SleepWeaver

fadedgirl wrote:

DickR wrote:DickR

I discovered that the angle of the straps was not quite right - they needed to be pulling pretty much straight out to the sides instead of somewhat downward as they are designed. Moving them up so that they are actually over my ears solved the problem completely.

YES I do this as well, I don't think it has anything to do with your mustache. Probably at least 75% of the time I find that I have the straps going directly over my ears. It seems that with a few minor tweaks the makers of this mask could vastly improve it, and I'm not sure why they aren't at the very least offering alternate versions.

Are you washing your head gear everyday? Or is it where the headgear attaches to the mask that its separating?

fadegirl -
So apparently I'm not the only one with this strap-angle problem. If my leaks are not because of the mustache, this must be a fairly common complaint. You're right - it doesn't seem like such a complicated fix. Maybe a dual pair of straps - one above the ears and one below. I would picture something like the Resmed Mirage Liberty strap arrangement. The only tricky part would be how to attach them to the mask: a re-design of the mask to allow two attachment points on each side? Or maybe "Y" adapters between the current mask and the dual straps on each side? If the Sleepweaver folks follow this chat room, we can only hope that they might be motivated to come up with a workable solution.

As to the separation of the straps, yes, I do wash them in mild soapy water every day. The separation happens in 2 areas: the triangular piece that attaches to the elastic forehead band, and the longer crosspiece that goes across the back of the head. I don't disassemble the head gear when I wash it. And in all other respects, it has held up very well. The mask itself shows no signs of wear, and It even still has the original tape on the hose connecter.

Thanks for your response. All in all, I'm still a Sleepweaver fan - just hoping for a couple of improvements!

Also, from a cost standpoint, has insurance paid the full cost (as compared to other type masks)?

Hi Dr. K,

Although the company that makes the Sleepweaver told me that Medicare covers it (which usually causes other insurance companies to mirror the Medicare benefit and cover it also), I found that my DME would not carry it. It seems that the mask cost is higher than what Medicare typically covers, and the insurance company is reimbursed by my insurance at the same price for all masks. Therefore it is not worth their while financially to cover it.

To make it more complicated, the central office of my DME company told me that they cover it, but the reps at my satellite office don't work well with the central office, and I can't seem to coordinate with anyone from the DME company to get coverage. If I was going to use the Sleapweaver regularly I would push, but as I had the eye leaks and didn't want to fuss each night I'll let the situation be. It would be interesting to see if others have the same problem getting coverage for this mask.

Happy Sleeper.

I found this thread today through Google. I have tried a few nasal masks with little comfort and currently trialling the Swift nasal Pillow mask, with less problems but I'm not entirely happy with it.

The Sleepwalker cloth mask looks like it would be much better. This thread is over a year old- it would be great if anyone would offer some updates- fadedgirl are you still using it? Is it still as good ? Have they fixed the strap issue with the 'ADVANCE' version?

Hi,
I love the Sleepweaver mask and have for about a year now but I have 1 problem with it which probably would not be an issue for most people.
I have really sensitive skin and I can't deal with the mask marks!
They are really bad for me and usually don't go away all day,so if I'm planning to go somewhere I can't wear it.
I haven't been able to figure how to make strap covers because you have to adjust them every night.

I love the mask though,it's a whole different world from the hard c-pap masks.It really should be for everyone!

This in my opinion is the #1 mask of them all!!!

I had some excellent PM help from fadedgirl and decided to buy a Sleepweaver mask.

It was immediately, immensely, more comfortable. A few nights I have had trouble with it sealing, but lately there have been no problems and the other night I had zero AHI !! usually I see about .3 or .4 up to 5am. If I go back to sleep after 5am my AHI readings are high. I was getting the same after 5am results with other masks so it is something to do with me.

I feel I am a very lightly diagnosed apnea sufferer and for me the mask is wonderful.

Many thanks to this forum and in particular fadedgirl who took the trouble to quickly answer my PM's

thanls

Maureen

I forgot to say that when the mask is sealing, which is most of the time, it makes hardly any noise and my husband can't hear it.

Maureen

This mask sounds interesting. However, I did note that on the cpap.com site, the mask's specs say it is not suitable for small faces. Has anyone who uses a small or xsmall mask had any experience with the SleepWeaver? Did it work at all, or is that mask just not for us small-faced people?