UPDATE: Respironics FullLife Mask - Release on July 20

[R VanWinkle085]

Review of FullLife Mask. I just got this mask yesterday. I will begin by saying that I love this mask, it is the best that I have ever tried, but it is a bit challenging to adjust. However, I think it is well worth the effort.

I must say that adjusting the headgear is a challenge. I watched the video from the Respironics website. I think it would be almost impossible to adjust the headgear without watching the video. I am not kidding, it took me over an hour to get it adjusted properly. I would adjust it, lie down, turn on my machine...have lots of leaks and get up and try to readjust it. What makes it difficult is that if you change the adjustment on one strap it effects the other 3 straps. The key is to get all 4 straps properly adjusted at the same time.

You do need to open the straps to take the headgear on and off. Once I got them adjusted, I used a Sharpie permanent marker to put a mark on all the straps where the velcro tap should be placed. This makes it easy to recreate the proper strap adjustment over and over. However, what I have been doing is just opening the neck strap and then leaving the other three straps adjusted and just pulling the whole thing off of my head. This seems to work for me.

However, the headgear is also a strength of this mask for me. I am a petite female and every headgear that I have tried is way to large for me and does not fit well. This headgear fits me very well and is so comfortable.

Now for the mask. I really like not having anything on my forehead. The mask itself is very light and comfortable. I have a major problem with getting a sore nose. I tried the Quattro Mirage and it literally made a ditch in my nose that lasted all day. My nose was so sore that I could not even wear my sunglasses. As a precaution, I did put a bandaide on my nose last night. This morning my nose was fine and not sore or tender.

As I mentioned, last night was my first night with the FullLIfe and I slept well right thru the night with it. I had no problems with leaks...that is once I finally got the straps properly adjusted. The mask is made of this very light material and it is very comfortable on my face.

I sleep on my side and back. I had no problems in either position...the mask and headgear were comfortable and no leaks. No problem sleeping on my side...I know that some folks were worried that those side bars on the mask would be uncomfortable for side sleeping. This was not a problem for me.

Those side bars do not touch my face at all and are no problem for me.

I think this is a great full face mask. I can attest that it is a good mask for women with small faces and heads. It is difficult to find a mask and headgear to fit a small woman.

I use a Respironics machine at a pressure of 9. I have been using CPAP for about one and a half years.

I hope that this review will be helpful to someone, as I have found much very helpful information on this forum that really helped me in the past. So I would like to help others.posting.php?mode=reply&f=1&t=43587#

[BleepingBeauty]

Good review, R Van. I love this mask, too. Continued success with it.

[jqp]

Well, I got my FullLife yesterday. I spent about an hour fiddling with it before bed.

I finally determined that like my Quattro, I need a small cushion.

I fiddled and fiddled with the straps... holy cow there's a lot of adjustability.

I finally got everything where it wouldn't leak at 13. My auto stays at 10.5 most of the night, but the last thing I want is a blow out during an event.

I got to sleep for about an hour and was woken up by a noise in the house. When I woke up, I was a little uncomfortable with all the pressure / straps, etc. I've been using a Comfortgel Nasal mask for a while almost exclusively and mouth taping. I switched back to that for the night.

I'm going to try out the mask several more times before I pass judgment on it. The one thing that really bothered me is what I call the skin-crawler phenomenon... when a little bubble of air will slowly work its way out of the cushion... it feels like a bug crawling on my skin.

The neck strap thing not having a disconnect really bites... stretching that thing over my head is a pain. Also, I couldnt quite wear my glasses to watch TV while trying to fall asleep... the mask got in the way.

Like I said, I'll try a few more times with this mask, but my Comfortgel nasal with mouth taping has just been working too well. I was simply looking for a way to avoid the tape... but that setup is a truly set-it-and-forget-it deal.

The full face mask needs constant adjusting, etc - which just may not make it worth it.

Stay tuned. I may have a barely used FullLife Fitpack up for sale soon.

JQP

[sleepngo]

R-van, glad that the mask is working good for you, its working good for me now that I fixed the sore nose bridge problem by using 3/4 inch 3M surgical tape on the bridge of my nose. You might give it a try if you are having the same problem. Its a paper like material but very tough and holds up very well.

jqp, the straps can be very overwhelming at first but once you get the top, side and chin straps right you shouldn't have to adjust them until you remove them for cleaning. the neck strap can be loosened each time you take off the mask, in time you will be able to adjust this strap in the dark, without any trouble. The neck strap should be the only strap that needs to be adjusted after removing the mask for any reason. In time it will become second nature to you. Also wash the head gear at least once every two week, it helps to maintain the strength and elasticity of the material.

These are just some of the things I have discovered about this mask sense I started using it about three weeks ago, don't give up, like R-van said this mask is very comfortable once you get it adjusted right.

Dan

[jdm2857]

This has been posted before but I'll repeat it because I think it may be a big help.

Respironics makes an add-on headgear clip that attaches to most straps with velcro. So you could add a clip to one or more FullLife straps.

Here it is: https://www.cpap.com/productpage/Respir ... -Clip.html

Why Respironics didn't include clips on a mask that is so fussy to adjust properly is an enigma.

But it comes from the same company that sells a "Whisper Cap" to make their M-Series machines quieter.

Maybe their accessories department needs more sales.

Note that you could also try Bleeping Beauty's homemade paperclip, floral tape (get the right kind), and yarn solution.

And building that earns you a Girl Scout badge, too.

[BleepingBeauty]

This has been posted before but I'll repeat it because I think it may be a big help.

Respironics makes an add-on headgear clip that attaches to most straps with velcro. So you could add a clip to one or more FullLife straps.

Here it is: https://www.cpap.com/productpage/Respir ... -Clip.html

Why Respironics didn't include clips on a mask that is so fussy to adjust properly is an enigma.

But it comes from the same company that sells a "Whisper Cap" to make their M-Series machines quieter.

Maybe their accessories department needs more sales.

Note that you could also try Bleeping Beauty's homemade paperclip, floral tape (get the right kind), and yarn solution.

And building that earns you a Girl Scout badge, too.

FYI, I did order a couple of of different styles of easy-release clips (from another site) and used the little Velcro straps I had from old Swift LT's (the short self-sticking Velcro they include to anchor the hose to the headgear) to mimic the one made by Respironics.

One of the styles I got is the same one used on the Respironics quick-release clip, and I find it to be very flimsy (and not that easy to release, strangely enough).



The other style I got is the kind you'd find on a pet's collar - much more sturdy, and it releases on the sides rather than in the center.



I didn't even try the smaller, flimsy clips. The problem I had when I attached the sturdier one to the mask frame is that the clip is fairly long (about 2 1/8"), and I needed to take up a lot of slack on the other side of the mask strap to account for it. Otherwise, the headgear is off-center on the back of the head, and the mask won't seat properly and comfortably. Rather than utilize a clip on both sides of the strap to even up the distribution, I removed the clip and continue to use my "Girl Scout badge-earning" solution for the neck strap. It's much easier for me to just slide the strap off the paper clip than to fiddle with one of these "easy-release" thingies.

[R VanWinkle085]

Thank you jdm2857 for the post about the add-on headgear clip for Respironics masks. I ordered some today for my FullLife mask. I think that these will make it much easier to take the mask on and off without unduly stretching the straps.

[R VanWinkle085]

Hi Sleepngo,

Thanks for the suggestion about the 3/4 inch 3M surgical tape for the bridge of the nose. I do have a slight problem there. I will get some tomorrow!

You mentioned washing the head gear, would you tell me how you wash it? What in?

I am a newbie to posting and so I hope that I am doing these posts correctly. Prior to this, I have only been reading everyone else's posts.

Thanks for everyone's help. I would have given up when I first got my CPAP if it were not for this forum.
R VanWinkle085

[sleepngo]

Hi R VanWinkle085,
I use my wifes Dawn dish wishing liquid soap in a plastic pal, used just for my cpap gear but I would think that any mild soap would work as well. I usually wash all my cpap gear every two weeks. I remove my mask cushion every morning and wash it with dish washing soap too, it seems to seal better, the more I wash it.

About the 3M surgical tape, when I get up in the morning and look in the mirror I see several lines on the tape, lines and marks that would have been in my skin without the aid of the tape...good thing I found the tape before the mask did a job on my nose. Hope it works as well for you too.

Regards,
Dan

[R VanWinkle085]

Hi Sleepngo,

Thanks for the information about cleaning the mask and other equipment. The respiratory therapist told me to use baby wipes on my mask, but I think washing it sounds like a better idea.

Looked for the 3M surgical tape but Walgreens did not have it. I will have to keep looking.

Thanks,
R VanWinkle

[DBoone]

Hi Sleepngo,
Looked for the 3M surgical tape but Walgreens did not have it. I will have to keep looking.

They call it NexCare but it's the same thing.

[spacetoast]

They call it NexCare but it's the same thing.

Yup, and it is in a blister pack with a blue background. I saw it a couple of times looking for "MicroPore" and "3M". Then I saw the NexCare stuff and looked at the tape inside and it was the stuff. I got the paper version. I don't know if people here use the clear stuff or the paper stuff, though.

[sleepngo]

R Van, the tape is actually called 3M Micropore hypoallergenic paper surgical tape and it is 1inch wide instead of 3/4inch. I got mine from Kaiser, you should be able to get some at a local medical supply house, I see it on line for .90 cents a roll, don't know what it cost locally, haven't tried to buy any yet. I would think that wall mart or rite aid would have it in stock.

Dan

[sleepngo]

They call it NexCare but it's the same thing.

Yup, and it is in a blister pack with a blue background. I saw it a couple of times looking for "MicroPore" and "3M". Then I saw the NexCare stuff and looked at the tape inside and it was the stuff. I got the paper version. I don't know if people here use the clear stuff or the paper stuff, though.

I use the paper stuff, I was really surprised the next morning to see all the marks the mask left on the tape, the mask must move a lot while sleeping. The tape seems to do a good job of protecting the nose from the mask movement, thanks 3M.

Dan

[DBoone]

I use the one inch paper stuff too.

At Walgreen's it's labeled NexCare but the fine print says it's 3M MicroPore. Same tape just packaged differently.