First Time user The Must find a full face Mask.

[sdeters6990]

Well I got a APAP machine and used it last night. Just had the Nasal pillow with head gear. I do not remember the style at the current time. It had the tube come out of the top of the head and head gear. Terrible for sleeping on my back.

Anyways, I am a mouth breather. At the time I got the mask I did not know this. When using this mask, I felt I could not fully exhale easily out of my nose. Restricted Exhale was terrible. Also the forced air went into the Nose and out the mouth. As I fell asleep trying to seal this off with the lips and tong, the air started to almost choke and do some kind of fun stuff as my lips and tong relaxed. I see there is chin straps available.

Also as I tried to swallow saliva, my ears kept popping.

At the end of the Day I am going to trade this mask in for a airfit f30? Thoughts on this mask?

I sleep on my back and side,

Any other suggestions to help me out, I got 3 hours out of the machine last night before I gave up. The last hour was tough the first two hours were not to bad. I have read all kinds of stuff with mouth leakage.

[bristolman]

it has good and bad points for me . some leaks but i helped that some switching to amara view headgear on the f30 mask ( suggested by another member ) . I still use every now and then but airfit f20 is my go to ffm mask .
mike

[sdeters6990]

Thanks for the feedback, I get to go look at the 30 and the 20 tomorrow, my AHI was really low, so I am hoping a30 will work. They said the a30 is backorder for now.
Should a goal to be to go away from the face mask, and go to only the nasal type masks? Or does this really matter?

Once again thanks again

[ragtopcircus]

For me, nasal/pillow masks do the best job of opening my sinuses (just like a breathe right strip). I like the P30i, but it does have the hose at the top, which you don’t like. A soft cervical collar or something like that will help you keep your mouth closed. Some people use chinstraps also, but that’s not great if you have any trouble with TMJ. Flex/EPR will also help some with this.

Hybrid masks like the F30, Amara View, and DreamWear Full Face are a good compromise. They encourage nose breathing, but relieve that awkward pressure difference in your mouth, and allow you to breathe through your mouth as needed. I tried all three of those, but the F30 was the only one I could wear. Hybrids are a little finicky though. It is important to have the straps evenly adjusted, but not too tight.

The F20 is a popular choice for full face. I fall between medium and large. I have to use a large to keep the seal from pressing on the soft part of my nose. Even with the large though, I can’t breathe as well through my nose. It doesn’t open things up like a pillows or hybrid mask does.

Also the bigger the mask is, the tighter the straps will be. While CPAP pressure is generally listed in cmH2O, PSI is also applicable. The larger the mask is, the more area the air will have to press against. The F20 is my fallback for badly congested nights, but it has to be tighter than I’d like to prevent mask farts. I plan to try the padacheek liner to see if it helps.

[sdeters6990]

Thanks for the feedback. I am out until Friday until I get a chance to change masks. So I am going to give this nasal mask another chance until I talk to to CPAP people. I saw some settings I can change that may help out. Thanks again for feedback!!

[chunkyfrog]

. . .
Should a goal to be to go away from the face mask, and go to only the nasal type masks?
. . .

No, the goal is to find the right mask for YOU.
Everyone is different--we look for what works for each of us.
Maybe more people use nasal or pillow masks, but others are more successful with full face.
Be your own version of Goldilocks, and find what is "just right".

[zonker]

. . .
Should a goal to be to go away from the face mask, and go to only the nasal type masks?
. . .

No, the goal is to find the right mask for YOU.
Everyone is different--we look for what works for each of us.
Maybe more people use nasal or pillow masks, but others are more successful with full face.
Be your own version of Goldilocks, and find what is "just right".

+1

what works for me may not work for thee.

[sdeters6990]

That is good news. I got 4.5 hours last night vs 3 hours the previous. I got a score from the resmed ap 68. I have to adjust the mask strap and try again tonight. The mask came off or leaked a couple times through the night. Thanks for the help once again.

[Jas_williams]

That is good news. I got 4.5 hours last night vs 3 hours the previous. I got a score from the resmed ap 68. I have to adjust the mask strap and try again tonight. The mask came off or leaked a couple times through the night. Thanks for the help once again.

Sounds like your heading in the correct direction welldone

[dezertfox]

I am in the exact same boat, my sinuses are congested and the dreamwear nasal pillows would be perfect for me if i didn't have constant congestion,

Chin straps cause acid to pull up with or without cpap..Nasal pillows caused me to wake up 2 hours or so into my sleep that's around the time my UARS events start into REM sleep is my guess..

Looking for a full face mask, did you figure out any? I have a dreamstation apap.