Any experience with Respironics ComfortGel mask?

Claerwen · Post by **Claerwen** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:03 am

It's unfortunate that taking control of your own treatment is more expensive for the patient even as it is cheaper AND BETTER overall.

So, continue to pursue with vigilence your effort to understand your own condition.

I'll get to the mask thing in a second, but before that let me talk about machines. If you can, figure out a way to get an APAP with smart card and a smart card reader. Over time you can adjust your settings to the optimal for your situation. Much better than relying on one night of titration undertaken in an unfamiliar setting with equipment that you've never worn before.

As for the mask, I wish there were a better, cheaper way to find the best other than trial-and-error. If there is, I haven't found it. The best mask is different for everyone. I'm on my third mask and it's the best so far. I think with experience you'll get a feel for mask design and understand which features are most important to you.

And when you get a new mask, the smart card features will let you see what, if any, difference it makes in your sleep (of course, the most important indication is how you feel the next day!)

Stick with the treatment. Adjustment can take a while for some people. You may have to modify some of your pre-sleep routine. But once you get through it, you'll wonder how you lived without it.

editrix · Post by **editrix** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 7:52 pm

[quote="Claerwen"]If you can, figure out a way to get an APAP with smart card and a smart card reader. Over time you can adjust your settings to the optimal for your situation. Much better than relying on one night of titration undertaken in an unfamiliar setting with equipment that you've never worn before. . . .

And when you get a new mask, the smart card features will let you see what, if any, difference it makes in your sleep (of course, the most important indication is how you feel the next day!)

Patrick A · Post by **Patrick A** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:56 pm

I have one of these masks along with three others. I am currently using a Comfort classic.
I like it but I am waiting for my Comfort 2 to show up. I like the mask you have but it seems to be louder than the one I am using.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 4:49 am

Editrix, welcome to the board. Sounds like you're going to be very pro-active in your own treatment. That's great! And is just about the only way to make it work!

Good advice from everyone in this thread.

Here's some more reading material for those sleepless nights.

Mile High Sleeper's great information resource for cpap users.

LINKS to MASKS - nasal mask, nasal pillows, nasal prongs

LINKS to Hose hangers and methods of managing the air hose

tiredintexas · Post by **tiredintexas** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 11:12 am

I too like to read or look at tv before falling asleep with my machine already hooked up and ramping up before falling asleep. I use the Ultra Mirage Full Face Mask which allows me to wear my glasses. Yes, I sound like Darth Vader when I have to talk, but I have found this mask to be the best for me since beginning using cpap in May, 2006. I started with the Swift Nasal Pillows and began to mouth breath and the chin strap wasn't working very well. I switched to this mask in July and have had no problems since then. Good Luck. I've noticed on this forum that the ladies tend to have problems using the Hybrid.

WillCunningham · Post by **WillCunningham** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 11:30 am

I started with a ComfortGel mask and while I managed to make it work, I did have many problems. I had huge leak problems that got worse over time and required overtightening the mask to the point that it eventually cracks the forhead part or where the straps connect on the bottom. The fragility of the mask and how the cushion looses it's elasticity over time really caused me many hassles. I ended up with an Activa mask which I am VERY happy with so far. In my case there is no comparision between it and the ComfortGel.

I got lucky and had some real luck with my DME. I highly recomend trying to get your Durable Medical Equipment provider to give you some options. If you can try on a variety of masks at their office you can save TONS of money on masks that might not fit well. I appear to have gotten lucky to find a DME that provides that level of service. It would probably be worth the hassle to call around to all the DME's in your area and ask them if they will let you try on masks to find a good fit. I almost picked up a few of the nasal pillow masks and if they had gotten home I would have discovered that the headgear doesn't fit my head very well. Good Luck in your search.

Larry · Post by **Larry** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 11:33 am

Editrix, watch out for unsubstantiated generalizations like the one offered by College Girl. I now have over 18 different masks and have modified masks and combined parts from different masks to generate even more variations. When I absolutely need a good night's sleep I still use the first mask I ever owned, a Comfort Classic. I have two new Comfort Classics in the drawer, but can't seem to wear out the first one. If you check the sales figures available on the web, I think you will find that the Comfort Classic has been and still is the top selling mask. I suspect you don't hear from Comfort users more often because they take a barrage of abuse everytime they mention that mask. I once defended the Comfort Classic and issued an open challenge for anyone to compare their mask with the Comfort Classic on any set of objective criteria they chose. The people responding to my post questioned my integrity, intelligence, langauge skills and motives, but never accepted the challenge.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 2:30 pm

cflame1 wrote:The Hybrid will let you wear your glasses with it on.

Interesting. I will add that to my list to ask about.

grayson · Post by **grayson** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 2:33 pm

One of the questions you asked in your posts was how long it took other persons to adjust to the Comfort Gel. I had a very similar "adjustment" period to yours while trying to adjust to a mask other than a Comfort Gel.

I'm not sure the names of the masks matter as we each have individual tastes and tolerances. I lived with the illusion that if I just stuck with it for another 5 months after already investing 5 months in the "adjustment" process then I would eventually be sleeping all night rather than constantly waking up to either leak noises or having to adjust the headgear one more time.

Fortunately for me I discovered cpaptalk.com before I spent yet another month trying to "adjust". I read nearly every page in this forum and took my best shot at finding masks that potentially would be better for me. I realized that I might waste money on wrong sizes or choices. However, if we are honest with ourselves we'd all have to admit that most of us have wasted at least an equivalent amount of cash in much more foolish things than personal medical supplies.

When I started using my new masks I couldn't believe that I could have been so foolish as to believe that I would ever have "adjusted" to my first mask. It simply was never going to happen. I was going to keep on waking up 10 times a night to leaks and headgear adjustments until I finally got the message that this just wasn't working out and no amount of endurance was going to change that.

I feel for you because all of us know what it's like to walk through life like one of the living dead. I used to climb into bed knowing that I was in for a battle and hoping against hope that this night would be different. Never happened. Not once.

My advise is to deny yourself some other indulgence and spend the money on a new mask. If your car broke down tomorrow and you wound up with a $500 repair bill you'd just pay it one way or the other because you simply had to. Your peace of mind and physical well being have to be worth more than your car. What would you actually give to sleep through a whole night and wake up feeling refreshed?

We'd all feel better about laying out our cash only for a sure thing, a mask that guarantees we'll sleep all night without awakening etc. Not in this lifetime dear friend. A guarantee like that isn't ever going to come your way.

Every one of us feels your pain and frustration. Don't keep punishing yourself with sleepless night after sleepless night. Read all the mask reviews in this forum then put your money on the table and place your bet. I'm not sure there's really anything else you can do.

Best to you.

Grayson

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): Awakening

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): Awakening

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 3:44 pm

cflame1 wrote:The Hybrid will let you wear your glasses with it on.

Thanks for mentioning this, as I couldn't tell from the pictures alone. I can see I have a bunch of options to check out during this trial-and-error period.

Mary

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 3:48 pm

Goofproof wrote: . . . But for you if you don't tape, you are doomed to failure, chin straps most often don't work. If you can't hold in the air you don't get treatment. A FF Mask will at least get you treatment.

XPAP treatment works best if you use it when you are ready to sleep, T.V. and Crosswords are better done before using XPAP. The last thing you need to sleep is something to keep your mind active. Jim

Thanks, Jim. I'm still not sure how comfortable I am with the idea of taping, but I'm thinking about it and reading the posts about it. You're right, of course, that chin straps slip -- especially the "universal" one I'm trying now. It seems to keep my mouth shut almost all of the time, but it's a pain to keep adjusting (along with everything else) in the middle of the night!

Mary

editrix · Post by **editrix** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 3:57 pm

path2others wrote:The only way I can get the Comfort Gel not to leak was to tighten the straps to the point of leaving pressure marks on my face. I find the Swift Nasal pillow much more comfortable. I am going to try the Hybrid as soon as I can get Medicare to pay for it. I hope you can find a comfortable "fit" soon and can start making up for all of that lost sleep. Don

Thanks for your good wishes, Don! The support on this board is just amazing!

I sometimes have the pressure marks, and the bridge of my nose is slightly tender. I'm going to eventually try some other masks for comparison, either when my insurance will pay for a replacement or I can simply afford to buy another type.

Mary

cflame1 · Post by **cflame1** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 3:59 pm

If what you're having is strap marks... pm padacheek and ask her what she's got that can help.

rustynail · Post by **rustynail** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 4:36 pm

Hi! It is not easy no matter which mask one tries.... it just isn't any fun or comfortable or sexy or..... I have found that the best 'help' for me, regardless of which of my masks (or the 'no-mask') i switch to, is using the breastfeeding pillow I bought towards the end of my pregnancy (he's 7 now!). Because of it's properties (all those little styrofoam balls) it can be pushed in here and there supporting my face and not pushing on the mask or my hose thus allowing me even to be able to sleep on my tummy now and then. (It is also just good for cuddling up along). Perhaps someone you know could let you play with one for half an hour or so to see what you think before you purchasing one..... I take my pillow everywhere I travel to. Hope this may be of some help.

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 4:51 pm

any mask with the word "comfort" in it I've found to be garbage (although I just ordered a Comfort2 FF to try).

If you are mouth breathing, you will need a Full Face mask or tape to stop the pressure from escaping from the mouth.

Falling asleep:
Try and write down all the things that annoy you no matter how small when you are trying to fall asleep. If it is noise, try some ear plugs. Don't worry so much about how long you wear the machine, if you can only wear it 1hr a night so be it. If you use it 2hrs then that is fine also.

These machines get more noisy the higher the pressure is. If yours is a cpap, try and set up and use a ramp so it delivers low pressure for the first 30-minutes to allow you more easily to sleep. The lower pressure would be easier to tolerate and machine will be quieter. Consider a sleep supplement to help you get to and stay a sleep. I suggest up to 3mg of melatonin (available at GNC and other stores, even Costco has it in the Schiff brand). Take it 30-minutes before bed.

If your doctor doesn't have a copy of your sleep study, call the sleep lab where you had it done and request a copy be mailed to you. You have a legal right to any medical test results if said results have already been delivered to you by a licensed doctor. You WILL need that study for future reference. If your study was a split-night, it should include both parts (diagnostic and titration). You paid a lot of money for that study, you should have a copy of the results.

Any experience with Respironics ComfortGel mask?

Perverse incentive systems

Re: Perverse incentive systems

mask to use with glasses

Adjusting to Comfort Gel Mask

Machine