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Battling Large Leaks
#1
Battling Large Leaks
I'm in the process of battling large leaks.

I've switched masks from the Simplus Full Face to the ResMed AirFit F20, and finally to the Aurora View.

I had 99% time in large leaks with both simplus and the f20.  

My first night with the Aurora View was 35% in large leak and last night was just under 50% with large leak.

I like the aurora and want to work with it to get the large leaks as low as possible.


While reading the Beginners Guide in the wiki I saw the line "If you see 40+ minute long official Large Leaks on most of your nights, then that's likely a problem that you need to work on."

Almost none of my leaks are 40 minutes or above, but I do have a lot of leaks.  Should I discount the smaller leaks?

   
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#2
RE: Battling Large Leaks
Have you read the mask primer? See the link below. It provides guidance for controlling leaks. Not sure what you mean by smaller leaks. A daily OSCAR screenshot would help. Have you checked for leaks at hose connections or the humidifier. It may not be the mask.
Download OSCAR

Organize Charts
Attaching Charts

Mask Primer
Soft Cervical Collar

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.

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#3
RE: Battling Large Leaks
(07-09-2019, 11:08 AM)Melman Wrote: Have you read the mask primer? See the link below. It provides guidance for controlling leaks. Not sure what you mean by smaller leaks. A daily OSCAR screenshot would help. Have you checked for leaks at hose connections or the humidifier. It may not be the mask.

Thank you for the reply!

I have read the primer a few times and I think a few more is in order because I always take away something new.

Here are the screenshots.


   

   

   
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#4
RE: Battling Large Leaks
A mask is such a personal thing. What works for one individual may not in any way shape or form for another.

If you have success however with under the nose full face masks, you may try the ResMed AirFit F30. There is also the DreamWear Full Face, which features a top of the head connection, but again, is an under the nose full face mask.

With any mask however it can come down to the art of getting the straps right. For my F30 for example, all of the fitting videos seem to suggest the over the head strap more to the front of the head. For me, I had much more success with that strap near the back of the head almost by the crown. Once I dialed in on that, leaks were gone.

I know one thing I did too, was once I got the straps to what I thought were right, I looked at the straps and noticed that one side was tied tighter than the other side. I evened out those straps accordingly such that they were the same length on both sides. Once I did that the mask sat more centered on my face, felt more comfortable, and was more resistant to leaks during shifts in movement.

Good luck!
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#5
RE: Battling Large Leaks
I've been using an AirFit F30 now for about six weeks or so. I really like it. I was using an AirFit F20 and it did well for me too. 

According to the ResMed MyAir site, my leaks are pretty much nil. Occasionally, one will come up. The highest so far has been 5 L/Min.  Most are well below 3. 

As others have mentioned, no one mask will serve all well. That, and proper strap tensioning is important. Having been using the F20 for many months and doing very well with it, tightening the straps just right on my F30 was easy. 

Anyways, just thought I'd throw my thoughts out there and hopefully will benefit others.
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#6
RE: Battling Large Leaks
Are you sure you have the right size? Most come in small, medium, and large. If you google a specific mask the manufacture's site will have a sizing template that you can print and use.
Download OSCAR

Organize Charts
Attaching Charts

Mask Primer
Soft Cervical Collar

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.

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#7
RE: Battling Large Leaks
I agree with what the others said.

The F30 is a lot like the Amara View. If you like the Amara View, but can't get it not to leak, then you might like to try the F30.

I can't get the Amara View to not leak on me. I use the F20 now. I like the memory foam - it makes a great seal that doesn't leak or slip.
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#8
RE: Battling Large Leaks
Have you considered the Airtouch F20?
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#9
RE: Battling Large Leaks
I use a Ultra Mirage full face mask with my Dreamstation Apap set for 17.5 - 20 .  When I
wake up I have noticed a few times my mask was almost off my face and thus leaking bad.
I was about to buy a infared camera  and see  if I was thrashing around at night. But I was
looking at my diet and noticed I wasn't getting nearly the RDA  for potasium which might explain
why I had some leg cramps. Well as soon as I started getting enough potassium in my diet my
mask leaks cleared up.  And iI am not recommending you get more potassium I am just sharing 
my experience.
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#10
RE: Battling Large Leaks
I battled large leaks for quite a while also, using the Amara View mask. Whenever I tried the mask fit option, there were never any leaks, and I got the big smiley face on my machine, but every morning after using the mask the high leakage was there on my OSCAR printouts. So frustrating! I had the top strap over the head very tight to cinch it up against my nose, as I thought it must be leaking there, but over time I realized that cinching up that strap actually keeps tension on the mask to pull it upward (and out of place) on my face, so that the bottom part of the mask would actually slip up about an inch, which combined with jaw drop could cause a massive leak (which would self-correct each time I closed my mouth). From the forum, I learned that a soft cervical collar could stop the jaw drop issue, and sure enough with the collar the massive leaks stopped. (The cervical collar must be tight enough so your chin rests on top of it. If your chin goes behind it because it's too loose, it will push up on your cheeks and the mask causing leakage.)

There were still some leaks I was not happy with and I continued to play with the mask fit. In the end, what worked (along with the cervical collar) was to loosen the top strap a bit, loosen the side straps a bit and to pull the mask out a bit from my face when I put it on to allow it to inflate, then wiggle it all around my mouth to let out all the excess air that wants to leak, then I push it against my face so it feels like it's suctioned on and try to pull it straight off. If it's hard to pull and pulling does not cause leakage, I know it's set right. The nose hole has to be covered (slide your nose straight across top of the hole when you put it on) and the tip of your nose can not be "in" the hole or that will leak. The mask material should inflate to cover your nostrils completely. Having the mask too tight does not allow it to inflate in a cushioning fashion. If you have leakage at the nose hole even after all this, you may need a smaller mask. Here is a link to the sizing guide for this mask: https://healthsqyre.zendesk.com/hc/en-us...sizing.pdf


Best Wishes
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