ACTIVA - H E L P

I've been running over to my Activa every time I see a new post on this thread to see if I can figure out what you're all saying and what the problem may be. Still no answers, though.

Click on this:

Activa Assembly Instructions

and then below the image in the gray bar click on NEXT for each subsequent step. (Make sure to pause long enough on each step for all the action to finish!) Seems steps 3-7 are the ones that might be most useful for this problem....

Hi Lori,

I am so sorry. That was a bad joke! Handy person you are I really thought you would not let me pull a fast one that easy!


Bob F

Neversleeps, thanks but that is what the mask came with, the CD and the paper instructions and, trust me, I have referenced them both a hundred times already. But I appreciate the thought. I am giving up till I can get to the DME next week some time.

And as for you, Uncle Bob, to play games with the mind of a sleep deprived, desperate and confused woman who is so caught up in trying to fix her mask, you ought to be ashamed of yourself (only kidding). Yes, you did have me wondering if there truly was a way to put it together backwards. But that's okay. When you least expect it, I'll get you back one of these days...

Lori, you could always just buy another Activa online for about $95 and then you'd have a backup if something like this happens again.

_________________

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): activa

Janelle, I'm first going to ask my DME if he'll take it back, being I just got it last week. Maybe they can send it back as defective or something. If not, that is exactly what I'll do. I can't spend the rest of my life trying to figure this one out. And if it ends up I love this mask enough, I probably will buy a second anyway. I was wondering, though, if maybe I'd try either the Breeze or the Swift that everyone raves about, too, as an alternate. I just have to explore the side-sleeping aspect of both of those first, too.

I had a terrible time with the Breeze. headgear wore off the hair down my midline, the hose in the back clip kept popping out so I had to tape it down. The part that holds the nasal pillows I could never get adjusted so it didn't press on my upper lip. And I was constantly adjusting the position of the nasal pillows to get a good seal. And no matter how tight I adjusted the straps the damn thing kept moving around. RG loves it and doesn't have any problems although she's had to rerig the headstraps to the very front for stability. Personally, I don't like a mask I have to totally re-engineer to get a good fit. They should be designed to work right out of the box with a few adjustments for head size and face differentiations.

With the Swift I have the hose up from the side I seldom sleep on. No pressure on the upper lip. I can get away with medium pillows but have recently switched to the large when I looked in the mirror and noticed the medium didn't quite fill up my nostril. You can buy a mini-wrap for the short hose that is soft and cushy so if you do turn over to the other side it is very comfortable. Also a suggestion for any mask is a Tempurpedic pillow. They kind of envelope the parts of the mask a regular pillow will just resist and push into your face. I use the contour one because I have some arthritis in my neck and it seems to help.

Janelle, great info. Thanks. I do agree, any mask that you have to re-rig when you buy is not really for me. I am not a crafts person. I am "crafty" in other ways, but have never been a crafts person. I don't sew except putting buttons back on and the occasion fixing of a hem. Don't even own a machine. I think the only thing I've ever made to wear is a beach coverup in Home Economics in 8th grade (a few years ago-ahem). I do sleep on both sides constanly, so that was the reasoning behind the Activa. I guess the mini-wrap would be the thing for me with the Swift. The info you've provided was really helpful. The only negative I've heard about it, though, is some people say it's really noisy and something about the air exhaust being positioned poorly. I just wish I could get the Activa to work again. Woke up last night to it laying on my upper lip flat as a pancake. I'm wondering if it's the mask or my machine. I took it apart at 1 AM and put it back together and I had no inflation whatsoever. It's been a bad few nights. Can't wait to get back to the DME...

Lori, there are LOTS of us who do not think the Swift is noisy "out of the box". As I said, it can make a big difference on the noise if you rotate the barrel. Also, the only noise is when you inhale and it is just as much noise as the Breeze makes, also when you inhale. I think a lot of people compare the noisiness because the nasal masks are so quiet. To me this is not a bigger. You can make it nearly silent by putting about a 1 and half inch piece of nylon mesh (the kind oranges, pistachios, cherry tomatoes come in) the openings are about 1/8". Someone suggested tulle, but that is way too fine. What this does is break up the turbulence. be sure there is no mesh sticking out the sides as it will make the thing leak, though.

As far as the exhaust goes, the Breeze exhaust is straight out which is fine for the wearer but not for the bed partner. The Swift exhaust is much more diffused and is pointed at about a 45-60 degree angle down from the vertical. This does not generally disturb bed partners, at least not mine. It might blow on your arm if you are a pillow hugger but in the summer it feels kind of nice and refreshing to me. In the winter, my arms are generally under the covers and if they are out, I ususally have the humidifier turned up warmer so I have warmer air coming out, again, rather comforting, not distracting.

The only real problem I have with the Swift was the headgear being loose caused my hair to thin on the side I mostly sleep on. My remedy for this was to buy a Tiara mesh cap. It has two straps which go forward from the front, one down and one near the top, for most nasal or full face type masks. I cut off the top straps, cut a slit in the bottom ones to attach on either side of the Swift Barrel, and then reattached the top straps pointing down and coming up under and over the bottom straps to secure. I could get by with just the bottom straps but the front and top of the cap keep falling off, and the top straps like this keep it in place quite well. Great thing is, it's cool, washable in the machine, the straps are elastic so they have some adjustment, and MY HAIR IS BACK TO NORMAL and is no longer a mess in the morning. I don't do sewing either, but this was very simple. I cut a slit in the top part of the side I attach the hose, took the retaining strap for it from the Swift headgear, slipped it through and the hose is attached to the cap, although noticeably quite a bit lower than on the original headgear. More like toward the backside of my head. The whole thing slips off and on quite easily. And the best part, no mask marks on the cheeks in the morning.

Janelle, you are terrific to take the time to get so specific. Thank you. I was a bit lost on your description of how to fine tune the Swift's headpiece, so I might bother you when the time comes to give me detailed instructions. But till then, I won't bother you about it. I did hear someone else talking about the mesh quieting the noise level, too. Isn't it true how necessity is the mother of invention?

I was reading the posts on here and I thought that I might try and offer some assistance. I am a respiratory therapist that specializes in CPAP/Bipap setups and mask fittings. The activa is my favorite mask. It has so much flexibility. My first question is what CPAP machine do you have and was it brand new when you received it or was it used? How long ago do you get it? If it was new, you shouldn't have a problem with the machine, so lets focus on the mask. Attach your mask to the machine and turn it on. Once the pressure starts, take your hand or something and cover the portion that would normally cover your nose. Use your free hand or aim the outward portion of the mask at your face. Do you feel air blowing out of the mask anywhere other that the four exhalation holes located near where the tubing that swivels meets the mask portion. If so, that is where you need to start first. When the mask is sealed on your face, the only place that should have air blowing out of it is the 4 holes I just spoke of. These holes should never be covered. If this doesn't work, my next question is do you have a heated humidifier? Sometimes when people are trying to put the chamber into the hotplate area or attaching the tubing to it, they get a crack in the chamber---most of them are clear in color so they are hard to detect unless you are specifically check for air leaks.

I hope this resolves your issues. Post back and let me know!

Thanks for the reply, CPAP junkie. I did try putting my hand over the mask when it was running and I can't seem to detect any leaks from anywhere else. I haven't looked to see if there is a cracked chamber, as you call it, but I will. I have a rented Remstar 2 that will be only till the beginning of July when Empire will buy me a machine. I have only been on CPAP since June 7th. I have been told that if I take well to it, at the end of the 30-day period, they buy me a machine. I am using a F&P humidifier with it. I think this is a used Remstar 2, though.
Last night, I awoke to find the Activa laying across my bottom lip flat as a pancake. So something is not right here. It's hard to keep the inflation. It was perfect the first two nights, until I cleaned it. Now it's impossible to get a full night of inflation out of it. And I've tried everything, trust me. And I can't find a thing wrong with it. I will try to bring it back to the DME if I get a moment off from work this week. I just bought a used one on eBay tonight but am in a quandry on how to clean it since the neoprene can't be cleaned with just anything and I really don't want to take it apart. The girl said she used it twice, but I still want to clean it. What would you suggest? You can't use alcohol on it, can you? Thanks for any help you can give and for the suggestions you've made so far. I'm off to check the chamber (sounds so cryptic...).

Janelle,
Could you post a picture of that cap and strap combination?
Thanks,
O.

If the images don't show up, here are the URLs:

My server won't let me post photos. So I made a page

http://www.angelfire.com/empire/wildair ... option.htm

That's wonderful Janelle, - now I understand!
Thanks!
O.

Janelle wrote: I wish more people would insist on another sleep study to find out why they are not feeling better after several months or even years on xPAP. In my case I wasn't getting any deep stage sleep. Addressing that issue has helped enormously!

Janelle, why weren't you getting deep stage sleep? (please forgive me and ignore if I just haven't gotten down far enough in the thread)