Mask problems

[navyvet72]

New to cpap and the forum, I have a Quattro FX full face mask that I have trouble keeping on throughtout the night. I like the mask but it can be a pain when I wake up and it is not in place. I've tightened it but still have a problem. Any help is appreciate.

[BleepingBeauty]

New to cpap and the forum, I have a Quattro FX full face mask that I have trouble keeping on throughtout the night. I like the mask but it can be a pain when I wake up and it is not in place. I've tightened it but still have a problem. Any help is appreciate.

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

I use a different mask, so I'll let others who use the Quattro FX speak to any particular fitting techniques they can offer.

Basically, most people over-tighten their mask to stop leaks, when that can actually make the leaks worse. Masks are supposed to sit fairly lightly on the face - tight enough to not leak when they're inflated under xPAP pressure, but not so tight that the seal can't inflate fully and/or the mask is painful to wear.

To adjust your mask well, lay down on your bed with the xPAP machine blowing at your normal pressure (or at the high range, if you're using an APAP). Put the mask on and adjust the straps so that the mask is comfortable and isn't leaking. Turn your head from side to side to be sure it'll stay sealed as you move around in your sleep. If you sense a leak, make a small adjustment to the headgear strap closest to it.

I hope that helps.

[BleepingBeauty]

Oh, one more thing. I just noticed the equipment listed in your post. Your machine (the Escape) is a very basic CPAP that won't offer you (or your sleep doctor) any efficacy data. It will only report your compliance (how many hours you're using the machine), but it can't report how well the therapy is working. If you've just received this machine, I strongly suggest you insist on swapping it for a fully data-capable machine (one that WILL give you and your doctor efficacy data, so you'll know how well - or not - the therapy is working for you). Data will report your AHI, when the events are occurring, whether the mask is leaking too much, etc. It offers real clues about what needs to be tweaked to attain effective therapy. With the machine you currently have, if/when you have a problem with the therapy, it'll be a guessing game trying to figure out what to change.

You have the best chance of swapping this machine for a better one in the first 30 days of having it. So if it's new to you, don't delay. The insurance code for the machine you have and a data-capable one are exactly the same, so the insurance reimburses the DME (equipment dealer) the same amount for either type of machine. It behooves the DME to give you a lesser machine because a basic machine costs them less than a data-capable one, and they make more profit.

rested gal is a veteran (and very helpful member) of this forum. Here's a link to her updated list of various xPAP machines. The ones listed in blue are capable of recording full data, and those listed in red are not. viewtopic.php?p=307168#p307168

I had a "dumb" machine when I began therapy, too. I didn't know any different. I found and joined this forum about 18 months later. Since I was so far into my therapy, there was no way to exchange my basic machine for a better one, so I bought a very lightly-used data-capable machine on CraigsList for $100. It was only then that I began to have a real sense of what was going wrong with my therapy, and the good people here helped me figure out what to do to fix it.

I wish I'd found the forum when I began this journey, as I could have saved myself many months of frustration. With no data, making changes to improve the therapy was a crap-shoot. Please learn from my experience and don't repeat my mistake.

[navyvet72]

I can appreciate I may not have but a basic machine but I may not be able to trade it in because of Ins reasons. After going on the web, I see that they ripped me off and I may not be able a better machine. I now see that some places only care about the $$$ and not the client. I want to thank you for your help and advice and if I am sucessful in changing machines, will let you know. Thanks again, this is a great site.

[70sSanO]

Here is a long thread on the Quattro FX...

viewtopic/t59062/Quattro-FX--Please-pos ... on-it.html

I may not a good one to ask because my recommendation is probably not going to be a standard response. I don't use the headgear that comes with the masks. After I needed a replacement on my first FFM in 2001, and didn't want to fork out $30 every couple on months, I started using elastic straps that are in most fabric stores. My leak rate is low and it is comfortable.

For me the FX headgear pulls the top of the mask at too much of an upward angle instead toward the back of the head.

John