A little confused - wondering if I am on the right track.

Snoozin' Bluezzz · Post by **Snoozin' Bluezzz** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:19 am

mister_hose wrote: So why does everyone view full-face masks as some sort of avoid-like-the-plague last resort? Just curious. I like mine.

Everybody is different

and for some reason that seems to drive some folks nuts!

Witness the last several posts about the Hybrid. It seems that the more someone likes a thing the more vehement someone who did not care for it has to be. Same for FF masks, v. nasal masks, v. nasal pillows.

Someone loves FF masks so they feel really strong about them and often, it seems, really strong against nasal masks or nasal pillows. Same for the nasal mask folks and for the nasal pillow folks. It appears to just be human nature:

"Mine, or my way, must be the best! If it is not my way it must be worse!"

I have resisted FF masks because I am mildly claustrophobic and don't like a lot of stuff on my face. I am sure that if I gave one or more of the FF masks a try I could make them work for me, would get used to them and I would be reasonably happy with them. I have made pillows work and I really like them even with the need to tape or poli-grip (not so much stuff on my face which I like). I made the Activa work and F&P HC work and liked them except they caused my Rosacea to flare up and make sores on the bridge of my nose (and it was more stuff on my face). I made the Hybrid work and I really like it - no mouth leaks, no chin straps, no sores (so far at least).

I think one of the reasons why folks resist FF masks is that it is so much stuff on the face. During the sleep study this thing (generally a nasal mask) is just slapped on you and it feels like a horrible foreign object. Something "bigger" would have to be worse. My DME wasn't any more helpful. When I finally got to experiment with interfaces at the sleep lab the Swift was like a feather compared to everything else and I took to it immediately .

David

_________________

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): activa, nasal pillow, swift, DME, Nasal Pillows

snoregirl · Post by **snoregirl** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 12:44 pm

I don't know about your M series, but on my regular Remstar Auto, if you get up in the night and turn off the machine for some reason, the humidifier has to be turned back on separately (I think that there might be a setting where it can come on with the unit but mine is set to have to be restarted on its own). It will also go off if you turn it on and then don't start using the machine for something like 20 minutes.

So if your M machine is like my regular, are you getting up for the bathroom, or to check on your boys and not turning the humidifier back on?

Is the plate warm in the morning when you say you have it on 5 and lots of water left? If not either it is not turned on or not working properly.

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 1:05 pm

Snoozin' Bluezzz wrote:Everybody is different

Precisely!
That's what keeps the manufacturers busy trying to come up with the "perfect" mask (for whoever they can get to buy it).

Not everyone can make the same interface work for them. If they could, they would have a gold mine.

I've never used anything other than a full face mask (including my sleep study) and just like you think that a FF might be claustrophobic to you, I can't imagine trying to sleep with something stuck up to or in my nose.

Best wishes,

Den

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 1:17 pm

I've never used anything other than a full face mask (including my sleep study)

Me too. Never used anything but full-face, so far.

and just like you think that a FF might be claustrophobic to you, I can't imagine trying to sleep with something stuck up to or in my nose.

I don't imagine the "something on/up my nose" sensation would necessarily bother me, rather other factors would. Is your left "pillow" sealing correctly? Is your right one sealing correctly? Are your nostrils swollen or constricted today, which messes with sealing? Are you mouth breathing, and should you use tape and a strap to fix that? Are you nasally congested today, which might make nose-breathing uncomfortable?

All these issues disappear with a FF mask. One nice big seal around ALL points of entry. Stick it on, seal it up, forget about all those problems above.

Yeah, it's a somewhat sizeable thing on your face, but I got over that in about one night. Now it's nothing to me, and the advantages are great.

Your mileage may vary, of course, but I'm with Den/Wulfman on this one.

mister_hose · Post by **mister_hose** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 1:19 pm

Darn, my session timed out. The above message is mine. Sorry. I must remember to ensure I'm logged in before hitting "Submit" in the future.

As a P.S., I can see people's point about FF "clastrophobia", but it simply didn't last beyond one night, at least for me. Although during my second sleep study when they slapped the FF on me for the first time, it was hell. I kept wanting to rip it off and get "real air" straight from the room, not the weird pressurized, warm/humid air in the mask.. it was an almost suffocating sort of feeling, at least in perception. First night at home though? Out like a light, within 5 minutes. Maybe I'm just a fast adapter, or maybe it was because at home I knew I COULD remove the mask for awhile at any time I wanted, whereas in the second sleep study I was expected to keep it on.

Moogy · Post by **Moogy** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 4:37 pm

byront wrote: My immediate concern right now is to try and get this sleep problem resolved - that will also relieve me of this immense guilt trip I am on for having spent so much money on this equipment instead of my boys.

\\

ByronT,

Your kids NEED a healthy dad, one who has enough energy to keep up with them! Hang in there, and you will probably start to feel better soon. You WILL get to the point where you no longer fall asleep anytime you sit down, and then it will be MUCH safer to have those kids in the car with dad driving!

Don't worry too much about the leaks if they seem stable. The mouth tape is worth a try, though, and you can compare the leak rate to see if that helps.

Any mask has SOME leakage due to the necessary vents for exhaled air. Also, people who use higher pressure will have higher leakage, I think.

Keep with it, and soon you will be doing better. Good luck!

Moogy

byront · Post by **byront** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 6:18 pm

Snoregirl - The humidifier on the M Series is powered on when the cpap machine is powered on, and is turned off again when you go back to standby. You can turn off the humidification by turning the dial to zero - otherwise you just leave the dial set at your preferred setting and it automatically comes on when you activate therapy via the cpap's power button or by breathing on the mask. Does that clear it up for you?

Moogy - you gotta be kiddin'! I'm NEVER going to be able to keep up with these boy's! --- BT

Yoga · Post by **Yoga** » Tue Jul 25, 2006 4:56 am

Byront,

There is a difference between panty hose and tights which is what Rested Gal has recommended. Tights are very stretchable and panty hose are not. It is just the legs of the tights that are used which is after all just material and should not be a manly issue. I would purchase the largest size you can get.