New TAP PAP mask review

Pugsy wrote:It remains to be seen if the brain will learn to tell my mouth stay completely shut when on my back but I know that will take time but if it doesn't....it's like I have already said..my time with my mouth open is brief and often I don't even touch large leak territory and more importantly it doesn't wake me up so I am not going to worry about a few minutes here and there.

Pugsy I'm a bit like you with the Swift FX. It suits me very well but I do open my mouth ocassionally and cause leaks. Howevver not severe or worrying enough to justify a chin strap or taping.

I'm wondering, given your improved leak data, do you think the mouthpiece is actually helping you keep your mouth shut a little or is it too soon to tell and might just be coincidence?

Hey Pugsy

How do you find the sound levels compared to the Swift FX?

Thanks

Gerald? wrote:

Mask guy wrote:Hi,


We will post when and where the mask is availible in NZ on the TAP PAP face book site, if you "like" it you will receive notifications, or check it from time to time.

Could you post the same for Australia too please.

Thanks

Yes, we will post initial locations that you can purchase the the TAP PAP in Australia on the TAP PAP face book site. It will be several month before it wil be availible in Australia.

Gerald? wrote: How do you find the sound levels compared to the Swift FX?

As quiet or more quiet than the Swift FX. My husband says he doesn't hear a thing. Now I woke up once when the pressure was roaring away (from the report it looked like 18 cm) and it was a bit noisy then but hey, nothing is going to be silent at that pressure. Unless I have moved and put the bed covers too close to the vent I don't hear a thing.
My starting pressure is 8 EPAP and 12 IPAP and I don't hear anything.
I can't say that about some of the other nasal pillow masks. The Pilairo especially. I know the Swift FX seemed a lot more quiet than the Swift LT...the Aloha was pretty close to the Swift FX in terms of less noise though.
So depending on pressures used...it is extremely quiet...minimal to none vent noise unless someone is using those hurricane force wind pressures. What's even more odd...I don't hear the conducted noise like I used to. You know the darth vader sounds in your head that even if you plug up your ears you still hear. Hard to describe.

Gerald? wrote: I'm wondering, given your improved leak data, do you think the mouthpiece is actually helping you keep your mouth shut a little or is it too soon to tell and might just be coincidence?

Too soon to tell. I am 99% sure my mouth opening is solely related to when I sleep on my back and I don't really like to sleep on my back because it hurts my back...but I don't do anything out of the ordinary to stay off my back because I am lazy.
Besides..some nights I don't land on my back and on those nights I had some zero to minimal leaks even with the other masks.
So I can't say for sure that the mouth guard is helping me keep my mouth shut yet or I just happened to not spend much time on my back.
Also....my patterns of probably mouth breathing when supine...are also in what appears to be REM stage sleep. Almost always I have a really nice flat leak line till first REM stage sleep. At around 60 to 90 minutes after sleep onset.
I call it my witching hour. If I am going to show a leak that might be mouth breathing...the first one is almost always at that first REM cycle. There's almost always a little blip or something at that time frame.
So maybe a supine sleep Rem stage combo at work.

So really too soon to tell. If I can get to a point where the witching hour stuff is infrequent..then I can say the mouth guard helps. Right now...best I can say the witching hour stuff was reduced a couple of nights and that there is no pattern yet.

I might just as well throw my 3 cents worth in this discussion, I have been on CPAP for 8, going on 9 years now and started out with a "Brick" and the awful thing they gave me for a mask. I soon learned about this forum and started the long journey to a lot more knowledge. I'm now on my 4th machine and have tried 75% of available masks and disliked most of them. My 2nd full time mask was the "Breeze" and it was wonderful until the CL 2 came along and the Breeze became backup. CL 2 was great and lasted a long time in favor while trying other masks. Finally the Aloha came into my life and things were good until I convinced my tongue to stick to the roof of my mouth 90% of the night, then nights were great!!!

Now comes the TAP PAP and after a couple of weeks of trial and error, I am convinced it is equal to or slightly better than the Aloha in some respects. The # 1 problem is when I insert the mouth piece, my saliva starts running and never quits until I have slobber on my pillow . Another problem with the TAP PAP is my tongue continues to explore ways to return to it's learned position on the roof of my mouth and is partly blocked by the mouthpiece . While exploring, some times my throat opens a bit and I get strange noises and vibes that wake the wife up enough for her to punch me to turn over. If I am asleep, I wake with the Sahara desert in my mouth and it takes a while to get wet and back to sleep, so I usually grab the Aloha and go back to sleep.

I intend to try the TAP PAP pillows with the head gear and without the mouth piece to see how that works. Maybe tonight!!!

Thank the Gods for CPAP.COM

I don't think it's intended for use without the mouthpiece.

SnorkelPuss wrote:I don't think it's intended for use without the mouthpiece.

I don't think it has to be used with a mouth piece if someone wants to try it with head gear alone to stabilize it.
The primary function of the mouthpiece is to stabilize the nasal pillows without headgear.
With headgear it pretty much becomes like any other nasal pillow mask. For some people it might be stable enough to work.

Thanks Pugsy, got my back again.

BTW SnorklePuss, you should see some of the conversions, cuts, additions I have made to masks before they were to my liking, or I gave up on trying to find the way, FOR ME, TO LIKE AND USE IT.

I certainly don't believe I am alone in trying to make things work better in a way they weren't intended to by the manufacturer.

grybeard77 wrote:I certainly don't believe I am alone in trying to make things work better in a way they weren't intended to by the manufacturer.

Gosh no...I have added the Padacheek barrel cozy to the nasal pillows on the Tap Pap. That took some fiddling but I got it done...Don't ask me why...just a wild hair.

I looked at the headgear and where it attaches to the mask...you know it might just be stable enough to suit your needs and the headgear is really light weight and unobtrusive. I don't know how durable it will be or easily stretched out but sure worth a try.

I thought for sure I would likely drool a lot with the mouth guard but the drool is pretty much non existent for me.
Let us know how the experiment goes...remember we learn something with every experiment we do...sometimes we learn that it isn't an experiment we want to repeat but sometimes we learn we have a brilliant idea.

I guess I'm not that handy or creative.
Too funny.

Rerarding the questions about how to get the TAP PAP through a DME on insurance.

We are in the process of setting up Home medical Companies.
As of today, I can confirm that one national company (Lincare) has entered the mask into their system and you may stop by one of their locations to order one.

They will need to order it in to the local store, but they do have the TAP PAP in stock and in their system.

Pugsy wrote:The vent is going to go directly in front...no way around it. So it is likely going to be annoying to a bed partner that sleeps close to a person and has exposed skin...like the face or the back of the neck. I am thinking a bit of bedding or small pillow or something could be used to block the air flow by just placing it strategically between the vent and the person getting blasted...not too close to vent itself or it does create a bit of noise.

On another forum, someone recommended I buy a buckwheat pillow to go between me and the husband to prevent venting onto him. She and her husband both are on xPAP and said that's what they use to prevent venting each other.

Pugsy, or anyone

I was reading reviews for Tap Pap on cpap.com and one person said they would have to get use to sleeping on their back because you couldn't sleep on you stomach with this mask,

is this the case?

Bryansong

bryansong wrote:I was reading reviews for Tap Pap on cpap.com and one person said they would have to get use to sleeping on their back because you couldn't sleep on you stomach with this mask,

is this the case?

I guess I need to get over there and post my review...whoever said that doesn't have a clue what is going on with this mask.
I hate composing and that is why I haven't made an official review over there.

You can sleep in ANY position you want to with this mask..even on your stomach..just lay on your stomach and turn your head to the side...now I suppose a person couldn't sleep with a total face down in the pillow thing but we can't do that with any mask because it blocks the air flow.

So no, that is not the case and I don't know what that person was thinking. I sleep on my side and stomach all the time.
What's nice about the Tap Pap is you don't have to sleep on the edge of the pillow to keep the pillow from pressing on the mask.

I sleep on my side or stomach with my cheek down facing one way or the other and in the middle of my bed pillow and the bed pillow doesn't touch anything on my mask. Right now a wonder foam contour pillow instead of my bucket pillow because the new kitty did something bad to my buckwheat pillow.

Just this morning when the "bad" kitty was trying to wake me up before daylight I woke up on my stomach and lay there thinking how nice it was to be able to scrunch my face (cheek and mouth) into the bed pillow and not feel anything else...no mask straps...no pressure from any part of the mask touching the bed pillow.

Guess I will mosey on over to cpap.com and give my Review....sounds like it is needed there.

Pugsy wrote:Guess I will mosey on over to cpap.com and give my Review....sounds like it is needed there.

I have absolutely no experience with that mask, but the manufacturer's video has the guy switching over & sleeping on his stomach.

Pugsy, after you post your review on cpap.com, please put a copy of that review here.