Mirage Activa?

I too have had problems with the Activa LT rubbing raw the area between my nostrils. The problem is, I have had the least amount of leaks with the LT, but every morning the bottom of my nose is SO sore. One user had recommended trimming the thicker plastic at the bottom of the LT mask, but I am afraid I will loose my seal if I do that. Anyone else found a remedy to the mask moving up and rubbing the bottom of your nose? I did have a good fitting with my mask and it is the right size, but I am also on bipap, so I think it moves more.

The Activa LT is my mask of choice... it is the only one that I can get an excellent seal and a zero leak line most of the night. It is also comfortable and light. You can also swap in the SoftGel cushion if you prefer, though I found the Activa LT to be much more comfortable and leak-free for me. I think the trick is to not have the lower straps too tight... it should not be holding the lower part of the mask too close to your face because the Activa works by billowing up from the air flow. Once starting the pressure, you lift ever so slightly at the edges of the ridge of the cushion until your nose edges are fully under the mask edge. I wonder if some people that have issues with the cushion either wear it too tightly or have the wrong size.

Not a long time cpap user only about 600 nights so far,but always used the activa mask,it was recommended to me by a doctors assistant that her husband used it and was happy with it and she was ready to move over to it too. I had hesitation about the LT when it came out but also am happy with the Activa LT and would not want to go back. The LT fits better, feels lighter and i have 6 or 7 of them now and my wife who likes a full face comfortgel always comes back to the LT as a standby because too much leakage with the full face.I would recommend the activa to anyone.

I used Activa masks for a long time and then switched to Activa LT a year or so ago. I like them both, but prefer the LT. I have tried a variety of other masks over the years and haven't found any other mask that I like as well.

I agree that the "trick" to sealing success and comfortable use is to not over-tighten. Users used to other masks are apt to make that mistake. Activa masks need to be much loser than any other mask I have tried to seal properly.

I wonder if it has to do with the amount of pressure you are using as well. I am on bipap therapy, and can't really tell you what my pressure is. What I have trouble understanding is, if you don't tighten the bottom straps and you sleep on your side or toss and turn, how do you keep the mask from slipping and leaking?

Another happy Activa LT user here. I've started my therapy 2 months ago and have been 100% compliant. The LT seals great and is very comfortable to me. I route the hose through a home made "hook" (made from a coat hanger) attached to our bed's headboard and I can sleep on my back and move to sleep on either sides without the mask moving on my face. I was surprised how well it stays in place at first because of how loose the bottom straps need to be for the mask to work properly.

@tootiredtocare:

The only times the mask has rubbed the area around my nostrils was if the mask moved up on my face for some reason (a rare occurrence but it has happened). I suspect your mask might be too small or you are wearing it too high on your face. Everyone's face is different but, for me, the forehead support needs to rest a little lower than the middle of my forehead. Just above the eye cavity the bone "bulges" a little around my eyes and, for me, the support needs to rest right above that between it and the middle of my fore head. A very comfortable position for it to sit on too for me. The bottom of the cushion is also pretty close to my upper lip. So, maybe try adjusting the position of the mask on your face and lower it a little if you can.

I am using a Mirage Activa LT mask for about 8 months and I like it. I find that it "bumps" if the tension is not set right; that is the gasket inflates and pops against my face a bit which is slightly annoying. Loosening the tension solves this. I also have a RESMED Ultima Miracle II that I use for trips and it doesn't seem to do that. Both are OK for me.

BH

I used the Activa LT after tearing my nose up with a Mirage Micro. I was satisfied with the results, like several others stated, I was able to sleep on my side without leaks. It was confortable and allowed time for my nose to heal, plus the fact that it "rides" up and down on inhale /exhale makes a better seal to one's face. . I am currently using the Swift FX and think it's the best for my situation. But overall, a very good choice and I'd reccomend it.

tootiredtocare wrote:I wonder if it has to do with the amount of pressure you are using as well. I am on bipap therapy, and can't really tell you what my pressure is. What I have trouble understanding is, if you don't tighten the bottom straps and you sleep on your side or toss and turn, how do you keep the mask from slipping and leaking?

I tighten them enough to hold it in place when the mask is inflated... though still not terribly tight. For me, the mask fits just right such that the sides of my nose sort of hold the lower part of the mask in place in the ridges of the outside of my nose edge.

Well, maybe I just have a weird face. I do know that at night, it does seem that the activa lt does ride up on my face some, which I think is when the mask is chafing the bottom of my nose. And it seems to be the hard plastic part of the bottom that does it. I have to sleep with a chinstrap, and it seems that when I wear the chin strap, it pushes my cheeks out and makes my mask sort of move up on my face. I can't sleep without a chin strap though. Overall, I do think that the activa lt has been the best mask for me. If I could just stop the nose chafing, I could handle the minimal leaking.

After trying countless different masks over the last 15 months, I have decided that the Mirage ActiveaLT is the best fit for me. I love it. I have a high pressure setting, and this mask does not give much leakage, however I have read that it is not so good at lower pressures. I can sleep in just about any position with this mask and not get massive leakage. It does leave some red marks on my face, but they are gone within 2 hours of awaking (compared to all day with other masks). I will be using this mask for the unforseeable future. I will probably buy a replacement after 6 months of useage.

I have tried a number of masks in my quest (all nosebags) and have found the Mirage Activa LT Large Wide to be a great fit and very comfy. It sits wide on my face missing the creases between my nose and cheeks and the wide pressure points give it stability with great comfort. I use 7.8 (9.8-2) to 15 APAP.

Am also using a Comfort Gel I believe it is called and it too is very comfy. Last but not least when I am feeling adventurous I will try my Swift LT Large nasal pillows for which I have spare nose tubes but find that they are just not solid enough and 'squish' when I move about at night, cutting off the positive airway pressure often. Only in a pinch do I use them, like when watching TV knowing I am going to conk out.

The Activa LT is the best I have found thus far in a nasal mask. Spoke to a friend tonight who is also a CPAP user and he no longer uses his blower; said he could not get used to it. His nephew snores like the dickens, falls asleep at all hours of the day and night and wakes up in a sweat during the night..........tada, OSA? That waking up in a sweat is a dead giveaway of high blood pressure caused by suffocation very often (it was in my case). He had a sleep study done at the local hospital and they lost the darned thing, believe it or not. He had such an awful night of sleep that he refuses to return for another sleep study. I am hoping I changed his mind tonight and even offered to let him use MY spare machine and one of my spare masks for a trial set at low setting and APAP mode.... but think he is going to go for another sleep study now that he has two cute kids under 2 years old. He is a prime candidate.

Problem is that many of these sleep studies are done without any CPAP at first and thus produce a miserable night of sleep, especially in a hospital environment. Mine was done is a dark and quiet room with cool air and a nice comforter and pillow provided. I slept well in a peaceful quiety environment. Some folks should simply not be providing sleep studies at all. Even more are unqualified to fit nosebags and machines. Pity.

I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of my Activa LT--today perhaps???? I'm a side sleeper and everything else is leaking like crazy on me. I hope my bottom pressure of 7 is enough to make it work--my high pressure is only 12.

He had a sleep study done at the local hospital and they lost the darned thing, believe it or not. He had such an awful night of sleep that he refuses to return for another sleep study

I've heard more and more stories about people walking out on their sleep studies or never returning for the titration study lately. I thought my HMO was just being cheap because they do home studies with a machine that connects to your hand and titration by sending you home with a data capable APAP machine, but in retrospect I think this is a great idea for people like your friend and for me. No way I would have slept with wires hooked up to me, in a strange bed and environment. I would have been one of those people to walk out and never look back.

As it is, I never sleep the first night in a hotel room or someone else's home. I think that people like me actually benefit from doing home studies the way my HMO did it. It may not be ideal, but for some of us, it's the only way we are ever going to get diagnosed and titrated. You might suggest your friend look for a sleep program that does it that way--it's a lot more tolerable.

I know we get to a certain level of expertise with our own experiences and with all the reading we do, but I wouldn't play doctor for someone else, although you could let him try it while awake just to see that it is tolerable.

Janknitz wrote:I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of my Activa LT--today perhaps???? I'm a side sleeper and everything else is leaking like crazy on me. I hope my bottom pressure of 7 is enough to make it work--my high pressure is only 12.

The low pressure on my APAP is 6 (high is 18) and the LT still works very well for me. The lady at the DME where I got it adjusted it perfectly. I tightened up the head straps some since I got it but never touched the lower straps adjustment which is quite loose and the mask still seals great after 2 months. With your low of 7 it should work very well for you too.

I like my Activa LT now that they've come out with a gel cushion in Small. The regular silicon cushion is pretty hard, imho - it bruised my cheek bone when I slept on my side. The gel cushion improves that. I also like the ComfortGel. I wear whichever one I can get to seal that night. I've only been on CPAP for five months, and I can tell I haven't learned how to seal a mask properly yet. Some nights one mask will leak, other nights another one will. I'm worried about the frequent eye irritation and infections.

I'm going to try the suggestion about not tightening the straps too tight. Any other pointers for getting a good seal?