Nasal mask vs. full face

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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Nenetx2004
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Location: Albany, New York

Nasal mask vs. full face

Post by Nenetx2004 » Thu Nov 18, 2004 3:35 pm

I'm a newbie so bear with me. I have a question for all of you more experienced "hoseheads" (I love that term!). I got a full face mask. My reasoning is that living in Austin, TX, allergies can be miserable. Quite often I'm congested at night and will breath through my mouth. However, I'm interested in perhaps trying the nasal mask once I'm more acclimated to the CPAP. Do some of you use both the full face and the nasal mask and switch off?

Thanks!

Jeanne

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wading thru the muck!
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Post by wading thru the muck! » Thu Nov 18, 2004 3:55 pm

Hi Jeanne,

I've learned from the experienced users on this forum to switch off masks to keep things new and exciting (I added that last part). I've been switching between the Mirage Active nasal mask and the Mirage Swift nasal pillow interface. When it comes out (I keeping my fingers crossed) I'm going to buy the full face version of the Activa.

IMO the mask is the KEY part of a cpap system and it's good to have different masks for different situations.

Great question!
Sincerely,
wading thru the muck of the sleep study/DME/Insurance money pit!

chrisp
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Post by chrisp » Thu Nov 18, 2004 4:57 pm

Isn't it a shame that you have to buy all those masks to find the right one. Some of the masks are 1/2 the machine cost. I've made it over 2 years with the same 2 ultra mirage masks. This year with all the rain the allergies have taken their toll and I'm looking for a full face unit. Was recommended a HR431. What a train wreck that was. Noisy and uncomfortable for me. And it only cost $180..LOL I cant suggest it but perhaps others will fare better with it. Since the ultra mirage nasal worked well for me I'm going to give the full face version a try.. Anybody out there have a suggestion ?

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WindFlyer
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Post by WindFlyer » Fri Nov 19, 2004 6:46 am

I own both versions of the ResMed Ultra Mirage- the nose mask and the one that covers nose and mouth. Usually I prefer my nose and mouth mask because the nose mask puts pressure on the skin between the nose and the mouth and it's mildly irritating, although not unlivable by any means. I also know that with my FF mask I can switch to mouth breathing anytime I like if I get a cold or allergies or anything like that.

It's true that when I wear my nose mask it's a bit less cumbersome and when I turn on the pillow I don't have to spend that tiny bit of extra time "parking my face on the pillow" so that the mask isn't pushed off. The nose mask just stays on wherever my head it turned it seems.

The KEY THING with getting a nose and mouth mask, however, is to be sure the pressure is adjusted up on your machine to accomodate the larger air volume. When I first started CPAP therapy I had just the nose mask, and after switching to the nose and mouth mask I had to go back to my DME twice to get the pressure turned up. But now it's set perfectly so that my CPAP works with both the masks I wear.

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