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Just to be on the safe side, any sore that takes too long to heal should be seen by a doctor.
. . . may any cancer be caught early.

I read all the comments and suggestions and gave the Simplus another try last night. I loosened it a LOT on ALL straps. Tightened it just enough, then pulled it away to try to get the seal. It seemed pretty good. When I woke up to the leaking, I pushed it down toward my mouth a bit and if that didn't work, pulled the mask away from my face to try to seal again. And it worked. I had a pretty good night, although it did leak numerous times, but it was such a fast fix I don't really care. And surprise of all surprises - I was able to sleep on my back some! This is so huge because I'm having horrendous leg pain again and laying on my back is the only position that doesn't hurt. I've never been able to do that because even when the 431 was at its best, it leaked like crazy on my back.

So, mega thanks to all who responded with their thoughts, ideas and suggestions. I'm so glad I read them and gave it another go.

Cross fingers that this is a permanent thing now. I think I do like this Simplus better.

I've often wondered if a single piece of tape running vertically from above the upper lip to the chin would be just enough to prevent a slack jaw. Not a seal across the lips (to me that would be uncomfortable) but just a single, vertical strip. With your neurological condition you may have low muscle tone, and this would simply give your jaw a help. Then the world of nasal and nasal pillow masks would be open to you

Btw: congrats on the weight loss!!! p

When I was taping my mouth (earlier in my therapy), I did the one vertical strip (1") over my lips and it worked fine.
I have now trained my mouth to stay shut without tape but it worked well for me.

Janknitz wrote:I've often wondered if a single piece of tape running vertically from above the upper lip to the chin would be just enough to prevent a slack jaw. Not a seal across the lips (to me that would be uncomfortable) but just a single, vertical strip. With your neurological condition you may have low muscle tone, and this would simply give your jaw a help. Then the world of nasal and nasal pillow masks would be open to you

Btw: congrats on the weight loss!!! p

Interesting thought. I know that my mouth flies open whenever I sleep so the muscle issue is probably there as well. I may think about that, although I almost hate to do it for fear of the joking I'll get from my husband!!!

And thank you - I am much happier carrying around less weight. Although, clothes are a serious problem!!! LOL

I still can't get used to buying smaller sizes so a lot of my clothes are baggy. And my waist is STILL huge thanks to menopause, so I can't get pants much smaller, even though my legs are skinny.

Janknitz wrote:I've often wondered if a single piece of tape running vertically from above the upper lip to the chin would be just enough to prevent a slack jaw. Not a seal across the lips (to me that would be uncomfortable) but just a single, vertical strip. With your neurological condition you may have low muscle tone, and this would simply give your jaw a help. Then the world of nasal and nasal pillow masks would be open to you

Btw: congrats on the weight loss!!! p

Regarding jaw drop: I tried the vertical piece of tape on the lips for awhile and found it was okay to a degree but not reliable night after night. It's success depends on how much your jaw drops and how effectively the fit of your mask tolerates that drop. Of course your maximum pressure plays a part. I do use a chinstrap now, however I'd prefer not to... I'm thinking of trying the cervical collar technique.

I'm not overly thrilled with tape, a chin strap or a cervical collar. The Simplus worked reasonably well last night and I KNOW my mouth was open as far as the mask would allow. When I was on my back, I woke up with my mouth open. Pretty typical for me.

I haven't done a Trilogy download lately but am scheduled to see my Pulmonologist next week and will do it at that time. I'll make sure to get days that I used the Simplus to compare the numbers.

I've been using the Simplus all week and I think I'm hooked. I cannot believe how loose I have to leave the straps for this to work. When I wake up with a leak, I pulled the mask down a bit and that usually fixes it. If it doesn't, I pull the enter mask away from my face and get a new seal.

Thanks to all for the input. All the suggestions helped me get it right and I truly appreciate it.