Newbie

[DreamDiver]

I'm trying to get appointment with Respiratory Therapist that set up equipment to discuss mask and pressure. She gave me the full mask because the others she had had magnet clips and I have a pacemaker...she was leary of having magnets close to it. I have since had an appointment with my electo-cardiologist and he says no problem...just don't put it on top of the pacemaker. I've also read the 2" or more is safe. This is a new pacemaker that I can go through MRIs with.

Welcome! It's good to have an auto!

A lot of people on here are advocates of nasal masks. They are excellent for many users, but not everyone can manage them. It's worth knowing your options. The mask you have is labeled as a full-face mask, but it's actually a hybrid between a full face and a nasal mask. It fits over the nares rather than over the bridge of the nose. It's generally considered a great compromise because most people don't want something over the the bridge of the nose. It combats mouth leak and allows you to wear glasses to read before you go to sleep, perhaps. However, if the F30i is digging too harshly into your nose -- so much so that it hurts -- an over-the-nose-bridge traditional full-face mask may be a better option. Full-face is the only way for me. It may be an option for you.

Is the pain you're experiencing mostly around the nose? If so, it may be worth trying a full-face mask that goes over the bridge of your nose. And while some do have magnets, if your cardiologist says it's okay, it may be worth trying out the Airsense F20. If you want to steer clear of of magnets, consider the Simplus Full-Face by Fischer & Paykel.

It looks like you're well on your way to better sleep!

[gwfl]

Thank you. Originally I had the ResMed AirFit F10 FFM, that's the one that hurt the bridge of my nose. The F30i was a pleasant alternative that doesn't hurt but I'm finding it sensitive to leaking as I toss and turn through the night. I'm also a mouth breather so a strictly nasal mask won't work.

[DreamDiver]

Thank you. Originally I had the ResMed AirFit F10 FFM, that's the one that hurt the bridge of my nose. The F30i was a pleasant alternative that doesn't hurt but I'm finding it sensitive to leaking as I toss and turn through the night. I'm also a mouth breather so a strictly nasal mask won't work.

I've been through quite a few full-face versions of masks myself, so I totally understand about the nose-bridge thing. It may take trying a variety of masks before you find the one that fits right for your circumstances. But no worries, as things get better under control, you'll have that option.

There's one other addition to your gear that may help. I use a papcap under my mask gear. It generally reduces torque and sliding of my mask at night when I twist my head or turn, and has the added benefit of reducing chipmunk cheeks.

It might be useful for reducing large leak for you too!

Chris

[gwfl]

Managing to get my AHI down. 4.0cm is my best thus far but then as usual when I go low it starts to creep back up the next few days. My last graph shows me up at 9.07 AHI. What's interesting is that just after 4:30 am when I removed my mask because of leaking and frustration and shut down and then later decided to try again my AHI goes extremely low and everything looks really good. What's happening? I think its the mask but not sure.

Note: 4.0 is the first day and 9.07 is the third day after (last night)...couldn't get them aligned in order.


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[DreamDiver]

Your 95% pressure hovers right around 16cm, your current max. Barring aerophagia, if this were mine, I'd consider raising the max setting to see where it will go. That said, your AHI and readings are sort of a moving target. Any chance you could just stay with these settings a bit and see what shakes out of the tree?

Chris

[paultn]

Hello,

I am still a newbie as well but thought I would share what I found with masks. I had a similar issue with full face masks hurting my nose bridge.
I went through about 10 masks and finally found the Fisher and Paykel Vitera. This is a great Full Face solution solution and did not put the same pressure on my nose bridge. As well with the full headgear it is quite stable when tossing and turning.

Good luck, your in a great place for advise.

[DreamDiver]

Hello,

I am still a newbie as well but thought I would share what I found with masks. I had a similar issue with full face masks hurting my nose bridge.
I went through about 10 masks and finally found the Fisher and Paykel Vitera. This is a great Full Face solution solution and did not put the same pressure on my nose bridge. As well with the full headgear it is quite stable when tossing and turning.

Good luck, your in a great place for advise.

I'm not familiar with the Vitera personally, but I've heard really good things about it too. Similar with F&P's Simplus FF.

[Okie bipap]

The 95% pressure does not really mean a whole lot. It simply means you were at OR BELOW that pressure for 95% of the time. However, it is showing you are bumping up against your upper limit part of the time. I would recommend two changes: Raise your minimum pressure to 10 and your maximum pressure to 20. Your pressure may never reach the 20, but the machine will be able to do so if it needs to. Right now, it looks like you are spending the majority of your time around 10 or slightly higher, so why not change your minimum pressure to ten?

[gwfl]

Best night yet! A lot of RERA's showing. Seems like I'm always semi consciously adjusting my mask throughout the night to reduce leakage. Could this result in the increase of RERAs?


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[palerider]

Best night yet! A lot of RERA's showing. Seems like I'm always semi consciously adjusting my mask throughout the night to reduce leakage. Could this result in the increase of RERAs?


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RERAs are mainly a guess but the machine, where there's evidence of labored breathing and then recovery breaths. It's possible that that might coincide with being asked up enough to wake you enough to want to fiddle with the mask.

However, in that case, the RERAs aren't caused by your waking up to adjust the mask, rather, your being awake to adjust the mask is a result of the Respiratory Effort Related Arousal.

If leaks bother you a lot, have you looked into mask liners?

[gwfl]

Not sure if there's a liner for my mask, I tried adapting one but that failed quickly. I'm going to eventually try the Fisher & Paykel Vitero that I've heard good things about and I think would be less prone to leaking when side sleeping.