Continuation of leakage discussion

[mrog]

*awards the worst leak ever trophy*

Thanks! Should I give a speech, or just quietly put it on my book shelf?

[robysue]

I went back and looked at the postings for leaks and they are bad almost immediately after starting the machine.

It does point to an incorrect size mask or simply just the wrong mask for you.

I believe the large Quattro I'm using is a bit too small for me. I wish they made an XL size. It would also help if the air cushion was a bit thicker so it would fit my face contours better.

OTHER than the truly horrendus leaks that cannot be conquered, what leads you to believe the large Quattro is too small? Using a mask cushion that is too LARGE is just as likely to lead to huge leaks as using a mask cushion that is too SMALL.

So I'm going to throw out a very counter intuitive idea: Have you ever tried a medium sized cushion? And if so, were the leaks just as bad? Or worse?

#1 I have to guess that you are setting the headgear while laying down? if not, have you tried to get the mask & headgear set while laying down?

Yes. I learned that one early on.

#2 Have you tried going through these suggestions at the link below for "taming the mirage quattro?"

I've followed some very similar steps a few times before. I never could get it to seal properly. As you pointed out, it's not the right mask for me. But it is the least bad option I've found so far.

The leak line indicates the Large Leaks start almost as soon as when you lie down. Have you been able to pinpoint where the leaks are occuring? In other words, does the leaking occur near the top of the mask at the bridge of your nose? Along the sides of he mask? Or below your mouth down near your chin? Knowing the location of the leaks might help you figure out a way to solve them.

Another potentially crazy sounding idea that I've seen posted here in the past: If you can find where the leak(s) are located by hand, you might be able to use silicon "putty" or squishable silicon earplugs to plug up the leak(s). See this thread for more information about this idea:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=75581&p=691560&hili ... gs#p691560

[library lady]

OTHER than the truly horrendus leaks that cannot be conquered, what leads you to believe the large Quattro is too small? Using a mask cushion that is too LARGE is just as likely to lead to huge leaks as using a mask cushion that is too SMALL.

So I'm going to throw out a very counter intuitive idea: Have you ever tried a medium sized cushion? And if so, were the leaks just as bad? Or worse?

When I was using the Quattro Air medium at the beginning of my journey into cpap land, I thought it was too big. My DME had a returned Air in small for me to try, and the leaks were worse and I went back to the medium, so Robysue's suggestion, if you haven't already tried it, might be the answer for you. Liners were the only thing that helped, and I tried all the liners I could find on the market. I'm now making my own. If you decide to try a medium, I have a package of medium Quietus liners with tacking agent that I didn't open; you can have them. They might fit the Quattro just as well. PM me if interested.

FWIW, I'm now using the AirFit F10, which as Pugsy said, uses the same cushion. The headgear is different, as there is no forehead arm and it doesn't have a strap that goes around the top of my head. I love the freedom of not having that top strap around my head.

[palerider]

*awards the worst leak ever trophy*

Thanks! Should I give a speech, or just quietly put it on my book shelf?

speechs are not required, but we do have the band ready to play you off should they last too long

[ShelaghDB]

I might have a Quattro Air but unfortunately I think it is in the medium size which from what you say about the Quattro...I bet is too small but let me check.

For what its worth to the OP for comparison, I use the QUATTRO AIR and have heart shaped angular face but my features are all very small. I have elf like ears and if one more person tweaks my nose telling me how cute it is i might punch then.

So as you can see from that, with tiny features and my shaped face and i use the MEDIUM and it fits perfectly, 100% without a leak anywhere.
So unless you have a tiny face like i do..........you might need a larger mask, and quite a bit larger if they make one

[mrog]

So I'm going to throw out a very counter intuitive idea: Have you ever tried a medium sized cushion? And if so, were the leaks just as bad? Or worse?

I used a medium for a while and it was worse. According to the sizing template, I'm in the high end of the large size. If I open my mouth even a tiny bit, the leaks at the bottom of the mask get a lot worse. I think a larger size would prevent that.

The leak line indicates the Large Leaks start almost as soon as when you lie down. Have you been able to pinpoint where the leaks are occuring? In other words, does the leaking occur near the top of the mask at the bridge of your nose? Along the sides of he mask? Or below your mouth down near your chin? Knowing the location of the leaks might help you figure out a way to solve them.

By adjusting the angle of the mask, I can make it leak at the top, the bottom, or both. It doesn't leak on the sides.

Another potentially crazy sounding idea that I've seen posted here in the past: If you can find where the leak(s) are located by hand, you might be able to use silicon "putty" or squishable silicon earplugs to plug up the leak(s). See this thread for more information about this idea:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=75581&p=691560&hili ... gs#p691560

That's an interesting idea. I'm not sure I like the idea of molding and applying putty every time I put my mask on, but it might help enough to be worth it. Thanks!

[mrog]

When I was using the Quattro Air medium at the beginning of my journey into cpap land, I thought it was too big. My DME had a returned Air in small for me to try, and the leaks were worse and I went back to the medium, so Robysue's suggestion, if you haven't already tried it, might be the answer for you. Liners were the only thing that helped, and I tried all the liners I could find on the market. I'm now making my own. If you decide to try a medium, I have a package of medium Quietus liners with tacking agent that I didn't open; you can have them. They might fit the Quattro just as well. PM me if interested.

FWIW, I'm now using the AirFit F10, which as Pugsy said, uses the same cushion. The headgear is different, as there is no forehead arm and it doesn't have a strap that goes around the top of my head. I love the freedom of not having that top strap around my head.

I tried the medium for a while and it was worse.

I love Quietus liners. I made sure to buy a bunch before they went out of business. Thanks, though!

[mrog]

*awards the worst leak ever trophy*

Thanks! Should I give a speech, or just quietly put it on my book shelf?

speechs are not required, but we do have the band ready to play you off should they last too long

In that case, I'd like to thank ResMed, my doctor, and my family for making this moment possible. I'd also like to thank my lower esophageal sphincter for only giving me a little bit of aerophagia most nights. Hey, why is the music starting already?

[mrog]

I might have a Quattro Air but unfortunately I think it is in the medium size which from what you say about the Quattro...I bet is too small but let me check.

For what its worth to the OP for comparison, I use the QUATTRO AIR and have heart shaped angular face but my features are all very small. I have elf like ears and if one more person tweaks my nose telling me how cute it is i might punch then.

So as you can see from that, with tiny features and my shaped face and i use the MEDIUM and it fits perfectly, 100% without a leak anywhere.
So unless you have a tiny face like i do..........you might need a larger mask, and quite a bit larger if they make one

I promise I'll never tweak your nose.

I'd love a larger mask, but I'm already using a large. As far as I know, nobody makes an XL size. If you know otherwise, please point it out!

[Pugsy]

The problem looking for just XLarge is that we don't know how a different model actually might compare with what you are using size wise. We don't know if one person's XL might be the same another's Large.
Have you ever tried these below?

The ComfortGel Blue offers XLarge size. Now how much different it might be than the Quattro Large...anyone's guess
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-com ... -mask.html

The F & P Forma offers XLarge
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/fisher ... -mask.html

as does the FlexFit HC432
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/FlexiF ... aykel.html

[mrog]

The problem looking for just XLarge is that we don't know how a different model actually might compare with what you are using size wise. We don't know if one person's XL might be the same another's Large.
Have you ever tried these below?

The ComfortGel Blue offers XLarge size. Now how much different it might be than the Quattro Large...anyone's guess
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-com ... -mask.html

The F & P Forma offers XLarge
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/fisher ... -mask.html

as does the FlexFit HC432
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/FlexiF ... aykel.html

Perhaps the problem is simply that the DMEs I visited don't carry extra large sizes. I'll investigate these a bit and see if I can find out how they compare size wise to the large Quattro.

Thank you!

[palerider]

Perhaps the problem is simply that the DMEs I visited don't carry extra large sizes. I'll investigate these a bit and see if I can find out how they compare size wise to the large Quattro.

Thank you!

perhaps one of the true full face masks would work for you.

I forget, have you tried nasal masks or snozzle pillows?

[mrog]

Perhaps the problem is simply that the DMEs I visited don't carry extra large sizes. I'll investigate these a bit and see if I can find out how they compare size wise to the large Quattro.

Thank you!

perhaps one of the true full face masks would work for you.

I forget, have you tried nasal masks or snozzle pillows?

Yes, I tried nasal pillows, but was unable to adequately control the mouth leaks.

[palerider]

Yes, I tried nasal pillows, but was unable to adequately control the mouth leaks.

maybe you need one of these: https://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... dgear.html

[mrog]

Yes, I tried nasal pillows, but was unable to adequately control the mouth leaks.

maybe you need one of these: https://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... dgear.html

I tried one of those in my doctor's office. It was a large size and it leaked below my mouth. Maybe the XL size would be better.

My main concern with total face masks is that the headgear might have to be really tight. The force the headgear puts on the back of your head and neck is proportional to the product of the pressure and the area of the mask. If that force isn't distributed correctly, it can quite literally be a huge pain. The last time I tightened my Quattro headgear enough to get the average leak rate under 20 L/min, it took two weeks for my neck muscles to recover. So, I'm reluctant to put too much pressure there.