ResMed Quattro FX FF

Is this a good mask? I have gotten used to it and can barely feel it on my face anymore. My AHI has consistently been around 3, and my leak is around 12m/l. I still have 3 weeks to try out different masks charge free with my provider. Any recommendations, or am I good where I'm at?

You can barely feel it...you are used to it...your AHI is low...your leaks are low...Why would you want to mess around with other masks. Most new users would love to have this experience. How much better can it get?

LSAT wrote:You can barely feel it...you are used to it...your AHI is low...your leaks are low...Why would you want to mess around with other masks. Most new users would love to have this experience. How much better can it get?

That's the reason why I was asking. I knew my AHI was low, but I've read of others having near 0 leaks. I'm new to all of this and didn't know.

IMHO leaks are closely connected to your pressure settings...

The higher your pressure settings are, the more prone you are to having leaks

at my high pressure setting & using bi-level- I'm happy if I get a 95% leak level below 10.

Dave

tbhit wrote:Is this a good mask? I have gotten used to it and can barely feel it on my face anymore. My AHI has consistently been around 3, and my leak is around 12m/l. I still have 3 weeks to try out different masks charge free with my provider. Any recommendations, or am I good where I'm at?

I've never had problems with leaks with this mask. My current mask, an Ultra Mirage, leaks more. It's pretty bulky on my face; I sleep on my side and the mask doesn't let me smash my face down in the pillow like I like to do. My neck was stiff when I started using it. I'm not sure I sleep well with it on my face. The mask is OK, but I prefer the Quattro FX I used to have except for two things. One, the strap across the top was leaving me with a more or less permanent hair divot. Two, the plastic straps that go across the cheeks were pushing into my eye and making my eyes sore. If neither of those things is a problem for you, stick with the Quattro FX.

I just ordered a nasal-only mask yesterday, a SleepWeaver elan mask. It might not work for me because the CPAP sometimes makes my nose stuffy. But it looks like it should be good for a side-sleeper like me. We'll see. But that probably won't work for you if you breathe through your mouth and not your nose.

tbhit wrote:

LSAT wrote:You can barely feel it...you are used to it...your AHI is low...your leaks are low...Why would you want to mess around with other masks. Most new users would love to have this experience. How much better can it get?

That's the reason why I was asking. I knew my AHI was low, but I've read of others having near 0 leaks. I'm new to all of this and didn't know.

If it's comfortable and your therapy is good, that is what matters most. So long as you keep that in mind, you can play around with different set ups because you can always come back to what you have found already works.

I and I'm sure many others have strived for the elusive zero AHI. It's actually fun for some of us and frustrating for others. So long as you don't get frustrated there is nothing wrong with going after the big zero. I've managed to keep my long term AHI below 1 for many years now ... I found what worked for me which is not the same for everyone else.

One thing I did notice is that FF masks tend to score higher AHI than nasal pillows. However that is just for me ... for others it can be completely the opposite. Nasal cushion and nasal pillows interfaces can cause lots of mouth leak issues for some ... others figure out how to manage them.

Should you decide to go on that quest to experiment and find the optimal setup for you, don't get rid of your masks until you are certain you have found your ideal interface.

Have fun.

Try not to dwell on reaching a 0.0 leak. Yeah, it's nice to brag about and pat ourselves on the back for getting it but the machine can do a good job compensating for a good bit of leak. Trust the machine to do its job.
As long as you are sleeping well and the leaks aren't waking you up and you are feeling decent...that's what's important.
Sometimes trying to achieve perfection causes more problems than it cures.
Your leak numbers will likely come down with time and experience anyway.
Besides...look at your leak graphs...I bet you will see a considerable amount of time spent at 0.0 leak and a little time above it.
Who cares if you spend 45 minutes at say 12 or 15 L/min (or even a little higher) and you sleep right through it...if the rest of the night has minimal to zero leaks.

Pugsy wrote:Try not to dwell on reaching a 0.0 leak. Yeah, it's nice to brag about and pat ourselves on the back for getting it but the machine can do a good job compensating for a good bit of leak. Trust the machine to do its job.
As long as you are sleeping well and the leaks aren't waking you up and you are feeling decent...that's what's important.
Sometimes trying to achieve perfection causes more problems than it cures.
Your leak numbers will likely come down with time and experience anyway.
Besides...look at your leak graphs...I bet you will see a considerable amount of time spent at 0.0 leak and a little time above it.
Who cares if you spend 45 minutes at say 12 or 15 L/min (or even a little higher) and you sleep right through it...if the rest of the night has minimal to zero leaks.

What Pugsy said is correct.

I misread your desire for zero AHI instead of zero leaks.

The only thing I would add to Pugsy's comments is that it is important to plot your leak data and the objective is to have as close to flat line plot as possible. This is important when using APAP mode ... not so much for CPAP mode. A few short duration spikes on your leak plot are no big deal -- flat line is near perfect.