CPAPtalk.com

Ruffinit,

Do you know which ResMed mask strap you're using? There should be a label on the back of the headgear that says the name of the mask.

Also, what is your pressure?

The mask I took the head gear off of is the Mirage Liberty which they gave me to try. The nose hoses kept popping my ears and then would blow out of my nose.. Terrible mask. There is about a 3" hard "strap" which goes past your temple which then has the head gear attached. You can leave the hard straps. I'm using a VPAP Adapt ST (ResMed) at 15 pounds.

How did you attach the hard plastic part of the strap to the top anchors on the mask? On the Liberty, the hard plastic part clips into a hook-shaped clip on the mask, but on the Zzz, there's no hook, just a plastic loop. Did you slip the plastic strap part through the upper loops on the Zzz? If you know how, posting a picture would be nice!

Rustyolddude wrote:What I've found is that the red make on the nose bridge isn't caused by contact with the mask body. It's caused by the shape of the mask seal.

By "seal" you mean the cushion, right?

The vertical position of the Quattro on your face (along with outher factors) seems to to dictate whether your going to have a comfortable fit or have a sore. I've noticed that opening my mouth, rasing & lowering my eyebrows all affect the seal position & instance of leaks.

I have a size Medium and a size Large, and I've moved them up and down on my face. It does change where the sore falls on my nose from night to night, but there always is a red mark to a lesser or greater extent.

A few things I'd like to try: Applying some K-Y or food safe silicone lube on the heavier inner lips of the seal cushion to perhaps allow the thin portion of the seal to position better.

I have seen people mention using Lansinoh cream (or lanolin). I don't know what that would do to your mask.

Also, I'd like to position a piece of round dental gauze, foam or something similar in the apex (inverted-V) of the seal so that there is some overhang on the left & right side of the nose bridge to see if it would help reduce the seal stretch over the nose bridge without causing leaks.

I'm not sure I'm following exactly what it is you want to do. But personally I was always afraid to attach something to the cushion, as I felt that the cushion might become stretched or tear when I removed whatever I'd attached (e.g., moleskin, etc.).

I have wondered whether all the tapes I use on my nose have actually increased the pressure on my nose. Maybe less would be better. I'm too scared to try using nothing, though! Last night I used the Remzzzs only, without a piece of tape under it. It was not substantially different than the night or two before when I used cushioned medical tape and the Remzzzs.

falvesjr wrote:How did you attach the hard plastic part of the strap to the top anchors on the mask? On the Liberty, the hard plastic part clips into a hook-shaped clip on the mask, but on the Zzz, there's no hook, just a plastic loop. Did you slip the plastic strap part through the upper loops on the Zzz? If you know how, posting a picture would be nice!

Sorry, I was trying to explain that you don't use the hard plastic strap at all. Leave it on the Liberty. For the Drive (Zzz) use the head gear without the plastic "strap". I'm afraid that if you have a larger head the temple straps when connected to the Drive may be too short. As it is for me, they're just right.
I don't have a web photo account so can't post a pic.

Ah! Leave them out. Got it!

I used the Quatro for over a year, all the time with pain between my lower lip and chin. I switched to the F&P Forma and haven't looked back. It is the most comfortable mask I've used as it seems to spread the headgear pressure (not CPAP) evenly. BTW, I tried pillows & nasal mask before the Quatro.

falvesjr wrote:Ah! Leave them out. Got it!

Soo... Have you tried it? Did it work for you?

I've tried the Liberty mask, both small and large sizes, but I would get leaks that would wake me up in the middle of the night and the small size made my lower teeth hurt at the gum line. So its back to the Quattro.

As for pressure on the bridge on the nose, I noticed that this would happen if I set the dial so that the nose portion of the mask is further away from my nose. I have to bring it in close enough so that the mask is relatively parallel to my face.

I had given up my Opus 360 nasal pillow mask because of mouth leaks and taping seemed too much trouble. But now after trying out the Quattro and Liberty masks, in hindsight it seems that the pillow mask and the taping were better than a full face mask, as I would get zero leaks. So I will retry the Opus mask and hope I can get used to the taping. But I will keep my Quattro as a backup, as it has been the best full face mask so far.