Mask Help

[jenn52]

Hi! I've been using a CPAP for about 2 and a half years now. I use the Flexifit 407 nasal mask. I've used this one since the beginning and it just doesn't seem to be right anymore but I have no idea which direction to go. Early on, I had tried nasal pillows but those didn't work at all for me and I think I tried the quatro for women and I didn't like that either, so back to the flexifit. I have a red sore across the bridge of my nose and I keep keeping little sores just inside my nostrils. In the last 8 months I have lost 50+ pounds so I don't know if that's affected the mask's fit. I just honestly don't know how to go about getting one. I HATE my dme supplier. I HATE every dme supplier (I've had two anyway). I feel so ridiculous as a mid 30s female going in to talk to a 19 year kid about this. They are all 19 year old kids. And trying them on in a conference room without laying down, etc, etc... really doesn't help in figuring out if they work or not. I mean mine now feels like when I go to bed but obviously has some issue if I now have a permanent red mark across my nose. They will send whatever I ask for next time I am due for a new mask, but what should I ask for? No, I don't want my mask daily like I did in the beginning, it became one of those things that I just don't have time for and by the time I remember I'm already falling into bed. Every few days it gets washed. Not sure if that makes any difference. I also don't use a humidifier because I already live in a humid place and I feel like the nose sores get worse when I use it.

Any suggestions?

[chunkyfrog]

Welcome, jenn52.
Several issues I would like to address:
1) I could not have used nasal pillows 'right out of the gate'.
Four months later, it was all I wanted to wear. --Tastes may change with experience.
2) How often do you get a new cushion? They can have a short life.
3) Lansinoh (nipple ointment) may help with the sores. (lanolin is gentle to silicone--even better for skin)
4) Have you ever used a mask liner? Rem-zzz's or Pad-a-Cheek can help a lot.
5) losing 50# may have changed your pressure requirement--or even your mask fit.
--Will your insurance cover a new sleep study?--. (Some- uninsureds- skip this by using an APAP.)

[archangle]

Welcome to the board.

Please fill in your equipment on your profile and we can help you better. There's a link in my signature line.

Do you know what your pressure settings are?