New TAP PAP mask review

[chunkyfrog]

My mother-in-law was unable to wear a conventional upper denture because of her gag reflex.
Her upper dentures had a cut out, just like the lower plate.
I suppose that the mouthpiece could be trimmed in a similar fashion.

[jagzoo]

Well, I'm joining the group of Tap PaP users/reviewers.

Boy, it came fast. I just ordered Thursday and it came Today.

I've followed all the instructions to mold the mouthpiece and set up the pillows etc. Went well; seemed easy enough. I attached it to CPAP and rolled around on my bed and pillow like I was sleeping on my sides and stomach. It felt real secure with no leaks. My teeth are a little sensitive after the molding of the mouth piece. If I find it is too tight, I'll reheat and loosen it a bit.

So, I'll trying sleeping with it tonight and see how it, and I, do!

[rosacer]

Pugsy, that was UGLY indeed ! I wish you to be able to sleep well with the new mask.

I'm still wondering why I started bruxing; if it was because of the pressure changes on APAP mode or because I had something in the mouth (the mouth guard to fight mouth breathing). I thought I had stopped that (bruxing) but a couple of nights before I caught myself biting on the mouth guard I had been trying again since a couple of days. Something scares me about the TAP PAP is the possibility that gives to my brain the idea to bite on the mouth guard.

[park_ridge_dave]

TAP PAP Chinstrap "Quickie Eval"

OK so I got the TAP PAP chinstrap and, as a chinstrap, I like it!

Pros:

1.) Reasonable cost $22.95 from CPAP.com and it appears to be well made.

2.) Fairly comfortable and easy to fit.

3.) Provides a stable "mount" for the short hose (velcro loop on top for hose)

Cons:

1.) It is still a chinstrap


Did I mention that I am not a real fan of chinstraps All kidding aside it works about as well as could be expected and if you absolutely need a chin strap this one is OK.

I am still working on the nose breathing exercises in hopes of, eventually, weaning my self off of the chinstrap completely. Only time will tell, but so far it still looks promising. I plan to do more nights without the chinstrap to test the nose breathing.

Cheers,

Dave

[newsnore]

Thank you for your reviews of this mask - Pugsy and others who have shared here. Please keep posting more of your comments/critique/reviews on the Tap Pap. I am really appreciating this post (and for that matter I really appreciate this forum and everyone who shares their advice, experience and opinions) and now I am trying to make my mind up whether to jump at this mask or not. How did last night go Pugsy? Better I hope.

I use the Opus 360 but sadly have many broken nights, which I am putting down to being an active/restless sleeper and when I toss and turn and turn my face against my pillow, it seems to cause the seal of the pillows to fail and then I eventually end up unconsciously or semiconsciously ripping the mask off in my sleep. As a result I am not really getting the full benefits of the CPAP therapy. My DME wants to try me with a full face mask but like others for me less is better.

I followed the earlier review thread here of the Pilairo - when it first came out - I thought it might be the "bees knees" and save the day (night) for me, however, although the early posts were very favourable, as time went by the reviews gradually leveled out and the longer term users gave a more realistic more balanced picture of that mask (although it still may be worth trying).

So I am hoping this one will be the "bees knees" and prove to be worth buying and trying. So in the meantime please keep your opinion and feelings about the Tap Pap coming - every little bit shared is valued. And don't worry I wont blame anyone, if I do go ahead and get it and it ends up on the shelf with all the other 5 various masks that are sitting there. It is just that when I make a decision about it, at least it will be an informed one.

[Pugsy]

Last night was better than the night before but still left something to be desired. Problems with my mouth wanting to open and this time I caught it in the act. Drool and slobber too.
It isn't the mask..it something I see from time to time when I have a restless night.
We have had a "storm" front move in..got here yesterday afternoon with some mild thunderstorms but rain pretty much all night and temps dropped a lot and much cooler temps and rain and cold causes my back to act up.
So I had a less than stellar night but it wasn't because of the Tap Pap. It was a typical less than stellar night that I really rather expect when I have a lot of aches and pains. I didn't take a pain pill last night but I already took one for tonight.
We will see if I can rest better.

The problem is totally unrelated to the Tap Pap. It's a problem I fight periodically and nothing new to me.
Just life biting me in the butt sometimes.
The Tap Pap is pretty much a non issue. After the mouth guard is in my mouth it no longer is the first think my brain wants to concentrate on. I go right to sleep like I normally do. It's just that when my back acts up I just don't sleep so great and have a lot of extra tossing and turning and little awakenings and my reports show it.
No mask that I have ever used would have made any difference in this situation.

I still like the Tap Pap. No complaints with it. It isn't a problem at all.
It's just my alien friends that 49 saw earlier in the week (but she told them to come back to me) and they have arrived to mess with me. But that's okay...I am going to send them over to dos coyotes because he had an AHI 0.0 last night and he needs some excitement (and I need the rest)

[SleepingUgly]

I followed the earlier review thread here of the Pilairo - when it first came out - I thought it might be the "bees knees" and save the day (night) for me, however, although the early posts were very favourable, as time went by the reviews gradually leveled out and the longer term users gave a more realistic more balanced picture of that mask (although it still may be worth trying).

Having been here awhile, I can say that this is ALWAYS the case. A thread starts about a new mask, people post positive things, we all feel excited and hopeful, and then the negatives start coming in. There is NO mask that has all positive reviews. My approach in general is to try to shop the masks that have the better reviews online, or ones that people who have issues similar to mine seem to like, with the understanding that there will always be those that will not like it.

[Pugsy]

Regarding new masks (the latest and greatest) and initial good reviews and as time goes by we see more negative reviews.
This happens with any mask out there...the more people who try something the greater the chance of people being unhappy with their experience and giving it a negative review. It's the law of numbers.
There is never going to be a mask out there that doesn't have someone unhappy with it.

Time will tell if the mouth guard does anything for my little mouth opening issues....that's going to take some time before I learn if it helps or not.

The aliens went to someone else's house last night. I slept so much better and my AHI looks good and I only spent a couple of minutes at 26 L/min leak...rest of the time I was either on 0.0 or had much smaller mouth opening leak spikes.
I took a little real pain pill last night...not nearly as much tossing and turning last night.
Don't remember a gazillion wake ups with every little movement. Feel so much better this morning. Fragmented sleep just kills my sleep quality.

[jagzoo]

I've had 2 nights now using my new TAP PAP mask.

I find fitting it to be fairly easy the only adjustment I needed to make was when I went to put it on the first night it felt a little tight. So I ran it under the hot water for 15 sec, put it back in my mouth, wiggled it around a little and then just left it alone. My teeth/mouth felt fine yesterday and today when I woke, the mask fits light and secure but not too much pressure.

So I love the way it feels and is stable. I roll around from side to side and also on my stomach: no leaks, no need to readjust - just seems perfect. The only thing is that I have been having large leaks from my mouth. I am a nose breather and I continue to breath from my nose but my mouth just seems to fall open sometimes and air escapes. I don't think I did this with the FX. Pugsy, you mentioned something about this.

OK, here is the problem and I don't understand it: My AHI is up for the past 2 nights when I have been using the TAP PAP. Last night 3.21 (usually I am around 1-2 or below) with OA 1.71 and hyponea of .90 and 6 centrals. # of the OA are grouped to give a long time frame. I didn't have my oximeter on, so I don't know what effect, if any, these had. I'll wear my oximeter tonight.The night before AHI was 3.38, OA 2.10, hypo 0.12 and 10 centrals. Contrast that with The FX for her 3 nights ago: AHI 1.17, OA .87, hypo .15, Centrals 1. I have never had more than 3 centrals, usually 1-2. So what is going on. Everything feels so good, but the numbers are worse. I do intend to continue using the TAP PAP and see if the numbers look better. Oh, I am on straight CPAP with a pressure of 9.

Any suggestions? I really do like how this mask feels!

[Pugsy]

Any suggestions?

Regarding the slightly elevated AHI last couple of nights vs with the Swift FX and a little lower AHI ????
None except to watch it for a pattern. If it is primarily central index which is elevated maybe some "awake/semi awake" stuff going on.
My AHI has been all over the place this past week from 0.56 to 6.07 and not all centrals.
One night it was 0.66 and the very next night over the 6.07. I slept poorly in general that high AHI night and it was totally unrelated to any mask issues.

Even with my Swift FX I would sometimes see times where the AHI seemed to bounce around. It happens for any number of reasons and most of the time we can't come up with any certain reason.

2 nights with a new mask...especially one such as this one...we are just going to have a few more adjustment issues especially if you are like me and not used to a mouth guard.
I wouldn't make much of anything about it right now...too soon to form any real conclusions and 2 nights doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things unless the results were just down right horrible. What is horrible?...that AHI 6.07 if I saw that every night...night after night. Then I worry just a little. I never get excited about random visits from the aliens and sometimes they stay for more than 1 night.

Heck, you might have an AHI of 1.00 tonight.

[jagzoo]

Thanks Pugsy, I'm new to this and do like this mask as it allows me to sleep how I want. So I'll hang in there with it. Maybe try a chin strap if my mouth still keeps opening? I'll report my experiences back after a couple of more nights.

[Pugsy]

Maybe try a chin strap if my mouth still keeps opening?

Up to you and how much it bugs you and how much it really impacts therapy.
Me?....Since I sleep right through most mouth openings...and they are really rather sporadic (sometimes none...sometimes maybe one or two) and very short lived and rarely spend much time in large leak territory...I choose to ignore them.
For me adding a chin strap and it's associated annoyance (I have used one in the past) would create a bigger problem then the one it was supposed to fix.
I am not for sure this was mouth breathing last night but this type of leak is not unusual for me...maybe REM stage sleep..maybe supine sleeping and mouth drops open a little...maybe a combination of both.
But sometimes I have none of these...sometimes maybe a little longer time in Large leak territory but most of the time I barely touch that red line and often I don't. I just don't want to go to the hassle of wearing a chin strap or taping just to prevent this tiny leak above the red line...and it doesn't wake me up and sure not enough to make much of a difference in therapy.

Some people aren't happy unless they see a nice flat 0.0 leak line. Me? I don't care as long as I sleep well and feel decent.
It's not my place to tell someone what they should be happy with but to me unless this disturbed my sleep or I felt awful or it lasted hours...I am just not going to worry about it.
Last night's leak line. The one hour gap...that is probably related to DST change. For some reason it showed up last night even though I changed the time Sat night.

[newsnore]

Regarding new masks (the latest and greatest) and initial good reviews and as time goes by we see more negative reviews.
This happens with any mask out there...the more people who try something the greater the chance of people being unhappy with their experience and giving it a negative review. It's the law of numbers.
There is never going to be a mask out there that doesn't have someone unhappy with it.

Having been here awhile, I can say that this is ALWAYS the case. A thread starts about a new mask, people post positive things, we all feel excited and hopeful, and then the negatives start coming in. There is NO mask that has all positive reviews. My approach in general is to try to shop the masks that have the better reviews online, or ones that people who have issues similar to mine seem to like, with the understanding that there will always be those that will not like it.

Thank you Pugsy, SleepUgly and Jagzoo for your follow ups, and yes I understand what you are saying, and am realizing that there is that initial positive excitement that has to be looked past (but taken into consideration). Anyway I think it could be worth trying this mask, although I wonder how I will cope with/adapt to the mouth piece - as that seems to be the main issue coming through the reviews so far. I think I have a fairly standard mouth - all teeth are there still and quite evenly placed and spaced. However it does seem most users are adapting to the "reject the foreign object in the mouth feeling" Just one or 2 not able to continue with the Tap Pap usually due to uneven teeth etc. Here's hoping.

[Pugsy]

I wonder how I will cope with/adapt to the mouth piece - as that seems to be the main issue coming through the reviews so far. I think I have a fairly standard mouth -

This was my main concern and it has turned out to be a non issue really.
I have a small mouth and the mouth guard doesn't go past the last 2 upper molars (wisdom teeth long gone)...so those last 2 teeth are not part of the mouth guard mold...if that makes any sense to you. It doesn't go all the way back and encompass all my teeth and the wisdom teeth are the only ones gone.

Since it comes with the free return insurance it bears trying if you are interested.

I have found that some masks interest me and some don't....so I don't try the ones that don't interest me. Or I guess I should say I don't spend my money on something that doesn't interest me. I have got a couple of freebies of masks that I wouldn't normally try for some reason and found out that it wasn't nearly as bad as I had thought it would be.
The Aeoimed Headrest was a recent experiment that fit that description. I thought I would hate it but it really was quite nice. Of course it has been discontinued.... so I didn't bother telling people about my experience with it.
Now some that I have tried that did interest me...well the experiment didn't turn out so great but for the most part I know myself well enough to have an idea if I it will be a possibility. Sometimes it is just curiosity...I get bored easily and trying something new helps relieve the boredom.

[newsnore]

Thanks again Pugsy it's really good to hear all these points and the mouth piece info is assuring. Unfortunately because it will take up to 2 weeks to arrive here in NZ and then 2 weeks to return I guess, in reality, trying and returning are out of the picture. So if I go ahead and get the mask it will have to be a keeper. Anyway this could be beneficial in the long run as it means I will be more likely to try and make it work as much as possible - even if needs be making alterations to the mask as a last resort.

As per my "Help buying Tap Pap mask" thread, getting the mask is probably going to be a slow process, especially if I have to twist my DMEs arm to sign a prescription for me, and still keep me in the line for a FFM in case the Tap Pap is a failure. Wheels turn very slowly in the NZ public health system so I don't want to make them go any slower or even stop. My DME was very good when I told him I had bought an Resmed S9 (I only needed to send a copy of my OSA treatment records instead of a prescript) without his approval as I was fast losing patience with the F&P brick the public system prescribed. He understood and seemed happy to work in with this so maybe just maybe he will see my point of view - after all I am the one who is forking out for the Tap Pap so what is the big deal - I really think a lot of it is about control on the part of the manufacturers and a lot of Sleep Specialists etc. Oh well I suppose everyone is out to protect their own interests - jobs - salaries, etc.