Chinstraps?

Mikesus · Post by **Mikesus** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 6:49 pm

Anyone have a suggestion for a "good" chin strap? The Respironics one on Cpap.com doesn't look too bad, but dunno if it would work with the Aura...

Was thinking of doing the cervical collar as an alternative...

NeurosurgeryNP · Post by **NeurosurgeryNP** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 7:00 pm

I have ordered both - the Aura is on the way and the chinstrap is on backorder. I will let you know once I get them both on. I, too, am a mouth breather and have found that the Ultra Mirage FF has worked well for me, except for soreness on the bridge of my nose - have a weird nose. I also have teh Activa, but have found that I have lots of mouth leaks with it. So, I am going to give the Aura a try. I am a newbie - only 1 1/2 weeks on the hose, but have found that using the FF mask every night has really made my nose sore.

Jen

Mikesus · Post by **Mikesus** » Tue Mar 22, 2005 7:14 pm

Ok here is the scoop, talked to ted and he suggested the Sullivan chinstrap. The Respironics one prolly won't work with the Aura...

Thanks Ted!!

rock and roll · Post by **rock and roll** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 9:10 am

I have now tried three chinstraps, the chinups, taping my mouth closed, and various other ways to keep my mouth closed and for me none have worked. I have been trying to train myself to keep it closed on my own and have my wife nudge me if she hears me mouth breathing and now I would say 6 out of 7 nights I am successful.

Joe A · Post by **Joe A** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 9:18 am

Three Words....Full Face Mask!

The resmed Mirage Ultra is a good place to start. I battled 4 differnt kinds of chinstraps, they keep your mouth closed sometimes when they are brand new. As soo as the elastic gets stretched out the no longer work! Non of them ever lasted more than 2 weeks...at 35 bucks a pop, the full face mask makes more sense!

rock and roll · Post by **rock and roll** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 9:22 am

Well I should have stated that I have tried three full face masks as well. I can't keep a seal, I have been writing to the makers of the Activa to see if they will ever make a FF Activa but they don't ever answer.

Joe A · Post by **Joe A** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 9:29 am

One sleep tech with OSA says that what he does is to buy a cheap Nellcore-Puritan Bennet Chin strap (I think they go for less than 15 bucks on this site) the one with the hole that your chin fits into. Then feed the tubing into the hole up to the mask, then wrap the chinstrap around the back of your head. Shoudn't have any leaks after that!

coffee · Post by **coffee** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 3:06 pm

Soooooo, let me get this straight.. you put the hose of the ultra mirage ff mask through the hole of the chin strap and strap the chin strap behind the head? Basically giving the mask a third strap? My problem with the ultra mirage FF mask is: it fits well and does it's job so well that I fall into a deep sleep, which causes my face and jaw to relax further... then my jaw drops, the mask leaks and I'm awake. I am going to try to use a chin strap with the ff mask to keep my jaw tight, but I may try your technique as well... thanks. Nasal mask and chin strap doesn't work for me because I puff out air through my lips, negating the cpap effect. Before I start taping my mouth shut I want to try to make the full face mask work.

Joe A · Post by **Joe A** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 4:53 pm

Cofee:

A full face mask is supposed to ALLOW mouth breathing. If mouth breathing knocks off the mask, then perhaps it's too small. You should have enough room inside the mask to open your mouth, and no have it fall off. You may want to upsize.

Mikesus · Post by **Mikesus** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 5:47 pm

Have the ultra mirage ff mask, and if I need larger then I guess I need to order the x-large (don't bother looking, its non existant)

coffee · Post by **coffee** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 11:52 am

yes, I also have the large size mask. It's strange, it worked for a couple of weeks so well that I was ready to sing Hallelujah! I have finally found THE mask! but it was too good to be true... I think it works well in closed jaw, loose lips, mouth breathing, but the seal blows when the jaw drops and I go into mouth open, fly catching mode. I'm awaiting a new chinstrap and will experiment with it in various configurations...

coffee · Post by **coffee** » Thu Mar 24, 2005 12:00 pm

Jen,

you say your nose is sore from using the ultra mirage ff mask? Try adjusting the forehead support to alleviate the pressure on your nose. It's tricky though, not enough pressure on the nose may cause leaks...