Pad-A-Cheek Liner Arrived - Got a Quesiton

[KenTheriot]

A question for experienced Pad-a-Cheeks users. There seem to be 2 extra tabs/flaps of felt I don't know what to do with.

I just received my full-face mask liner and can't wait to try it out tonight, since leaks have been a serious issue - my only issue, really - with using ASV now that I seem to have gotten used to the pressures. I've just wrapped the liner onto my mask - a Quattro, which they even use in the instructions:). The nose hole will definitely need to be enlarged to accommodate my inevitable mouth-breathing. But they say how to do that, so it shouldn't be an issue. Isn't the whole point of a full-face mask to allow for mouth-breathing in case of nasal congestion? Anyway, that's not my real question.

The question is - what are the 2 extra little tabs of felt for? The ones that hang down from the forehead pad? They aren't mentioned or shown in the instructions.

I snapped a picture and annotated with red arrows where the tabs are that I'm talking about. the pic is here: http://screencast.com/t/oz5KGP1pSRT7

They seem superfluous - at least for the Quattro. Any clues?

Thanks.

Ken

[nanwilson]

They are not on my 2 Quattro liners.... better ask Karen, give her a call and she will answer the mystery.

[KenTheriot]

They are not on my 2 Quattro liners.... better ask Karen, give her a call and she will answer the mystery.

OK, thanks. I didn't know if I was missing something obvious.

Ken

[OhHelpMe]

Isn't the whole point of a full-face mask to allow for mouth-breathing in case of nasal congestion?

"The purpose of a FFM is to maintain therapeutic pressure while air is passing between the lips."

There are a variety of reasons that the body does this and nasal congestion is one of them.

[squid13]

I wear a full face mask and I breath through my nose, my problem was I couldn't keep my mouth shut and got tired of chin straps and taping. So if you decide to wear one you can breath through your nose or mouth.

[Kennerly]

Ken , I just got one of the padacheek liners for a Quattro fx mask last week and it too has the flaps. The instruction page on mine did say that you can leave the flaps to protect your nose or trim them back. I cut them back even with the edge of the nose hole. Seems okay so far.

[John Chowder]

Do you guys ever use it without widening the nose hole? So that your mouth remains covered? I just used mine on my Quattro Air last night and although it was incredibly comfortable I woke up with an upset stomach from bloating. If I cut a hole for my mouth will I be sacrificing a whole lot of comfort/leak control?

[markdh]

Do you guys ever use it without widening the nose hole? So that your mouth remains covered? I just used mine on my Quattro Air last night and although it was incredibly comfortable I woke up with an upset stomach from bloating. If I cut a hole for my mouth will I be sacrificing a whole lot of comfort/leak control?

I've destroyed more than one PadACheek trying to make a hole for my mouth. I have no idea why I should have to do that. The RemZZZ liners don't have that problem because the opening is big enough for both your nose and mouth.

Anyway, because of that I've given up on PadACheek.

[John Chowder]

Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of, I don't want to ruin this thing.

[Kennerly]

Do you guys ever use it without widening the nose hole? So that your mouth remains covered? I just used mine on my Quattro Air last night and although it was incredibly comfortable I woke up with an upset stomach from bloating. If I cut a hole for my mouth will I be sacrificing a whole lot of comfort/leak control?

I have to trim them back. If you clip a little bit at a time it works OK. They do make the bottom of my Quattro fx seem a little smaller even when trimmed to size. Worth it though they are a big help.

[KenTheriot]

Thanks! the whole reason I use a FF-mask is that I cannot reliably breathe through my nose. So I need to be able to mouth-breathe. I'll be very careful cutting just a little bit at a time.

Thanks again!

Ken

[John Chowder]

Wow. Just had my best night on BiPAP since starting this crazy journey. I trimmed the hole in the Pad-A-Cheek down so my mouth remained uncovered. I also turned my EPAP down from 14 to 12. No bloating when woke up, and I kept the Quattro Air on for 7hr 36m with an AHI of 1.87!

It took me nearly 45 minutes to trim the hole because I went so slowly but it was completely worth it. Pad-A-Cheek for the win!

[Janknitz]

It's so easy to cut too much around the mouth area. Do teeny, tiny clipping as advised on the Pad-A-Cheek website.

The other thing I find is that the material is somewhat stretchy, and I like it pulled more tautly over the bottom cushion. I find that if I twist that velcro connector just under the hose outlet so I sort of double it (hard to describe!), it pulls the opening lower and tighter so it's below my bottom lip. I HATE when it rides up over my bottom lip, and eventually the se liners do stretch out.

I have two liners, so I can wash one while the other is clean, dry, and ready to go.

I love my liner, it reminds me of the satin binder around the blankey I used to love as a young child. I feel like I can snuggle into my mask, and it's really comforting. I don't like the feel of bare silicone against my face at all. The soft liner and cool, gentle air flow have become cues that send me right to sleep at night. Since getting acclimated to CPAP, I no longer have sleep latency that could go on for hours before CPAP.

[KenTheriot]

I now know what the extra tabs were for. I woke up with a painful red spot on the bridge of my nose this morning after spending my first night with the anti-leak strap. When things have to be cinched down tight enough to help prevent leaks (though it hasn't done that very well yet), the hard plastic at the very tip of the triangular mask can easily press down directly onto the bridge of my nose - just about where the extra padded tabs used to be .

I'll be attaching some padding there for tonight's session.

Hope this helps someone else.

Ken

[chunkyfrog]

Isn't it amazing how Resmed's little torture device remains the same after all these years?
I realize it works for quite a few; but not for, I suspect, many more.
A little extra care could be well worth the effort.