finally got a mask to not leak, BUT i have red lines down my

[cindyh]

cheeks for hours, literally.. it is the ultra mirage ff mask, and the leak rates are great.. but i cant keep looking this way, so i dont know what to do. The red lines are really terrible, makeup wont cover them even and i dont normally wear makeup.. It is from the hard plastic, and even loosened, still leaves the marks.. any ideas other than trying more masks:

I have tried so far..
Swift
F&P 407
F&P 431

all leaked badly, the nice dme now wanted me to try the liberty or activa with a chinstrap.. no harm in trying she said. I just like to be able to sleep and not leak.. if i didnt turn the side of my head into the pillow it would be so much easier

[Wulfman...]

cheeks for hours, literally.. it is the ultra mirage ff mask, and the leak rates are great.. but i cant keep looking this way, so i dont know what to do. The red lines are really terrible, makeup wont cover them even and i dont normally wear makeup.. It is from the hard plastic, and even loosened, still leaves the marks.. any ideas other than trying more masks:

I have tried so far..
Swift
F&P 407
F&P 431

all leaked badly, the nice dme now wanted me to try the liberty or activa with a chinstrap.. no harm in trying she said. I just like to be able to sleep and not leak.. if i didnt turn the side of my head into the pillow it would be so much easier

Every time I read where someone has had that type of experience with the UMFF, I have trouble understanding it.
The only thing I can come up with is that you were given the wrong size. Too small, in my imagination, would do that. Having it tightened down too tight is another thought......or a combination of both.
I can't imagine how the "hard plastic" would even be getting close to your face. Is there a cushion/seal in it?

What's your pressure?

Den

[cindyh]

Den,
its the right size, it is a medium and the large is really big on me, the fitting tool said medium, but she tried both on at the dme while hooked to a machine and the medium sealed great.. and feels good until i lay on my side ..

yes, there is a seal in mine, it is a new mask, the place where the marks are terrible is from the bridge of the nose to approximately the bottom of the nose or a little further, and it has to be from the softer plastic itself i guess, but it is from it pressing into the side there... and when i wake up it will be on both sides, not just one, but the side i slept on will be much worse. I will take a pic tomorrow maybe that will help? It seals great though, no complaints there, my leak average is 47 and my pressure is 16/8 on bipap..

[linda b]

If you can use tape or Poligrip Strips on your mouth, you might want to consider a mask like the Comfortlite 2 using the simple cushion. I've been using that for well over a year and am very happy with the seal I get. Of course, I had to do the pantyhose trick when I was using the CL2 headgear. But I've been using the "BadBreath Visor" fix for a couple of months and absolutely LOVE that alternative headgear with the CL2 hose and simple cushion. I sleep on my sides all night long and have almost no trouble with excess leakage. There are no facial marks. I do sometimes have a little indentation on the bridge of my nose if my sleeping position pushes the cushion into my face a little too much, but no red marks.

[billbolton]

I have tried so far..
Swift
F&P 407
F&P 431

all leaked badly

What flow level (pressure) are you running at?

Do you sleep on your side (as I gather you may)?, front?, back?

Advising on mask issuses is difficult without knowing what conditions apply.

Cheers,

Bill

[cindyh]

sorry to leave out the specifics..

I sleep on my side always, and i am on bipap with 16/8.. thanks

[jennmary]

I get marks on my face from the umff also. Though they are not nearly as bad as they were when I first started. After 3 months my face is used to it I guess, I dont have that big of a problem anymore. I am at a pressure of 14. I cant really offer any help, except to say that maybe this is not the mask for you. I have virtually no leaks, and my marks only happen on really bad nights now.

How long have you been using this mask? It took about 2 months for the marking to kind of mellow out for me.

[billbolton]

I sleep on my side always, and i am on bipap with 16/8..

Thanks Cindy. A Swift at 16cm H2O would definitely be a challenge for a side sleeper, IMO.... I use one at some of the time and at 14cm H2O and it took quite a while to get the set up workable.

I would have thought that either of F&P masks would be workable at 16cm H2O though! Do you have any idea where on the seals the 407 leaked?

Cheers,

Bill

[Julie]

Wondering if you've ever tried a PAP pillow, which allows space for the mask to hang away from... this would let you loosen it, because you wouldn't need to worry about losing the seal when you move. I find my UMII FF will have pop out leaks when I turn my head (and I sleep on my stomach, with the mask pressing into my face, but also in a little pit I carved out of my foam topper for it, so the pressure's not as bad as it would be otherwise).

[bdp522]

You can also contact padacheek. She is a forum member so you can PM her or go to http://www.padacheek.com and e-mail her. She made me a 'gasket' for the UMFF. it works fine and I get no marks. It raises the leak by about 4 points, but doesn't seem to affect the AHI. I seem to be allergic to the material the mask is made of and with this 'gasket' I have no marks at all.
Might be worth a try for you.

Brenda

[cindyh]

I sleep on my side always, and i am on bipap with 16/8..

Thanks Cindy. A Swift at 16cm H2O would definitely be a challenge for a side sleeper, IMO.... I use one at some of the time and at 14cm H2O and it took quite a while to get the set up workable.

I would have thought that either of F&P masks would be workable at 16cm H2O though! Do you have any idea where on the seals the 407 leaked?

Cheers,

Bill

[cindyh]

I do have a pic my daughter took this morning if it would help anyone to see it, i have never posted a pic her, so just let me know how..

[KAZ]

Cindy, I have the same mask, pressure 20, and I sleep on my side. I have tried several pillows to get the best one and I adjust the mask so that it seals, and then back off the straps(one side at the time) until I start to lose seal and then go back just a little. Perhaps that might work for you.

[cindyh]

[quote="KAZ"]Cindy, I have the same mask, pressure 20, and I sleep on my side. I have tried several pillows to get the best one and I adjust the mask so that it seals, and then back off the straps(one side at the time) until I start to lose seal and then go back just a little. Perhaps that might work for you.

[Wulfman...]

Cindy,

Was wondering if you have the "Standard" or "Shallow" cushions on your UMFF.
I've always used the "Standard", so I can't comment the differences between the two. Here's what's in the description on CPAP.COM's site.

"Shallow denotes a smaller cutout in the top of the cushion for the bridge of the nose. People with significant bridges should choose the Standard instead of the Shallow. This cushion is for full face masks only."




Den