Unable to find a Mask that works

[supercar]

Hello:

I am new to CPAP and Sleep Apnea boards, but would like some help. On December 14, 2018 I received my AirCurve 10 ASV Device # 575 from the American Lake VA, Located outside of Tacoma Washington. I received 2 different styles of mask one was the Mirage Quattro Full Face Mask and the other I can not remember, but was unable to use either of them.

Since then I have tried many different types and styles of mask, all the way from what I call a snorkel to the one I am using now the Medium Simplus Full Face Mask. I have also tried the Amara View Minimal Contact Full Face Mask from Philips Respironics. My problem is every mask I have tried to use has defaulted to Mask Leak.

Mask leak is my sworn enemy. I have tried every size of mask out their to no avail. I am a side sleeper, and within about 15 minutes of laying down, my machine starts acting up and when I look it tells me I have a mask leak. This has been going on for about 5 months. My sleeping time can be anywhere from 10 minutes a night to 2 hours, never any longer and most night much shorter than 2 hours. Every mask that I have tried makes me feel as if I am drowning, and not able to breath. I believe it has to do with each mask being placed over my mouth and nose, which I just can not stand.

Does any one know of a mask that just fits over a persons mouth, and does not have any air vent to the nose like the Amara View does. I need a mask that fits only over the mouth, since I am a mouth Breather and unable to breath through my nose.

If any one can tell me of a company that sells a mask like that I would appreciate knowing about it. I have been to the VA many many time, and have taken my machine up to them and they tell me its the way I put the mask on, and that the machine is working the way it is supposed to.

Thanks.

[Pugsy]

Only one oral (mouth only) mask that I know of...the F & P Oracle

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/fisher ... -cpap-mask

[zoocrewphoto]

https://www.cpap.com/en/gb/productpage/ ... -cpap-mask

This is just a mouth mask. I have been trying it off and on. I have no leaks, no head gear, nothing over my nose, Awesome.

For me, the only issue is that it holds my teeth open a little further than I feel comfortable with, so I have trouble relaxing my jaw. It has a mouth piece that is intended to keep the mouth open, and I just don't the assistance. I am working on modifiying the piece more to my liking, but have not yet mastered it fully. If i can get that piece fully trimmed off,it would be my ideal mask. I should probably get a dremel, and see if I can master it.

This link shows a photo of thepart that goes inside the mouth.

https://www.cpap.com/en/gb/productpage/ ... nt-Cushion

[Chris8243]

I don't have an answer for you, but just want to say that I feel your pain. I'm also struggling with leaks waking me up. I'm also a side sleeper & mouth breather. Ughhhh.

When you say you are sleeping anywhere from 10 min to 2 hrs, I hope you mean with the CPAP? Surely you are sleeping more than that!

[realshelby]

Does any one know of a mask that just fits over a persons mouth, and does not have any air vent to the nose like the Amara View does. I need a mask that fits only over the mouth, since I am a mouth Breather and unable to breath through my nose.

I am a "mouth breather" according to the person that fitted my first mask. Are you absolutely positive you cannot breathe through your nose? While I did have surgery to help breathing through my nose, I can tell you that with a good nasal pillows style mask it is MUCH easier to breathe through my nose while on the cpap machine than it is when off of it. The slight pressure opens your nasal passages and allows more airflow.

If you think you might be able to breathe through your nose under those conditions, then that opens up an entire new path to finding the mask that allows you to sleep with no problems from a mask.

[Pugsy]

I would like to see a sleep report from SleepyHead or Oscar as to what the detailed report looks like for one night with the machine saying or alerting to big leaks.

[JXG]

Are you actually feeling leaks coming from your mask? or is it just that the machine is indicating you have high leaks? If you don't feel any leaks then you could just have a hole in your hose or something else that is causing the machine to think your mask is leaking.

[ChicagoGranny]

unable to breath through my nose

Are you under the care of an ENT? There are many things that can be done to help someone breathe through their nose. Breathing through the nose is healthier night and day.

[supercar]

Yes I have an ENT and a Pulmonologist. My Pulmonologist ordered a CPAP machine, but the company she ordered it through kept playing games and kept telling her that she did not make the order out correctly. They kept blaming her for their not doing their job, when I called them they said that medicare turned it down, for lack of clarity. So I went to a different company and they told me the same thing.

Once I called Medicare and talk to their people who would say yea or nay, they checked my record and informed myself and the Doctor that their had never been a claim made for a CPAP machine. So my Dr. contacted the VA and I talked to my VA physician and once they saw my sleep study they quickly gave me a CPAP ResMed AirCurve 10 (ASV).

As for you question, I am able to breath through my nose very slightly, since my ENT did a minor nose job a month ago, but it has not really given me the ability to just breath through my nose. My Dr, is talking about doing some sort of other procedure which he hopes will clear up my deviated septum. The only way I can really breath is through my mouth.

[realshelby]

As for you question, I am able to breath through my nose very slightly, since my ENT did a minor nose job a month ago, but it has not really given me the ability to just breath through my nose. My Dr, is talking about doing some sort of other procedure which he hopes will clear up my deviated septum. The only way I can really breath is through my mouth.

I asked the question earlier. I have been in the same situation as you. I did have a deviated septum and whatever else goes wrong in there that was fixed up. But I was still called the proverbial "mouth breather" by the DME when fitted for the cpap and equipment.

I am SO glad I didn't listen and experimented with nasal style masks!

The reason this is still important is simple. If you can breathe at all through your nose, then while sleeping your actual breathe volume is low enough that a nasal mask might work well. That is because the pressure from the cpap makes it much easier to breathe through your nose than if just trying to breathe through your nose without it! It slightly expands the passages that might normally constrict when breathing without it.

This may take a bit to get used to. For instance you might feel like you are not breathing well when you first put on the mask, but as you settle down it becomes no issue at all.

The nasal masks are so much easier to get a good seal with!

[Janknitz]

Mask leak is my sworn enemy. I have tried every size of mask out their to no avail. I am a side sleeper, and within about 15 minutes of laying down, my machine starts acting up and when I look it tells me I have a mask leak.

This suggests to me that the pressure is going up about 15 minutes in either because the ramp is set or because as you fall asleep you need more pressure about 15 minutes in, and the mask is not set to deal with the higher pressure. It would help to see your Oscar charts.

I'm not familiar with whether your machine has a "Mask Fit" setting (I would guess it does) that permits you to temporarily raise the pressure to your highest setting while you adjust the mask to hold against the higher pressure. If there is no mask fit setting (people here can help you find it) then you can set the pressure to your highest setting just while you fit the mask in your usual sleep position.

This may help, it's worth a try.

Also, if you have the machine set to ramp the pressure up gradually you might consider turning that feature off. It's "training wheels" and you should now be able to fall asleep without the ramp. That will also assure your mask is fit to the usual pressure, not the lower ramp pressure.

[supercar]

August 29, 2019

Hello:

Sorry but I do not know what an Oscar Chart is, my machine does have a memory SDCard in it, the only ones that I know of who can read the card is the people at American Lake VA Centers Sleep Study Center. This I know because they have asked me repeatedly to bring the machine to them. I have watched them take out the SDCard, but am now shown the results of it readings. All they tell me is everything is working right and it must be me putting the mask on wrong, and that is it, and told if I have any further problems, come back and they will see what the can do.

Ramp feature is turned off, my wife says that once I am a sleep the machine sometimes goes nuts, and makes all types of noises. That is when I wake-up about 5 to 10 minutes into sleeping, and usually rip the mask off and throw it somewhere, most of the time across the room.

I have asked the VA to order me 3 new mask, I think they are the ones you told me about, I will see if they send me they, wont know for about 3 to 6 weeks. Hope they get here before that.

On Sep 13 I will be seeing a Dr. up at American Lake VA Center, he works with many Sleep study patients who are having trouble with their CPAP machines.

[supercar]

August 29, 2019

Thank you so much for the information you have give me, I do feel that I can get past this problem, and that it is just going to take some time.

Sincerely:
Supercar "Terry"

[Pugsy]

OSCAR or SleepyHead...software so the detailed data can be seen by you...no need to have someone else do it.

Some examples can be seen here.

viewtopic/t158560/How-to-post-images-for-review.html

OSCAR is based on SleepyHead so any SleepyHead instructions you see will work in OSCAR also.

https://www.sleepfiles.com/OSCAR/

[supercar]

For all those who do not understand, my sleeping is about 5 minutes to at the most 2 hrs a night, this is better than what is was at the end of last year. When the VA told me they were going to give me a CPAP machine, I almost fell asleep in his office, at that time I was sleeping maybe 5 to 15 minutes a night. I think when I went to pickup my machine I had not slept over about 3 hrs in the last week.

My body would tell me it was time to sleep, and then with in a very very short time span, my body would wake itself up and I would take maybe 2 minute to 5 minute cat naps. This is why the sleep Doctor was so worried and still is. I can go many days without sleeping.

Now I know people will not believe it but I have records showing it. At my sleep study I would fall asleep for maybe with luck 5 minutes, and then be wide awake, drove the tech crazy, but he stayed the course, and finally got a steady 15 minute sleep study, and in that short of time I quite breathing over 60 to 90 times. They do not know how my body does it and are very worried, but unless I can find a mask or nasal pillows that will work, I will go to sleep one of these nights and never wake up again.