request for advice from full face mask users

MartyR · Post by **MartyR** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 10:22 am

i use the full face mask b/c my pressure is so high.

i am a mouth breather still, and this thing is drying my mouth out worse than b/f i started the treatment. i try keeping it closed, but i dont feel i get enough air through my nose.

xyz · Post by **xyz** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 12:24 pm

riverdave wrote:
> 3. I have had to use the teflon tape fix on both of mine and
> this needs to be redone about once a month to maintain
> zero leakage from the elbow.

What is the "teflon tape fix"?

mindy · Post by **mindy** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 12:29 pm

xyz wrote: What is the "teflon tape fix"?

Try typing into google the following:

teflon tape fix site:cpaptalk.com

m

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 3:09 pm

Or, just go up to the Search function and put in the word "Teflon"......you'll get lots of threads/posts on it.

Den

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 3:13 pm

Oh.....and Sharon......my preferences run to the UMFF and Quattro, too.

And, "SIZE MATTERS", too.....

Den

sharon1965 · Post by **sharon1965** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 3:17 pm

hey den!
what took you so long?

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 3:26 pm

sharon1965 wrote:hey den!
what took you so long?

Saving the best for last......?

Den

sharon1965 · Post by **sharon1965** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 4:42 pm

ah, well played my friend

sharon1965 · Post by **sharon1965** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 4:26 pm

[quote="mindy"]
My sleep lab let me borrow the various masks they have, for about a week each. And no worry about bleccch ... they put all that stuff in that special disinfectant solution!

no, i was referring to the chin strap, which seemed a little worse for wear and not at all new when i woke up in the morning and got a good look at it...my dme gives me new masks still in the packages to try out

GumbyCT · Post by **GumbyCT** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 5:48 pm

Sleep Labs are notorious for NOT allowing their clients to sleep.

Having been thru this before and now having all the right equipment - I brought MY mask (F&P Flexifit 431) to my last PSG. Surprisingly it did NOT leak as much as I am accustomed to, I will have to look into that.

Not endorsing the 431 - only saying. Now I didn't read ALL the many posts above, so forgive me if this has been mentioned already.

The 431 is designed to help keep your mouth shut, only it doesn't work on people like me and is notorious for leaks around the chin & eyes if it doesn't fit correctly. The nice thing - it comes with ALL 3 size seals (s,m,l) in with the mask.

The 432 sposed to fix those leaks by putting a foam piece to firm up the seal. However, this fix takes up space inside the mask - so it runs a little smaller. Plus now it only comes with ONLY 1 size seal. Prob cuz now you have to change both the seal & the foam. Now I have both a M & L that don't fit me cuz my certified RT's (at my huge DME) didn't know any of this. So why did they order me a M if I wear a L - that would be another post, IF I knew.

They said I told them to - now there is a fantasy - a DME that listened? Well, If they HAD asked me, I would have told them all of the above but being the DME, well they didn't.

I am told there is now an Extra-Large 432 but no one seems to have them yet AND many dme's just don't know this.

The 431 works best if you place your chin in the mask FIRST - pulling it up over the forehead. It is a comfortable mask - just seems to have a higher leak rate.

I am limited in the masks I can use (but willing to try many more) bc of where the doc cut my head when he was looking for my brain. I can feel pressure from many of the forehead supports.

One day I hope to try the "Laura Headrest" - but right now I am at 18cm so that is not looking good. When I tried a nasal at my PSG - my sinuses clogged right up and I couldn't breath.

oh oh here's a fun one for ya - while talking with my DME about the Headrest mentioned above she told me - "if we don't carry it - it's not that they have NOT heard of them but only bc they do NOT work very well".

HTH & you find something that WILL work for you,
GumbyCT

sharon1965 · Post by **sharon1965** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 6:56 pm

[quote="GumbyCT"]Sleep Labs are notorious for NOT allowing their clients to sleep.

Having been thru this before and now having all the right equipment - I brought MY mask (F&P Flexifit 431) to my last PSG. Surprisingly it did NOT leak as much as I am accustomed to, I will have to look into that.

I am limited in the masks I can use (but willing to try many more) bc of where the doc cut my head when he was looking for my brain. I can feel pressure from many of the forehead supports.

One day I hope to try the "Laura Headrest" - but right now I am at 18cm so that is not looking good. When I tried a nasal at my PSG - my sinuses clogged right up and I couldn't breath.

oh oh here's a fun one for ya - while talking with my DME about the Headrest mentioned above she told me - "if we don't carry it - it's not that they have NOT heard of them but only bc they do NOT work very well".

HTH & you find something that WILL work for you,
GumbyCT

darthlucy · Post by **darthlucy** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 7:29 pm

431 user checking in! I really just love this mask. I wanted so much to not need a FF mask, but none of the mouth taping/Polidenting/chin strap solutions were working for me. Taping was a hassle and drool made it come loose. Polident didn't hold tight enough. Chin straps gave me massive headaches. So on to the FF masks. With the UMFF, it seemed like every time I moved any facial muscle, I'd get huge leaks. The 431/432 under-chin was instant success. As others mentioned, the insert of the 432 caused sizing issues for me and just felt too rigid. So when my insurance changed and I could order a new mask, I got the 431. It was great to be able to try both the small and the medium and know for certain that the medium was the right one for me (sizing guide said I was a small, so that was a surprise).

I flop around in my sleep like a fish, and have very few leaking issues. According to my S8, my monthly average leak rate is 0.16, and my AHI is 1.6 (all HI, no AI). I'm pretty happy with that.

sharon1965 · Post by **sharon1965** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 8:06 pm

wow, darthlucy
those are good numbers!
i hear you when you say you so didn't want to need the ff, that's how i feel, too...but after a year, it's time to just suck it up and try something else, if i'm to believe my own signature line,

thanks...the 431 is now officially on my list

Nose_to_the_hose · Post by **Nose_to_the_hose** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 8:59 pm

Sharon,

I am probably odd man out on face masks. I can wear a nose mask but prefer a full face. I find when you need to swallow or cough its kind of difficult in a nose mask. I started out with a Quattro and really like the mask. The sizing is odd though. A medium is just slightly too big and a small is just slightly too small. I use a small and it seals the best for a Quattro. I understand from folks here on the board that the UMFF medium is in between a small and medium so you might try that. I have not used one. The only issue I have with the Quattro is sleeping on my side. This only works with a PAPillow for me and sometimes I still bump the mask and cause a leak. Also, if there is any moisture on your face, from the humidifier or sweat, the mask will leak. I recently bought a Han Rudolph V2 and have used it a week. Took about two nights to get the tension on the straps right, but it is now my favorite mask. Primarily because it is easy to sleep on your side/stomach with. It is MUCH smaller than what it looks like in there ad. I use a memory foam pillow and the mask sinks into the pillow without breaking its seal. Also because the mask is soft (does not have a hard shell) it does not poke you in the face like the Quattro can. Playing with strap tension is critical to the seal on any full face mask so be ready to spend more time than you have with nose/nasal masks.

darthlucy · Post by **darthlucy** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 9:11 pm

Another thing...when I'm not flopping around in my sleep, I spend the majority of my sleep time on my side. The 431 has not been a problem for me in that regard. In fact, sleeping on my side seems to hold it in place better than when I'm on my back.

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