Tape worked great!

ozij, I used the 420E last night. Eight hours, 44 minutes. Chin strap only. Leak line was low and steady (except for a small blip or two when I woke from the nasal pillows getting a bit dislodged.)

So, bilevel isn't what's let me dispense with taping and go just with chin strap.

Will try straight cpap tonight, although the 420E might as well have been set for straight pressure. As usual, my 420 range of 10 - 20 stayed right on 10 all night except for a 20 minute period at 11.

Had forgotten how nice the little 420E felt and what a good job it does. Do love that Silverlining software!

Here I thought all the mummies they found in the pyramid were taped for preservation, here they were being taped for mouth leaks.

ozij: Last night I got in a little more than 4 hours using the resmed Elite at pressure of 10, with EPR turned on at "3".

Leak rate on the machine data this morning: 0.0

Will use the Elite again tonight with EPR turned off...using just straight cpap pressure.

It really is amazing that after years of occasionally trying chin straps with no success, I finally am able to prevent my mouth air leaks consistently with just a chin strap.

Actually, tape feels lighter and freer to me than wearing that wide bulky chin strap. However, it's nice to be able to cough occasionally without suppressing it into a "clearing the throat type of cough" or else lift a corner of tape...which never sticks back again as well.

Oh, a side note about resmed's EPR --

I've written before that I didn't understand why an Elite with EPR turned on at "3" still felt like I was hitting against resistance when I exhaled -- compared to a feeling of no resistance using bipap at comparable (3 cm drop) settings.

Last night I paid special attention to that "feeling" and happened to notice that the SOUND of the Elite's motor definitely sounds like the blower keeps going down AS the exhale continues. In other words, I don't think EPR drops the pressure 3 cms IMMEDIATELY when you start to exhale (like bipaps do...immediately.) I think it simply BEGINS to start dropping the pressure and doesn't reach its maximum drop until farther into the exhalation.

No wonder EPR was feeling like a brick wall to me at the beginning of the exhale, compared to BiPAP and C-flex. BiPAP drops immediately. C-Flex gives its greatest drop at the beginning of exhale, where most people need it most, I'd think.

It was always a surprise to me that I felt like my exhalations were meeting resistance while using EPR. Listening closely to the sound of the resmed's motor last night told me why. Or at least, I *think* that's why.

Hi Restedgal,
I'm wondering........that seems like a fairly useless way to have an EPR work, don't you agree? You need it to drop the most at the beginning of the exhalation, right?
How many machines do you have, if I may ask?