FFM was a bust.

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glowradar
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FFM was a bust.

Post by glowradar » Sat Mar 28, 2015 7:06 am

Impressions:
Wow that's a lot of straps.
Ok I'm in and my nose bridge already hurts.
Oh no I have to itch my nose (followed by what seems like minutes of unwinding straps)

But the nail in the coffin: woke up at 3am and the machine was going full force with frowny face on leak, my mouth felt like I was growing cotton in the dust bowl, and I went straight into anxiety mode which means I never really got back to sleep.

Nose pillows it is then. Life's not perfect I guess.

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49er
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Re: FFM was a bust.

Post by 49er » Sat Mar 28, 2015 7:13 am

glowradar wrote:Impressions:
Wow that's a lot of straps.
Ok I'm in and my nose bridge already hurts.
Oh no I have to itch my nose (followed by what seems like minutes of unwinding straps)

But the nail in the coffin: woke up at 3am and the machine was going full force with frowny face on leak, my mouth felt like I was growing cotton in the dust bowl, and I went straight into anxiety mode which means I never really got back to sleep.

Nose pillows it is then. Life's not perfect I guess.
glowradar,

I am nodding in agreement as one who has been told by my surgeon I have to stick to full face masks for now after my septoplasty last week. Glad you found what works best for you.

49er

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Pugsy
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Re: FFM was a bust.

Post by Pugsy » Sat Mar 28, 2015 7:19 am

I understand. Life's not perfect. I don't/won't use a FFM for my own reasons (which are good enough for me) but just learn to evaluate your leak graph so that you understand what you are seeing. I use the nasal pillow mask and yeah, sometimes I probably do a little mouth breathing but the time spent in really big leak where it could have a significant negative impact on my therapy is really not very long and I sleep through the leaks (no matter what the cause) so I have elected to accept that life isn't perfect and I am good with the leak graph sometimes being less than perfect and sometimes just being down right ugly for brief periods of time.

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Gasper62
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Re: FFM was a bust.

Post by Gasper62 » Sat Mar 28, 2015 12:28 pm

I've been trying to learn how to tolerate a FFM the last few weeks. Two things have made a huge difference. Wearing a cloth Band-Aid on the bridge of my nose makes it much more comfortable. I am about to try the Gecko nose pad too, that looks "promising". I am also now using RemZZZ mask liners and they are wonderful ! (in my case anyway) You might want to give them a try. Good luck. Link to liners: https://www.cpap.com/productpage/remzzz ... iners.html

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Julie
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Re: FFM was a bust.

Post by Julie » Sat Mar 28, 2015 1:54 pm

I'd be very surprised if the first FFM you tried just worked. There are very many different ones out there and I think you owe it to yourself to find one or two that work better, whether or not you wear them all the time (certainly everyone agrees that they're great to have when you've got a cold).

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Wulfman...
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Re: FFM was a bust.

Post by Wulfman... » Sat Mar 28, 2015 2:08 pm

glowradar wrote:Impressions:
Wow that's a lot of straps.
Ok I'm in and my nose bridge already hurts.
Oh no I have to itch my nose (followed by what seems like minutes of unwinding straps)

But the nail in the coffin: woke up at 3am and the machine was going full force with frowny face on leak, my mouth felt like I was growing cotton in the dust bowl, and I went straight into anxiety mode which means I never really got back to sleep.

Nose pillows it is then. Life's not perfect I guess.
WHICH mask? NOT ALL full face masks are created equal!

Other than that, it sounds like you did everything "wrong".


Den

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(5) REMstar Autos w/C-Flex & (6) REMstar Pro 2 CPAPs w/C-Flex - Pressure Setting = 14 cm.
"Passover" Humidification - ResMed Ultra Mirage FF - Encore Pro w/Card Reader & MyEncore software - Chiroflow pillow
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hyperlexis
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Location: Illinois

Re: FFM was a bust.

Post by hyperlexis » Sat Mar 28, 2015 2:12 pm

glowradar wrote:Impressions:
Wow that's a lot of straps.
Ok I'm in and my nose bridge already hurts.
Oh no I have to itch my nose (followed by what seems like minutes of unwinding straps)

But the nail in the coffin: woke up at 3am and the machine was going full force with frowny face on leak, my mouth felt like I was growing cotton in the dust bowl, and I went straight into anxiety mode which means I never really got back to sleep.

Nose pillows it is then. Life's not perfect I guess.
Um, what FFM????

What are u talking about? Were you using the FullLife? That one, absolutely, straps galore. But workable if you know how to use it properly (Only loosen one end of the lower straps to remove). Most all other FFMs have quick release clips. Only some of the cheapest, oldest designs or the Chinese ones have only straps.

You seem like you need a training wheels mask -- you should try the basic, old Quattro. Extremely easy to adjust and generally extremely good on the bridge of the nose. Or possibly the Quattro F10, Quattro FX, or Quattro Air. Or perhaps the Amara Gel or the Simplus.

As a newbie, switching to a pillows mask may end up getting you: 1.) mouth leaks (good luck) and/or 2.) pressure sores inside the front of the nose, the nares. So you may be trading one problem for another.

Who fit you with that FFM? Did you use a size gauge? Is it adjusted properly?

Before you ditch that FFM you should watch the online videos of proper fitting and sizing for that particular mask (youtube, try lankylefty27's videos).

Then if it still fails after a period, try something else.

A big problem newbies have is not giving a mask a proper go around and bouncing from one to another.

Good luck!

Nyre
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Re: FFM was a bust.

Post by Nyre » Sat Mar 28, 2015 2:56 pm

It's hard finding the right mask. I would keep trying other FFM to see if there is another one that may suit you better. The sleep tech who did my titration recommended that I use a FFM as I tend to open my mouth at high pressures.

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Gasper62
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Re: FFM was a bust.

Post by Gasper62 » Sat Mar 28, 2015 3:02 pm

I am planning to ask my wife if she'll adapt the quick-release clip from a small nylon dog collar to the bottom strap on my FullLife FFM. Other than the lack of the clip feature, I think it's a great, cheap FFM, it's even better with a liner. A Quattro FX is my next "experiment" in FFM's without a forehead device.

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Wulfman...
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Re: FFM was a bust.

Post by Wulfman... » Sat Mar 28, 2015 3:09 pm

And, with masks like the Quattros and Ultra Mirage Full Face, you only have to fasten or unfasten the lower right or lower left clip (depending which is your dominant hand) to put them on or take them off.......which leaves all the adjustments intact.


Den

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(5) REMstar Autos w/C-Flex & (6) REMstar Pro 2 CPAPs w/C-Flex - Pressure Setting = 14 cm.
"Passover" Humidification - ResMed Ultra Mirage FF - Encore Pro w/Card Reader & MyEncore software - Chiroflow pillow
User since 05/14/05

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ChicagoGranny
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Re: FFM was a bust.

Post by ChicagoGranny » Sat Mar 28, 2015 3:37 pm

glowradar wrote:FFM was a bust.
One night does not a bust make.

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Cereal Killer
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Re: FFM was a bust.

Post by Cereal Killer » Sat Mar 28, 2015 3:41 pm

glowradar wrote:Impressions
You were more right yesterday:
glowradar wrote: I'm only 3 weeks in, so I have a lot to learn.

viewtopic/t104786/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1 ... 86#p989086

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Cereal Killer
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Re: FFM was a bust.

Post by Cereal Killer » Sat Mar 28, 2015 3:42 pm

49er wrote: Glad you found what works best for you.

49er
What makes you think that?

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truetopath
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Re: FFM was a bust.

Post by truetopath » Sat Mar 28, 2015 3:45 pm

I think it's important to have a ffm that works for you in the arsenal just in case something happens that you can't use your preferred mask.

hyperlexis
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Re: FFM was a bust.

Post by hyperlexis » Sat Mar 28, 2015 3:55 pm

Gasper62 wrote:I am planning to ask my wife if she'll adapt the quick-release clip from a small nylon dog collar to the bottom strap on my FullLife FFM. Other than the lack of the clip feature, I think it's a great, cheap FFM, it's even better with a liner. A Quattro FX is my next "experiment" in FFM's without a forehead device.
Interesting but you may end up having that dog collar thing push into your neck or snap off the plastic frame connection on the mask. The secret to the FullLife is simply to unstrap one end of the lower strap that goes around the neck, pull it out all the way, pull the top strap forward over the head, and remove the whole contraption. To re-fit then just pull the neck strap over the head, and re-tighten that one loose end and re-Velcro. Then pull the head strap back down. Easy. You DO NOT have to loosen all the straps. (That would be a mess). Are you doing that? Loosening all the straps each day?

The FX is much, much better but is now also obsolete -- go with the F10. The F10 cushion assembly is much better than the FX, does not leak/pop out under pressure like the FX cushion can, and there are no tiny parts to replace like in the old FX.

The FullLife is now cheaper (on sale) because its obsolete, bulky and a pain in the butt to use, has very noisy vents, is hard to adjust for nose bridge leaks without overtightening, and it is being discontinued -- and believe me it was my first FFM so I know this beast of a mask intimately. One can tame it with practice, but is it worth the downsides? I still use mine on occasion but almost inevitably wake up from leaks. Ah memories... Still this mask is far better than PRs other older gel masks.

Good luck whatever you do!