mask suggestions?

Ok so I have been using the Fisher & Paykel FlexiFit HC407 Mask for a year or so now. And the slider that keeps the bottom straps in place one of the silders holders have broken so I am gonna call my DME and see about a new mask. Apria. I know many hate Apria but they have never given me any trouble. BUT they don't seem to ever wanna offer suggestions or alternatives very well. But if I go in and tell them I want to try <insert name> they usually don't give me a hassle.

My question is this. As a predominatly right side sleeper even this mask leaks, And the silicon earplugs work great to help with leaks it gets costly after a while and doesn't always totally stop leaks. And of course tightening the straps MIGHT(Ocasionaly does) help the leaking it certainly doesn't do your face any good. So I am open to suggestions. The old mask I used for many years is no longer being made so the FlexiFit, was the 3rd mask my DME had me try on and it was wonderfull at first because it didnt pressure the bridge of my nose at all, something previous masks irritated. Now I wonder if I should have keept trying more on.

Up till now I have stuck with the nasal masks cause my DME says that the nasal pillows won't work with high pressure like mine (19).
Has anyone had success with pillows at such a high pressure?

Shellie_p wrote:Has anyone had success with pillows at such a high pressure?

I'm on CPAP at 19 cmH2O and currently use a ResMed Liberty full face mask which uses nasal pillows. Its a "hybrid" type of full face mask. I've had very good luck with it. My average leaks are around 0.2 L/s. Just don't use any kind of cream or ointment on the pillows, or those little puppies with pop right out.

The downside of this mask is the connector elbow is very fragile. I've been using mine for two weeks and just broke my first one.

If your not sure of your size, get the Hybrid with at least 12 size combos in the box (3 mouth cushions, 3 pillow pairs, 2 hights each). It's a dream mask.
If you like soft pillows, have a high pressure and mouth leak, you cant beat this great mask.

My doctor also said that nasal pillows aren't a good choice at high pressure. I was set at 18 cm. He was wrong. I think he just didn't want me to change masks at all (at the time he also functioned as my DME).

When I switched to Apria for my DME, the RT let me try lots of masks, and finally brought out the nasal pillows.

I am using the ResMed Swift LT - it took awhile to get used to it, but it seals great. Use the largest pillow you can out of the set. I sleep on my side a lot, it works pretty good.

Hybrid is like a Swift with a mouth cushion. Same pillows, but taller if you want. You can also change sizes of the pillows so one side is small and the other side is medium if you need to. It has the fantastic chin cushion that keeps your chin from getting pushing in like on full face masks that you have to tighten. I think it's the best thing ever developed for sleep apnea.

I have TMJ and the chin flap on the Hybrid really caused some problems with that. The pain got pretty awful. I had to cut it off. And I'm still not sure it's the right FF mask for me.

And the Liberty is worse.

I bet cannula are fine at a high pressure because they seem to get a really good seal since they're stiffer and inside your nostrils. Maybe the Nasal Aire II? Babette runs a trial for that one.

I assume your refering to this mask: https://www.cpap.com/productpage.php?PNum=2204&PAID=301
I am not sure if i could handle wearing one or not. I already have troubles with current and past masks pressing down on my lower lip enough to cause my gums to crawl back off my front teeth! Despite being carefull in not tightening the mask much.

I am assuming you can breathe both through the nose and mouth with this mask? That would take some getting used to. lol after 13+ years of nose breathing I dunno If i can mouth breathe! But it looks like something to try possibly.

I Have to wait a couple weeks till I can get to my dme to try masks on since they dont have an office in my city. But any suggestions are apreciated. I am frustrated with masks that lose their seal when sleeping on my side. Its fine when laying on my back but we aren't suposed to sleep on backs so that is kind of annoying that masks leak most in the possistions we are not told to avoid!! LOL
I know I have taken to burrying my face in the pillow at times cause of the leaking, and worry that this clogs/blocks the exhale holes so ive pretty much stoped the head burrying thing so the leaks are more annoying again =/

Right now I use the Mirage Swift and really like it. It is light-weight and very comfortable. It is great for travel because it is small and there are no fragile parts. I've also used the Breeze headgear from Puritan-Bennett with success. I like the fact that it didn't leave any marks on my face but discontinued using it when I switched to a contoured pillow.

looking at some of whats available i have 4 posible choices that sound and look good before actually trying any.


Mirage Vista - cpap.com's measurement guide say i need a deep size
Breeze - although cpap.com's measurement guide doesnt recomend this one for me.
Mirage swift LT
Or Innomeds Hybrid.

I have to admit from reading all the reviews Im leaning towards the swift LT.

I run a free Test Drive for the Nasal Aire II Mask.

Check out my Nasal Aire II Tip Sheet in my sig line. If you scroll all the way through the thread, you'll find lots of info about the trial:
viewtopic/t23207/Babettes-Nasal-Aire-II-Tip-Sheet.html

Also, see pix of how I wear the mask here:
http://s124.photobucket.com/albums/p36/ ... aise/CPAP/

Basically - you send me:

Your real name
Your snail mail addy
Your offline email addy
Your phone number (this is for emergency use only – I keep it confidential)

I'll put you on the list and tell you approximately where you are in terms of getting the mask.

When the person ahead of you on the trial is ready to send it to you, I'll email them your info. They will then email you that it's coming.

You pay the postage to pass it along to the next person. When you're done testing it out, you email me, and ask for the info for the next person on the list. Your only cost is the price of postage to send it along.

Feel free to PM me!

Cheers,
Barbara/Babette

OTHER MASK TEST DRIVES

HYBRID – by pjwalman
viewtopic/t33434/Hybrid-TestDrive-Continues.html

SMALL LIBERTY – by fortomorrow
viewtopic/t35474/ResMed-Mirage-Liberty-Test-Drive.html

LARGE LIBERTY – by echo
viewtopic/t35486/Large-Liberty-test-drive.html


Mask Roulette – thread for swapping masks
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=19546

Shellie_p wrote:I am assuming you can breathe both through the nose and mouth with this mask? That would take some getting used to. lol after 13+ years of nose breathing I dunno If i can mouth breathe! But it looks like something to try possibly.

No no no!! Well , sorta yes. What I mean is, you can breath through your mouth with those masks, but you don't have to. It's more like a fail-safe mechanism for people who do mouth breath/leak, or for when you're really congested and just can't breathe through your nose properly. You should not intentionally try to breath through your mouth with them And they are not as weird as you might think - because the pressure at the nose and the mouth is equal, it does not take any additional effort to breath through either.
I think that everyone should have a backup FFM for those winter colds or spring hay fevers.

By the way, you should look into the AEIOMed Headrest .. it's quite popular with the ladies, and preferred to the Breeze by some. (as in this recent thread: viewtopic/t35783/Headrest-deconstructio ... ender.html)

Wow the headrest looks like it would be great but I can't help but wonder how in the world does it stay in place? LOL
B eing so used to masks that require straps across various parts of the face, just looking at the headrest makes me think it wouldnt stay put??
the reviews seem to be mostly on the positive side and out of the ones I have looked at so far this one intriques me most.