Quattro FX face mask ?

[Posey]

I swear I ran into a door! My face feels bruised from eye to mouth. I figured I need to tighten the mask up pretty snug but now wonder if I overdid it I also have a stiff/painful neck
1.Would a product like pad-a-cheek make this better? How do I tell if I have it loose/tight enough?

I haven't downloaded the SD card but the readout on top of the unit says "no major leaks" for the 3 nights I've used it.
Every night- sort of in the middle- it starts blowing like a hurricane. I thought it was a leak but now think it is coming out of the vent. I assume that has to do with my needing to keep the airway open.
2. Does that sound right?

Last issue:
3. What do I do when I need to cough, swallow, burp, etc.? The 1st night I swallowed and made my ear pop- very painful. Now I am scared to do any of this.

Other than the above I am doing fairly well. The machine is quiet so that DH has no problems with it.

[RippersVF2]

I just started CPAP and I've been using a Quattro FX for a week and have had no issues. Sounds like you just have it too tight. I put mine on so it was just tight enough to not leak just sitting, then I would lay down and move around a little and adjust as needed. No lines on my face in the morning.

[Pugsy]

Probably over tight on the mask.
See if anything here helps. Different mask but the principle is the same.
http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/taming ... e-quattro/

[Jay Aitchsee]

Posey, I agree it sounds as if your mask is too tight. Ideally, the mask will just "float" on your face with no leaks. It takes some time to learn to adjust it just so. See Resmed.com for a video on fitting the mask. http://www.resmed.com/us/products/quatt ... s&sec=true
Sometimes, the cushion on the FX separates from the frame causing a leak. See this thread: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=74726&p=727199#p727199 . It could be the noise you hear. Or, it could be your machine raising the pressure (if it's an auto) to deal with your apneas.
You should be able to swallow, etc. without a problem. I've never experience any ear popping but it has been reported before. I don't think you should be afraid that it's going to continue.
Lots of people do benefit from the liners, but I think you need to work on that mask fitting first.

Jay

[sleeptimeinNY]

I have used it for about six months. Sounds like you have it too tight. A liner from pad-a-cheek helps alot. It's nice and soft against your face and it washes and dries well. You might want to look into getting one. That said, a lot of mornings I have marks on my face ( , but it goes along with the joy of being a cpapper!
You will definitely feel the air out of the vent.
I just cough and burp right into the mask ! But if you had it too tight, maybe that's why your ears popped.
the nice thing about the quattro is the easy release of the straps to take it off. In fact, once I got my straps adjusted, I haven't touched them again.
I do struggle with the leaks but my AHI numbers have been good. Since I'm used to the mask, I move around a lot more.

Good luck with your journey.

Ruth

[lazer]

Ruh-Roh Shaggy... I just chose this one as my FFM today when being issued my official insurance covered equipment at the DME and after mentioning mouth-breathing problems with the nasal pillows and masks and my intolerance of chinstraps was given the choice of several FFMs. I was fitted with the machine on my starting pressure at the DME. Wasn't laying down but rather standing. She was able to lightly snug up the straps and things seemed set to go. I guess I will find out tonight in the "real world - in bed" experience if things are right or not. I sure hope I don't experience what you did.

[Posey]

Thanks to everyone for the ideas. I will loosen a bit & also order a pad a cheek & a hose cozy. The air coming in feels bit chilly to me. This is Texas and we get cold if it is <85F.
I got some rose oil today to put on a cotton ball behind the filter. I love the fragrance and hope it smells better than "eau de shower curtain".
So much to learn. I have an SD card reader in hand so next project to get up speed on Encore. The front display on my unit says AHI is 3.3 for 7 days and also 30 days. I hope that is good.

[Pugsy]

The air coming in feels bit chilly to me. This is Texas and we get cold if it is <85F.

The PR S1 machines have 2 different modes for humidification. The default mode is the new System One Humidification system which uses humidity sensors in the machine to help regulate the moisture level. Typically it uses less heat and less water to maintain stable humidity levels when compared to the old way which was heat only.
Unfortunately while it does a great job of keeping the moisturized air stable since it uses less heat the by product is the air coming to the face at the mask level is cooler. With wintertime and cooler bedroom temps this air can feel down right cold and uncomfortable. Last winter I called it "ice cube nose" because my nose was very cold and very uncomfortable.

The second mode that the PR S1 has for humidification is simple heat only like the the way it was done before this fancy stuff.
This mode is called the Classic mode. You can go into the clinical menu and turn off the System One Humidification mode and the machine will switch over to Classic mode. It will warm the air going to the nose better than the other mode...so it is more comfortable. Down side is with more heat...more water is used and there is a greater chance of rain out.

So we either can't sleep because nose is freezing or we have rain out in the hose or mask. There are ways to limit rain out though should it occur. We can use hose cozies or even buy our own stand alone heated hose if rain out is a problem.

This pertains to the 50 series of machines. The new 60 series of machines with the heated hose feature shouldn't give a person ice cube nose with the new System One Humidification way of adding moisture.

[dfennewald]

Sounds like you have your mask too tight and it will actually leak more when you do, there seems to be a sweet spot. The video talks about the right facial position and it took me awhile to intuitively find it. I probably wear mine a bit on the loose side and sometimes the hose will lift the opposite side of the mask. You also need to make sure your skin is clean and oil free. If your machine has a humidifier setting which is too high you get moisture under the seal, normally a few hours into a good sleep

http://www.resmed.com/us/products/quatt ... s&sec=true

[chunkyfrog]

At this point, a mask liner absorbs excess perspiration or breath condensation,
sealing leaks and silencing squeaks.
They also feel warmer, too.