New Mask Last Night and Argh...

[SleepySeoul]

Hi All,

Thought I was doing ok with my therapy.Been at it for nearly 3 weeks now and have seen my AHI numbers gradually drop and settle in to less than 2.0. I had been using a Devilbiss D100 FF mask but it was literally destroying the bridge of my nose. I tried a Resmed Quattro FX last night and thought it was more comfortable but the results in the morning were abysmal. AHI was above 6 with a large number of CA's (a lot more than usual). Also the mask seemed to leak a lot, my D100 had a negligible leak rate and the FX had varying amounts but sometimes more than 15.

Can a leaky mask be the reason for so many CA's?

If it wasn't for the nose problem I would stick with the D100 mask. I see that the journey to finding a suitable mask is a long and arduous one.

Thanks,

Eric

[MbMinx]

I had a similar problem with my F&P Simplus - it didn't leak much at all, but it was tearing my nose up. I couldn't get a good seal with either of the Quattro FF, and I didn't have much luck getting a mask liner to seat well. I ended up with a Mirage Liberty - no major leaks and good airflow. It's not what I would have picked out, but it's working very well. Just something to look into.

[Pugsy]

Can a leaky mask be the reason for so many CA's?

It can if the mask leaks causes some arousals or awake times during the night and thus increases the chances of the machine flagging awake breathing irregularities by mistake. When the machine does this it will most often flag as centrals.
So more from disturbing your sleep and causing false positives than from causing a real central though.
If you were aware of leaks throughout the night that means you were awake a lot during the night and with those awake times the chances for SWJ (Sleep/Wake/Junk) centrals getting flagged were greatly increased.
SWJ centrals have to be discounted when evaluating AHI results. Awake/semi awake events don't count.

[Denial Dave]

while this blog below is for the Quattro mask, a lot of it applies to the FX and solving leaks

http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/taming ... e-quattro/

Several folks here have also had success using a chin strap with the Quattro FX

[M'ohms]

Here's a good option:



It took me about a week to tweak the leaks out of the QFX. I also use the F10 and it also took about a week to get the adjustments just right. I alternate the two masks to give my nose a little bit of a change in pressure points. This keeps my nose happy.

Good luck!

[library lady]

Here's a good option:



It took me about a week to tweak the leaks out of the QFX. I also use the F10 and it also took about a week to get the adjustments just right. I alternate the two masks to give my nose a little bit of a change in pressure points. This keeps my nose happy.

Good luck!

I started with Quattro Air, and currently use AirFit F10. The cushion is interchangeable between them. I use a similar mask liner to the one M'ohms pictured. Until I started using mask liners I could not control the leaks, but after one night of using a RemZzz liner, I was hooked! Those liners were a game changer for me, and I've used them ever since. Some people do not find liners helpful with leaks. I remember you said something about trying liners without success, but you don't say which liners you tried. In case you haven't found them, lots of people have success with the Pad-A-Cheek liners, go here: http://www.padacheek.com. I initially tried these, and didn't like the feel of them on my face. I do use the strap pads that Pad-A-Cheek has, and those are great! The RemZzzs are available from many DMEs, also online from the hosts of this forum at https://www.cpap.com.

[SleepySeoul]

I had a similar problem with my F&P Simplus - it didn't leak much at all, but it was tearing my nose up. I couldn't get a good seal with either of the Quattro FF, and I didn't have much luck getting a mask liner to seat well. I ended up with a Mirage Liberty - no major leaks and good airflow. It's not what I would have picked out, but it's working very well. Just something to look into.

The Liberty looks awesome but keep reading that the pillows unseat easily and its difficult to get and maintain a seal. I still may give this a try but since I live overseas and do not have a supplier with a "try it" program, every mistake in masks costs me dearly...

[SleepySeoul]

I've had some success with DIY liners these days. I used an old T-Shirt as one layer and then a night gown from the wife (she's still mad at me since I didn't check if it was of retirement age or not and it wasn't) as another layer. I used the nightgown layer as the layer touching my face and then the t-shirt to the mask. The FX does not tear up my nose and with my liners I can achieve a reasonable seal. I am back down to AHI of about 3 now from a high of 8 when just starting with the mask. I still have leaks though to the tune of about 1L/hr where the D100 was 0. I am gladly trading a small amount of leakage to the look of a nose that's been through a heavy weight bout. I do think I need to invest in a pad-a-cheek though, they look awesome.

[SleepySeoul]

Thank you everyone for the advice and tips. I'm still getting used to the idea that I have to sleep with this thing for life. When I was a kid and had to wear headgear for my braces, the only thing that got me through it was the promise of a nice smile and it would be over at some point. This is on a whole new level...

[Pugsy]

Should you ever decide to try the hybrid mask like the ResMed Liberty...look at the Innomed/Respcare Hybrid....much less expensive and comes with 3 sizes of cushions (Liberty only has one cushion so you have to decide ahead of time what size).
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/RespCa ... -Mask.html
and some ideas to help keep those nasal pillows in place have already been thought of
wiki/index.php/Hybrid_Mask_Modifications