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stevesgrl98 wrote:The humidity doesn't have anything to do with it sealing correctly, does it?

Shannon, I don't know if it was too my humidity set too high or not but after some great success with the Quattro FFM, the last couple of nights I did use it, I woke in the night with a damp face and the mask leaking, squeaking, and gurgling through the moisture. I am not sure if was rain or if I had just forgotten to turn off the heat for the night (most of us in SoCal have central heat but I typically turn it completely off in the night).

So... I have run into cases where excess moisture did indeed seem to foul the seal.

I feel your frustration. I am a little over two months into this festival and, while generally trending better, I have some nights where not only do I essentially throw down the mask, I am tempted to hurl the entire machine, hose, mask, and all out the window. Please don't give up. I had a night like yours recently and that return of the vicious headache in the morning that had been an every other day occurrence before CPAP was enough to keep me going at this.

One note... I grew up in a much colder and drier climate (-45 degrees in the winter, wind chills of -125, so cold that it actually froze most of the moisture out of the air and what was left got dried out by large forced air furnaces). Essentially all houses there have central humidifiers on the furnace to combat this. The Humidistats all seemed to have little guides for what to set the humidity to and, while varying in detail, they all recommended lower humidity as the outside temp dropped.

This would seem to be a direct analog to rain-out and what you are experiencing. In winter one could tell just driving by which houses either had the humidity too high, had poorly insulated windows, or both based on the amount of condensation that could be seen on the window. It was a constant balancing act to get enough humidity for comfort in the house without undue condensation usually on the windows but in extreme times even on inner walls. As such the guidance to lower your humidifier setting is sound and, in fact, perhaps you should run even lower than that.

Again, good luck and do please persevere. Think about that morning headache, where it is coming from, and why you should keep at this. I do and it keeps me keeping on.

Migraines and Apnea- that is something I can fully sympathize with- hopefully we can get you back into your OptiLife quickly.

You mention that you have been on xPAP since October- elementary question, but have you been using the same cradlecushion the whole time, or have you changed it as needed. I only ask as this sounds like time to change- they do wear out and recommended frequency of change is suggested every three (3) weeks. The silicone is soft and flexible (makes good seal) when new, but changes over time due to your skin oils, etc.

Several people on this forum recommend Lansinoh to help with the seal- a lanolin product that doesn't break-down the silicone. (The grease version, not the cream, if I understand correctly- do a search on the forum for more info).

I also find it helpful to put a piece of elastic material (like the kind used for waist-bands in clothing) around my neck, utilizing the unused hole where the headgear attaches to the cradle cushion holder. I attach it with what a seamstress friend of mine calls a parachute clip (used in clothing)- plastic, but the one I am currently using has lasted more than a year and a half. I am a side-sleeper and kept losing the mask at night- the elastic helps keep it in place and give a better seal if not tightened too much.

Again, I know you are experienced with this particular mask, but just a reminder that mask hygiene is critical for this one- no insult is intended. But thoroughly cleaning the cradle cushion itself each day in mild detergent (or with the proper wipes) keeps skin oil damage to the silicone to a minimum-- as does a thorough face washing with soap & water.

One last recent experience for me- I have used the mask for a couple years- several months with the pillows and most of the time with the cradle cushions. I discovered- for me- that, although I use the Medium pillows, the Small Cradle-Cushion actually fit and sealed better than the Medium Cradle-cushions. For me, I found that I got a better seal [more surface area against my nose] with the small than the medium. And that was after using Medium for more than a year. They probably gave you several sizes to try when they delivered the mask- if you have different sizes, give them a try [maybe even while you are awake and watching TV??]

Good luck in getting things sorted out-- and a good night's sleep (& rid of those terrible migraines)
letchworth