resmed Quatro mask

[trish6hundred]

Hi,

this mask is fine but a little bet better I feel with Ultra-Mirage FF from RESMED.

Hi Michael_F18_Pilot,
WELCOME! to the forum.!

[glfredrick]

I've used a quatro mirage since the beginning of my treatment. I need a FF mask because I definitely am a mouth breather. I also use the ReZzzs pad liners around the mask. I've found them to be very comfortable and they tend to stop smallish leaks from sweating. Also allowing the bridge of my nose to heal up a bit. I typically don't have problems with that, but once I got my skin irritated it wouldn't heal fully before getting irritated again.

For the people using both the mirage quatro and FX (and/or the new F10 or air) what is it that makes one better than the other? Why do you prefer one over the other? I'm open to change, but the change has to make sense, not just spend my money for something that will end up in a box under the bed.

[retired_guy]

The Quattro Air, and the F10 do not have that hard ridge of silicone that creates a sore on the bridge of your nose. I have both the Quattro Air and the Quattro mirage. I modified the mirage by cutting enough of the silicone ridge away so it no longer irritated my nose. I like both masks about the same, although since going through all the processes, I ended up landing on the P10 pillows mask and have not been back to my full face masks since. One day I will, then I will be torn, TORN I say, in deciding which one I like better.

[WakeUpTime]

So many continue to promote the false belief that mouth breathers must use a full face mask. I too believed the hype until I was liberated by a pillows mask (thanks to Herb's ongoing comments about the P10).

Like Zonk said earlier, a FFM should be a last resort after pillows and a nasal mask -- even if you are a mouth breather! I found with a FFM, I'd still breath through my mouth and have an extremely dry mouth in the morning.

What mouth breathers should really try to do is close their mouths with a chin strap, tape, or anything else. Of course, with the exception being when their noses aren't working. A FFM is probably always needed as a backup.

[glfredrick]

So many continue to promote the false belief that mouth breathers must use a full face mask. I too believed the hype until I was liberated by a pillows mask (thanks to Herb's ongoing comments about the P10).

Like someone said earlier, a FFM should be a last resort after pillows and a nasal mask -- even if you are a mouth breather! I found with a FFM, I'd still breath through my mouth and have an extremely dry mouth in the morning.

What mouth breathers should really try to do is close their mouths with a chin strap, tape, or anything else. Of course, with the exception being when their noses aren't working. A FFM is probably always needed as a backup.

I've tried some of those techniques. For me it is birth defects. I breath through my mouth about 90% of the time and just cannot move enough air through my nose alone to feel like I am not suffocating.

I do try to close my mouth and sometimes I am successful, but most of the time not. I also have a somewhat reduced lung capacity due to the first successful surgery done at Milwaukee Children's Hospital (1962) for a defective sternum and lower ribs. My heart was literally pushed to the wrong side of my chest cavity and my lungs were only about half the normal size early in life. I've since compensated, as all who are born with birth defects do, but I'll never have the free breathing that most take for granted. Regarding the sinus cavities, after 3 surgeries for excessive adenoids and 3 more for issues with teeth and jaw alignment, it is just something that I have to live with. I also show some symptoms for myelodysplastic syndrome, including easy bleeding and petechiae.

I can thank the Marine Corp for allowing their recruits and families to drink the highly toxic water while serving at Camp LeJeune. I was born and lived my first couple of years there.

[WakeUpTime]

I've tried some of those techniques. For me it is birth defects. I breath through my mouth about 90% of the time and just cannot move enough air through my nose alone to feel like I am not suffocating.
...

I'm sorry about my narrow vision on that. There are probably more than a few others who similarly just can't breathe through the nose. I'm just trying now, after a lengthy time to the contrary. I actually hate it, but my face likes the feather-light pillows. As soon as I get home, my nose gets stuffed up and I have to go to war with it in preparation for sleep. (Darned sleep apnea disease.)

PS - I appreciated hearing about what you've gone through, as it relates to breathing. Wow. Thanks for sharing that too.

[glfredrick]

I've tried some of those techniques. For me it is birth defects. I breath through my mouth about 90% of the time and just cannot move enough air through my nose alone to feel like I am not suffocating.
...

I'm sorry about my narrow vision on that. There are probably more than a few others who similarly just can't breathe through the nose. I'm just trying now, after a lengthy time to the contrary. I actually hate it, but my face likes the feather-light pillows. As soon as I get home, my nose gets stuffed up and I have to go to war with it in preparation for sleep. (Darned sleep apnea disease.)

PS - I appreciated hearing about what you've gone through, as it relates to breathing. Wow. Thanks for sharing that too.

Thanks... I'm ok, and am definitely a survivor. Most would never know my early history by looking at me now. Stronger and bigger than I ought to be after a life of intensive labor in most of my endeavors, overweight like about half of all Americans. Just press on and do the next thing. Over the years, I've disobeyed the docs in almost every piece of advice they could give. Because of my early surgeries I was supposed to remain sedentary, so I worked on a dairy farm, raced motocross, wrestled (lettered all 4 years), and ski black diamond stuff. I also shoot competitively, raise a lot of our own food through intensive gardening, and do all my own repairs on whatever (I'm skilled in techical and craftsmanship areas). I did also gravitate early on to educational pursuits and am about 20 credit hours shy of a Ph.D. and read about 300 ages a day, every day! That equals 3-5 books in an average week, a pace I've held since 5th grade.

The docs get rather upset at me because I don't fit their BMI profiles. I even had one dunk me in a tank after he called me morbidly obese. He was rather shocked that I was around 18% body fat at that time (weighed 240 @ 5'10"). I have 24" biceps, legs to match, and the center of my body has gained mass to support my lack of lower ribs and sternum. All my vitals are shocking to the docs, BP at 125/67, colesterol at 145, resting heart rate of under 50, etc., and at age 57 that is an accomplishment, especially for a "big guy" that doesn't look that way on the surface.

About your nose stuffing up at home, I've experienced some of that and have traced it to environmental issues. For instance, I've discovered that I cannot be long in the presence of scents, especially certain types of air fresheners and candles. I am also slightly sensitive to animal dander, both cat and dog, but we love pets so I've accomodated by taking a daily Zyrtec to keep the sinus passages open. Obviously, I cannot recommend any product to anyone else, so I'm just saying what I do here. Bathing the animals regularly helps with dander and resultant breathing problems and it is sweet revenge to plunge the cat that often keeps me up at night under the shower from time-to-time.

To those out there struggling, let me say this...

Keep on, because the alternative is not worth the waste of a human life. Never get to the final days of life, laying in a bed, thinking, "What if?" At least try new things, learn new challenges, and stretch yourself in ways that seem impossible. Our bodies are remarkable machines that can compensate for a LOT of adversity. It gets even better when God gets involved and starts to multiply one's own efforts, but that is my story and I'm not trying to get preachy here. Thanks for listening and I hope that I am an encouragement to others!

[retired_guy]

Nice story gl. Thanks for sharing it.