Options for moving from Nasal to FFM

[Buddy0329]

Been on CPAP for 7.5 years. In the first few months I jumped around between masks experimenting. Resmed Airfit N20 in medium has been my tried and true for most of my CPAP experience. Almost perfect.

I am a side sleeper, I like to bury my face into the pillow. Last few months, DW has called out significant air leaks which have been waking her, then I started to wake up with extreme dry mouth too, and realized what was going on. I think some of the air leaks were attributed to a magnet clip disconnecting. However I have also caught myself breathing through an open mouth when falling asleep or waking up. AHI has always been good, but air leaks have been on the higher side lately.

I had a medium Resmed F30 in the closet that I had tried but dismissed after a couple of nights due to comfort and not being used to anything but a nasal mask. I went back to it last week, and the air leaks are gone, and no more dry mouth waking me up in the middle of the night or early morning. Problem is comfort. F30 is not as comfortable as I would like. Straps have to be tight, leaving mask marks all over my face & head.

The other hybrid FFM's Ive identified are the F&P Evora, and the Resmed F40. Experiences with these or others I should consider?

Thank you.

[ChicagoGranny]

As a first step before moving to an FFM, I would try mouth tape. Members here use different types. I use the x-shaped sleep strips sold on Amazon. I put one near each corner of the mask and leave a small open space in the center of my lips. The tape is great at preventing the dreaded jaw drop where you breathe with your mouth wide open. If you still have considerable leak through the untaped part of your lips, you can get recommendations here for "full-seal" mouth tapes.

As far as burying your face into the pillow, this doesn't seem like a good practice in any situation. You might want to rethink it.

[Buddy0329]

As a first step before moving to an FFM, I would try mouth tape.

I've known this was an option, but wanted to avoid since I deal with chronic congestion related to allergies / post nasal drip. I was looking at the Knights bridge chin strap last weekend online but decided to to give the F30 another try since it was already in my closet. I also would like to have a FFM in the arsenal that works for me so I could avoid the taping, but will not rule out the taping.

"...the dreaded jaw drop where you breathe with your mouth wide open..."

Thank you...that was the term I was looking for and I just could not recall it when I referred to mouth breathing. I've never done that before, but I feel like it's been an issue for several weeks now. Not sure I understand why this would change over now; that said I have lost about 35lbs in the last 6-months so perhaps it is related to weight loss?

As far as burying your face into the pillow, this doesn't seem like a good practice in any situation. You might want to rethink it.

The side of my face I should have said. The F30 does not lose it seal which I appreciate.

Thank you for your input.

[ChicagoGranny]

I deal with chronic congestion related to allergies / post nasal drip.

You shouldn't be dealing with that. Please schedule a consultation with an ENT and get a treatment plan. There are several good options for treatment.

[Buddy0329]

I deal with chronic congestion related to allergies / post nasal drip.

You shouldn't be dealing with that. Please schedule a consultation with an ENT and get a treatment plan. There are several good options for treatment.

Been on a long term regimen from the ENT, it just has not been effective . Just met with GP 2-weeks ago and we're trying something new to address it. The chronic cough associated with the PND has been the worst part. Thanks again.

[Buddy0329]

I thought it would be helpful to share an update with this group.

Received the F40 about a week and a half ago, ordered from our hosts, and been using it nightly:

Much more comfortable than F30. Straps do not need to be as tight as F30 to get a good seal.
Good seal, leaks are less than 5L per minute.
I am waking up with some dry mouth, which probably means some mouth breathing going on which is why I wanted to find a suitable FFM for me. I do have the Airsense 11 set to automatic humidity.

This mask feels like a winner! I miss the minimal face contact of the N20, but I am glad to have found another mask that works well for me, and especially a FFM.

[ChicagoGranny]

If ResMed drops an F40i, I'm eager to try it.

[Buddy0329]

For the first time in 2 weeks, I used my old N20 mask again just to see if my original thoughts would still hold.

I slept for 7 hours last night, my AHI was <1. Both typical for me.
I wanted to be mindful of minimizing leak rate so I made sure mask was not loose. Leak rate was 49 L/min!
Worst part is that I woke up feeling slightly "groggy". This was always typical for me despite my "effective" treatment with CPAP over the last few years. This was my normal and CPAP never really changed that.

In the last 2-weeks of using of the F40 I had noticed that I had been waking up generally feeling much more refreshed and ready for the day. Better energy in the morning and clear headed. I tried to dismiss it thinking it was my mind playing tricks on me. Yet last night with my ole reliable N20 I woke up feeling "groggy" again.

Lesson for me is that my treatment with the N20 has likely been compromised for some time and that I am better off with a FFM going forward.

[Miss Emerita]

It's great you found a mask that works well for you. If you continue to experience a dry mouth, you could try Xylimelts, which a discs that stick to your teeth or gums and stimulate the production of saliva.