have tried so many masks

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onward60
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have tried so many masks

Post by onward60 » Sun Sep 26, 2021 2:11 pm

I wonder if anybody has insight into my mask problem. If you can answer even one of these questions, it would help so much!

Background: I am a thin, over 60 female with some kind of connective tissue disorder that causes joint hyper-mobility and kind of weak skin, among other things.

My first trip for a mask was to HME, who showed me 3 masks and said I could not try them on before choosing "because of covid" and said pick one. They were resmed masks, a pillow, a nasal and a full face. I shrugged and picked the one in the middle, the airfit N20. I knew I would have to tape my mouth with a nasal mask because my jaw falls open when I relax (weak joints), but my doctor told me her mother did it this way and it worked well for her. It felt OK when they tried it on and adjusted it, but I was sitting upright in a chair and fully awake.

At home, I lay down with it on. It felt awful. It felt like the full weight of the mask was resting hard and heavy below my nose. It was painful. HME said I could try one more mask and that was all and they had no way of trying it lying down there. They told me to go to the sleep lab for a fitting. I did. I brought the nasal mask but inadvertently left a piece at home so they could not fit it to me.

Questions: What would cause a nasal mask to feel that way? Is it the wrong mask for me or might the lady been putting it on me wrong? My daughter tried to adjust it at home but we could not make it work. Is there a trick to it?

Back at the sleep lab they fit MANY masks on me of all types, nasal, pillow, full face. I really wanted the one that was nasal pillow and mouth combo, but she said it didn't fit. I don't remember what it was called. One of my nostrils kept closing. All of the pillow type were that way.One nostril would pinch shut. Seems maybe my nose is too narrow and thin to support a pillow? She said the pillows work on people with more substantial noses, not mine.

Question: I wonder if that's true? I need "substantial nostrils" for a pillow. Or if she wasn't fitting it right?

She said the only mask they had that fit me was the airfit F20. It seemed OK but I don't like it in any way except it fit. I took it home. I tried it today lying down in the daytime listening to an audiobook. As soon as I got relaxed, my jaw fell open, as it does when I am relaxed because I have a very stretchy jaw. I guess I was not relaxed at the lab because I don't remember this happening there. When my jaw opened, the mask pressure on my cheeks pushed my flesh into between my teeth so I was nearly biting the inside of my mouth.

Question: Is this normal with a full face mask?

I can't see how I can have a mask that pushes my flesh in between my teeth. I get canker sores. It's an autoimmune thing. If I have an injury, even a tiny one, to the inside of my mouth, it sets off an autoimmune reaction and I get a series of mouth sores that are so painful I can hardy eat. I don't eat popcorn or anything that could nick the inside of my mouth. Once in awhile I accidentally bite my cheek in my sleep even without a CPAP mask. This mask pushing my flesh between my teeth seems like a bad plan.

Question: Have you heard of anything like this with the mask pressing the cheeks into between the teeth? If so, what would you suggest? A different masks?

Thank you for any insight at all!!

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babydinosnoreless
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Re: have tried so many masks

Post by babydinosnoreless » Sun Sep 26, 2021 3:05 pm

I can't answer on the full face mask because I don't wear it but the N-20 if its pushing to hard at the bottom of your nose the bottom straps are too tight. It should not be tight, pull it gently away from your face let it settle back down and seal. I use the N-20 "for her" which gives me a better seal than the regular N-20. The smaller size just fits my face even though I am not small. Its weird that masks are the only thing I've ever needed a small for. Lol. I wipe my face with a stridex pad before going to bed to remove the oils and that helps the seal as well IMO as I have the oily t-zone around my nose. There are many different types of masks. You can go to cpap.com and look at them all. I find its cheeper to buy the pieces off of amazon rather than going through the dme, a lot of times.

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LSAT
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Re: have tried so many masks

Post by LSAT » Sun Sep 26, 2021 3:27 pm

If you learn to keep your tongue pressed against your upper front teeth….none of that would happen. It really doesn’t take long to train your tongue.

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zonker
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Re: have tried so many masks

Post by zonker » Sun Sep 26, 2021 4:52 pm

onward60 wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 2:11 pm


Thank you for any insight at all!!
go here and see if you can find the mask you were talking about-

https://www.cpap.com/category/cpap-masks

getting the right mask is prolly THE hardest thing about cpap, in my humble opinion.

if you want to try to see if you can get your current mask to fit, try going to youtube ans searching mask fitting videos and include the mask you want in the search terms. try watching one or two.

good luck!
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ChicagoGranny
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Re: have tried so many masks

Post by ChicagoGranny » Sun Sep 26, 2021 4:57 pm

onward60 wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 2:11 pm
I get canker sores. It's an autoimmune thing. If I have an injury, even a tiny one, to the inside of my mouth, it sets off an autoimmune reaction and I get a series of mouth sores that are so painful I can hardy eat. I don't eat popcorn or anything that could nick the inside of my mouth. Once in awhile I accidentally bite my cheek in my sleep
I had the exact same thing starting at age 18. It's a very bad condition. The immune system runs wide open and leaves you fatigued. And then there is the pain. Fortunately, as I got older, my immune system became calmer. It's less of a problem now.

What was a lifesaver for me was discovering Triamcinolone Acetonide dental paste (https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a601124.html). If applied as soon as a sore is noticed, it tamps down the immune system and the sore heals in 24 to 48 hours. My dentist was the first to prescribe it to me. Any doctor can prescribe it. It's generic and cheap.

This doesn't help with your mask issues. But maybe by bumping it up, some others will give you more mask advice.

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onward60
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Re: have tried so many masks

Post by onward60 » Sun Sep 26, 2021 5:27 pm

babydinosnoreless wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 3:05 pm
I can't answer on the full face mask because I don't wear it but the N-20 if its pushing to hard at the bottom of your nose the bottom straps are too tight. It should not be tight, pull it gently away from your face let it settle back down and seal. I use the N-20 "for her" which gives me a better seal than the regular N-20. The smaller size just fits my face even though I am not small. Its weird that masks are the only thing I've ever needed a small for. Lol. I wipe my face with a stridex pad before going to bed to remove the oils and that helps the seal as well IMO as I have the oily t-zone around my nose. There are many different types of masks. You can go to cpap.com and look at them all. I find its cheeper to buy the pieces off of amazon rather than going through the dme, a lot of times.
Thanks for the advice! The DME lady fit it to me, but maybe she was wrong. I wonder if it's because I have a neck support pillow so my neck rests directly on the bottom strap. I wonder if that would tighten it. I sure would like that nasal mask to work. My insurance pays for the DME mask every 3 months. I think it was because of COVID that she only had a few to choose from. Not entirely sure, though.

I do have small face and it was the small "for her" mask. I wonder if the small is too big for me. :(

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Last edited by onward60 on Sun Sep 26, 2021 6:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
currently trying airfit N30 (not i)

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onward60
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Re: have tried so many masks

Post by onward60 » Sun Sep 26, 2021 5:50 pm

zonker wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 4:52 pm
onward60 wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 2:11 pm


Thank you for any insight at all!!
go here and see if you can find the mask you were talking about-

https://www.cpap.com/category/cpap-masks

getting the right mask is prolly THE hardest thing about cpap, in my humble opinion.

if you want to try to see if you can get your current mask to fit, try going to youtube ans searching mask fitting videos and include the mask you want in the search terms. try watching one or two.

good luck!
Thanks. I have tried to add my mask to my profile but it doesn't seem to work. Not sure why.

The 2 boxes I have say: AIRFIT F20 LGE SYS - SLM LARGE however the cushion itself has an M on it Did they give me the wrong box?
AIRFIT N20 SML (FOR HER) - AMER SMALL

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onward60
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Re: have tried so many masks

Post by onward60 » Sun Sep 26, 2021 5:53 pm

ChicagoGranny wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 4:57 pm
onward60 wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 2:11 pm
I get canker sores. It's an autoimmune thing. If I have an injury, even a tiny one, to the inside of my mouth, it sets off an autoimmune reaction and I get a series of mouth sores that are so painful I can hardy eat. I don't eat popcorn or anything that could nick the inside of my mouth. Once in awhile I accidentally bite my cheek in my sleep
I had the exact same thing starting at age 18. It's a very bad condition. The immune system runs wide open and leaves you fatigued. And then there is the pain. Fortunately, as I got older, my immune system became calmer. It's less of a problem now.

What was a lifesaver for me was discovering Triamcinolone Acetonide dental paste (https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a601124.html). If applied as soon as a sore is noticed, it tamps down the immune system and the sore heals in 24 to 48 hours. My dentist was the first to prescribe it to me. Any doctor can prescribe it. It's generic and cheap.

This doesn't help with your mask issues. But maybe by bumping it up, some others will give you more mask advice.

Thank you for that tip! I will look for that. :D

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Pugsy
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Re: have tried so many masks

Post by Pugsy » Sun Sep 26, 2021 6:00 pm

onward60 wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 5:50 pm
I have tried to add my mask to my profile but it doesn't seem to work. Not sure why
Read this sticky please

https://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic/t181 ... ryone.html

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onward60
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Re: have tried so many masks

Post by onward60 » Sun Sep 26, 2021 6:10 pm

Pugsy wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 6:00 pm
onward60 wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 5:50 pm
I have tried to add my mask to my profile but it doesn't seem to work. Not sure why
Read this sticky please

https://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic/t181 ... ryone.html
Thanks! It worked!

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Pugsy
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Re: have tried so many masks

Post by Pugsy » Sun Sep 26, 2021 6:15 pm

Consider adding some sort of hose management system to the N20 trial and see if it helps with the weight of the hose messing with the mask fit.

You can make your own hose holder or buy a store retail product. Lots out there.

Some ideas for DIY projects here.

https://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic.php?t=10640

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onward60
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Re: have tried so many masks

Post by onward60 » Sun Sep 26, 2021 6:20 pm

Pugsy wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 6:15 pm
Consider adding some sort of hose management system to the N20 trial and see if it helps with the weight of the hose messing with the mask fit.

You can make your own hose holder or buy a store retail product. Lots out there.

Some ideas for DIY projects here.

https://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic.php?t=10640
Oh, that's interesting. I did not think of the weight of the hose. I thought it was the cushion.

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Re: have tried so many masks

Post by booksfan » Sun Sep 26, 2021 6:57 pm

A hose management system might help. Before I started using the Bleep, I went through about 15 or more masks. :shock: Yes, it was the hardest part of adjusting to PAP usage! But I understand what you mean about pressure...I felt like a lot of the masks that I tried put pressure on my upper lip/teeth, to the point that in the morning I would be in pain! The hose management system just slightly raised and routed the hose/shifted the weight enough to ease some of the pressure. It might be worth a try.

Good luck...I hope you find "your" mask sooner rather than later!

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Re: have tried so many masks

Post by Pugsy » Sun Sep 26, 2021 7:27 pm

The most common error made by anyone with any type of mask is they crank things down way too tight.
Generally speaking if a mask is causing pain in the teeth area....it's way too tight. Should never cause any sort of tooth pain unless bad teeth are already present.

If any mask causes pain of any sort it is either fitted improperly or the wrong size.

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onward60
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Re: have tried so many masks

Post by onward60 » Sun Sep 26, 2021 8:00 pm

booksfan wrote:
Sun Sep 26, 2021 6:57 pm
A hose management system might help. Before I started using the Bleep, I went through about 15 or more masks. :shock: Yes, it was the hardest part of adjusting to PAP usage! But I understand what you mean about pressure...I felt like a lot of the masks that I tried put pressure on my upper lip/teeth, to the point that in the morning I would be in pain! The hose management system just slightly raised and routed the hose/shifted the weight enough to ease some of the pressure. It might be worth a try.

Good luck...I hope you find "your" mask sooner rather than later!
Thanks. I do think I will need a hose system when I get to that. I tried lying down with just the mask. So far I can't even lie down without the hose attached (nasal mask).

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