ow my nose

[catbirdgirl]

I have just got my 3rd or 4th mirage activa lt mask in a row. I tried the trueblue a while back, didnt like it. However I use the head straps from it with my mirage activa. Anyway I am finding that my mask is gouging the heck out if the bridge of my nose. I have a zit there right now too which does not help. Also I wear glasses which means the skin on the bridge never gets a break. I have a padacheek nose protector too. I will have to check to see if it is loose enough tonight, but other than that, what can I do for my nose, and why would it hurt when its never hurt before? Do I need to switch to nasal pillows? How can something that always works suddenly not?

[islandboy5150]

I can't say how to make it stop hurting, I've not used that type of mask before, but one thing I have done to prevent it from getting infected is wiping the bridge of my nose with alcohol at night before going to bed and again in the morning when I get up. I've had my Quattro pretty much slice me through to the bone, and it wouldn't heal well because it kept getting infected. I had to take a round file and file down a couple of sharp edges inside, at the top of my mask to stop it cutting me. That, and a nose bridge protector (actually two at the same time) did the trick for me. Still gets red and a little sore sometimes, but that's as far as it gets.

[chunkyfrog]

When I was wearing the Respironics ComfortGel full face mask, I discovered that a new cushion/shield
made a red ditch on my nose for the first 2-3 days, once starting the "bud" of a blister to appear.
I put a small Band-Aid on my nose to protect my nose, and from then on for the "break-in period"
on all new cushions for that mask. It had relatively little effect on the seal, and my worst side effect
was one day, I realized at lunch time I still had the band aid on!
I did have to remove the Band-Aid carefully, but I later learned to de-tack the tape slightly
with the back of my hand before application to my nose.
My Wisp does not come so far up on my nose, and the Swift FX nasal pillows is also very easy on my nose.

[John from Brookston]

How old is the mask cushion? Could be time to replace it or try the boiling with baking soda trick.

[catbirdgirl]

Its brand new, although what is the baking soda trick.
A bandaid helped immensely. One of the little round ones.

[chunkyfrog]

Some of us boil (actually simmer) a silicone cushion or nasal pillows in distilled water and a
tablespoon or two of baking soda for 5-10 minutes
to milk some extra time out of old, cloudy, limp, or greasy silicone parts.
I have had Swift FX pillows improve to the point I couldn't tell them from the new ones.
--another thing DME's don't want us to do, of course!