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Extreme leaks whenever I have an apnea...need suggestions
#11
RE: Extreme leaks whenever I have an apnea...need suggestions
Like me, you are fatigued because of the breaks in your therapy and also disturbances through walking up due to leaks. This may seem as though APAP is not working but with every nights 'hard work' at making it just right for you, you are working towards relief with restful sleep.

Sleep rider worked with me to help dial in the right pressure and with reading on this forum widely, I learned that a soft cervical collar was helpful to keep my chin from tucking in and causing obstructions. Sleeping with a collar allowed me to reduce pressure as I was then not getting many obstructions. I have written about this in other posts but for me, the P10 nasal pillow was more effective as the air was blown straight into my airways via my nose and not onto my face with a FFM and annoying the hell out of it nightly. Also the FFM was not right for my face structure (we are all different). I know this might seem to be a lot to learn at one go but the process for me was not in just one night-it did take time not least as the ordering and buying of equipment and aids took time. However once all that was done, therapy dropped into place.

Hang on in there, this WILL work for you too.
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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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#12
RE: Extreme leaks whenever I have an apnea...need suggestions
Thank you apneainfact, I really appreciate all your help. I found the FFM mask better for me than the nasal pillows that I tried. I have a long skinny face that's more triangular in size, I am going to go to my local DME and see if I can try some more masks on and get one fitted well. I will be back in a few hours. Hopefully some people with a lot of info in sleepyhead can look at those charts and suggest some more info for me. Thank you so much everyone.
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#13
RE: Extreme leaks whenever I have an apnea...need suggestions
I think if we limit auto pressure from 6.0 min to 10.0 max, and add in EPR at 1 or 2 we might see some better results and begin to narrow in on your needs. This should increase comfort since exhale pressure will be lower. Part of this trial is to make sure you don't have more apnea as the result of EPR which can, in a few cases, result in increased centrals. The 6.0 minimum will help you get a better mask fit, and keep you in a more effective therapeutic range. The maximum of 10 should keep the machine in check in the event of a small cluster of events like your last chart showed.

EPR is classified as a comfort feature, and it does not normally affect therapy. If you set the minimum CPAP pressure at 6.0 and use EPR at 2, you will have a minimum exhale pressure of 4.0, and with the suggested settings, and maximum of 8.6.
Sleeprider
Apnea Board Moderator
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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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#14
RE: Extreme leaks whenever I have an apnea...need suggestions
(12-11-2017, 05:38 PM)Apnea Infant Wrote: Others have written of placing some 'cloth-like' item between the FFM and your face and that appears to help with leaks. Perhaps others will chime in with the name.

RemZzz
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#15
RE: Extreme leaks whenever I have an apnea...need suggestions
Well, I went to my local DME and got a new mask. I got the AirFit F20 as they suggested perhaps the foam on my AirSense F20 was causing it to leak. I'm going to try the AirFit F20 toniht and hope that it works for me. I will also record the data from tonight to see if I can get rid of those leaks. Does anyone else have any ideas I can do to get rid of leaks? I can post more data if it helps. Also Sleeprider, I will go ahead and change my settings tonight and see if that helps at all. I don't have central apneas though so I shouldn't be at risk of having any, correct? I also will buy some RemZZZ if you guys think that would help with my leaks?
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#16
RE: Extreme leaks whenever I have an apnea...need suggestions
Do you adjust your mask with the machine on?  There should be a Mask Fit or Check Mask Fit or something like that on your machine that will use the maximum pressure.  Adjusting it while the low pressure ramp is on means that it won't be tight enough when the pressure increases when you start having events.
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#17
RE: Extreme leaks whenever I have an apnea...need suggestions
I hope the new mask works for you, the major leaks you are getting look like your mask coming right off your face.


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Jasin
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#18
RE: Extreme leaks whenever I have an apnea...need suggestions
(12-12-2017, 12:10 AM)tstburn Wrote: ...Does anyone else have any ideas I can do to get rid of leaks?
...I also will buy some RemZZZ if you guys think that would help with my leaks?

Oils on your skin can also interfere with a good seal.

The RemZzz pads (or some other type of pads - some are made of fabric from Supplier 31) can help in that regard. For me, the RemZzz are a second line of defense for my eyes, just in case a leak were to ever occur.

Btw, the RemZzz's are said to be single use disposable. I just handwash mine and reuse them. They are made of a thin fabric, like t-shirt material but thinner. You could probably make your own really easily.
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#19
RE: Extreme leaks whenever I have an apnea...need suggestions
(12-12-2017, 12:10 AM)tstburn Wrote: Well, I went to my local DME and got a new mask. I got the AirFit F20 as they suggested perhaps the foam on my AirSense F20 was causing it to leak. I'm going to try the AirFit F20 toniht and hope that it works for me.
In reading over the rest of your thread again, I suddenly remembered a test one DME did for me. This is what she said/did, as best as I can recall...

With the mask on, but not necessarily hooked up to the machine, smile. Does that break the seal? Then the cushion is not the right size. With your mouth relaxed, the corners of your mouth should not be right up against the edge. If a larger cushion doesn't solve the problem, then that mask may not be right for you at all.

The AirFit F20 also has a rigid plastic 'sheet' that comes down on either side of the nose. If you still cannot get a good seal with the AirFit F20, try the AirFit F10. It does not have that rigid part and may be able to conform to your face better. (it kind of 'floats' on top of your face due to the air filling the cushion)

I use the Fisher & Paykel Simplus and like it a lot. With it, you tighten the lower part just enough to seal when the cushion is full of air, then the top strap is for alignment of the upper bar. It is not intended for the bar to touch your skin. Their design for the bridge of the nose is interesting but hard to describe. The net result is that I feel no pressure on the bridge of my nose at all. YMMV.
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#20
RE: Extreme leaks whenever I have an apnea...need suggestions
What I noticed from the original graphic, is that the leaks are a complete break in the seal, but the leak rate was very good in between the large leaks. That may mean it is not the seal but the fit or sleep position.
Sleeprider
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com

____________________________________________
Download OSCAR Software
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing Therapy
Organize your OSCAR Charts
Attaching Files
Mask Primer
How To Deal With Equipment Supplier


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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