Airfit F-20

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
Portlandguy
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon May 13, 2013 6:51 am

Airfit F-20

Post by Portlandguy » Thu Jan 20, 2022 7:54 am

Hi.

I'm Just finished my second night using a ResMed Airfit F-20 mask.

I was previously using an Airfit F-10. I'm having some trouble getting this mask adjusted properly.

I think my mouth may be slipping too far open while sleeping. I also get "puffy cheeks".

I think the cushion maybe the right size, but the headgear may be too big. I'm mostly bald and the strap that goes over my head moves pretty easily.

Does anybody have any tips with adjusting this mask? Has anybody gotten the small headgear? I'm afraid if I get a smaller one it will be too small.

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Pugsy
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Joined: Thu May 14, 2009 9:31 am
Location: Missouri, USA

Re: Airfit F-20

Post by Pugsy » Thu Jan 20, 2022 8:24 am

Portlandguy wrote:
Thu Jan 20, 2022 7:54 am
I also get "puffy cheeks".
I can't help with the overall fitting issues you wonder about but wanted to address the "puffy cheeks" thing.
Wearing a full face mask isn't going to stop or fix the puffy cheeky thing at all. We often call them "chipmunk cheeks" and it's a common complaint from many cpap users.
The inflated cheek thing comes when cpap air pressure goes up the nose and down the airway and then enters the oral cavity prematurely and tries to exit via the mouth. When the lips are closed the air can't exit and the cheeks will inflate...causing the puffy cheeks or chipmunk cheeks. The fix is to keep the back door from the oral cavity and the airway closed so that no air can enter the mouth. Easier said than done for a lot of people.

All that wearing a full face mask does for chipmunk cheeks is allow people to open their mouths to release the pressure without losing therapy pressure. It's not going to prevent it from happening. To prevent the back door has to remain closed and not allow the air to enter the mouth. It can be done but it's not always easy especially when we are asleep.

As far as the overall mask fitting...sorry, never used a full face mask but if you think the headgear is a bit too large and they don't offer the headgear in a smaller size then about all I can think of is to try snugging things up with some strap padding of some sort. Padacheek.com offers several types of strap pad covers that might help in this regard.
If you are a handy kind of person (or know someone who is) you can easily make your own strap covers with a bit of fleece material. Look at the ones at padacheek.com to see what I mean.
https://www.padacheek.com/

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LSAT
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Joined: Sun Nov 16, 2008 10:11 am
Location: SE Wisconsin

Re: Airfit F-20

Post by LSAT » Thu Jan 20, 2022 8:43 am


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Machine: ResMed AirSense™ 10 AutoSet™ CPAP Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier
Mask: Fisher & Paykel Vitera Full Face Mask with Headgear (S, M, or L Cushion)
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gstamer
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2022 4:11 pm

Re: Airfit F-20

Post by gstamer » Thu Jan 20, 2022 1:45 pm

FWIW, I get "chipmunks" only with nasal masks and not with FFMs.

I practice the "tongue suck technique", but for me, chipmunk cheeks happen whenever my jaw drops below a certain point, as I start to fall asleep on cpap. Air being directed into the mouth is obviously more than just plastering the tongue to the roof of your mouth as I'm able to open my mouth fully and even talk, and not have any air escape through my mouth, with the cpap on, when I am awake. I'm sure it varies person to person.

I don't have an issue with chipmunk cheeks with a FFM. Both the F20 ( and the F&P Vitera) keeps my jaw from dropping, due to the mask fit and pressure on my chin. Maybe a different cushion size might help in your case? If your inflated cheeks are not related to jaw dropping then this advice probably won't help you.

With nasal masks I need to use a chinstrap (Knightsbridge or PAPcap) to keep my jaw from dropping and avoid the "chipmunks". I use mouth tape as well. Without the chinstrap ( and with only just tape ) I find that as soon as I start dozing off my jaw relaxes, my cheeks inflate, it startles me, I try to fall asleep again, and this goes on and on for hours. Personally I wouldn't want to wear a Knightsbridge chinstrap with a FMM, due to having all that crap on my head, but it's an option.

I found that using a double boil and bite mouth-guard also prevented cheek inflation by keeping my jaws closed, but my teeth hurt and my bite was off each morning, so I stopped that experiment.

I'm still a rookie, having started cpap in November, so I'm hoping that I'll "grow out" of chipmunk cheeks over time, as some here have reported.
Mask: alternate between P10 and N30; Vitera / F20 if allergies
Machine: AirSense 10 Autoset / AirMini

I came, I saw, I dozed off...

gstamer
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jan 10, 2022 4:11 pm

Re: Airfit F-20

Post by gstamer » Fri Jan 21, 2022 11:09 am

To answer your original question, I'm a "regular sized" male (usually falling between medium and large for most sizing), but use the small F20 headgear, as I was getting tired of the standard headgear stretching out quickly. The small headgear was a little snug for awhile. There was a thread either here or another forum, where a few men prefer to get the small for the same reason.

The only way you will know is to try. You can find the headgear on Amazon or Ebay for a little over $20, so it's not a huge loss should it not pan out. I have a big box of similar "experiments" that didn't work out ( including many different masks ). FWIW, I buy all my supplies online.

If you want to try the Knightsbridge chin strap or PAPcap, please note they both have a small head cap, which may allow for your "loose" current headgear to fit better.
Mask: alternate between P10 and N30; Vitera / F20 if allergies
Machine: AirSense 10 Autoset / AirMini

I came, I saw, I dozed off...