PAD A CHEEK Nose Bridge thickness pad trial results here

[Pad A Cheek]

Hello, This is to the people who were trial participants for the PAD A CHEEK Nose Bridge protector thickness comparison trial. Please post your results of your trial here when you have finished your analysis of the 3 thicknesses.
For those of you who have already posted your results, thank you. You do not need to repost the results here, unless you just want to.
By having a thread dedicated to the results of this trial, I felt it would be easier for those seeking this information to have it all in one place.

Thank you again for giving me your honest feedback. Only by the constructive criticism, can I make the best solutions. Thank you all for your help.

Karen

[katcw]

I'm one of the people in the trial. First I want to say that the pad a cheek pad for the forehead piece is terrific! I have a Quattro, and though the forehead support never bothered me a great deal, this pad makes it much more comfortable.

So far I have only completed my trial of the thinnest nose protector. The first night I put it on, I had to adjust the mask several times, and when I lifted the mask to allow the face piece to refill with air, it blew the nose protector right out of the mask! Once I got that fixed, I had to take it off to trim the length of the nose pad because when I breathed in, it tickled and partially blocked my nostrils (I have a small nose, I guess). Anyhow, with all those adjustments it did protect my nose bridge pretty well. It was far more comfortable, but still left some pressure marks. So overall, after a few trials and errors, it definitely improved my comfort.

Now I am testing the medium pad. I've used that one night. It is harder to adjust to eliminate eye leaks, and I still had to trim it for length. If I can get the eye area leaks under control, I think this one will be even more comfortable than the thin one. Guess I have a narrow nose bridge, and the extra thickness is creating a challenge to overcome. Another couple of nights should tell the tale.

Stay tuned for further comments! Oh, and Karen, thanks for letting me be part of this!

[cajun]

I've had similar results with the thinnest pad. I never had a problem with the forehead part of the ComfortGel Nasal, but the pad does make it more comfortable. My biggest leak problem with the mask has always been around my eyes. The nose protector did leave my nose less marked up, but I still struggled with leaks in the same area. I'll have to play with it some more.

[Rustyolddude]

I've been testing the pad on my Quattro. I can say the following thus far:

The microfleece used to construct the Pad-A-Cheek product is by far the most comfortable material I've ever felt. I expected a fleece like that used in jackets & such. The Pad-A-Cheek material is sooooo much softer & silkier, way softer than flannel. I can only imagine pillow cases made from it It is somewhat slick. I had my top headgear straps adjusted about as loose as you could and I relied on the "stickage" of the forehead piece to keep the mask in place. Even then, I had the forehead mark. When I used the pad, I had to tighten the headgear a 1/2" on each side to keep the mask from sliding left & right and causing leaks. Once tightened up, I was good, oh so very comfy. Not a mark on my forehead in the mornings.

As for the nose bridge protector, I haven't been successful controlling the leaks. It's a novel design, the free end tucks up inside the mask between the outer seal and the inner seal support. Then the thinner portion lays across the mask seal. Plenty of extra material so that there isn't any tugging on the seal. I've trimmed it to the same width of my nose but I'm still getting leaks into my eyes. I'm going to have to try to tweak it a bit more and observe it in the mirror. There's no doubt in my mind that if I can control the leak, that the thin or medium would would save my nose.

My suggestion for an engineering improvement would be to make the pad with a double slit in the back so that the nose protector portion could be looped thru the back of the pad like a cinch-strap. Then the nose protector could be replaced, removed, customized as req. while retaining the original forehead pad.

[katcw]

Last night I used the thickest of the three pads. It, too, blew out when I adjusted the mask. I will try it again tonight.

I think this is a wonderful concept, and may work well on gel interface masks that don't require lifting in order to set right. I hope that Karen will not be discouraged by the problems discussed here, and will keep working on it. When the pad has stayed in place, it has helped a lot!

[slapmeawake]

I too am using the Quattro mask and find the thinnest nose protector not much protection. I could not use the thickest ( BlueGray) at all because of leak issues around the nose. The medium (Royal Blue) is the one I'm trying now and am having leak issues also. Maybe it could be made as a multi part protector - The upper part thicker and add a piece of material in the middle that the mask could actually lay in and then add a thicker piece to protect the nose bridge. This might eliminate the leak from the material being thick where it contacts the lip of the mask against the nose. I'm not a sewer so I don't know if this is feasible, just an idea. Thanks Karen for letting me try the nose protectors and I hope you can improve an already great product.

[Rustyolddude]

Edited inappropriate post & issued a private apology to slapmeawake

No harm was ment by my grammer correction, it just struck me funny at the moment and I apologise to others here that I offended, it wasn't my intention. I wish someone would have brought it to my intention earlier so I could have corrected it sooner.

[tonycog]

Hello
For the first 3 months of my therapy I had to stick a piece of moleskin on the bridge of my nose every night. Since I started using the Pad-A-Cheek forehead cushion with with the nose-bridge protection, I have not needed to use moleskin, and I really like being able to remove 1 item from my nightly going-to-bed to-do list. The padding on my forehead is nice (I use a Quattro), but the nose-protection is a big deal to me and is the main reason I will always wear one from here forward.

For the nose-bridge-protection, I found the thinnest material to work adequately. I had troubles with leaks with the thickest material. But I really do like the medium-thickness (royal blue) a lot. No extra leak issues for me. I find the nose-flaps to be a bit longer than necessary for me, so after getting my mask on and the flap in place, I simply pull out about 1/2" of the extra material. It doesn't bother me. I could cut it off, but I haven't wanted to cut and risk taking off too much.

Thanks for including me in this trial. I'm a customer for life now.

Tony

[Komodo]

I've already posted this in a sepparate thread, but wanted to add it here as well to make it easier for others to see.

Pad A Cheek Review

When I received the package of Pad A Cheek’s, there were three units, the “Standard” the “Royal Blue” and the “Blue Grey”. The forehead pad on each are all the same (as far as I know), the difference between them is the thickness of the Nose Bridge Protector. The Standard has the thinnest, Royal Blue medium, and Blue Grey the thickest.

In an attempt to give each one a fair trial, I decided to use each one for three nights before writing a review. I tested them using my Comfort Gel Nasal mask, S8 Elite 2 CPAP w/pressure of 16cm

Starting with the Standard, it does a great job! It makes the mask much more comfortable to wear, even though I did have to tighten up my head gear to stop leaks. The Nose Bridge Protector does exactly what the name implies, it cushions /protects your nose from contact with the mask, and it does it WELL!
On a scale of 1 - 10, I give the Standard a perfect 10

The Royal Blue, didn’t fair as well. First night wearing it, I had considerable leaks into my eyes, and ended up removing the Nose Bridge Protector from the mask for the night. The next day, as per the included instructions, I trimmed the nose flap for a better fit. That night I still had leak issues, and again had to remove the nose flap. Third day, I attempted to trim the flap even more, and that still didn’t help my leak problem.
On a scale of 1 - 10, the Royal Blue only gets a 5 *

The Blue Grey only received ONE night of testing. I do admit that it is the ultimate in comfort, but... the leaks were out of control.
On a scale of 1 - 10, unfortunately I give it a 1*

* My low rating of the Royal Blue, and the Blue Grey, have nothing to do with the product itself, which I think, is fantastic. It has to do with me personally, and the way my mask fits. I have to have the forehead pad crancked down to the lowest position, closest to the mask to prevent leaks going into my eyes. I have very little leeway in adjustments. The forehead pad of the Pad A Cheek, even though it is very thin, changes the angle of my mask. The additional thickness of the nose flap on these two units, were enough to prevent my mask from making a positive seal.

Conclusions:
Stop reading this and go buy a Pad A Cheek! It is a fantastic product, that works! Your mask will be more comfortable to wear than ever before, and no more sore noses, ever again!!!

Suggestions:

1- Velcro straps instead of “pockets” to install the forehead pad.
I had to remove both head gear straps in order to install the pad. Trying to re-adjust my straps to find the “sweet spot” again was a PITA.

2- Detachable/adjustable nose flap.
Because my forehead pad is so close to my mask, the length of the nose flap was too long. It would have been nice to have been able to pull it up a little and attach it the pad with a velcro backing.

[Cassandra]

Marking my spot here. I'm just going to start using the Blue Gray pad tonight because I wanted to give each one of them a week. Will be back to post my results (in about a week. LOL)

Cassandra

[Mr Capers]

I posted the following elsewhere but brought it to this thread so we could be comprehensive.

Hi everyone,

I signed up for the nose bridge trial, and am very glad I did. So, now you know I have some good things to say.

My masks are the F&P FlexiFit 407, and the ResMed Mirage Micro. So far, I've tried the lightest weight (standard) nose bridge protector and the next one up in weight/thickness (royal blue). Before the protector, I had a very painful nose. It hurt to put on my glasses in the morning. I had tried moleskin on my nose but didn't like that. In addition to the bridge of the nose, I had deep grooves on either side of my nose, right where my glasses sit.

When I first tried the standard protector on the ResMed mask I was impressed with the design. It slipped on to the forehead gizmo (technical term) easily and it was long enough to cover my nose, hang off the end, and flutter in the breeze from my blower. The fleece material was really nice to feel on my skin and it was a relief to have something between me and the silicone on the mask. (I later learned from Ms Pad-A-Cheek herself, that the nose piece was made long so it could be tucked into the space between the silicone outer and the foam inner layer on the Flexifit.) I liked almost everything about the protector and the ResMed mask.

Next, I tried the same protector on the F&P FlexiFit Mask. If it was easy to put the protector on the ResMed mask, it was hard for me to get it on the Flexifit. The Flexifit has these very "thick" forehead cushions, plus the mask straps have to be undone, the protector put on, with a good bit of tugging, then the straps reattached, then the mask rebalanced on my face. With great good sense, I picked a night when I was just beat to try all this. When I finally finished, I toppled into bed and had a good night. The next morning my nose felt better than it has since I started this stuff. I think the protector could be made so it is easier to put on a mask like the FlexiFit, and Ive passed on my suggestion to Ms Pad-A-Cheek.

I've now graduated to the mid-weight protector. It is even more cushy (another technical term) than the standard-weight. I really don't have a preference yet between the two weights.

Here's what I like so far. It is great to NOT touch the silicone. The fleece material used for the protector feels good. The protector goes on some masks really slick. The nose piece is long enough to double it back and get an extra layer of padding. No additional leaks that I can identify.

Here's what might be improved. The protector is hard to put on the FlexiFit mask. If you wash it, it takes quite a while to dry. Better own two or three so you always have a dry one - never know when the nap will change from optional to mandatory. It would be great to have some kind of nose protection for the area where both your glasses nosepiece and your mask sit - not just for the bridge of the nose, but down each side, too.

Any questions?

Happy Naps,
Mr Capers

[Mr Capers]

Hi Everyone,

I've now tried the mid-weight (royal blue) nose bridge protector on the F&P FlexiFit 407. This time, I used nap time so I wouldn't be terminally tired when I tried to put this on the mask. Good idea! It was a struggle to get those silicone forehead supports into the pockets on the nose bridge protector. I finally did it, tried the mask with the protector in place and had some leak issues. The mid-weight material is heavy enough that it can interfere with the fit of this mask on me.

I think this micro-fleece is super comfortable on the skin. How about lining the whole mask with it How about cold weather underwear Getting away from the touch of silicone on the skin is just wonderful. Thank you Karen

I have been rotating masks in an attempt to keep from irritating exactly the same place time after time. I may try this royal blue protector on the ResMed Mirage Micro tonight.

So far, the lightest protector is the best for me.

Happy Naps
Mr Capers

[Rooter]

I am one of the volunteers who tested Pad A Cheeks Nose Bridge Protectors. I used them on the ResMed Quattro medium mask. The head rest part of the protectors is well padded and feels very comfortable on the forehead. The Protectors are very well constructed and slip on to the Quattro mask quickly and smoothly. I liked the fact that the nose flaps were long enough to tuck up into the inside of the seal to help hold it in place. The first couple of nights I tried the standard protector and it left deep lines in my nose. Next I tried the Blue/Gray protector. It offered more protection than the standard version but still left light ridges in my nose. My final test was with the royal blue protector. It was definitely the best of the three versions. It was soft and comfortable on my nose and left no marks on my nose after wearing the mask for 6 ½ to 7 hours. I have used other Pad A Cheek products before and have always found them comfortable, well thought out and well constructed and would recommend them to anyone.

Rooter

[magentapolkadots]

Thank you Karen for the opportunity to participate in this trial. I love the forehoed/nose bridge protector so much I ordered padacheeks for the neck straps too!

Now, for my results. I tested with the Quatro (small), 3 nights for each thickness.

The standard nose bridge piece improved the comfort across the nose bridge right away and did not cause any leak issues for me. I still had a significant red mark on my nose each morning, but no soreness at all. I love it!

The medium weight (bright blue) was even more comfortable, but caused leaks into my eyes. I trimmed and retried it several times and finally got a width that would not cause leaks. It is now very narrow across my bridge (just barely wider than my bridge). Each of the 3 nights, I had to fiddle w/ it for quite a while to eliminate the leaks. If it weren't for the trial, I wouldn't have fiddled so much. So while it was more comfortable than the standard (and left less of a morning red mark), it was too much effort to be worth it.

The thickest of the three (blue grey) was super comfy and initially super leaky. I trimmed it similar to the royal blue and was able to eliminate eye-leak, but again had to fiddle w/ it each night to get it right. There was no morning red mark at all- a first for me. This thickness is so comfortable that I am willing to do some extra fiddling to get it right. If I am super sleepy/ crabby, I'll use the standard.

About the forehead part- my forehead is VERY oily. I am finding that after the 2nd night, the forehead support begins to slip around on my head allowing the mask to move. I'll have to have extras on hand to allow for every other day washing.

Overall impression- Excellent product, well thought out. I love it!!

-K

[Section1]

I started with the medium protector first on a comfort gel nasal mask. Putting the forehead and nose protector on was not difficult and the fit was good. I did not trim the nose flap but I was able to position it just fine by pulling it back after the mask was put on. I figure this way I can possibly use it on other masks without it being to short.

I didn't experience anymore leaks than I usually do while using the pad. I did find the mask more comfortable to wear and was able to use my mask for the whole night. In the past I would experience pain on the bridge of my nose and was never able to adjust it to relieve that pain. I would end up using a different mask to finish the night. The pad did relieve the pain I was having on my nose. I also think the the forehead pad helped to hold the mask in place better and feel much better than the silicone on my skin.

I did not find that the thiner pad help me at all as far as my nose pain. The thicker pad did cause my mask to leak.

Over all I would recommend these to anyone who has a problem with their mask causing pain on the bridge of their nose.