Hi "newbie" here need ~help please :)

[Bawstin]

Hi all! I've been doing alot of reading and getting some great info!! Thanks so much!
Here's my problem~~I'm on week 6 with my CPAP~and on 3rd mask~1st was a Nasal Mask with chin strap(forget it!) I woke up with it on the other side of the bed. LOL
2nd~Respironics Fullife (Waste of money!) Leaks terrible, blisters on nose.
3rd~Resmed Ultra Mirage~Very noisey, wake up with awful blisters on bridge of nose~Have tried different items on nose to try to prevent this and I get leaks into my eyes. I have not had 1 good night sleep
I lay in bed for 1-2 hours just trying to adjust mask
My pressure is 17 so I "think" there are not too many masks I can use?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!

[cflame1]

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[Wulfman]

Hi all! I've been doing alot of reading and getting some great info!! Thanks so much!
Here's my problem~~I'm on week 6 with my CPAP~and on 3rd mask~1st was a Nasal Mask with chin strap(forget it!) I woke up with it on the other side of the bed. LOL
2nd~Respironics Fullife (Waste of money!) Leaks terrible, blisters on nose.
3rd~Resmed Ultra Mirage~Very noisey, wake up with awful blisters on bridge of nose~Have tried different items on nose to try to prevent this and I get leaks into my eyes. I have not had 1 good night sleep
I lay in bed for 1-2 hours just trying to adjust mask
My pressure is 17 so I "think" there are not too many masks I can use?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!

You either have the wrong size, adjusted wrong and/or you have that thing WAY too tight. I've been using the UMFF for five years and have NEVER had any leaks in my eyes or blisters or any other "injuries" to my face. Bed pillows can also make a huge difference in mask leakage. "Standard" bed pillows can push a mask out of alignment during the night if the person's head sinks down into it. There are quite a few pillows that are designed for or work better with this therapy than the "standard" pillows.

The UMFF should "float" on your face.


Den

[Bawstin]

Thanks Wulfman! I never would have thought about the pillow. I'll have to check it out. Yes I do believe I have it to tight as I wake up with awful headaches.
Thanks again!

[GumbyCT]

Bawstin living IN N.Y.? You are killin me LOL

Learning to adjust the mask is as tricky as finding the right fit. Not only will the pillow move the mask but your face changes shape when you lay down and then put pressure on just one side.

Rested Gal has a collection of links to posts about making straps that will help for mask leaks. Adjust the headgear so its not overly tight.

You should be able to fit 2 fingers between the strap and your head. The mask seal needs the room to inflate to provide the seal. Adjust headgear at FULL pressure not at ramp pressure.

Some headgear straps very easily stre-e-ched and by morning will be out of adjustment. Using RG's links and ideas I use a knee high nylon tied around my mask - not to make it tighter but so the air pressure doesn't move it away from my face. Padacheek.com just came out with a strap that will help with this.

Keep notes each morning what helped and what didn't. Then things to try the next nite.

Head to be about 30 min. early to allow time for proper adjustments.

Above all - Keep tryin.

Good Luck

[Wulfman]

Thanks Wulfman! I never would have thought about the pillow. I'll have to check it out. Yes I do believe I have it to tight as I wake up with awful headaches.
Thanks again!

Well, you ARE at a higher pressure, but the UMFF is one of the better ones to use at those types of pressures.
I initially started out at 18 cm. and it seemed to be able to handle that. After discovering how much pressure that was, I thought I'd try some lower pressure to start out with (since I had a data-capable machine) to see if I could get used to this therapy. Well, it turned out that the lower pressure worked pretty darned good.......which proved my titrated/prescribed pressure was WRONG.

It can take some experimenting/tweaking with full face masks (like the UMFF) to get the seal "just right", but when you finally find that sweet spot, it makes all the difference. The bed pillow I use is the Chiroflow (listed in my profile) water-based pillow. Been using it for years before starting this therapy and it works good with it. The pillow is adjusted by the amount of water in it, to keep the head, neck and back in alignment......and it's sort of "firm-soft"......comfortable to lay on but the head doesn't sink in too far to shove the mask out of alignment. In the summer of '08, I tried to switch to a "standard" (polyester fill) pillow to see just how it would work with this therapy.......I only made it through about 1 1/2 nights before giving up.......the leaks were horrible and I was a believer that I had the right combination.


Den

[rubymom]

Pressure of 17 is pretty high. Mine was 19 when I first started and my FFM just blew off my face. Have you spoken to your DME? She had told me from the start that my pressure was very high and I might have a difficult time. She said if I did to let her know. She ended up speaking to my sleep doc and they switched me over to a bi-pap machine which has been so much better. Plus I switched to a Liberty mask which is working great too for the most part.

Good luck to you!!

[OceanGoingGal]

Did I hear a Bawstin accent??? Ahhhhh sweet sounds of home! Florida is where I am now but New England will always be home. Born and raised in Melrose MA. I lived in NH many years before coming south to thaw out. Anyway.Welcome to the board. There are a lot of very friendly and helpful folks here.

Laura

[GumbyCT]

Pressure of 17 is pretty high. ... She ended up speaking to my sleep doc and they switched me over to a bi-pap machine which has been so much better. Plus I switched to a Liberty mask which is working great too for the most part.

That is sooo true a BiPap is much easier to exhale bc it drops the exhale pressure down.

With straight cpap YOU will have to exert more pressure than the (17cm in this case) inhale pressure in order to exhale. This resulted in sore chest muscles for me, so don't be surprised.

You have not inhaled this volume of air before nor had to overcome a 17cm pressure to exhale. (meaning maybe 18, 19, or 20 cm) This increased pressure, increases the leaks - a vicious circle.

Unfortunately with many Ins. plans you have to fail cpap before you can even try a BiPap. So be certain to let you doc and DME know right away. When you can't exhale you aren't breathing and this will not do you any good.

[echo]

Sorry Den, but I could never get the UMFF to work for me, I think my face shape is all wrong for it.
So Bawstin, you might also want to try the Quattro, though I have no idea how well it performs at higher pressures.
Another idea is to plug up leaks with Mack's Silicon ear plugs or Lanolin cream.
Last idea: get a nasal mask and tape your mouth (if that's feasible for you).

[Bawstin]

WOW~Thanks so very much for all of the wonderful advice everyone!
I went to a CPAP site to make sure I had the right size mask & come to find out my mask is too big well right there tells alot! So today I will be calling to get the right fit.

Bawstin living IN N.Y.? You are killin me LOL

LOL Yes Gumby when I first moved here people couldn't understand my accent so they would call me "Bawstin" LOL
Great idea on taking notes~First note find the right size mask lol
Hi there Ocean gal! I'm quite sure we sound alike LOL Yes I grew up in Natick Mass. Then moved to Brockton, Then here to Upstate NY. I miss my home town though.
Again thanks so very much all