Why Resmed Quattro FF masks are superior to chin straps

I have used the Resmed Mirage Quattro FFM for three and a half years and love it. I admit it is uncomfortable to wear, but the other option is even worse (poor to non existent sleep). I have tried chin straps and this is my personal opinion, but I think for anything but very minor mouth leak, they are a joke. I have bad jaw drop in my sleep, I have a deviated nasal septum and evidently relax so much in my sleep that my mouth opens and I breathe thru my mouth. If I wear a nasal mask (started on the Resmed Activa nasal), I wake up with a dry mouth and sometimes with air rushing out of my mouth. That is actually worse than no CPAP at all.

Solution? End it all solution? Full face mask. Quattro FFM. Cinch it down TIGHT. Get the dial right, I screw the dial down all the way down and then loosen the dial to wear the latex mask cushion pumps up with air around the bridge of my nose. That is the correct setting for the nose bridge area on a FFM.

No other FFM beside the Quattro has handled jaw drop issues for me.

Key points about red marks on the face and nose from tight full face masks:

1) wash both your face and your mask cushion frequently, this helps to keep down red marks and also makes your mask seal much better getting a lower mask leak

2) ignore the red marks if you are feeling better and getting good sleep <grin> Honestly, what is better, some red marks on your face or good sleep?

3) I found that taking prescription strength vitamin D pills (generic drisdol) 100,000 IU a week dramatically cleared up red marks on the skin from mask contact. I was diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency in 2009 and put on 100,000 IU generic drisdol. Results were very dramatic and I would recommend all CPAP users get tested for vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency is common in the West and vitamin D is essential for dermatological conditions.

Also, suntanning can help mask redness, again you are getting vitamin D from the sun and the UV light helps skin conditions.

Mikey

ResMedUser wrote:I have used the Resmed Mirage Quattro FFM for three and a half years and love it. I admit it is uncomfortable to wear, but the other option is even worse (poor to non existent sleep). I have tried chin straps and this is my personal opinion, but I think for anything but very minor mouth leak, they are a joke. I have bad jaw drop in my sleep, I have a deviated nasal septum and evidently relax so much in my sleep that my mouth opens and I breathe thru my mouth. If I wear a nasal mask (started on the Resmed Activa nasal), I wake up with a dry mouth and sometimes with air rushing out of my mouth. That is actually worse than no CPAP at all.

Solution? End it all solution? Full face mask. Quattro FFM. Cinch it down TIGHT. Get the dial right, I screw the dial down all the way down and then loosen the dial to wear the latex mask cushion pumps up with air around the bridge of my nose. That is the correct setting for the nose bridge area on a FFM.

No other FFM beside the Quattro has handled jaw drop issues for me.

Key points about red marks on the face and nose from tight full face masks:

1) wash both your face and your mask cushion frequently, this helps to keep down red marks and also makes your mask seal much better getting a lower mask leak

2) ignore the red marks if you are feeling better and getting good sleep <grin> Honestly, what is better, some red marks on your face or good sleep?

3) I found that taking prescription strength vitamin D pills (generic drisdol) 100,000 IU a week dramatically cleared up red marks on the skin from mask contact. I was diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency in 2009 and put on 100,000 IU generic drisdol. Results were very dramatic and I would recommend all CPAP users get tested for vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency is common in the West and vitamin D is essential for dermatological conditions.

Also, suntanning can help mask redness, again you are getting vitamin D from the sun and the UV light helps skin conditions.

Mikey

I have recently considered taking vitamin D, but I am curious. I just read your thread about you being a lifeguard at an outdoor water park. I thought that kind of full-sun exposure would supply sufficient vitamin D. I assumed my walking 30 to 45 minutes a day outside in the summer would even meet that criteria. I may have to research this further.

Mikey, tightening mask headgear straps TIGHT is NOT the most effective and COMFORTABLE leak-free way to wear a CPAP mask, whether full face, nasal cushion or nasal pillows.

Have you read the instructions, watched the CD that came w/your Quattro? Have you read the mask fitting tips for newbies in this forum? If the instructions that came w/your Quattro and the mask fitting tips in the forum don't provide a COMFORTABLE leak-free fit for you then you either have the wrong size Quattro OR the Quattro is NOT the best mask for you.

Many like the newer Quattro FX full face mask. You might want to try that one as well as other masks.

KimberlyM, you CAN OVERDOSE on Vitamin D.

I am also on a high dose of Vitamin D PRESCRIBED BY MY DOCTOR. I have Crohn's disease which can cause malabsorption problems and at one time I WAS scripted 100,000 IU WEEKLY which has since been reduced to 50,000 IU once every other week BY MY DOCTOR. I have routine blood tests done, not just for Vitamin D levels but also for a few other things that excessive Vitamin D can cause or affect.

My only complaint with this mask is it tends to ride a little high on my face and press against my eyes.
I'm wondering if maybe my mask is too large. Its a size large mask and I'm about 6'1".

ResMedUser,

The biggest problem I have with your post is its overall attitude: You are trying to pass the solution that appears to work for you off as a general solution that will work for all or for most newbies who are dealing with problems with the Quattro and other FFM.

But while your solutions are working well enough for you, they are NOT good solutions for many (or even most) other users. Telling folks who are having problems with FFMs to just get over the PAIN of using an overtightened FFM and ignore the red marks on the nose (which are an EARLY indication of pressure sores) instead of considering other alternatives including chinstraps and nasal masks or nasal pillows masks is downright insulting (at best) and harmful (at worst) in my humble opinion .

I'd have less of a problem with your post if the tone were much different. Something more along the lines of:

I tried chin straps with no luck, but this works for me: blah, blah, blah ...

instead of

Chinstraps don't work. Here's what you MUST do: blah blah blah ....

KimberlyM wrote:

ResMedUser wrote: 3) I found that taking prescription strength vitamin D pills (generic drisdol) 100,000 IU a week dramatically cleared up red marks on the skin from mask contact. I was diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency in 2009 and put on 100,000 IU generic drisdol. Results were very dramatic and I would recommend all CPAP users get tested for vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency is common in the West and vitamin D is essential for dermatological conditions.

Also, suntanning can help mask redness, again you are getting vitamin D from the sun and the UV light helps skin conditions.

Mikey

I have recently considered taking vitamin D, but I am curious. I just read your thread about you being a lifeguard at an outdoor water park. I thought that kind of full-sun exposure would supply sufficient vitamin D. I assumed my walking 30 to 45 minutes a day outside in the summer would even meet that criteria. I may have to research this further.

I was actually diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency while going thru ARC Lifeguard recert training. I did end up getting a killer dark tan summer 2009, which I am sure did not hurt at all as my D level was so ridiculously low. But I recommend getting formally tested, dont research it, just go do it. The generic drisdol pills are really cheap. The test is what is expensive. Its like around $200 or $300. My insurance paid for it, but again, my doctor ordered it.

Mikey

Slinky wrote:Mikey, tightening mask headgear straps TIGHT is NOT the most effective and COMFORTABLE leak-free way to wear a CPAP mask, whether full face, nasal cushion or nasal pillows.

Have you read the instructions, watched the CD that came w/your Quattro? Have you read the mask fitting tips for newbies in this forum? If the instructions that came w/your Quattro and the mask fitting tips in the forum don't provide a COMFORTABLE leak-free fit for you then you either have the wrong size Quattro OR the Quattro is NOT the best mask for you.

Many like the newer Quattro FX full face mask. You might want to try that one as well as other masks.

Yeah, Ive read all those CDs and read all the Quattro instructions over and over again many years ago. Ive played and played with FFMs and the only thing that really worked for leaks was clean dry skin and a TIGHT cinched down strap on the mask. Honest I am not trying to be a PITA, its the only way I ever got a leak free fit. The nasal masks like the Activa are indeed totally different, the Activa would fit me very loose and I would not get a leak. But not any FFM. My pressures are kinda high and well, I suppose that is the problem.

Mikey

Vladesch wrote:My only complaint with this mask is it tends to ride a little high on my face and press against my eyes.
I'm wondering if maybe my mask is too large. Its a size large mask and I'm about 6'1".

Only a sleep apnea trained and oriented RT or doctor could determine that. You really need someone IRL for proper mask fit. When I first got measured out for my masks, the DME I had was excellent and they measured my face and went by their Resmed measurement determinations. Your sleep doctor can determine the kind of machine and humidifier you need, but really only you and your DME/sleep apnea oriented RT can determine the kind and size mask you need.

Mikey

Mikey, I agree with most of your posts. My wife and I also take Vitamin D at 50,000 IU Caps weekly that was prescribed by our Internist. He told that only recently it was found that it helps in multiple cases.

For a moment I thought that the discussion was about masks but i was wrong. It's about Vitamin D!

Slinky wrote:KimberlyM, you CAN OVERDOSE on Vitamin D.

I am also on a high dose of Vitamin D PRESCRIBED BY MY DOCTOR. I have Crohn's disease which can cause malabsorption problems and at one time I WAS scripted 100,000 IU WEEKLY which has since been reduced to 50,000 IU once every other week BY MY DOCTOR. I have routine blood tests done, not just for Vitamin D levels but also for a few other things that excessive Vitamin D can cause or affect.

I was thinking of taking a calcium supplement that has 800 mg of D along with my vitamin that has 400 mg, with a combined total of 1200 mg. Thank you for letting me know though, because I do know some vitamins can have a toxicity level.

ResmedUser wrote:

KimberlyM wrote:

ResMedUser wrote: 3) I found that taking prescription strength vitamin D pills (generic drisdol) 100,000 IU a week dramatically cleared up red marks on the skin from mask contact. I was diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency in 2009 and put on 100,000 IU generic drisdol. Results were very dramatic and I would recommend all CPAP users get tested for vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency is common in the West and vitamin D is essential for dermatological conditions.

Also, suntanning can help mask redness, again you are getting vitamin D from the sun and the UV light helps skin conditions.

Mikey

I have recently considered taking vitamin D, but I am curious. I just read your thread about you being a lifeguard at an outdoor water park. I thought that kind of full-sun exposure would supply sufficient vitamin D. I assumed my walking 30 to 45 minutes a day outside in the summer would even meet that criteria. I may have to research this further.

I was actually diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency while going thru ARC Lifeguard recert training. I did end up getting a killer dark tan summer 2009, which I am sure did not hurt at all as my D level was so ridiculously low. But I recommend getting formally tested, dont research it, just go do it. The generic drisdol pills are really cheap. The test is what is expensive. Its like around $200 or $300. My insurance paid for it, but again, my doctor ordered it.

Mikey

I really only want to supplement enough to help with migraines. I am considering 1200 mg, which would be just combining a calcium plus D (800 mg) and a multivitamin (400 mg). I think I will have the doctor check my levels when I have to go next.

Slinky wrote:KimberlyM, you CAN OVERDOSE on Vitamin D.

I am also on a high dose of Vitamin D PRESCRIBED BY MY DOCTOR. I have Crohn's disease which can cause malabsorption problems and at one time I WAS scripted 100,000 IU WEEKLY which has since been reduced to 50,000 IU once every other week BY MY DOCTOR. I have routine blood tests done, not just for Vitamin D levels but also for a few other things that excessive Vitamin D can cause or affect.

It is hard to get too much vitamin D if you are deficient to begin with. I too, have my blood levels monitored regularly by my Internal medicine doctor. I too, have the other things monitored. I had my vitamin D level rechecked a few weeks back actually, came back as a 37 with the cutoff being 30. So by spring I will probably be back to low or borderline low again. And this is after having taken 100,000 IU prescription drisdol for nine months. Last time I took any was last June 2010. And after working a summer outdoors as a Lifeguard one summer.

It does not take a long time for your body to deplete on vitamin D. The stuff increased my strength levels, increased my grip strength, dramatically improved my immunity (got rid of a nagging sinusitis problem I had), got rid of most of the red mask marks on my face, decreased some mild knee pain I had in my left knee, it also improved my mood a lot. I consider it a wonder vitamin. And no I do not sell vitamin D.

Mikey

My Internal med doctor was the original guy who got the ball rolling on the vitamin D thing. I did not originally ask to be tested. He tested it without me even knowing he did it. I got a call saying I was deficient and there was a prescription waiting for me at the pharmacy. I started taking the stuff and WOW. I was not expecting much out of it.

Since then, I have been retested twice. Once was about four months after I finished my first three month prescription. The second was a few weeks back. Not a single time did it come back as high. And that was taking 100,000 IU a week.

If you ask to have your D levels checked and your doctor gives you bad vibes about it or says something negative about vitamin D supplements, they probably just dont believe in it. Or dont want to bother. Id move on and find another doctor who has a positive attitude about treating vitamin D deficiency aggressively.

Mikey

Vitamin D actually isn't even a vitamin. Its a hormone. Or more correctly a precursor hormone. Read up on it.