Doc prescribed Fisher Paykel FF Mask

[divajojo]

I met my "sleep doctor" on yesterday and we discussed how my therapy is going. I told him I was having problems with leaks in the mask and waking up with very dry mouth and a couple of times, I have woken up (is that right??, anyway . . . ) with my mouth wide open biting on the bottom of the mask, wierd. Also, I expressed concerns (okay . . . complained) that I have to keep it so tight because of the high pressure. He prescribed the Fisher Paykel mask since I'm a side sleeper and there's a part of the head gear that allows you to move without moving the mask (looked like a double drawstring kind of thing to me) and it apparently handles the higher pressures better -- we'll see.

Unfortunately, my DME had to order it and they gave me a Comfort Full FF mask to use while I waited and oh my goD I HATE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! Last night was awful. First of all when I tried it at the DME with my prescribed pressure, I could barely breath. The pressure seemed so much harder than mine at home and I can tell you I haven't fidgeted with my machine's settings at all (even though I did inquire with this forum how to do so). The DME said if it was that difficult, I must not be getting the full pressure at home. There must be other leaks I'm not aware of. (I've checked the machine and every opening I know of and haven't found a leak. Does anyone out there have any insight as to why the pressure would be so much worse? I even considered that may she mistakenly have put my pressure to high when she was trying it out at the office and I'd see what happened when I got home, but it was still awful. My body was physically more tired and sore from trying to sleep with that blasted mask on than before. And it's too loud, the membrane area is cloudy and so deep that I feel like I'm suffocating. This morning was the first morning that I woke up with a stuffed up nose. I definitely think I've taken a step down and want to go back to my Ultra Mirage until the Fisher Paykel comes in - the good news is they let me keep it - but I don't want to risk not getting the pressure I'm supposed to have.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Did you forget the question?? It's burried somewhere above. I'll bold it . . . alright, there we go. Thanks.

[Newsgrouper]

The F&P FF mask should work well for you. It fits under the chin and tends to keep your mouth closed. Should prevent the leaks and dry mouth. I alternate this mask with an Ultra Mirage FF mask and enjoying some success with my OSA.

[Janelle]

You are using a humidifier, right? I know some masks need more humidity for comfort than others. And I know as silly as it may seems, sometimes I notice higher humidity makes higher pressures easier, at least for me.

[mesocosm]

I use the F&P FF mask and I like it. I have been using it a couple of weeks now and it is better than the nasal mask. I am a terrible mouth breather and it seems to work well at 15 cm pressure and sleeping on my side. Occasionally I get a minor leak or a "squeal" out of it. After a week of fiddling with the straps I have it set now and no leaks. I just need to get the heated humidifier now. I have the passover type (no heat). It works well for now as it is very humid here in SC now, but this winter when it dries out I'll need a heated humidifier cause our "heat pump" really draws the moisture out of the house air.

[Guest]

Before spending the big bucks on a heated humidifier, try putting your passive humidifier on a small electric heating pad. Amazon has some 12"x14" ones for $12. I measured the temperature of my Remstar humidifier and it varies between 110? to 135?. With the passive unit you could probably use a lower heat because the air is in contact with a much larger surface area.

[mesocosm]

Do you mean a heating pad like you use for back pain or something... show me a link to the heating pad you are talking about on Amazon ... I am very interested.

[HoseNose]

Yep, that's the kind I'm talking about. If I hadn't already spent the money on the Remstar humidifier, I would have saved the money and bought a passive one off eBay and used the heating pad I already had. Being a cpap newbie at the time, I figured there was something special about the dedicated one that goes with your particular machine. What I realized was that if my cpap ever took a dump or I wanted to change to a different unit I would have to get a new humidifier.

Now, have I actually used a passive unit on a heating pad, no but I would not hesitate doing it. (My disclaimer just in case you blow your house up.)

This is the heating pad I would probably get. It's cheap and it DOES NOT have automatic shutoff:
Heating Pad

Or a general "heating pad" search.