Unable to find a Mask that work

[supercar]

I received my AirCurve 10 ASV from the American Lake Veterans Hospital, in December of last year. I have been trying to get a mask that works for me. I have been given by the VA about 7 different styles of mask from the Dreamwear, Amaraview, and many others all claiming to be the best on the market.

None of the mask that I have tried work for me, I put them on and within a half hour to one hour the machine tells me I have a mask leak. I have tried to reset the machine, but am unable to, it keeps the mask leak dour face until the next day, after it has contacted Resmed and sent in the report. I just asked the American Lake VA to let me try another mask one that I found while searching the internet for different types of mask.

The mask I asked the VA to order for me is from a company at web address: https://www.easybreath.com/simplus-full ... p4226.html I don't know if this mas will help me or not. I have a very hard time sleeping, I have to lay on my left side or else I feel as though I am not able to breath. Most of the time I sit in my recliner and watch tv, and after the houe get really nice and cold, I fall asleep for maybe 15 minutes to an hour, I am unable to get a full nights sleep or a restful nights sleep.

Sorry about the rambling, but if any one knows of a mask that may work for me please let me know, and I will see if the VA will buy it.

[zonker]

I received my AirCurve 10 ASV from the American Lake Veterans Hospital, in December of last year. I have been trying to get a mask that works for me. I have been given by the VA about 7 different styles of mask from the Dreamwear, Amaraview, and many others all claiming to be the best on the market.

None of the mask that I have tried work for me, I put them on and within a half hour to one hour the machine tells me I have a mask leak. I have tried to reset the machine, but am unable to, it keeps the mask leak dour face until the next day, after it has contacted Resmed and sent in the report. I just asked the American Lake VA to let me try another mask one that I found while searching the internet for different types of mask.

The mask I asked the VA to order for me is from a company at web address: https://www.easybreath.com/simplus-full ... p4226.html I don't know if this mas will help me or not. I have a very hard time sleeping, I have to lay on my left side or else I feel as though I am not able to breath. Most of the time I sit in my recliner and watch tv, and after the houe get really nice and cold, I fall asleep for maybe 15 minutes to an hour, I am unable to get a full nights sleep or a restful nights sleep.

Sorry about the rambling, but if any one knows of a mask that may work for me please let me know, and I will see if the VA will buy it.

welcome to the zoo! feel free to "ramble away". the more folks here know, the better thy'll be able to help you.

i think that finding THE right mask can be one of the hardest parts of this journey. i don't know of very many here who found the perfect mask for them, straight out of the barrel. it can take some time.

that said, you may want to go to you tube and search out mask fitting videos for whatever specific mask you try. it can help.

stick around. others will be by with more suggestions.

good luck!

[Julie]

Hi - your mask may be a real problem, but I wonder about other aspects of your Cpap, such as what pressure(s) is your machine set to - it can make a big difference to not only 'therapy' but comfort, which matters if you can't keep the mask on or feel like you have enough air to breathe - the mask may not be the problem, or at least the whole one. If you could give more info in general it would help us to help you.

There is also a co. called Padacheek.com whose owner (a member here) sells mask 'liners' that can deal with many leaks and allow you to loosen the mask (if you've overtightened it) so that it can do its job properly by inflating, etc... being mashed down is not good.

Do you use the machine/mask in the reciiner, or only in bed?

Btw, I tried to see the link you gave, but got a strange window (no mask) telling me the website was fraudulent... maybe you need to look at all the masks on Cpap.com to get an idea of what looks likely - I never heard of the one in that link and Cpap.com has so many, with pix, and small fees for insurance to let you try masks for a few wks and return the if they aren't suitable.

[m421]

I'm fairly new at this, and still trying to find a mask I'm really happy with. But it is clear to me that masks that work make it easier for me to breath. One thing that made a big difference was getting a hose clip -- the hose flopping around was waking me up and making the mask leak. Clipping it so it doesn't flop around stopped most of the leaks and I went from waking up at least once an hour to sleeping hours at a time.

[TropicalDiver]

A few things.

First, do you feel like your mask leaking or is your perception driven only by the icon on the Resmed?

Second, there are many, many, mask alternatives. Most of those come in different sizes. Does the VA provide the ability to try any out? Offer a 30 day exchange policy?

Third, as others have noted, sometimes an anti-leak strap, mask liner, or the like could help.

Finally, are you clean shaven?

[Janknitz]

The problem with relying on the leak indicator on the machine is that even when you fix the leak, the frowny face may remain because you reached a certain threshold for leaks for the night on that machine even if you've readjusted and it's no longer leaking.

Can you give us any hints as to when the leaks occur? Are they early in the night or in the middle of the night, or near waking?

Where do the leaks occur? Top, bottom or center of the mask? Near your eyes, your cheeks, or your chin?

Does your mouth open when you sleep which may be causing leaks in nasal masks or shifting full face masks so that they leak?

How are you fitting the mask and straps? Are you fitting them sitting up or lying down. Are you making them really tight to try to avoid leaks (note: this is counterproductive!)? Do you watch the fitting videos online from the manufacturers to make sure you are fitting them correctly? Are you fitting them with the machine running at your highest pressure (your machine has a setting for "mask fit" I think, which will crank up the pressure to your highest for about 15 minutes while you are fitting the mask).

Are the correct sizes being ordered? Each manufacturer has some sort of printable template or sizing instructions, so you should check. And most masks come with fit packs with more than one size of cushion (unless the DME steals the other sizes) so you can see if one size doesn't fit, the next one up or down may.

There are so many variables when fitting masks. It may not be that the masks aren't working, but perhaps they aren't being fit properly--it takes practice and experience we all get over time. Also, IF you are certain you can keep your mouth closed at night, it's a lot easier to fit a nasal pillow or small nasal mask than a full face mask, because the bigger the mask, the more surface area that has to maintain the seal.

[chunkyfrog]

A temporary alternative to THE mask is alternating two near-misses ,
to allow sore spots to heal.
I did this for many months until I found a mask that was good enough to wear every night.

[Wulfman...]

I received my AirCurve 10 ASV from the American Lake Veterans Hospital, in December of last year. I have been trying to get a mask that works for me. I have been given by the VA about 7 different styles of mask from the Dreamwear, Amaraview, and many others all claiming to be the best on the market.

None of the mask that I have tried work for me, I put them on and within a half hour to one hour the machine tells me I have a mask leak. I have tried to reset the machine, but am unable to, it keeps the mask leak dour face until the next day, after it has contacted Resmed and sent in the report. I just asked the American Lake VA to let me try another mask one that I found while searching the internet for different types of mask.

The mask I asked the VA to order for me is from a company at web address: https://www.easybreath.com/simplus-full ... p4226.html I don't know if this mas will help me or not. I have a very hard time sleeping, I have to lay on my left side or else I feel as though I am not able to breath. Most of the time I sit in my recliner and watch tv, and after the houe get really nice and cold, I fall asleep for maybe 15 minutes to an hour, I am unable to get a full nights sleep or a restful nights sleep.

Sorry about the rambling, but if any one knows of a mask that may work for me please let me know, and I will see if the VA will buy it.

Sounds more like a problem with your bed pillow and NOT the masks.
If your pillow is too soft and your head is sinking into it, it may be pushing your mask out of alignment and causing the leaks.

search.php?keywords=%22bed+pillow%22


Den

.

[Steve of Cornubia]

I am that lucky person who found the right mask straight away. That said, had you asked me if it was the right mask at any point in the first few weeks I would have said no. I did in fact try several before returning to the original.

The fact was, the mask wasn't really the problem. It was just me fighting my way through the CPAP initiation. Apart from the straight-out weirdness of CPAP, dealing with tangled hoses, dry mouth and aerophagia, learning to adjust the mask straps proved to be an art form. You really do need to find your own Goldilocks setting for your straps - not too slack, but not too tight, either. Too-tight doesn't just lead to pain but can also, counter-intuitively, cause leaks. It's especially important to get the right balance between upper and lower straps too, so as to get the mask seated with equal pressure all the way round.

Then, once you have the mask fitted right, which might take quite some time, you then have to learn how to avoid pushing it off your face when you're on your side or dislodging it when you yawn or just move your jaw ...

Don't be disheartened by this. I know I make it sound impossible, but you need to know that what you're dealing with isn't straightforward or easy. Once you know this - and stop blaming yourself for not getting the hang of it straight away - you will give yourself time to learn the ropes.

Of course, you might still have to throw the odd hissy fit when you have 'one of those nights'. It's all part of your membership!

[ChicagoGranny]

mask leak

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To reduce unintentional mask leak -

- Make sure the mask is fitted properly. (See mask manufacturer's video.)

- Make sure the headgear is adjusted properly (See mask manufacturer's video.)

- If you use a low ramp pressure or a low minimum pressure, you should fit and adjust your mask at the higher pressures it is operating at for most of the night. You would temporarily change the machine pressure settings while you do the fitting and adjusting. It's best to do this well before bedtime before you are tired and ready for sleep. Don't forget to change your settings back to the ones you prefer.

- Make sure to use good hose management - the hose should not pull on the mask. Notice how your hose is positioned between machine and mask. It should be positioned to minimize any pull on the mask. Hose management is an individual practice. How it is done depends on the mask, the position of the machine, your sleeping position and other factors specific to the individual.

- If you still have problems, learn from the forum what mask liners are available.

- Start a thread in cpaptalk asking for help. Subject: Need Help with Mask xxxxxx

- If your mask still has excessive leak, try other masks. Many people report trying several masks before they find one that works well for them.

Note: Links to just some of the mask manufacturers' instructional videos can be found on the forum host's website - https://www.cpap.com/cpap-masks.php and https://www.youtube.com/

- CG