How long I can use my Mask ?

Davidovich · Post by **Davidovich** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 11:43 pm

I just wondering how often I need to change my mask ?

harry33 · Post by **harry33** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 12:11 am

if you have to pay they will often last several years, I got 5 years from one nose only mask, in theory, the silicone rubber hardens after a few months but that doesnt bother me

Julie · Post by **Julie** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 3:50 am

There are some masks that will last you a long time (year or two) and some that won't last a month without pieces breaking (and being glued back on if you're handy). There's a particular manufacturer whose machines are the best, but masks are fragile, plus you need to ask your insurance co. how often they pay for new ones (most are every 6 mos., a few more often and a couple less). Did you have anything special in mind?

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 6:24 am

Davidovich wrote:I just wondering how often I need to change my mask ?

Which mask?
Did you mean "change" as in how long it will last......or are you looking to try something different and wondering how often your insurance with help pay for another one?

I've gotten over 4 years out of the original one I started with......and it's still doing fine......actually, it seems to seal better the older it gets. All the additional ones I've purchased since my original I have paid for "out-of-pocket"......so, I have several spares waiting for if/when I ever need them.

Den

MoneyGal · Post by **MoneyGal** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 12:58 pm

For what it's worth -- my DME recommends a change every six months if an insurance company is picking up the tab, and every year if it is out of pocket for you. My mask is now nearly 8 months old and no worse for wear that I can tell.

jweeks · Post by **jweeks** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 9:26 pm

Hi,

This depends a lot on the mask. I use the Swift LT. I find that the nasal pillows last about 8 weeks before I start having a problem getting them to seal. The swivel joint on my first Swift LT lasted about 4 months before it started to leak. I cannot stand any air movement by my eyes, so that mean it had to be replaced. I have been buying them off of Amazon, and getting the nasal pillows from a vendor on E-bay. The outright price is less than my co-pay when I do that. On a full-face mask, the seal that presses on your face will deteriorate from skin oils, and it might need to be replaced every 4 to 6 months. You will know when you are ready because it will become harder to prevent leaks. It might be a good idea to keep a spare seal on hand for that eventuality.

-john-

virgo RT · Post by **virgo RT** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 11:39 am

Depends on type of mask, you can go to the companys website and look up the mask and follow manufactures guidlines. Most insurances pay for a mask replacement every 3 months so most manufactures dont make them to last much longer than that. Yes there will be people that use theirs way longer than that but for optimal fit and comfort i do not recomend using it much longer than 6 months. Headgear and silicone will wear from the oils in our face and scalp and will affect fit. The most important thing is that you continue to use your cpap especially if your symptoms have improved with use, you would not want to not enjoy using it or decrease optimal use due to leaking or worn down supplies.

virgo rt is a licesenced Respiratory Therapist in Texas and has worked in DME for 6 years.

Thanks

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 11:42 am

virgo RT wrote:Depends on type of mask, you can go to the companys website and look up the mask and follow manufactures guidlines. Most insurances pay for a mask replacement every 3 months so most manufactures dont make them to last much longer than that. Yes there will be people that use theirs way longer than that but for optimal fit and comfort i do not recomend using it much longer than 6 months. Headgear and silicone will wear from the oils in our face and scalp and will affect fit. The most important thing is that you continue to use your cpap especially if your symptoms have improved with use, you would not want to not enjoy using it or decrease optimal use due to leaking or worn down supplies.

virgo rt is a licesenced Respiratory Therapist in Texas and has worked in DME for 6 years.

Thanks

Welcome to the forum.

Quite a few of you folks have been known to hang out here over the years.

Den

virgo RT · Post by **virgo RT** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 12:34 pm

Thank you, just wanted to give some professional advice and see if i could help some users beyond my normal area.
unfortunalely i have already had someone respond negatively to my advice on cpap resupply. accusing me of psuedoconcern. really in poor tase oh well, i guess all dont apprieciate free professional advice his lose not mine!!!

Muse-Inc · Post by **Muse-Inc** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 1:49 pm

virgo RT wrote:Thank you, just wanted to give some professional advice and see if i could help some users beyond my normal area.
unfortunalely i have already had someone respond negatively to my advice on cpap resupply. accusing me of psuedoconcern. really in poor tase oh well, i guess all dont apprieciate free professional advice his lose not mine!!!

We are a skeptical group and lots here have had bad experiences with DMEs. Cut us some slack for a bit, then then folks'll trust ya. Think of us as you sleep-deprived folks coming for a PSG and completely ignornant of the process; we're not at all but we act that way...sometimes

virgo RT · Post by **virgo RT** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 2:07 pm

I guess i was suprised at the response i recieved i did not mean any ill will, just trying to help.

Thanks

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 2:16 pm

Muse-Inc wrote:
virgo RT wrote:Thank you, just wanted to give some professional advice and see if i could help some users beyond my normal area.
unfortunalely i have already had someone respond negatively to my advice on cpap resupply. accusing me of psuedoconcern. really in poor tase oh well, i guess all dont apprieciate free professional advice his lose not mine!!!
We are a skeptical group and lots here have had bad experiences with DMEs. Cut us some slack for a bit, then then folks'll trust ya. Think of us as you sleep-deprived folks coming for a PSG and completely ignornant of the process; we're not at all but we act that way...sometimes

Not only the DMEs, but insurance providers and the sleep doctors (and in some cases, the medical profession in general).

It's a sad fact that most folks with sleep apnea have been treated like "mushrooms" (kept in the dark and fed.....well, you know....), so we've had to try to learn as much about this "condition" and the therapy on our own.....and in the process, have developed knee-jerk reactions to those (many times anonymous "guests") who come on to the forum and chastise us for monitoring our own therapy and tweaking it to find the optimum treatment.
There are a large number of forum members who have technical, analytic and managerial backgrounds and have the tendency to wonder "How does this work?" (we probably took stuff apart when we were kids) and "WHY???"
Another factor to consider is that a good number of us are somewhere in the "middle age" to "senior citizen" category. In other words, lots of "baby boomers" who defied authority in our youth......

Anyway, we try to help the new users (and some long-time users) as much as possible......because the "system" has failed them and there's more, readily-available, knowledge on the "Information Superhighway" .

Den

carbonman · Post by **carbonman** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 2:41 pm

virgo RT wrote:Thank you, just wanted to give some professional advice and see if i could help some users beyond my normal area.
unfortunalely i have already had someone respond negatively to my advice on cpap resupply. accusing me of psuedoconcern. really in poor tase oh well, i guess all dont apprieciate free professional advice his lose not mine!!!

Your attitude seems to be typical of the "professional" RTs
that show up around here. You're going to grace us w/your certs and
professionalism. We are just the poor, ignorant cpap users and
you're going to lead us out of the darkness.

If you don't know the pain and fatigue OSA,
if you don't know the frustration to make this work,
if you don't strap it on every night and
if you haven't felt the miracle of recovery....

don't come preaching to me.

You don't learn this out of a book.

....and if you want to present yourself as a professional,
spelling and grammar skills are required....but that's just me.

I'll be listening.

virgo RT · Post by **virgo RT** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 2:44 pm

I think that is very natural for a practitioner to come on here and scream STOP what are you doing. That was my first response. I restrained myself and offered other advice. There is a reason all states require Licensed therapist to set up and adjust respiratory equipment. All therapies have indications and contraindications which we had to memorize in school including pharmacology and a number of other sciences on how our bodies work. to be honest, in texas the majority of respiratory therapist receive more training in respiratory ventilation, oxygenation, and mechanics than most physicians and nurses. but i do know there is a lot of miscommunication, poor follow up, and just plain hypocrisy in our medical system. i assure you the majority of practitioners be it physician, nurses, or therapist intentions are to help but the regulation of our system wins out money to survive does not equal great care unfortunately. Just becarefull on adjusting pressures everyone is different with different diagnoses, pressures that are to high can decrease heart function in a patient with heart disease and lowering pressures too low may allow oxygenation to fall under 92% which increases heart function, blood pressure, stress on all organs which can lead to stroke or heart attacks.

best of care to all
Yvette

ps: carbonman, my apologies my grammar skills are not to your standards, it has been difficult to care about grammar when it seems all i have time for is to defend myself from your kind!!!

JimIllinois · Post by **JimIllinois** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 3:05 pm

Yvette -

I appreciate your presence, and willingness to discuss your experiences.

I hope you're willing to listen to our experiences as well. And, to understand that we can be a crotchety group with strong opinions about what works for us.

While your experience and training give you important information, we give a lot of weight to the experiences of actual cpap users as well. We're real live users trying to find the best solutions to a less-than-perfect treatment.

People find ways to cope with problems. Where else would you find people willing to tape their mouths shut at night?

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