Need advice on mask

Glenn · Post by **Glenn** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 5:36 pm

I just found this forum. It seems like a great source of info. I have been on cpap for one year and have been doing very well until recently. I have a Remstar pro machine with cflex and heated humidifier. I have had trouble getting a mask to work well. My nose is very thin at the bridge. The first mask I tried (don't remember the name) sealed well but created unbearable sores. Then got a comfort gel which I could fit to my face well but the frames kept breaking (two in six months. I now have an active cell mask but it leaks so badly around the bridge of my nose it dries out my eyes and i guess the pressure drops because I have started breathing through my mouth. My supplier has not been very helpful. In fact due to issues I won't go into in this post I will not be dealing with them any more. Sorry to be so long winded but if any one has suggestions for a mask that might fit better I would like to know about it.

Thanks

Glenn

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 8:32 pm

You might try the ResMed Swift (nasal pillows), Puritan Bennett Breeze with nasal pillows, or the Aeiomed Aura (nasal pillows). Innomed's Nasal Aire II (nasal prongs) has many fans, too.

None of those would have contact with the bridge of your nose at all.

Glenn · Post by **Glenn** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 9:00 pm

Thanks for the suggestion. I have been reluctant to try the nasel pillows. They just look uncomfortable. But then at first I thought I would never get used to sleeping with a mask on, but now it doesn't bother me if it's not leaking, but unfortunatly it almost always is. Are people that have tried nasel pillows happy with them? I woluld like to hear some success stories.

Thanks and good sleep,

Glenn

tater pie · Post by **tater pie** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 9:16 pm

I've been using the Breeze Nasal pillows since last November and absolutely love it. If you make some adjustments to the headstraps as Rested Gal has previously posted, you'll hardly ever get leaks. Some people can't tolerate the headgear of the Breeze. In that case, you may prefer the Swift. I can't stand the feel of a nasal mask. I'm just too claustrophobic. I also have a ResMed Full Face Ultra Mirage which I use on nights when I'm too congested to use the Breeze but it isn't anywhere as comfortable as the Breeze and I'm always getting leaks with the Ultra Mirage. The Breeze Nasal Pillows are the interface for me. Every person has to find what's right for them though.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 10:02 pm

Glenn,
When I first saw a picture of the Breeze my reaction was "no way!". By the time I was given a Breeze to try, I had tried 3 nasal mask, and a Swift, and they no good. The Breeze was wonderful, I've been using it for some 2 and and half months. I did need a lubricating gel in the beginning - (AYR or KY or recommended) your nostrils are sesnitive to touch, as is any other part of your body which is rarely touched.

The advantage of the Breeze - or, depending on your personality, its drawback - is that there are some 7 of more places you can fiddle with it in order to make it comfortable - setting it up "just so" can take time.

I was pretty annoyed at it, until one evening I decided that the first 20 minutes of bed time will be dedicated to really figuring out all those angles -which pull or twist causes which sensation on my head or nose. (I must have learned something from Rested Gal's lab rat appraoch to life as a hosehead. It was worth it.

The bottom line: Don't you eyes fool you, try it on, and play with it.
O.

Hmm, Rested Gal, don't you think that would be a good name for your ultimate CPAP users guide and support manual? "Rested Gal's Lab Rat Appraoch to Life as a Hosehead"? Of course, you'ld have to divide to a basic philosophy part, and an on-going mask report (new chapters galore f that...)
O.

photogal · Post by **photogal** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 10:06 pm

I started out with my first mask, the Resmed Ultra Mirage Full Face mask. It is okay, but has some leakage problems when I move around. I got the Swift nasal pillows a month later, and like it way the best. It didn't hurt my nose where it fits, but seemed to irritate the nasal passages or something. I took the advice of people on this forum and used KY jelly inside my nostrils for a week or two, and now my nose is fine without using the jelly.

I still use my FF mask from time to time, but the difference is like a pony compared to a elephant. I can even put on the Swift and read my novel with my reading glasses on, so it's just a matter of taking off my glasses, turning off the lamp and going straight to sleep without waking myself back up by putting on the mask. My doctor recommended the Activa for my next mask, as he said the soft interface acts like a bellows and allows you to sleep on your side without suffering the leakage that most of the others get when the pillow pushes on them from the side. I guess the soft stuff that touches your face stays in place even though the hard part of the mask may get shoved around.