Already at a Breaking Point with Leaky Masks...haven't slept in 2.5 weeks

[lsalms]

Hello,

Well, I am so glad to have found this forum. AHI is 49. My prescription is 9-17, but CPAP Specialist said my average has been 16 since I started treatment.

Been on the CPAP for about 2.5 weeks and I've already cycled through 3 masks and I am miserable!! I'm going on vacation next week, and I really really need to find a mask before I go away for a week. I don't want to ruin my husband's sleep.

I first got fitted for the Resmed AirFit F40 mask.I go to bed with a great seal, however I am waking up with air constantly blowing around my mouth. It's not a huge leak, but the cool air is enough to wake me up. I can tell the pressure is much higher, cause of the amount of air coming in my mask, as well as how much more it inflates the silicone mask.

I then moved to Nasal Pillows cause I thought the smaller the surface area of the mask, the less likely to leak....well nasal pillows gave me an anxiety attack. I'm a mouth breather, so I taped my mouth hoping with the nasal pillows and really really did not enjoy that.

Now on to the 3rd mask - My husband has sleep apnea so I borrowed his Resmed F10 - beast of a mask. At low pressures, this thing was great. However, waking up to the mask blowing into my eyes, even with tightening the straps.

The same thing keeps happening with all 3 masks - as soon as the pressure gets high, the leaks start. And I wake up. I really need help! I would appreciate any insight.

[ozij]

Look for Resmed's mask fitting videos.
Run the "mask fit" option, it lets you fit the mask at the highest pressure
Make sure you do the fitting when you're lying down.
Be patient, some of us went through many before they found the right. And yet, its tough, and ever thougher then your maximum pressure is 17
Some people find mask liners helpful in controlling leaks.

[ejbpesca]

Running the Mask Fit test and getting the headgear and straps is essential to start a low leak sleep session but leaks can occur at any time due to movement.

Leak Rate, and Large Leaks are a fact of my therapy due to moving during sleep. After my F40 moves just a bit during sleep it no longer would pass the Mask Fit test, and it leaks but that's okay for my PAP therapy but not okay if the air blows to my face/eyes and wakes me.

The first couple of weeks using a new F40 cushion go well with few leaks, but in the second half of the month it begins to leak more. I have to tighten straps more and more as the cushion degrades. Once a new cushion is installed on the 1st of the month I can loosen straps and again have near zero leaks.

Something I use to prevent leaks from blowing air to my face is a liner. The liner I use is difficult to install and will not stay attached at the top but still works. Even though it is loose (glue tabs will not stick to silicone) the strap pressure of the headgear keeps the liner in place. I use Snugz so far but will be seeking out better ones that are hopefully made for the F40 if they become available. Snugz is a one-fits-all mask liner for hybrids which equals one-size-fits-none. It is nice to have something besides silicone to the face for change.

[Pugsy]

Something I use to prevent leaks from blowing air to my face is a liner. The liner I use is difficult to install and will not stay attached at the top but still works. Even though it is loose (glue tabs will not stick to silicone) the strap pressure of the headgear keeps the liner in place. I use Snugz so far but will be seeking out better ones that are hopefully made for the F40 if they become available. Snugz is a one-fits-all mask liner for hybrids which equals one-size-fits-none. It is nice to have something besides silicone to the face for change.

https://www.padacheek.com/airfit-f40

Have you seen the Padacheek liner? It is made especially for the F40 and isn't trying to be a one size fits all like the SnugZ.

[amenite]

I'm just gonna throw this out there because I gave up the leak battle with full face masks, I did not find one that would not leak around bridge of my nose causing dry eye all the time. Nasal mask, hybrid masks and pillows - with even minor congestion I don't seem to have large enough sinuses to handle the air volume hence they did not work great either.

I even tried a total face mask. It worked OK but not immune to leaks either (I kept it in case of major dental work or something )

My solution was the F&P Oracle 452. I do gently tape my nostrils shut to use it. They tell you you can kind of train yourself to not nose breathe, like when you use a neti pot and close off your sinuses, but I never got the hang of it hence the taping. 3M Micropore Brown for the tape. My average leak rate last 30 days is 2.30. For the last year it's 4.86. Last night it was 0.00.

https://www.cpap.com/search?q=oracle&op ... pe=product

[Alliefiona]

I had leaky masks trashing my eyes for the first two years I wore a CPAP too. Then I started wearing a nightcap over the upper part of my face, right on top of the headgear. It worked as a light-shield and put just enough pressure on my mask to keep it in perfect contact with my skin. No more eye problems! More comfortable than a traditional eye mask. The light stretchy material doesn't make me feel hot when the weather is warm, so I can wear one all year around. Now, I admit it looks ridiculous to my sleeping partner, but who cares? I swap out and wash my sleepy-hats every couple weeks or so to keep them fresh, easy peasy. Look up "night headwear" or "chemo hats" on Amazon and you can find them for pretty cheap. I got several 3-packs for $9 a pack and gave them away as Christmas presents a couple of years ago.

addendum: I wear the very soft Resmed "Mirage FX For Her" nose mask nowadays, made of a thin plastic pillowy material. Any other plastic makes my sinuses shut tight immediately. I trained myself to not mouth-breath (slept on side with soft pillow under the chin for a couple weeks) as I learned that mouth breathing is bad for your teeth. In my case, dental bills _did_ get reduced dramatically over the last 10 years. I keep a full face mask as backup for times I have the flu and can't breathe thru my nose. If you have allergies, nose breathing might not be an option, but if you don't, give the Mirage FX a try.

[Respirator99]

A simple hack I use to minimise leaks around the nose and eyes is to make a simple liner - either fabric or tissues. Fold the fabric / tissue until you have a strip ~20mm wide by 100 - 150mm long. Drape this over the bridge of your nose and apply the mask, so that the mask cushion holds the liner in place. It works pretty well with conventional full face masks like the Resmed F20.

[ejbpesca]

https://www.padacheek.com/airfit-f40

Have you seen the Padacheek liner? It is made especially for the F40 and isn't trying to be a one size fits all like the SnugZ.

Yes, I have seen the slick-looking Pad A Cheek that looks superior to what I have been using. I have a message to them to ask the question, "How much of a Leak Rate increase does the Pad A Cheek liner cause?" The Silent Night hits < 24/L on my F40. Snugz for F20 is worse. Does not therapy lose much of its efficacy past 24/L leak rate? Does for me.