My Poor Nose

[solution1234]

I have been on CPAP for a year and a half. I am 41 and not overweight. In fact I am thin. My pressure setting is 15 cm/H20. I cannot wear a nasal mask, because I am a severe mouth breather. I have tried every full-face mask on the market with the exception of one. I have a mask that fits well (Respironics ComfortFull 2 size medium). It does not leak. The problem is my nose. I have a thin nose bridge and it is right on bone. Raw, cuts, red, and have had to wear make-up from my wife to cover the bad red nose. I have 3,000 hours on my machine now. I feel good, but ready to give up. I have tried band-aids, tape, mole skin, and even cotton socks. No success. My seal is lost and so is therapy. The only masks I have not tried are the Hans Rudolph V2 and the Respironics Full Face Mask. I have worn the ResMed Liberty as a back up, but I loose seal around my nostrils and my mouth drops out of the cup. I am very frustrated. Has anybody used either of these masks I have listed? Anybody know anything else I can do to relieve the pressure without sacrificing therapy.

Sincerely,

David in Kentucky

[roster]

I solved this problem with a Hybrid mask. Been using it exclusively for about 30 months. Great mask.

[SleepyDragon]

... I have worn the ResMed Liberty as a back up, but I loose seal around my nostrils and my mouth drops out of the cup.

I solved my Liberty leaking problem by switching to the small mouth cup, wearing a PAPcap to keep my mouth from flying wide open (pressure of 19 does that and the streachy chin straps did not offer enough support), using the largest nasal pillows that would fit (large in my case), and putting tape over the nasal pillows to keep them from popping out.

[AuntieNae]

Mirage Liberty Mask - small
medium nasal cushions
blue painters tape to keep the nasal cushions in place

but now that I am really falling asleep, my mouth is opening .. so the chin strap might be next for me
AuntieNae

[SleepyDragon]

... but now that I am really falling asleep, my mouth is opening .. so the chin strap might be next for me

AuntiNae,

I don't know if you have ever broken the Liberty's elbow connector, but I have. Its pretty flimsy. I got around THAT problem by attaching the hose to the top of my PAPcap using the provided velcro strap. That takes the pressure off the elbow connector.

[TXKajun]

David, you might want to check out "Mack's Pillow Soft Silicon Ear Plugs" that you can get at Walmart. They are made of solf silicone and you can break them up, roll them out into little ropes, them mash them flat and put on your mask where you're getting the leaks and irritation. They're good for 2 or 3 days each. Plus, they're pretty cheap.

Good luck!

Kajun

[roster]

........putting tape over the nasal pillows to keep them from popping out.

The "ladies tights leg" fix is much better than tape for keeping the pillows in place.

[Solurtion123]

Thanks a million to all your posts.

[Lineman]

I have been on CPAP for a year and a half. ...... I am a severe mouth breather. I have tried every full-face mask on the market Sincerely,

David in Kentucky

Ok, your situation is similar to mine. Tho I was lucky enough to hit on the ResMed Quattro FFM early on. That mask works very well for me but I still used to get the sore nose bridge fairly frequently. What cured that symptom for me was to wash my face (particularly the nose bridge area) thoroughly just before donning the mask and going to sleep. Clean skin without oils seems to greatly improve the mask sealing ability. After that I was able to adjust the mask to a looser fit and then no more Rudolph syndrome.

[AuntieNae]

Yep, I have broken the elbow connector .. used painters tape for a week until I got it replaced at the DME. (I think I rolled over it)

I am thinking the suggestion to put the hose over my head will be very soon .. sort of got really tangled in the hose last night .. since I have this sinus and deep asthma cough going on, I roll over more.

[jskinner]

I have worn the ResMed Liberty as a back up, but I loose seal around my nostrils and my mouth drops out of the cup.

I had the same loose nasal seal problem with the Liberty. I've had the elbo break numerous times as well but ResMed as modified it and it hasn't broken since I got one of the new ones. Like SleepyDragon, I found tape to be the leak solution. ( I used the 'Soft Silicon Ear Plugs' fix for a while as well as you can see in the picture)

[roster]

James, Have you tried a loop of ladies' tights legs? It is easier and more comfortable.

[jskinner]

James, Have you tried a loop of ladies' tights legs?

No, do you have a link to a description on how to do it?

thanks, James

[AuntieNae]

I would appreciate the linky too.

[roster]

James, Have you tried a loop of ladies' tights legs?

No, do you have a link to a description on how to do it?

thanks, James

Take a pair of ladies' tights and cut the legs out to make two straps. One can be a backup while the other is in the laundry bin. Get what is handy. You can use tights with or without the "footie" part.

Tie each leg into a loop with a knot. I stole the illustration below from Rested Gal. For my Hybrid mask, which is similar to your mask, I position the tights similar to the last photo. The tights go over the pillows and a bit of the lower part of my nose. They are made of nylon and are very soft and wick moisture. I hardly can tell they are on my nose but they really hold the pillows in place when I am tossing and turning. Of course don't position them over the exhaust ports.



My wife just bought me a replacement pair of tights at a closeout store for $1.00.

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