Leak issues with the Airfit P10

[WindyCityEsq]

The nasal pillows start off with a great seal during my ramp stage, but after a while, once it works its way up to 19 pressures, it starts leaking off the sides and bottom. Been doing this for about a week now. I do use a bit of Ayr nasal gel in my nose and outside my outer nostril rims every night, which is supposed to help w/the seal, but it has not prevented the leaks in my experience. My leak numbers have significantly increased per Sleepyhead, but I’m not sure what is due to my mouth leaks (I had some chinstrap problems so I discontinued chinstrap use while I wait on a 2 new chin straps to arrive in the mail) or what is due to the mask leaks.

I notice that if I lift up the bottom of the mask upward, so that the bottom is about ½ inch off of my upper lip, the the pillows seal again, however, once I rest them back down, the leaks resume. But I obviously can’t fall asleep with one hand propping up my mask.

Does anyone else have this issue? Is there something I can do to alter the fit? I was thinking of rolling up a tiny swatch of fleece under the mask to see if that will prop it up, however, I’m not sure how I would adhere it to my mask in such a way that will allow me the freedom to still detach and clean the pillows.

Any advice/suggestions/recommendations are much appreciated, thank you!

[djhall]

I don't have a P10 (yet), but I watched a couple fitting and review videos yesterday. Unless I'm mistaken, the only adjustment the P10 has is the split strap in the back to allow the upper half and lower half to be spread apart. What caught my attention was a couple people who said they had issues until they got over the idea of just spreading the straps a little bit and started getting a little crazy. One person said the fit was perfect for them once they brought the top half of the strap all the way froward to their bang line. Basically, they wore the top half of their strap all they way up on their forehead. Apparently, that was the solution for them, so I figured I'd pass that on in case getting a little crazy with the strap positions might help you too.

[WindyCityEsq]

Interesting. The straps are def too loose for me, but I'm currently tying the excess with a rubber band until my hubby sews them for me. Before he alters it, I will try this and see if that works. Couldn't hurt! My main issue w/this thread topic is the position of the pillows- the bottom part needs to be elevated and propped up for me. Thanks!

[Loreena]

I switched from medium to large pillows last night--Huge difference. Much better, no leaking at all.

[WindyCityEsq]

Loreena, what are your max settings? And are you at auto or continuous CPAP? Asking bc I think that may make a difference when we're dealing w/pillows.

[squid13]

Go to Walmart and in the baby section get some Lansinoh and put a little bit around your nostril edges. Lansinoh is pure lanolin and nursing mothers use it on their nipples when breast feeding. This is what most people use here on the forum.

[Davedbd6]

Go to Walmart and in the baby section get some Lansinoh and put a little bit around your nostril edges. Lansinoh is pure lanolin and nursing mothers use it on their nipples when breast feeding. This is what most people use here on the forum.

This worked for me!!!

[Ladyflower]

I've been using the AirFit p10 for a few weeks now. I started off with the small pillows and rotated between the small and medium to see if one worked better. I'm kind of an in between size so both will work for me. The last few days I've been using the medium size comfortably so I think that's where I'll leave it for now. The position of the straps definitely will affect the seal on the nasal pillows. Since I had trouble with the straps sliding on the back of my head, I started putting the bottom strap under my hair so it's basically down to the top of my neck. I adjust the top strap to tighten/loosen and position the pillows. There is a big difference on how the pillows sit in my nose based on where I have the straps positioned. Try playing around with the strap placement to see if it helps angle the pillow in your nose better. It usually takes me a few minutes of fiddling before I get everything just right.

Oh, and editing to say that I use an ASV so I sometimes get some crazy high pressures. Sleepyhead does show more leaks during those high pressures, but it's to be expected. Generally I don't have a leak problem, even with my normal higher pressures.

[sleeplessinaz]

This is one of the reasons I am not buying the Airfit P10. The straps are not adjustable and one size does Not fit ALL. I knew this was going to happen once everyone started buying it and saying how great it is. Those straps are going to stretch over time and then it's too loose. You shouldn't have to sew anything or fix it when you paid good money for the mask. The manufacturer should have known better,

[robysue]

Interesting. The straps are def too loose for me, but I'm currently tying the excess with a rubber band until my hubby sews them for me.

Was this when the mask was brand new? Or did the headgear stretch??? I've only worn my P10 for a couple of days, but my problem is that even with my very small head, the headgear is almost uncomfortably too tight in the sense that it creates piggy nose problems. Moving the straps around does help (some) with the piggy nose.

If the headgear stretches too much with wear, the owner's manual suggests hand washing it in warm water. It says that the headgear should shrink back to its original size.

My main issue w/this thread topic is the position of the pillows- the bottom part needs to be elevated and propped up for me. Thanks!

Trying to understand the problem more clearly: Are you saying the angle the pillows rests against the nostrils needs to be changed so that they are less "vertical"???

[grybeard77]

So far I love my P10, but it has a peculiarity (sic) that is most curious. My first P10 I received had 2 small pillows and one large, I figured I needed the large so used it with out concern. This P10 caused a small sore in my right nostril to develop that was not enough to quit using it. Recently bought another P10 and it had all 3 size pillows. It came with the medium size already fitted so I thought I would give it a try, It cured the irritation in my right nostril, but I have started a small sore in my left nostril to show up. GO FIGURE...

[WindyCityEsq]

Trying to understand the problem more clearly: Are you saying the angle the pillows rests against the nostrils needs to be changed so that they are less "vertical"???

I feel ya, it's a really hard thing to explain. One of those things that would be helpful to demonstrate in person or over video to get the full idea of what I'm saying.

I'll try again. So currently, when I lay sleeping on my back, the nasal pillows are fitted under my nostrils, and the bottom part of the mask lays against my upper lip, w/the tube running down my chest.

In order to get a good seal at 19 pressure, I have to lift up the bottom of the mask so that the bottom portion is not laying against my face. So that it's raised up. For some reason, when I lift it at that angle, I don't feel/hear any more leaks.

re: your straps being too tight. Not sure what to say, I guess our heads are just different sizes. My mask is very new (i.e. 2-3 weeks old), and it was extremely loose from day 1. Yes, I've tried soaking it in warm water and letting it air dry to tighten things up. That doesn't provide a meaningful change. I need a good portion of the strap removed/tightened. I've tried separating the straps in all sort of which ways, without success.

Currently, I'm using medium pillows. I'll try the smalls and the larges one night to see if that changes anything.

And to the person who posted re: sores on the side of nostril. I FEEL YOU. I thought mine might be some sort of blemish that hurt, but it didn't really look like a pimple-- just a red area on the nostril that was sore to touch. If you're experiencing the same thing, I bet its from the pillows, though I"m not sure what specifically is the cause.

[squid13]

Lansinoh is also good healing for those sore noses plus good at stopping leaks.

[Scootergirl]

The nasal pillows start off with a great seal during my ramp stage, but after a while, once it works its way up to 19 pressures, it starts leaking off the sides and bottom. Been doing this for about a week now. I do use a bit of Ayr nasal gel in my nose and outside my outer nostril rims every night, which is supposed to help w/the seal, but it has not prevented the leaks in my experience. My leak numbers have significantly increased per Sleepyhead, but I’m not sure what is due to my mouth leaks (I had some chinstrap problems so I discontinued chinstrap use while I wait on a 2 new chin straps to arrive in the mail) or what is due to the mask leaks.

I notice that if I lift up the bottom of the mask upward, so that the bottom is about ½ inch off of my upper lip, the the pillows seal again, however, once I rest them back down, the leaks resume. But I obviously can’t fall asleep with one hand propping up my mask.

Does anyone else have this issue? Is there something I can do to alter the fit? I was thinking of rolling up a tiny swatch of fleece under the mask to see if that will prop it up, however, I’m not sure how I would adhere it to my mask in such a way that will allow me the freedom to still detach and clean the pillows.

Any advice/suggestions/recommendations are much appreciated, thank you!

Definitely try different angles/positions of those straps - I wear mine with one strap midway on the back of my head and the other on the top of my head and that seems to bring the pillows up to my nose, with the mask off my lip. As far as it being loose, sorry to hear that - while I think this is a great mask, I do think they should make small, medium and large headgear. Mine is perfect for my head but not everyone has the same size head. I think having something stretchy did cover a lot of people in that "one size fits all" category. That being said - it's a great mask and I think you will find that those of us who have actually tried it, have good feedback on it. I hope to see better incarnations of it down the road, as REsmed gets USER feedback. Of course you shouldn't have to modify your own headgear, but if you like it, and you're willing to make a few simple modifications, why not? I wonder if the Airfit for her has a smaller size headgear? Good luck - I hope you find that perfect fit for you.

[Scootergirl]

This is one of the reasons I am not buying the Airfit P10. The straps are not adjustable and one size does Not fit ALL. I knew this was going to happen once everyone started buying it and saying how great it is. Those straps are going to stretch over time and then it's too loose. You shouldn't have to sew anything or fix it when you paid good money for the mask. The manufacturer should have known better,

Just to clarify - the headgear does stretch but regains it's original shape with a quick wash in warm water. It's a great mask - that's why people are saying how great it is. I could be wrong, but more people are happy with it than not.