CPAPtalk.com

Tielman wrote:

danimal71 wrote:I am trying both the Quattro and the Liberty masks right now.

Just wondering about any other kinds of masks. Are you are a "mouth leaker"?
If not, why not consider a nasal pillow mask (Swift LT, Swift FX are good starters). They are also much better in terms of leaking and rolling over on your side (preferred position).

I was a bad mouth breather when I started out back in August. My lip would always slip down below the seal when I fell asleep, so I hated the quattro. I switched to Fisher and Paykel's 431 which has a chin support built into it, and that works pretty well most of the time. I can even put my face against a real pillow when sleeping on my side.

I'm with you on the tired thing, though. I turned my alarm off last night and never woke up until after nine, so I spent 10 hours on my machine last night - still woke up groggy. It took me awhile to get my doofus machine to stop blowing air at me while I was trying to exhale so I was awake for about an hour, but then I woke up less than normal during the night.

Tielman - I am "traditionally" a mouth breather because of bad sinuses. Lately they haven't been too bad so I had been using a nasal mask (forgot the name) that I used at my titration. I was successful at keeping my mouth closed for 3 nights ion a row (or so I thought as I didn't have the software yet. I am concerned about not having a ffm when I have a cold. Sometimes when I am sick I can't even get a hint of air through my nose....otherwise I would go the nose route.

The Liberty wouldn't be bad if I could keep a good seal with the nasal pillows. I guess if I could find a reliable ffm I would look into a non-ffm. I am dragging at work right now and having a hard time focussing.

I am concerned about not having a ffm when I have a cold. Sometimes when I am sick I can't even get a hint of air through my nose....otherwise I would go the nose route.

Take a look at a recent question of mine. The answers were very enlightening!

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=56447&st=0&sk=t&sd=

danimal, lots of good suggestions for you here, and you WILL get this figured out. One more thing to think about is your hose management. If the hose runs up from your face (as opposed to down or to the side) you're likely to have fewer leaks. Didn't know if you'd addressed this puzzle piece yet.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/SleePA ... illow.html

Hubby uses this pillow with the UltraMirage FF and is pretty leak free.

Thanks everyone. Regarding the hose placement I usually try and run it over the top of my head vs down under my arm. It seemed that there was less pressure on the mask thus less movement.

My new pillow came in today hope to sleep better with it tonight. If not I may try surgery on the other memory foam pillow I have. also going to try and sleep with the Activa nasal mask I have. If I get a good night sleep and the numbers look good off of the card then I may go out on a limb and go strictly with a nasal mask and give up on the ffm.

ched03 - thanks for the link. That definitely got me thinking about mask choices. Still frustrated and exhausted. Forced myself to exercise tonight wasn't a lot but it's a beginning.

Spoke to BCBS\IL a little while ago. I asked if I was locked into using the DME I am assigned and they stated no. They showed me how to go online and find the PPO approved DME's in the area. I asked about how often I could get a mask and the woman stated as often as the Dr said I could...as long as he either wrote a prescription or a Letter of Necessity. I then called the DME and told them that neither mask has worked for me and that I have been getting by with my Activa nasal mask...which she then stated is pretty good. I asked her about my option of going with a nasal mask through them. She reminded me about how when we last talked that she had explained this would be the last mask as it was past my 30 days and that this was my 3rd mask. I then explained about how it was really my 2nd as they person who came out to setup my equipment said he originally had a medium for me but said I looke like a large. She then asked me if he put it on me and I told her yes for a few minutes while I was sitting up. Then I told her that as soon as I laid down and moved that it began to leak. I then told her that the medium didn't leak half as bad as the large did. She told me that I could keep 1 or the ffm and send the other back and that she would look and see if she had a demo of either the Swift LT Nasal Pillows or the Swift 2 and send it to me since I didn't have anything that was working 100% of the time. She said she would make and exception since I had explained to her my concern about having a clogged nose when I get sick. I had told her I would take my chances with the nasal pillows but she agreed to do this. She wasn't really rude but at one point I felt like I was being talked down too.

She was surprised when I told her about using the lanolin on the pillows and also very surprised when I told her that I had bought the software and was checking my numbers. I think she might have choked on her lunch for a second when I mentioned the software part. She had stated that I could get a new mask in 6 months with replacement parts in 3. I think I may just check out one of the3 local DME's and move on. Since I signed papers with the current DME is there anything I need to do so that they won't bill my insurance in the future? Also I have a copy of my test results and a copy of my prescription coming in the mail.

Just got a call back. They didn't have a regular Swift LT so I am getting the Swift LT for Her (supposedly the only difference is the color). Pale blue...it'll match my eyes

Felt a little better today. used my Activa nose mask last night. No large leaks. AHI was 3.0. That was with a pretty stuffy nose. That's encouraging. The Swift Lt looks like it will be comfortable.

Ohhhh I think I am going to sleep good tonight. The Swift LT came today and I tried it on for about 10-15 minutes. I laid on both sides and my stomach and it didn't leak....which gives me hope! I have the hose hooked up to go above my head. It is so light.

I wore my Activa mask last night and had an AHI of 2.8! Lowest night yet. 6 minutes or 1.9% large leak. That was registered in the very beginning when I was watching TV in bed.

At the beginning of this thread I felt so discourage and frustrated. Now I feel just the opposite. For others feeling this way DON"T GIVE UP HOPE!

I just saw that they told you the only difference between the Swift LT and the Swift LT for her is the color. That is almost true. The head gear is the same but your choice of pillows is not. Regular Swift LT gives you L, M and S while the Swift LT for her gives you M, S, and XS. I hope you don't need a large. If you like the headgear and you find that the medium is too small, you can always get larges for a decent price on e-bay.

Yea I saw that when I was talking to them on the phone. I was looking at it on CPAP.com. Part of why she sent it to me was that I said the medium on the Liberty fit me fine. I had tried all three sizes with the Liberty and the medium fit the best. Hopefully tonight goes as well as the 15 minutes of me trying it on. I am actually looking forward to going to sleep tonight.

I sleep with a 12 x 12 pillow that you would put on your couch. I am able to sleep on my side and my mask does not come off. It is a soft plush material. Just perfect - maybe the size and shape can help you too. You can put a pillowcase over it too.

Well didn't sleep as great as I thought I would. I attribute it to being a new mask that I was partly worried about leaking even though I felt confident it would do well. I had 1 large leak reported for 7 minutes out of 5hr ??min. of sleep. It's definitely the most comfortable mask I have had on. Is it technically a mask since it is the pillows resting in the nose? I woke up around 1:30ish am with some nose irritation and put the lanolin cream on, fell right back to sleep and woke up at 3:30am and was wide awake. My nose seemed to get real stuffy and I was having a hard time breathing\sleeping. Took a couple of shots of Afrin and turned down the humidity 1 number and went back to sleep about 15 minutes later until about 4:30am. Decided to take it off for the last hour. Nose feels perfectly fine this morning (well it still somewhat stuffy but breathable). I find myself breathing more and more with my mouth shut during the day...kind of odd that I am paying attention to that now. I did wake up 2 times last night do to the floppy lips with air coming out. 1st time that happened. I must have been sleeping pretty good. AHI was reported at 2.8. Guess I can't complain. I feel pretty good this morning. I am confident that this is the mask\pillow for me for now. I just need to get used to it.

If you like the headgear and you find that the medium is too small, you can always get larges for a decent price on e-bay.

Or try the thread titled The Great Pillow Exchange here at cpaptalk.com. Yeah, it periodically moves off the first page (when no-one's asking about exchanges), but if you post the size of the pillows you have and the size you want, it gets bumped to the first page and pillows users will notice.

I am so happy for you! If the tip of your nose gets sore in the future, you may have it on too tight. That is the only problem that I had with that mask. I loosened the straps just enough to not have leaks and my nose adjusted. Occasionally I wake up with a tender nose but that quickly goes away. I really hope you have found what you are looking for. Your AHI looks good.