Mask leaks around edges

DoriC wrote:Good idea for the Q-Tip, my husband sometimes needs to adjust his mask during the night and makes things worse with his big(kinda clumsy) fingers, when all he'd need to do is use the Q-tip and give the cushion a little poke where needed. Thanks.

Dori,

I had a big leak on the bridge of my nose, near my left eye last night. I reached to the night stand and got the Q-Tip....ran it around the area where the leak was and was back to sleep in no time. Hurray! Something works!!

I like this Q-tip idea. I've always had problems with eye leaks with my Quattro, to the extent that I take a handkerchief to bed and tuck it behind the little bridge between the forehead support and the mask so it will lie across my eyes and shield them from the air (tried eye masks but found them too confining -- go figure, I can stuff half my face into a Quattro and that's not too confining, but adding that last detail pushes it over the edge). Next time I use the Quattro, I'll be sure to have a Q-tip at hand!

slibhart wrote:I had a big leak on the bridge of my nose, near my left eye last night. I reached to the night stand and got the Q-Tip....ran it around the area where the leak was and was back to sleep in no time. Hurray! Something works!!

Did you poke the q-tip all the way into the seal, and if so, how did you get it out without unseating it? Or did you just sort of jab at the seal? I was trying this last night, but didn't succeed...

Do it the same as I suggested w/your fingertip. Just run the Q-tip along the seamline between cushion and skin. No need to poke way under.

Slinky wrote:Do it the same as I suggested w/your fingertip. Just run the Q-tip along the seamline between cushion and skin. No need to poke way under.

I agree.....it seems to work best if you go just under the seam and run it along the leaking area, rather than poke it in. It smoothes out the leaking area and allows it to seal again.

> I have had my cpap machine and mask since mid November.

OK, so the cushion has been used for three months.

> I keep the mask clean, wash my face to make sure nothing is oily

Good, this is very important. Wash the cushion every morning. Warm water is usually enough on a daily basis to get the face oils off it, and then with a mild, non-greasy soap on the weekend. Dish soap is usually better than handsoap for non-oiliness.

The other thing I do (isn't it funny how we have these routines) is to rub the cushion/seal against my cotton pajama top just before I put it on, 360 degrees all the way around the cushion. This is to get rid of any possible remaining oil.

> The challenge comes in sometime during the night

When that happens you might want to just sit up, turn off the machine for a moment, take off the mask, and use a Kleenex on your face and cotton on the cushion to get rid of any oil or sweat. Also, if there is any condensation (water) inside the mask, use the Kleenex to dry it out. The air pressure can push that around the edge of the cushion, causing it to become slick.

> and adjust the straps.

Yeah, this is an art, not a science. It takes experience, so it's a problem for every new xpap user. Keep experimenting.

> I lost my health insurance and cannot afford another mask at this time.

I understand what you're saying. You probably don't need a whole mask. But at three months, the cushion has probably lost most of its cush/springiness. That's when they start to leak. I recommend a new cushion, in addition to the things above.

I see that cpap.com sells cushions for $45. That's a good price.

I use the small nose mask from Mirage. At first I had problems. I found if I side sleep, with a pillow in front of me, i can use the pillow to exert just enough pressure on the mask to avoid leaks

The other thing is that there is a hard plastic "ring" that snaps over the soft plastic gasket. If you are missing this ring ( and I was in the beginning) it leaks more easily

--G