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Problem with mask and EPR
#41
RE: Problem with mask and EPR
(02-22-2020, 02:46 AM)jaswilliams Wrote: Just a note that the Resmed memory foam masks don’t move in the same way with EPR as the mask does not hover/float on your face in the same way as the air fit silicone masks. I only noticed the ballooning with epr the first couple of nights I soon got used to it but I can understand the concern.

With a True BiLevel machine the Pressure support can be increased in 0.2 increments maybe that would also help you get used to the mask ballooning as the rather if change can be much smaller

Hi. Thanks for jumping in! Yeah, I'm curious about the memory foam mask. 

As to the bilevel, I hear you that it might help, but I don't know if I can afford to spend $800 out of pocket on a used machine, just to try it out, and maybe have that money down the drain if it doesn't work out. At least with the mask I can buy from that supplier that accepts returns, but with a whole other machine, I just can't bring myself to spend that kind of money to simply try something, when I've already wasted so much money trying to fix my sleep.

I think it makes the most sense to see if I can first deal with EPR 3, and see if that noticeably reduces my FL to the point where I can post charts and you knowledgeable folks go, "Oh, yeah, you will almost certainly benefit from bilevel." At that point, it would be worth a try, I think, but that feels miles away at this point, with serious roadblocks between me and there.

If I may ask, have you seen situations where people have mild-to-moderate FL issues, but it doesn't negatively impact their sleep quality? I ask because basically that's where I'm at with this: trying to figure out if the FL I'm seeing are negatively impacting my sleep, because apnea and O2 levels don't seem to be a serious issue for me.
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#42
RE: Problem with mask and EPR
(02-22-2020, 12:39 PM)sheepless Wrote: my problem is lip leaks rather than jaw drop & I didn't think the collar would help me either but I was wrong.  fortunately, for reasons I can't explain, the collar actually does significantly reduce my lip leaks. I refuse to wear ties & turtlenecks because I hate things around my short neck coming right up to my chin but have adapted to the collar because it makes a huge difference for me. try a $20 collar with an open mind for a week or two before concluding it won't work.

That's a sensible suggestion. Which exact collar do you use? There are so many to choose from. I'm curious what you use, as someone who doesn't like things around their neck either.
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#43
RE: Problem with mask and EPR
cheapest & easiest for me was to pick one up at walgreens. they had one that's adjustable & one that's not. I thought that would be important with my short neck but in the end the non-adjustable was fine, maybe better. while I've been too lazy to buy more expensive options online, some folks prefer snore wedges that are cooler in back. bonjour suggested a towel wrapped around a necktie as a quick home remedy to try.
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#44
RE: Problem with mask and EPR
(02-22-2020, 01:25 PM)sheepless Wrote: cheapest & easiest for me was to pick one up at walgreens. they had one that's adjustable & one that's not. I  thought that would be important with my short neck but in the end the non-adjustable was fine, maybe better. while I've been too lazy to buy more expensive options online, some folks prefer snore wedges that are cooler in back. bonjour suggested a towel wrapped around a necktie as a quick home remedy to try.

Are you able to comfortably sleep on your side with a collar on?
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#45
RE: Problem with mask and EPR
I sleep on one side or the other almost all of the time. I'm more likely to mouth/lip leak and have more events when supine. not sure if it matters for the collar but I also hang my face / mask off a buckwheat pillow that is highly conformable and forgiving against the headgear and mask frame (I use the p10 nasal pillow mask). because of the way I'm shaped, I have to wear the collar more tightly than is commonly recommended for comfort. I've been using them for more than 2 years now and I barely notice anymore other than on hot nights. sometimes I try to nap without it in the vain hope I'll learn to keep my lips closed against pressure. the result is always more chipmunk cheeks, lip leaks and aerophagia.
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#46
RE: Problem with mask and EPR
(02-22-2020, 02:22 PM)sheepless Wrote: I sleep on one side or the other almost all of the time.  I'm more likely to mouth/lip leak and have more events when supine.  not sure if it matters for the collar but I also hang my face / mask off a buckwheat pillow that is highly conformable and forgiving against the headgear and mask frame (I use the p10 nasal pillow mask). because of the way I'm shaped, I have to wear the collar more tightly than is commonly recommended for comfort.  I've been using them for more than 2 years now and I barely notice anymore other than on hot nights.  sometimes I try to nap without it in the vain hope I'll learn to keep my lips closed against pressure.  the result is always more chipmunk cheeks, lip leaks and aerophagia.

Okay, good, thanks. Does this look like a decent option to you?

[Oops, I inadvertently broke the rules about posting a commercial link. Sorry!]
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#47
RE: Problem with mask and EPR
I have no way to know but it looks fine. less than half the price of mine with lots of sizing options. certainly a relatively painless (!) way to try one out.
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#48
RE: Problem with mask and EPR
(02-22-2020, 02:57 PM)sheepless Wrote: I have no way to know but it looks fine.  less than half the price of mine with lots of sizing options.  certainly a relatively painless (!) way to try one out.

You're right. Worth trying at under $10. 

Thanks for the encouragement/support. It's much appreciated.
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#49
RE: Problem with mask and EPR
In the spirit of "I want to do everything I can to try to solve my sleep problems," I decided to look into the Resmed Airtouch F20 FFM with the foam cushion. The price is about $150, which is steep, but with that one vendor you can return if it doesn't work, so I thought, maybe I should just give it a try, and see if it helps eliminate the ballooning effect I get with a silicone cushion. 

So, I go to look at the product page, and find out that the foam cushion needs to be replaced after approx. 30 days, at a cost of $59 each(!), and I'm guessing there'd be shipping on top of that. Even if not, that's over $700 a year, every year, just to use this mask! One review said that he had to replace at least one of his replacements after only 2 weeks. 

At those prices, I think I'll just try to make do with the silicone cushion on my Simplus, which is the least uncomfortable mask I've tried so far. But the ballooning with EPR is still an issue, even at EPR 2 sometimes....
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#50
RE: Problem with mask and EPR
So, a quick update. I have an F&P Eson nasal mask that I bought but haven't really tried yet. Tried it last night. There was pretty much no ballooning with it. In fact, it felt like breathing was just overall smoother than with the Simplus FFM. I had low leaks from it all night long, according to my chart, though I couldn't tell at all when it was on. Weird. Going to try to tighten it tonight, though I don't want it too tight.

I bought two collars of different size, and neither worked, as I figured. Even though I don't love it, I'm trying taping again, which for the last two nights has seemed to work okay, so for now I'm going to stick with that, as it's worth not having to worry about dry mouth.

The other problem with the EPR on my Autoset 10, though, is that when EPR is on, I detect a low moaning/whining sound. It doesn't make the sound when EPR is off. In fact, I realized that that was why, early on, I didn't use EPR, because the sound was irritating. But now I have to use EPR to try to dampen FL. I tried to record the sound, but it's too quiet on the outside of the machine to pick up. I think it's partly a vibration going through the tube up to the mask.

Tried putting the machine on layers of absorbing material, but that didn't help at all. I have a feeling that this is not right, but since it can't be heard outside the machine, and since I bought it second hand (even though it was new), I honestly don't think it's worth trying to get it fixed, because I have no other machine, and it would take lots of time to send it to someone, and wait, and in that time I'm not figuring out if PAP is even worth using in my case. So, I'm kind of screwed. I use earplugs and a noise machine, but I still hear it. When I fall asleep, I don't know if it's an issue, but it's kind of annoying, and makes falling asleep that much harder. There's really no winning with this damn PAP therapy. At least for me. And I'm still getting FL at 7, EPR 2 (AHI/RDI almost 0). Going to try 8, EPR 3 tonight, if EPR 3 doesn't pose a problem. Arg.
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