Change Machines

[Phil587]

Well, all I have managed to do during approx 3 hours of adjusting and readjusting is take a mask that admittedly didn't fit "just" right but one that didn't leak and I could work with it and turned it into one that seems to fit some better but leaks all over the place. I wish I had left well enough alone. I sense a night of strap pulling coming up.
Phil

have you tried a mask liner? they make a world of difference for me.

if you've got an old t-shirt, cut out a piece that's a bit bigger around than the outside of your mask cushion, then cut a hole in the middle for your nose, maybe mouth if you want, and put that on the cushion, then on your face.

search the forum for better suggestions on how to make one, but that would get you through tonight.

Thanks for the tip! At this point, I am about ready to try anything -- even my Wisp. I do have the link to the ready-made liners and will order some but, you are right, that doesn't get me through the night. Looks like I am about to sacrifice one of my new t-shirts.

Again, thanks for your help.

Phil

[Phil587]

The DS960TS lists for about $3700 more than twice the price of a 760. So buying one if you don't need it is not trivial, but buying a Bilevel first and then ASV is much worse.
As to full face vs Wisp I do not lie still in bed either, but I still find my full face mask much harder to tame than the Wisp. I also realize no two faces are the same.

Yes, I am aware of the cost of the 960 but that is a minor concern if that is required for my health and well-being. Well, $3700 is never "minor" but you know what I mean. That is part of why I am trying to determine precisely which unit I need for the long run. It's a shame we can no longer depend on the medical community for proper treatment but it seems like all they are interested in is which insurance company you use and/or how much cash you have in your pocket. I WILL get through this and wonder why I had trouble in the beginning but right now I am still in the beginning. So much to learn and I need to know most of it right now. Oh, well.

I may end up trying my Wisp again since I have goofed my Quattro but it did NOT work very well when I first tried it at the high pressure.

Thanks for your post!

Phil

[Phil587]

[quote="Phil587Thanks for the tip! At this point, I am about ready to try anything -- even my Wisp. I do have the link to the ready-made liners and will order some but, you are right, that doesn't get me through the night. Looks like I am about to sacrifice one of my new t-shirts.

Phil[/quote]

So, I did survive the night regardless of me monkeying around with my mask. I did not make a liner but intend to order some today. Tried my Wisp again -- won't work for me on bilevel. Strangely enough, I had problems the first time I tried my Wisp with the higher pressure -- 19 cmH2O -- but not this time. Thanks to the experience gained from this forum and a month of fiddling, I was able to adjust the Wisp to handle the high pressure without (much) leaking. The problem came on trying to exhale against 15 cmH2O. It was just too much to overcome without a feeling of suffication and I see no future in trying to "get used to it". I simply think (in my case) that will never happen.

I managed to get my Quattro readjusted to eliminate many of the leaks caused by my meddling. I was able to end the night at an AHI of 1.7 so that's good except the minor leaks did wake me up a time or two even though I registered "0" % large leaks this morning. It is certainly easier by a large factor to breathe out against the 15 cmH2O using the Quattro so I have got to make it work. Hopefully the liners and an additional minor amount of "adjusting" will have me good to go. Thanks to everybody for the help!

Now, it's back to deciding which new machine I'm going to buy. I am no closer to that decision. ((shrug)) I'll get there.

Phil

[palerider]

Palerider, I'm glad that you feel no wind to a gentle breeze at most. But in Phil's experience, the air flow IS noticeable and IS troubling and bothersome. And when Phil is trying to make this work in HIS bed, it's his experience that's important to him and not yours.

there's a psychological aspect to the issue that I was trying to address. when someone uses hyperbole and talks about gale force winds in their face, they're psyching themselves out, and setting themselves up for failure. they're thinking about it, and reacting to it as worse than it is, so they're less likely to have success.

if a person can be encouraged to try and mentally accept things, then they can get past the insurmountable gale force winds, and start working on making things better, figuring out how to adjust the mask better, learning some tips and tricks to not 'suffocate' etc.

if they can convince themselves that the machine is a GOOD thing, then they're likely to have a higher success rate than if it's a necessary evil that they have to endure.

that's all I was trying to say.

[Phil587]

[quote="paleriderthere's a psychological aspect to the issue that I was trying to address. when someone uses hyperbole and talks about gale force winds in their face, they're psyching themselves out, and setting themselves up for failure. they're thinking about it, and reacting to it as worse than it is, so they're less likely to have success./quote]

And quite possibly everybody is not as good as you are. How does it feel to be perfect anyway?

Phil

[palerider]

crickets.

[Day_Dreamer]

It does NO good to tell someone who is struggling with some aspect of PAP that they don't or can't have the problem they're describing because you don't have the same problem.

BINGO

[Phil587]

And quite possibly everybody is not as good as you are. How does it feel to be perfect anyway?

I'm truly sorry that I ever tried to help you, good sir.

I shan't make that mistake again.

I do wish you the best of luck and future success.

Your lack of effort on my behalf will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Phil

[Phil587]

It does NO good to tell someone who is struggling with some aspect of PAP that they don't or can't have the problem they're describing because you don't have the same problem.

BINGO

Yep.