retail stores in dc/new york?

I've been treated for severe sleep apnea for three years (77 events per hour, 12 psi on my machine) and have never been totally satisfied with my masks.

I've tried the activa, the mirage, the breeze pillows and now the flexifit hc407, which is terrible (to prevent a leak, i have to make it way too tight on the small/medium. there is no way to prevent a leak on the large).

I have a larger than normal nose but very narrow sinuses, so the mask has to be just right on my face or my sleep is a total disaster. (the activa didn't work for me because the elbow attachment weighed it down too much and disrupted the fit on my face).

I'm willing to concede that I'm a moron when it comes to wearing these things, but I'm a really frustrated moron and I'm about to move to Japan and I'm scared I'm going to go with the wrong equipment.

So, now, finally my question:

IS THERE SUCH A THING AS A CPAP RETAIL STORE?

My insurance only pays for a new mask every six months and getting a therapist out is tough due to a busy schedule. I need a store in dc or nyc?

Please help!

I think the closest to a cpap retail store you are going to find is an online store like cpap.com. The offer great service and prices. Check them out.

One thing that may help with the weight of the hose making your mask leak is to buy some velcro wire ties. I bought a set at Home Depot. You can strap the hose to your head gear and take the weight of the mask. I do this with my Swift nasal pillows.

Thanks for your prompt response and suggestions. I have been to cpap.com and am now going to give it another go--as well as the velcro from home depot.

Also, I have the flexifit 405 not 407, so sorry about that mistake.

Cheers and happy sleeping,

Larry

Japan is a long way away, even for online retailers (read: high shipping costs) and I doubt there will be retail stores there that will be easy to deal with.

If you want to give yourself the best chance of being comfortable, and you have some money to spend on it, you may want to consider getting a CPAP with C-Flex (for easy breathing on the machine) and just loading up on all the new masks or buying one mask known to work well in many sizes. (The Activa, perhaps a Breeze Nasal Pillow System, or a Comfort Lite). Also if you're uncomfortable and spending money to promise comfort, look into purchasing a heated humidifier.

I too, would give cpap.com a call and talk this over with Adam, Ted or Becky (I think there's more people, but those three are who I've talked to and they've helped).

Thanks!

I also have an average sized nose outside, but inside the passages are small. My doc even remarked on this. I'm curious what problem you have exactly?

I've only been using a CPAP about two months and still having a lot of problems. My biggest problem is that my nose will close up during the night. I'll wake up with one nostril completely closed up and the other partly closed up. It takes a while for them to reopen. A large breathe-right strip reduces the problem, but does not eliminate it.

I am going to talk to my doctor about having my deviated septum corrected and see if any other surgery might help.

I've started doing something in the last week that seems to help. If I awake to find my nose closed up, I take off the mask. I have a kitchen timer beside my bed which I set to 45 minutes. My nose is usually open again by then and I can put the mask back on.

I've also learned to avoid fluffy pillows that wrap around my face and put pressure on my nose and mask. I now use a flat firm pillow. I try to avoid pillow pressure on my cheeks near my nose since this will also cause my nose to close up.

Sleepy,

Have you ever considered a Full Face Mask? They cover your mouth and nose with one seal and specifically target users who have troubles with air entered only the nose.

Resmed makes a good one. So does Fisher and Paykel.

I've been trying to avoid that, but I will probably have to give it a try.