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I am new here. Would appreciate advice on best place to buy Contec oximeters. Also, I am having terrible time getting any mask to seal without extreme strap tightness. Have tried Respironics 302433 ( which is a large total face mask), which is too wide), a Resmed Mirage Quattro, which wears out the bridge of my nose, as does the Wisp, nose only unit, which also blows my mouth open. Tried the chin strap, thats a joke. Only one I have had any success at all with, is a Phillips LifeFit. I carved a gasket/liner for it, out of Temperpedic foam, and covered the skin exposed surface with moleskin. It works some of the time, but am having trouble keeping it in exactly the right place. None of them really fit. Also, that bozo flap seal inside makes the masks levitate off my face with every breath, unless straps are tightened down like a vice. Have not had 6 hours of sleep in these masks in the 2 weeks I have been trying these things. Ambien and painkillers required for that. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, clarkm

That is the most common mistake of most people - over tighten the mask straps.. Most masks need to inflate to fit properly and reduce leaking. Think of a hovercraft.

clarkm10 wrote:I am new here. Would appreciate advice on best place to buy Contec oximeters. Also, I am having terrible time getting any mask to seal without extreme strap tightness. Have tried Respironics 302433 ( which is a large total face mask), which is too wide), a Resmed Mirage Quattro, which wears out the bridge of my nose, as does the Wisp, nose only unit, which also blows my mouth open. Tried the chin strap, thats a joke. Only one I have had any success at all with, is a Phillips LifeFit. I carved a gasket/liner for it, out of Temperpedic foam, and covered the skin exposed surface with moleskin. It works some of the time, but am having trouble keeping it in exactly the right place. None of them really fit. Also, that bozo flap seal inside makes the masks levitate off my face with every breath, unless straps are tightened down like a vice. Have not had 6 hours of sleep in these masks in the 2 weeks I have been trying these things. Ambien and painkillers required for that. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, clarkm

This is just one guy's opinion, and it will go counter to what 99% of the advice you will get tells you-so take that into consideration.

When talking about FFMs and how they fit, you will hear "the most common mistake most people make is over tightening" mantra oft repeated. It may indeed be the case for some, many or even most but I will tell you most assuredly it isn't true for all. Without a doubt it isn't true for me. I don't know if it's the shape or size of my face (extra large) or what, but I have to screw 'em down fairly tight if I want to eliminate leaks. It's as simple as that for me.

So my advice would be 1) Use your own judgement about how tight the straps need to be through trial and error, just like we are correctly advised about most every other aspect of this process, and 2) give the Mirage Quattro another try-but this time put a lot of effort into finding something that will shield the bridge of your nose from the brutal pounding that the Quattro is likely to issue. I have the same problem and have used the gel pads, band aids, moleskin, Transpore tape and various combinations of the above. Be creative and don't wait until bedtime to start trying things. I'd be willing to bet that the Quattro is the most popular FFM out there and there has to be a reason.

Good luck to you!

Oh, P.S.: you have to wash the seal every morning without fail (I use warm water and Johnson's baby shampoo) and you must wash your face every night right before bedtime with soap and warm water. You will be astonished at how much this helps in preventing leaks!

But remember the point of not tightening too much is that the very thin membrane of the mask IS supposed to inflate on your face and 'just sit' there only tightened enough to make contact (and keep it of course). You can buy Pad-a-Cheek liners (Google them) because they really help as an interface to create a seal, but you also need the right mask for you to be fitted properly by your dealer, pref. lying down - your face does change when you do that - in your size.

clarkm10 wrote:I am new here. Would appreciate advice on best place to buy Contec oximeters. Also, I am having terrible time getting any mask to seal without extreme strap tightness. Have tried Respironics 302433 ( which is a large total face mask), which is too wide), a Resmed Mirage Quattro, which wears out the bridge of my nose, as does the Wisp, nose only unit, which also blows my mouth open. Tried the chin strap, thats a joke. Only one I have had any success at all with, is a Phillips LifeFit. I carved a gasket/liner for it, out of Temperpedic foam, and covered the skin exposed surface with moleskin. It works some of the time, but am having trouble keeping it in exactly the right place. None of them really fit. Also, that bozo flap seal inside makes the masks levitate off my face with every breath, unless straps are tightened down like a vice. Have not had 6 hours of sleep in these masks in the 2 weeks I have been trying these things. Ambien and painkillers required for that. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, clarkm

There are nose pads (Gecko), mask liners and anti-leak straps available to resolve your problems. Go to padacheek.com.

clarkm10 wrote:I am new here. Would appreciate advice on best place to buy Contec oximeters. Also, I am having terrible time getting any mask to seal without extreme strap tightness. Have tried Respironics 302433 ( which is a large total face mask), which is too wide), a Resmed Mirage Quattro, which wears out the bridge of my nose, as does the Wisp, nose only unit, which also blows my mouth open. Tried the chin strap, thats a joke. Only one I have had any success at all with, is a Phillips LifeFit. I carved a gasket/liner for it, out of Temperpedic foam, and covered the skin exposed surface with moleskin. It works some of the time, but am having trouble keeping it in exactly the right place. None of them really fit. Also, that bozo flap seal inside makes the masks levitate off my face with every breath, unless straps are tightened down like a vice. Have not had 6 hours of sleep in these masks in the 2 weeks I have been trying these things. Ambien and painkillers required for that. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, clarkm

Two masks which provide me with a good seal are the Fisher & Paykel Eson Nasal mask and the F & P Simplus full face mask.

Hi Clark,
I've used a Quattro FFM now for about a year and a half. It takes lots of fiddling but once you find what works for you...it becomes routine.

Far as tightening the mask, as the pressures increase, you do have to snug up the masks a bit, but they can be overtightened which reduces the seal functioning idea. I use bipap with epap of 14cm (medium pressure) and when Mask is affixed to my face, I can easily reposition it if it slides off to one side. Side sleeping with the mask resting on pillow helps to stabilize it...or it does for me at least.

I still have some difficulty with nasal bridge issues. It's a matter of finding out what works for you. I follow Janknitz adjustment procedure in her blog Taming the Quattro blurb.

Best thing I did was to start using seals like LSAT mentioned. I cut mine extra large from old Tee shirts and use two layers. That helps with comfort and sealing. Especially morning leaks from seal surfaces getting dirty from skin oils. With the gaskets...they absorb the oils and keep the seal all night long.
Good luck.
Jamis