Respironics Fitlife Full Face Mask

I have just had two nights on my new Fitlife mask, and I believe this mask could revolutionize using full face masks. Although I admit it looks and appears daunting to have a mask cover your whole face, I can assure those doubters out there that this mask actually feels less invasive than those full face masks that cover the nose and mouth. I have now no problems with the bridge of my nose, and after some experimenting, got a good seal at 14 CM/h20. I did have to tighten the straps quite a bit, which does cause some marks in the morning, but it is not uncomfortable. On the contrary it is incredibly comfortable. I even have turned off my heating element, which I used to run at 4 (Max on my Fisher and Paykel machine) because there is no drying out of my mouth! The idea of it drying out the eyes is completely non-existent. If you are having trouble and are a mouth breather, try this mask, I highly recommend it!! I am a firefighter by trade, so the idea of a mask like this really doesn't seem all that strange to me. It is worth trying.

This would be the ideal mask for me, but I tried it briefly at my DME and it had a *huge* leak right on my forehead. It seems to me that the contour of the mask that goes across the forehead is much too curved, leaving a big gap along the seal. I suppose I could have tried cranking down on the straps, but that would probably have been uncomfortable. If they just made the mask a little flatter across the top, it would be fantastic. My DME also told me that another client that had tried this mask also had the exact same problem. If anyone from Respironics is lurking around here, I'd love to see this fixed!

By the way, do you sleep on your side? How does the mask feel in that position? Any leaks when on your side?

I had the exact problem with leak at the forehead. I did snug the straps down, however, and the leak went away. Also, were you lying down when you tried it? This also makes a difference. If you could try it for a week, I think you would like it. I cannot say enough about this product, it is just that good. My pressure is at 14, which I think is pretty high, and although the straps are tight, it isn't uncomfortable because the seal is around the edges of the face, which are way less sensitive than across the nose, also the pressure of the mask on the face is distributed more because of the size of the mask.
Believe it or not, I can sleep on my side with this mask. When I turn on my side, I just have to adjust it slightly, and it works fine.

Yeah, it looks like I'm gonna have to give this mask another shot. I did not try it lying down, so that definitely needs to be done! I did love how "maskless" this mask feels, so if I can make it work, I want to use this mask until something better comes along... I'm also glad to hear that you can sleep on your side with it as I'm a big-time side sleeper.

I use the Fitlife as well at times. My challenge with it, is to reduce leakage I need to tighten bottom straps which results in a chin mark. So right now I'm rotating this mask with F&P 432 FF mask, as that one leaves marks on nose bridge. So right now I'm in the game of switching masks so no one mask makes my face look like a mess over time.

As long as you use the mask fitting feature of your machine, you should be fine. I am still amazed that my DME never told me it existed and I literally went weeks before I heard it mentioned here as a feature.

I sleep on back and on side. And this mask performs well either way.

The only thing I can say about the marks is that they are really just lines that disappear after an hour or so. I had the F&P432, and 431, and the marks on the bridge of the nose became actual sores and really scarred it. I was forced to change masks to a Resmed Mirage, and then the Quattro. The Quattro was great because of the fine tuning of it, but occasionally did cause pain on the nose. The Fitlife even cinched right down is perfect for me. I hope it works for you guys. This is really the only post I have ever made on the forum, and it is because this mask is just so good.