mouth breathing

[nativedancer]

I use simplus and mirage quattro ff masks, both of which used to leak until I learned to really tighten up on the straps. I do get some face marks in the a.m., but they disappear before noon. And I still get an occasional dry mouth, but it's no real bother.

[Happiest]

- Two and a half years ago I tried the Quattro. I have a small face, so it was cumbersome and kept on "farting."
- Then I was given the Resmed Mirage Liberty. Much better, but since I don't breathe through my nose while sleeping, the nasal pillows were somewhat irritating.
- Last week I bought the F&P Simplus. It fits better than the Quattro was but still leaks a bit. It does leave a mark on the bridge of my nose, though.
- I had tried on the NEW Respironics Amara View, too. I liked it, but was concerned that it would also irritate below my nose.
- So, I'm going to pay for the Amara View out-of-pocket, and intend to alternate wearing it with the days I wear the Simplus.
Hang in there!

[Sleepster]

Taping your mouth shut could lead to suffocation if the power goes out, or worse if you happen to vomit you could choke on it. Definitely not a good idea. It's a foolish practice.

A chin strap is the remedy. If that doesn't work a full face mask is necessary.

I tried a chin strap for years, but never could get it to work. Six months ago I started using a full face mask. I'm feeling much better now.

[quiescence at last]

I truly believe those with leaky FFMs will find it better to use cloth as sealing/gasket than rubber. Sealing against leaks is to reduce leakage to within tolerance for both comfort and machine accuracy. Cloth is kinder and gentler, and can be laundered. Problems with cloth include being more stretchy (less stable). Pick a cloth base that is stable in shape, or use an iron-on stabilizer sheet. (example - cotton tee shirt fabric with stabilizer sheet - cotton side toward cheek)

QAL

[foss]

Hi Nativedancer,

I am having a terrible leakage problem after my max pressure setting was raised from 10 to 15 a few days ago. I will see if tightening the straps even more on my Simplus will help.

Thanks, Jeff

[sleepybeaver]

Thought I'd post an update....since I stopped taking the ativan and flexeril...I now take a benadryl at night...I turned my pressures down to 5 min 11 max and 3 for the exhalation relief. ...I've been doing great. ..0.2 to 1.9 on events per hr.....and no more mouth breathing....yeeeehawwwww

[PaytonA]

Fantastic. That is great.

[Shastzi]

I have been using FFM's since 2012 from the start. I had no insurance or DME at the time so I had to
try about 8 different masks before I found 2 that work well and a third that was acceptable.
I also began using WetOnes (citrus) to clean and degrease the sealing surface and my face every time.
TIghtening the straps will only get you so far.
There are also tack cloths you can use if you need to stick the mask on even better.
Once I got my leaks all iron out and got my pressures set I had eyeball extrusion problems from the pressure so
I went total face mask while keeping up with the other anti-leak procedures.
The last problem was dry mouth from the low humidity air so I kept upping the huimidity setting and added hose heat to stop
the horrible rain-out condensation.
One last problem: I would run out of water in the humidifier after 4-5 hours so I would be back to dry mouth and hacking cough in the early mornings.
Gaaaah!
I built on another humidifier with some CPVC pipe (no lead used in the plastic) so now I use about 700-900 ml of water a night
but I don't run out now with my extended range tanks.

CPAP. The machine we all love to hate.

Cheers & don't quit!

=^.^=