Hello Guest, Welcome to Apnea Board !
As a guest, you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use.
To post a message, you must create a free account using a valid email address.

or Create an Account


New Posts   Today's Posts

getting the right mask
#11
RE: getting the right mask
Hi catrina105, WELCOME! to the forum.! Best of luck to you with your CPAP therapy.
trish6hundred
Post Reply Post Reply
#12
RE: getting the right mask
(09-15-2012, 05:25 PM)Roxy Wrote: I have been using my cpap machine for three weeks. I have tried the repironics amara (leaked like crazy once the pressure started to go up), quattro fx full face and regular quatro full face mask. I am a side sleeper and haven't found the right mask yet. I end up waking two to three times a night to adjust the mask. I am getting so frustrated. Are there some full face masks that are best for side sleepers?Oh-jeez

Hi Roxy

I have been on CPAP for about 3 months now.

I am a side sleeper and was a mouth breather (for 50 odd years). I could not get a seal with the full face Quatros - they always leaked at the top of my nose and made me feel uncomfortable. I went to a Mirage Liberty which has a mouth mask plus nasal pillows (a hybrid like PaulaO2 didn't like Wink) and got good results but found the weight and bulk a bit annoying. I found side sleeping with the Liberty possible but had to be careful with the type and arrangement of my pillow. I always used to use two pillows (a soft one on top of a firm one) but found that I haved less mask trouble when I used just the firm one.

For me the CPAP has had the effect of opening up my airways and I found that I was actually nose breathing a fair bit with the Liberty. I started practicing nose breathing and now I find I am spending most of my waking day not breathing through my mouth.

I am now able to sleep using a Nasal Pillows kit without a chinstrap. I have been trialing the Fisher and Pakel Pilairo and the ResMed Swift FX for the last 3 weeks on a week about basis and, although I love the look and feel of the Pilairo I am getting better results with the Swift FX.

The other things I have found helpful have been increased humidity and a heated hose. I also found that an AFlex setting of 1 (EPR) although it made the AHI worse at first, actually improved my AHI after a week of getting used to it.

The thing is of course everybody is different and has to find their own answer - if there was a one size that fitted all there would not be such a wide range of masks available.

All the best in your quest...

Cheers

David
Post Reply Post Reply
#13
RE: getting the right mask
Oh yeah, I hated that mask. You know how sky divers look as the are falling? Cheeks flapping, mouth open? That was me. My face was a mess in the morning. I was actually wind burned even though I had only used it for an hour or two.
PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




Post Reply Post Reply


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  CPAP mask straps are loose and no longer keep the mask on my face WWu777 8 2,525 03-29-2023, 08:12 AM
Last Post: DaveL
  Resmed P30i pillow mask user unable to get beyond 1.5 hr on mask Roy289 28 3,208 09-27-2022, 10:47 AM
Last Post: Roy289
  Advice for f and p vitera mask leaks full face mask accetableplaintain 2 3,749 03-23-2022, 09:37 AM
Last Post: SarcasticDave94
  Help with mask, Definition of EPAP/IPAP and Mask Pressure wesozzzz 1 1,094 11-15-2019, 07:57 PM
Last Post: Sleepster
  What's the mask setting of Dreamstation for Bleep DreamPort mask? ChinaMan 5 2,423 10-11-2019, 07:17 PM
Last Post: ChinaMan
  Changing mask from p10 resmed to philips respironics: Mask seal issue Visitor 10 4,831 10-11-2019, 07:25 AM
Last Post: Sleeprider
  Personal Experience On Nasal Mask Compared with Full Face Mask ramphil2019 19 4,528 04-07-2019, 12:01 AM
Last Post: ramphil2019


New Posts   Today's Posts


About Apnea Board

Apnea Board is an educational web site designed to empower Sleep Apnea patients.