n30i and big desaturations

[cathyf]

I've been trying to transition from my F30 to either a p30i or n30i. You can cue the zippy-the-pinhead jokes, because everything in my world is too-damn-big! I have been having huge leaks, and I finally was able to put my finger on what was going wrong with sizing.

The F30 has the hose on the front of the mask, and it has the strap on the top which is adjustable. The hose-on-top versions just come in two sizes, which on me are "too big" and "ridiculously too big", and the top is not adjustable. I have my F30 top strap cinched up really small, which gets the straps off of my ears, although it puckers weirdly. But with the not-adjustable version I'm stuck. And it feels weird -- like the cushion is at the wrong angle, and it's firing the air towards the back of my head rather than up my nose.

So over the weekend I McGyvered a solution. I took a piece of the foam that I cut out of my cervical collar to make it shorter (are we detecting a theme here LOL?) and I cut off a kid knee sock to make a sleeve to attach the foam underneath the top hose part of the headgear. It looks goofy, but it gets the top of the headgear pushed up, the straps off my ears, and changes the angle that the mask turns on my face, and now it feels like the air is going more up my nose. And now the leaks are more minor and reasonable.

Except that both nights I had a couple of huge desturations and associated with arousals and neither leaks nor events.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/w2tbkoj6ymfpg9...M.png?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5x1x1vbtrxp4wj...M.png?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/vrd2rqilhzcxdb...M.png?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0eiay7lmt7uukp...M.png?dl=0

It looks like somehow I'm not getting enough air, and then I'm waking up, but not opening my mouth. It's like I've fixed my mouth breathing problems too well and I'm not getting enough oxygen through my nose, and the cpap has no idea I'm in trouble.

I've never seen a saturation down to 84% before!

Is something screwy with the puls-ox and it's not real?!? It sure looks like a legit reading.

[DaveL]

cathyf the people that design and make masks, or fit us should be sentanced to use them! all night, every night.

You've helped me a lot.

Recently I tried an F30 and took it back after several nights. It was so comfortable, and I wanted it to work. I'm in the opposite...fat-head. Not the other. I've been claustrophobic all my life. I looked at the F30 and thought it would be a sure thing! Nope.

I tried an N30i too. The only way it might have worked was too jury-rig the contraption from the back of the Respironics Dream Wear to the ResMed N30i. But the N30i was a mask I borrowed from my DME.

ratchick helped me with a suggestion. I use a ResMed N20. When I bought the Knightsbridge dual bands (2 of them for $178 Cdn) I couldn't wear my N20 medium. I got to buy an N20 large with a large insert from my DME supplier. $300 Cdn plus 13% tax. hatchick s suggestion. works. Put the Knightsbridge DB on after the mask. They're cheaper in the US. And comfortable....but of course the masks with top of head hose connection won't work this way.