomfortable with the heat of the exhaled breath in the ffm as well as the contact on the bridge of my nose. Unfortunately for me a nasal mask is not a real possibility as I am a mouth breather.

There is one other option, an astronaut helmet.Cool

I am just venting ... or not, depending on the mask I am using. Oh-jeez
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#2
RE: Well that didn't work and neither did that one
Have you tried a chin strap to keep your mouth closed?
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. 
ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA.
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#3
RE: Well that didn't work and neither did that one
Try a chin strap and a silicone pad for your nose abrasions
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#4
RE: Well that didn't work and neither did that one
I put a lot of info up and I am not sure what mask both of you are referring to for the chin strap. The hybrid has a below the chin flap that holds pretty securely. The only one that I can think might be able to use a chin strap is the F&P ffm and the Quattro, but not sure how they would be fitted.
I am interested in the silicone pads, where would I obtain those. Sorry for being ignorant, but I am still new to this. I am learning.

Thanks for taking pity on me.
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#5
RE: Well that didn't work and neither did that one
Google "cpap chin straps" and see what Mark and I are talking about.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. 
ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA.
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#6
RE: Well that didn't work and neither did that one
(08-24-2013, 09:54 AM)remltr Wrote: I put a lot of info up and I am not sure what mask both of you are referring to for the chin strap. The hybrid has a below the chin flap that holds pretty securely. The only one that I can think might be able to use a chin strap is the F&P ffm and the Quattro, but not sure how they would be fitted.
I am interested in the silicone pads, where would I obtain those. Sorry for being ignorant, but I am still new to this. I am learning.

Hi remltr,

I suspect the suggestion of trying a chin strap would be to see if it would allow you to use a nasal mask or nasal cushions instead of a full face mask. But if you are a mouth breather by conscious choice because your nasal airways are too constricted (which is my problem), a chin strap to prevent your mouth from opening unintentionally after you fall asleep would not help.

I think the ResMed "Gecko nasal pad" is a great gel pad for protecting the bridge of the nose and sealing leaks around the eyes, and may be covered by health insurance. Or $16 from Supplier #2 on supplier list (link to Supplier List is at top of each forum page). The gel pad can be washed every morning using hand soap and reused about a month or two until it gets too soft and stretchy to work well.

When I occasionally wear the ResMed Mirage Quattro full face mask, I must use a Gecko or the bridge of my nose gets sore. The Gecko allows me to adjust the "nose bridge height adjuster" for less pressure on my nose bridge.

Or, a mask liner (I use RemZzz brand) may be sufficient. It is suggested by mask liner manufacturers to use a new liner each night but I have no problems reusing liners for a week or longer.

I like best the ResMed Quattro FX full face mask, used with RemZzz full face mask liner. The liner allows the mask straps to be worn looser without allowing annoying "face farts" (the mask noisily leaking).
The Advisory Member group provides advice and suggestions to Apnea Board administrators and staff on matters concerning Apnea Board operation and administrative policies.  Membership in the Advisory Member group should not be understood as in any way implying medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.
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#7
RE: Well that didn't work and neither did that one
Ok, thanks for that. I now understand the chin strap use, although I am not using a nasal mask, yet. I may try that down the road.
I did use the hybrid again last night with a different size nose pillow. I had to crank down the head gear to keep the leaks to a minimum. But it stayed together and I got through the night. Also took one Unisom before heading off to lala land.
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#8
RE: Well that didn't work and neither did that one
(08-24-2013, 07:13 AM)remltr Wrote: Started with F&P FFM (usable but kind of uncomfortable and gets the best data results)

Tried a hybrid with the nose pillows (still a work in progress - trying different combination of masks and pillow sizes)

Tried the Quattro Mirage (most comfortable, but yet I tore it off two nights in a row and don't know why. Maybe leaks.)

Tried an oracle last night (most promising, but when I woke up way early this morning my mouth was a mess of drool. Coughing and choking)

May try a hybrid of the hybrid. Close off the nose pillow holes on the mask and use the nose blocks from the oracle to seal my nose.

If that does not work then I guess it is back to the F&P FFM

This is all so frustrating as I have high hopes each night of waking after 8 hours of sleep and it is not happening, yet. Yet is the key word.

I used to scuba dive and really thought that the oracle would do it for me.

I am just uncomfortable with the heat of the exhaled breath in the ffm as well as the contact on the bridge of my nose. Unfortunately for me a nasal mask is not a real possibility as I am a mouth breather.

There is one other option, an astronaut helmet.Cool

I am just venting ... or not, depending on the mask I am using. Oh-jeez

I wish I could think of all the FF masks I've tried in the 4 months since I started BiPap-ing. Let's see: there's the Philips Amara, Mirage Quattro, Quattro FX, Quattro Air, Mirage Ultra, Fisher-Paykel Forma and I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple. Not to mention a F-P Eson nasal mask, and the Liberty hybrid.

And I'm still auditioning!

The mask is for me by far the hardest part of this. It's a very personal thing and what works for one person bears very little relationship on what may work for another. Likewise for fitting technique. It is widely advised that the number one mistake rookies make is to over tighten the mask. In my case, that advice just doesn't fly at all. Believe me, I tried and tried. I wanted it to work because it's so much more comfy. But the only way I can minimize leaks (very important as you know) is to tighten the darn thing down. Which of course raises a whole new set of problems, i.e., Extreme Hamburger Nose and Face Syndrome. A lot of my trouble I'm sure is that my head closely resembles a 5 gallon bucket, but I still have to find a way to make a FFM work given that I'm a mouth breather and have significant nasal passage problems.

Here's kind of a recent narrative on my frustrations: I can make the Mirage Quattro work for me most of the time if I tighten it down enough, so the problem then becomes nose and face protection. (Yes, I've tried everything in the playbook for that as well.) So I had been having a pretty decent week with the Quattro up until a couple of mornings ago when I woke up with the worst nose bridge sores (almost ulcers, really) that the Quattro has ever delivered to me. And I have no idea why; I did nothing different I'm aware of. So I have to lay off the Quattro for a week or so waiting for the sore to heal, and I'm trying everything in the drawer to get by in the interim. So for the last two nights I've been using my Quattro Air, which is a mask I'd like to love. It's small, simple and weighs about half what the regular Quattro does and is a snap to disassemble. But even the large seems to be a little small on me, and it has a tendency to "ride up" on my face in the night, or maybe my lower lip just falls out of the mask-I don't know. But I often awake with the bottom of the mask clenched in my mouth like a horse's bridle. So my solution is to really tighten it down, especially the bottom straps. I should mention that I replaced the factory straps (crap, IMO) with a set of higher quality straps from a F-P Eson nasal mask that fit nicely. Well, last night I decided to lighten up just a bit on the straps, and I was rewarded with the bottom of the mask in my mouth and a 42% Large Leak number. My AHI was still just 1.4 though so I didn't feel too bad.

The point of this missive is not to hijack your thread and talk about myself but rather to illustrate to you that you are going to have to be tenacious in working through this and finding the mask and nose protection "system" that's best for you. You cannot afford to get discouraged or give up. You do sound determined and that's good!

Best of luck to you!!

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#9
RE: Well that didn't work and neither did that one
Just curious, have you checked your SleepyHead data to see how well the various masks did?

If you haven't, you might be pleasantly surprised.

It is a real pain finding the right mask. Best of luck to you on this search. Sleep-well
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#10
RE: Well that didn't work and neither did that one
I went through a zillion trials myself in the past six months. I always had to tighten the living daylights out of each mask to stop leaks to the point where the masks just down right hurt me so bad I could never sleep with a contraption clamped down that hard. I was about ready to give up until it dawned on me by looking at Medicare forms that the FF cushions are replaced every month! I was astonished when I realized the trials I was using all had old cushions that "looked ok" to my DME provider, but which were not new and new is the only way a person can obtain a fair trial. The cushion has to have a floating quality that it loses really quickly after only a few weeks. The Air has to be placed on the head according to directions, very critical. First the hose is removed. Then the upper strap is tightened firmly around the top of the head. Then the two sides are firmly closed down, but not killer tight. Then the hose is re attached, air goes through and as it does, loosen the top just to the point where it's not leaking so the top ends up out a bit and not clamped down. Very important. Now I use the Air and if that gets to me, I switch to the Swift FX for variety. I'm to the point now where I'm beginning to actually prefer having a mask on after seven months of total warfare. Please replace the cushion according to this schedule. It's not working right if it's much older than five weeks. Yes, I know this is unbelievable, but it's true. I've checked into it. I hope this helps someone else. Also, the Air is so much lighter than the others. It's the newest on the market and the best. Anyone who's getting sores is flat out tightening the mask way too tightly because the cushion is worn out and once it is it causes leaks!!
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