Rec'd New Opus Today...Bad Decision???

atruvirgo · Post by **atruvirgo** » Wed Jul 18, 2007 11:01 pm

I checked out and tried several nasal pillows before actually asking my doctor to order me the OPUS. I had tried the Swift, Comfortlite2, Bravo and Breeze. All were way too large for me. I really thought that the OPUS would work. I picked it up today and I am finding that it is too long on me. If I cinch it up so that the pillows fit in my nose then the straps cut across my cheek bones instead of the lower part of my face. I have to try and make this work. I can't buy another new mask!! Any helpful suggestions would be so appreciated!!!!

tuna · Post by **tuna** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 6:31 am

Pad A Cheeks help!

new2 · Post by **new2** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 8:09 am

You must have a very little nose.

greyhound · Post by **greyhound** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 8:12 am

atruvirgo wrote: If I cinch it up so that the pillows fit in my nose then the straps cut across my cheek bones instead of the lower part of my face.

The pillow should fit lightly against your nose, not all the way in your nose. Are you trying to put the entire pillow (including the rim) entirely in your nose? If so, that's the cause of your problem.

atruvirgo · Post by **atruvirgo** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 8:40 am

Pillows are properly seated. The problem is indeed that the length of my face is too short for the length of the headgear. If I pull the top band up to wear the pillows meet my nares then the straps on the face go under my eyes. When I laid on my side the popped out everytime. I hate to have to do another sale/trade but I tried everything last night and never was able to use it. I am thinking that nasal pillow headgear designs are not for me. I wore my 406 last night and it has been cutting in to the corners of my nose and lip so now I am wonderint if I need a 407? I have been in desperate need of a good nights sleep this week. Lots of stress at home. Stepson left for Iraq on Tues., husband had surgery yesterday and my son leaves for Japan for 3 years, today. Plus I feel like I'm still wearing my mask when I take it off..."referred mask?"

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 9:21 am

Have you tried a folded tennis sock between the various headgears and your head?

O.

atruvirgo · Post by **atruvirgo** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 9:41 am

ozij wrote:Have you tried a folded tennis sock between the various headgears and your head?

O.

No I haven;t. I guess as dumb as this sounds I just want to put it on and go to sleep I do have padacheeks and put them on the straps but it still doesn't help with the biggest problem which is the headgear is too long and the pillows kept falling out.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 10:27 am

A folded tennis sock between head and headgear changes the shape and size of your head from the headgear's point of view...

I used it for both Breeze and Headrest (Aura).

O.

Babette · Post by **Babette** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 4:14 pm

Debbie, I've decided you must be a Little Person. Are you that cute blonde chick on the cable TV show? "Little People, Big World"?

Sorry, not making fun, just trying to have fun.

I don't know anything about the Opus. Is it possible to make the straps smaller by folding them and either basting with needle and thread or safety pinning them together?

Okay, in looking at this pic:
https://www.cpap.com/viewImage.php?PNum ... e_Side.jpg

I see two hard plastic wings coming off the nose piece up the sides of the face. Clearly that won't fold. Is that the area that's too big? I think Padacheeks might help, but you said you tried that and it didn't.

If you OWN this mask, you might experiment with cutting the "wings" down some, and re-attaching the cloth strap parts together with some creative sewing.

If you don't want to jerry rig that much, hang on just a little longer. The NAII I sent you should arrive today. Try taking the Opus off it's headgear and using the NAII headgear with it. If that works for you, and you like it better than the NAII, I'll send you my old NAII headgear to use.

Huggers,
B.

BadBreath · Post by **BadBreath** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 5:16 pm

I picked it up today and I am finding that it is too long on me.

Maybe no head gear at all?

Check this out...

viewtopic/t22248/Sleep-Doc-Visit-and-Opus-Mod.html

atruvirgo · Post by **atruvirgo** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 7:43 pm

The way it is made requires headgear. It is very similar to the swift in that it has the hard plastic part that comes down your cheeks. I tried the swift to no avail. With the OPUS you have to hook it in to the u shape at the center of the plastic piece. The problem with ALL headgear is the length of the headgear. The best way to describe my facial structure is that I have a small nose, short from nose to lip and from forehead to chin. I am only 5 feet tall so my face fits my height but not these headgears. I can't wear ladies hats because the drop clear down over my eyes. YES...Babette...sometimes I do feel like Amy....Little People, Big World

Bookbear · Post by **Bookbear** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 9:58 pm

Atruvirgo, this is just a thought, but there are masks (and so presumably headgear) made specifically for children. Perhaps one of those headgears might work for you?

The Nasalaire II has a 'petite' size, but I don't know if the headgear is also smaller than the regular or just the mask itself.

There is the KidSta http://www.resmed.com/en-us/products/ma ... u=products
which might work. Both mask and headgear are sized for small heads/faces.

Just a thought.....

good luck!

Babette · Post by **Babette** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 10:21 pm

YOWZA! That's alot of stuff on a little face!!!!

Okay "Amy" my dear.... What about cutting off the tips of the plastic parts, near your ears, and glueing/sewing the headgear back together?

Or jerry-rigging your own headgear out of elastic strips and velcro? I know... I didn't want to jerry rig anything when I was sleep deprived either.

ANYONE OUT THERE WANT TO LAB RAT AN OPUS FOR A SMALLER HEAD????

Huggers,
B.

BadBreath · Post by **BadBreath** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 12:19 am

The way it is made requires headgear.

Follow my link. No headgear, only mouthpiece. Cost of materials: under $5! And no damage to the mask's integrity.

viewtopic/t22248/Sleep-Doc-Visit-and-Opus-Mod.html

ANYONE OUT THERE WANT TO LAB RAT AN OPUS FOR A SMALLER HEAD????

This mod is very forgiving of different facial spacing and head sizes as it uses the mouth-to-nose relationship, not the rest of the head. The headband adds support primarily for the hose, but if made correctly you could maintain a seal without the headband! And if it needs adjusting, just re-boil and shorten or lengthen the mouth rod. You can even add some upward curve for a tighter fit.

I have been using this mod and I have essentially no seal leaks and no mouth leaks. My leak rate average is consistently below the mask leak rating! I sleep on either side through the night and average 7.5 hours of therapy.

Babette · Post by **Babette** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 9:39 am

Debbie, I looked at that, and it looks pretty do-able. You might want to give it a whirl. I found the mouthpieces at Walmart.

Cheers,
B.

Machine	Mask

Additional Comments: Avg. AHI .4

Rec'd New Opus Today...Bad Decision???

Rec'd New Opus Today...Bad Decision???

Re: Rec'd New Opus Today...Bad Decision???