PLEASE Help! Mask woes!

[redcoat]

Hi Everyone,

Been on CPAP for 2 months now, and still can't figure out a comfortable mask

Left my provider with nasal only - can't handle it as my nose gets blocked, and I wake up gasping

Really wanted Resmed Liberty to work for me, but burns my nostrils for some strange reason.

Provider switched out nasal-only for ComfortGel mask, but it really hurts my forehead, AND produced a very painful bruise on the top of my nose

Have a loaned Quatro FX full-face that seems to be the lesser of evils, but it leaks so easily, especially at the nasal bridge, right into my eyes. HATE that feeling! To avoid it, I have to crank it down so tight I can feel the plastic next to my skin and wake with outline of the mask on my face (I'd started putting fabric under the straps to stop the strap marks.

PLEASE can anyone advise me what to do next? Any ideas on how to prevent any of the issues I'm facing? Is there another mask similar to the Quatro FX that I could try? My provider says I've tried all the masks they carry!

On a positive note, I do feel somewhat better for the treatment.

thanks!

David

[greatunclebill]

if the quattro leaks at the eyes it is riding too high. if it can't be lowered it might be the wrong size. don't trust the dme to fit you. go to cpap.com, find the mask and in the links on the page find the sizing and fitting instructions. your face is not one size and don't let the dme say it is.

[kaiasgram]

My provider says I've tried all the masks they carry!

I'm counting four masks so far -- does your provider really carry only four masks ? I have a hard time believing what they're telling you. But at any rate, there are many masks yet to try, and most people go through several before they find one that works. And some people go through many.

If the Quattro FX is the lesser of the evils, maybe look for a lighter-weight full face mask, or one with a gel seal, and/or try a Pad A Cheek liner to minimize the face marks and possibly help reduce leaks. Go to our host's website, cpap.com, and look at all the full face masks and the user reviews. If you're at all in a position to pay out of pocket, you can buy and return masks until you find one that works for you, just be sure to buy the return insurance with the mask.

The Liberty has nasal pillows, and you say the pillows irritated your nostrils. I've tried two different nasal pillow masks and can tell you that not all nasal pillows feel the same inside (or outside) your nostrils. The Swift FX nasal pillows do irritate my nostrils, but the Aloha nasal pillows do not. So there may be some more possibilities in this category too.

I hope this helps a little. People here sometimes trade or sell masks, that's another route to trying them out while keeping costs down. Stay tuned, people will try to help you with this.

[chunkyfrog]

Out of the 20, yes, TWENTY masks I have tried, only 3 actually work--and none is perfect.
Your DME that only has 4 masks is a total LOSER!

[2kittymom]

Can you try the new Amara mask? My provider let me take home a Mirage Quattro and an Amara. I put on the Quattro and couldn't stop the leaks. The Amara was fine, and it's really lightweight, and simple. If you don't need a full face mask, try the RedMed Micro. Believe me I tried a lot of masks before I chose that one. The nice thing about it - and the Amara masks is that there is a knob on the forehead that you can dial for fit. It takes the pressure off the bridge of your nose. The Micro isn't real big, and it's light too, so it doesn't feel like you have a heavy thing on your face. Good luck with finding the right mask. I tried various masks for 3 straight weeks while I was in my initial 30 day exchange period. Lucky for me the supplier has a stash of most of them.

[Xney]

I've probably tried about 15-18 masks, 2 of them are ones I can use. One is an alternate that I could live with if I had to.

If your DME has only 4, you need a different DME. That's not nearly enough.

With the nasal pillow type masks (including the hybrids), a bit of irritation at first is normal. A lot of times, they are too tightly adjusted at first, and you need a better seal. The ones which require a lot of tightening (any mask, really) are usually not a good fit.

[rimp]

I could never get the mirage fx to stay sealed I have the mirage quattro ffm and it works well. I use home made mask liners with it

[Tino2You]

David,

Could you take a minute and fill in your equipment section in your profile. I ask because I am wondering if you are using a humidifier. If so what is the setting. The "burn" you describe could be from air too cold or dry for your sinuses.
-tino

[KEQ5]

if the quattro leaks at the eyes it is riding too high. if it can't be lowered it might be the wrong size. don't trust the dme to fit you. go to cpap.com, find the mask and in the links on the page find the sizing and fitting instructions. your face is not one size and don't let the dme say it is.

My Quattro FX was fitted correctly (a medium) for my face and worked perfectly... as long as I could sleep on my back. But as soon as I tossed onto my side, it would get pushed up slightly and would leak up between the eyes.

I swapped it out today for a Mirage Quattro, which has the forehead stabilizer bar. The hope for me is that this will prevent it from riding upwards as easily and I'll get a better seal when toss onto my side.

So if you liked the Quattro FX, you might need to look into the Mirage Quattro.

[the_nap_ster]

Hi there!

First of all, I have been where you are. We won't even discuss how many masks I had to try before I found the one(s) that work for me! But the people here are awesome about guiding you in the right direction.

I really love my Liberty Hybrid, and it's my full-face mask of choice, but many people have better results with the Innomed Hybrid. You can get it at cpap.com for not much cash, which is very, very nice. It has slightly differently shaped pillows than the Liberty.

That said, it is really normal to have burning or irritation in your nostrils when you start using ANY nasal pillows. We're just not used to having stuff pressed up there, you know? Many people use a very tiny bit of HPA Lanolin (I think the brand name is Lanoish? It's used mainly by breast-feeding moms to help with nipple irritation, and if it's safe in baby's mouth, you know it's safe in your nose). We use this instead of other ointments because anything petroleum-based can prematurely break down your mask.

So my advice would be to see if one of the hybrids (along with lanolin) does the trick for you. It took my nose a few months to get used to nasal pillows, but now not having anything on the bridge of my nose is SO nice!!! And it means no leaks into my eyes either.

[snuginarug]

Redcoat, I use the Fisher and Paykel 432. It is a full face mask. It is not light and airy like the Quattros are. But I could never get the right size in Quattros. So it doesn't have lightness, but I find it seals MUCH better. For me. It seems to seal best when I sleep on my side and I have heard other Fisher and Paykel users say the same thing. F and P has the 431, the 432, the Forma and one other I can't remember.

Your provider is falling down on the job if they cannot "find" more than 4 masks. They may not choose to carry others, but you have barely scratched the surface with 4 tries.

Definitely try padacheek products. I love my anti-leak strap, and will be buying a mask liner soon. Karen tells me this about anti-leak straps... if you gently press on the elbow where the hose enters the mask, and that stops the leaks, the anti-leak strap should work for you. It won't fix fundamental fit problems, but it can render an almost perfect mask into THE perfect mask. I don't know where I would be without Karen's products and her advice and support.