Amara View and high pressure?

I received my Amara View yesterday and was planning to try it this weekend.

I am now having my doubts about it though. My pressure consistently goes to 25 throughout the night, and I think the mask fit option must use at or near that for testing. All I know is that it gets difficult to exhale. Any way, when trying to get the View fitted, I had to keep tightening and tightening the various straps and finally got it to stop farting. But the mask seems really tight and I know if it moves the slightest it will probably fart some more.

As tight as it is, I'm also wondering what my face would look like the next day. I can't be going into work looking like I lost a fight...

Does anyone have experience with this mask and high pressure that may have some useful tips?

I used the Amara View for a week with my ASV and often saw pressures to 22.
It does NOT have to be extraordinarily tight to seal.
The first couple of nights were spent with little tweaking of the straps to them fine tuned.
Don't attempt to try to fit at 25...it's counter productive...you aren't staying at 25 all night anyway. Your times going to 25 are relatively brief in the grand scheme of things despite what that pressure graph might look like.
Remember I have used this machine just like you are using it and in fact my EPAP was lower than yours and I was seeing well over 20 nearly every night. I was having bigger swings in pressure than you are.

I only used it for a week because I was testing it out to see if I could sleep with it and have it be available just in case I couldn't use my nasal pillow mask for some reason. I still have it...haven't had to use it but it's available in my mask arsenal just in case I do need it.

I get a "scar" on my face if I lay on a wrinkle in the pillowcase. I didn't have any really bad dents or "scars" when I was using the Amara View and I slept primarily on my side when doing it. Usually the side that is down gets the marks if I am going to get them.

Fit it at your normal pressures starting out the night and go from there. This is one time where the mask fit option isn't much help.

Pugsy wrote:I used the Amara View for a week with my ASV and often saw pressures to 22.
It does NOT have to be extraordinarily tight to seal.
The first couple of nights were spent with little tweaking of the straps to them fine tuned.
Don't attempt to try to fit at 25...it's counter productive...you aren't staying at 25 all night anyway. Your times going to 25 are relatively brief in the grand scheme of things despite what that pressure graph might look like.
Remember I have used this machine just like you are using it and in fact my EPAP was lower than yours and I was seeing well over 20 nearly every night. I was having bigger swings in pressure than you are.

I only used it for a week because I was testing it out to see if I could sleep with it and have it be available just in case I couldn't use my nasal pillow mask for some reason. I still have it...haven't had to use it but it's available in my mask arsenal just in case I do need it.

I get a "scar" on my face if I lay on a wrinkle in the pillowcase. I didn't have any really bad dents or "scars" when I was using the Amara View and I slept primarily on my side when doing it. Usually the side that is down gets the marks if I am going to get them.

Fit it at your normal pressures starting out the night and go from there. This is one time where the mask fit option isn't much help.

Why isn't mask fit any help - because of this particular mask? It was easy to get no leaks at starting pressure.

The first FFM I tried, I fitted it for starting pressure and after an hour, off it came, because as soon as pressure went high the farting woke me up. And if I get woken up (such that it is) I am in no state to eff around trying to get my nasal mask on. >.<

It seems I don't fully wake up with other types of leaks (quiet ones or through my mouth), but the farting in my ear does wake me up completely.

It just doesn't seem to make sense to not adjust it to full pressure when I know it will leak and wake me up.



Any fitting tips? It has 3 sets of straps, just wondering if there was any secret to tightening order...

Max--same problem- Going to medical place with amara view and machine and card. Leaks up to 30--miserable like a wind storm. Wil get back to you when I return.

Mask fit feature will likely have to try to fit it at a much higher pressure than you will be at for prolonged periods of time.
While your pressure does go to max ...it's not there for a prolonged period of time.
Try it both ways....my way and with mask fit and see which works and is most comfortable for you and your situation.
I fit it at 6 cm...my EPAP on this machine and I almost always saw 95% of at least 15 and almost every night spent some time at around 22.
I never spent a prolonged amount of time there though and you don't either. The changes up and down are rather rapid...maybe 30 seconds or so at a time.

A typical report for me and my pressures. I don't remember which mask this was but with the Amara View once I got it tweaked it was no different than this one. It can work. Now will it work for you...you get that big old sticker YMMV.
It's been close to 2 years since I tried the Amara View so I don't remember the fine details of the strap adjustment. I just know that it for sure wasn't very tight because that would be a deal breaker for me. The mask has to inflate to seal and when we crank them down too much they can't inflate.

I have used the Amara View the most since I started in May. I've certainly had my ups and downs and I've also thrown it off in the middle of the night. I've tried 4 or 5 others and keep coming back to the Amara View. I have issues with nasal only at 20 plus pressures (at least for me I didn't like it). When I do get my AV right, it's sweet. It is rather quiet and I sleep good. You mentioned 3 straps, but there are 5. Two seem to control the setting at the nose/eye level and two by the mouth/jaw. There is also the head/crown strap that I found is a real key. If you get that right the others are easier to set. Hate to say it, but it's really trial and error. Try loosening all of them in a mirror and slowly tighten each a little at a time. Get it as straight/sealed as you can without being too tight. Sometimes when my mask is leaking I just lightly pull it up and try and re-seal it and it usually works. Best of luck; I know it can be a pain. You also have to make sure you have the right size. I'm a large guy and my size is medium. Also recommend trying mask liners made for the AV. Good luck.

Internet says nose piece if not right will cause big leaks. Dont know if mine is right.

Would be curious to know if people were successful leakwise with the Amara at high pressures - I have one, liked it, but was unable to get the leaks under control.

Thanks

Pugsy wrote:Mask fit feature will likely have to try to fit it at a much higher pressure than you will be at for prolonged periods of time.
While your pressure does go to max ...it's not there for a prolonged period of time.
Try it both ways....my way and with mask fit and see which works and is most comfortable for you and your situation.
I fit it at 6 cm...my EPAP on this machine and I almost always saw 95% of at least 15 and almost every night spent some time at around 22.
I never spent a prolonged amount of time there though and you don't either. The changes up and down are rather rapid...maybe 30 seconds or so at a time.

A typical report for me and my pressures. I don't remember which mask this was but with the Amara View once I got it tweaked it was no different than this one. It can work. Now will it work for you...you get that big old sticker YMMV.
It's been close to 2 years since I tried the Amara View so I don't remember the fine details of the strap adjustment. I just know that it for sure wasn't very tight because that would be a deal breaker for me. The mask has to inflate to seal and when we crank them down too much they can't inflate.

If you fit it at 6, it must have been farting like crazy once it got above 15 or so - didn't that wake you up?

I know my pressure doesn't stay at 25 for very long, but it goes over 20 enough that if it farted every time over 20 I would get zero sleep instead the minuscule amount I get now.

I guess I will find out Friday night

Any scope for lowering your maximum pressure?

MaxINTJ wrote: If you fit it at 6, it must have been farting like crazy once it got above 15 or so - didn't that wake you up?

No...never had it fart and slept quite well. Hubby didn't report any farting either.
Neither one of us sleep that soundly so I doubt it happened and we slept through it.
I guess I should clarify the fit...EPAP was 6 and IPAP was 9 at the time of fitting.
I fit all my masks at my starting pressure and it works out for me. I also wear them disgustingly loose so that they can actually inflate.
Now I know not everyone is as lucky as I am...but I have a lot more experience testing all kinds of masks..so maybe that is part of my luck.
I have actually probably tried on to test over 50 masks...now as to sleeping with them not as many.

The mask of last resort holds the record for brevity of the test.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... dgear.html
Best I could do was 15 seconds of seal and that's only if I didn't move or breathe.
Worked at it for over an hour one night just to see what it was like and never could get the damn thing to seal for more than 15 seconds at a time. People that have success with that mask...I bow down in awe to them.