REALLY SMALL

[rlyndecker]

Okay I have now tried the nasal pillows & the petite mask...I have the same problem with both. The space between my nose and my lip is REALLY small (one of the few small things on me). I try hard to keep the mask on because it is a little less air blowing than the nasal pillows. Last night I managed I think 3-4 hours out of 5 being in bed (that was my fault going to bed so late, I'm on vacation from work) I take the mask off for a couple reasons:
1) I get annoyed with the air in my eyes/mouth (depending on how much I play with it depends on where the air blows) neither way is extreme just enough to annoy me. 2) the petite mask puts a lot of pressure on my upper lip.

My DME is NO help at all. Someone here suggested a kids mask so I emailed her to ask her for that...I am getting desperate though. When I first got the CPAP the petite mask, I would wear it for 4-5 hours & felt really good the next day minus pain on my upper lip. Then I got a major sinus infection & ever since then I can't get the mask to be "comfortable" (or my nose hums in the mask which is strange too!)

Any suggestions will be appreciated!
THANK YOU!
Rebeccca

[Perrybucsdad]

Rebecca... which mask do you have? Your profile shows a nasal mask and not pillows, so if you could clarify that would help.

Also, have you gone to the manufactures site and watched the fitting videos? I found those to be really helpful as they pointed out a few things I was doing wrong and has helped tremendously.

John

[xenablue]

Which nasal pillows were you using? Sometimes you need to try different sizes of pillows, regardless of what size you think you need. I have a very small nose and extremely small nostrils - however Medium pillows work better for me than Small or XSmall.

I have both Swift LT and FX nasal pillow masks - both are comfortable, but the LT can be tilted to accommodate different nares so it's my preference. Not sure why your nasal pillows were causing leaks - sometimes you have to mess with fitting the straps for a while to get everything just right. I also found Padacheek's nasal pillow barrel cosy great for comfort - you put it over the pillows, so that it covers everything but the pillows that sit on your nares - any part of the pillows that touch your upper lip area or cheeks are covered in soft fleece.

I too tried a similar nasal mask that you show, however my sinuses were not happy with that piece across my forehead or the mask sitting on the bridge of my nose - just my take on this mask.

Hang in there - you have to do lots of experimenting to get the 'perfect' mask for you.

Cheers,
xena

[rlyndecker]

I don't know the brand of nasal pillows, I just know they are the small ones. My DME has NOT been helpful at all. I mostly use the petite mask but now I found out that I can't even get a new mask until 3 months are up or I have to pay for it. I'd like to know EXACTLY when and what the insurance will pay for with re: to CPAP but my DME "doesn't know" she said I have to call the 800 # for her company & they can help me!

Anyway, right now I am just using the petite mask, playing with it for about 10-15 min. until I get the least amount of air blowing in my eyes/mouth then I keep it on for 3-4 hours then take it off due to a major sinus infection! I saw the ENT today & she said I went without CPAP for so long that I might need to take a few days break to get healthy before trying it again. (I wake up & my ear hurts like ______ which is why I take the mask off).

I CAN NOT wait until this is routine, when I have a mask that fits, when I have everything I need to be "successful".

Thank you!

[osmium sleeper]

Ask to speak to the manager at the DME, and tell them that you are going to file a grievance with your insurance if they do not find the proper mask for you. If they do not help you, then follow through with the grievance and find a new DME.