Mask straps hurt the back of my head - will a head cap work?

I don't want to discourage trying things till you find what works but I am skeptical that the cap would work.

If you have an old headgear I have a suggestion, if you look at new headgear they are starting to put out the bottom area in the back is starting to be cut higher than older headgear to help with this. take some sissors and try trimming the back up a little, only go a couple mm at a time as the further you cut up the less force the lower straps will hold together. I promise there is a sweet spot for everyone, we just select the one that works the best for the most people in development.

You know I have a bag full of various misc headgear (straps and such). I would be happy to send them to you and let you try any and all and butcher them if need be to see if anything might work for you.
These are all donated headgear...used and some used only a little and some used a lot and I can't match them up to any of the donated masks. They are taking up space in my surplus supplies and I won't be able to find a new home for them.
I would gladly send them to you to try out. For free and I don't want them back.
Just send me a private message with your name and mailing address and I will drop them off at the post office for you.
I don't recall seeing one of those head caps though.

Hi, Pugsy,

I just sent you a PM. When I clicked submit, it said it had been sent, but a copy of it sits in my outbox folder, and nothing is in my sent items folder. Please let me know if you got it or not


Thanks,

Ralph

PMs don't move from the Outbox to Sent Messages until the recipient opens them.

Just how the board software works.

Thank you,

Ralph

RalphD,
Have you tried the ZZZ mask?
It's fairly flexible and doesn't have as many obnoxious/hard pressure points.
(See my mask profile.)

Hello Ralph:

I don't really see my fix helping you, with the high pressure you are applying to the straps, but may help someone else.

As I also ride motorcycles I just happened to have a few helmet liners to try when having issues with the straps. Now I'm not talking about the " do rags" that do little more than hide the "Helmet Hair".

The one I've had the best results with is made by Crown Wear and I think they call it the ultimate as it is a cotton cap but lined with silk, I think around $15. Holds up well to washing. Made in the U.S. also.

It is a good helmet liner, google it, and people use these for lots more than 2 wheelers [with and without engines] As lots of our helps seem to be designed for something other than cpap, I consistently come here to find what someone else used to combat-overcome-persevere thru my latest struggles.


http://www.crownwear.com/testimonials.asp

steeve wrote:Hello Ralph:

I don't really see my fix helping you, with the high pressure you are applying to the straps, but may help someone else.

As I also ride motorcycles I just happened to have a few helmet liners to try when having issues with the straps. Now I'm not talking about the " do rags" that do little more than hide the "Helmet Hair".

The one I've had the best results with is made by Crown Wear and I think they call it the ultimate as it is a cotton cap but lined with silk, I think around $15. Holds up well to washing. Made in the U.S. also.

It is a good helmet liner, google it, and people use these for lots more than 2 wheelers [with and without engines] As lots of our helps seem to be designed for something other than cpap, I consistently come here to find what someone else used to combat-overcome-persevere thru my latest struggles.

Very interesting suggestion, steeve!

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss? ... lmet+liner

RalphD wrote:Thank you,

Ralph

Ralph what are your pressure settings?

Hi, DreamDiver,

My pressure is 25. I have a BI-PAP, but I don't know what the other parameters are.

I've found a solution that's not perfect, but most nights the strap doesn't hurt me. In addition, I have very few leaks. I wear one of those Winter hats that has earmuffs and the part that covers your neck. It has pile lining.

Ralph

Ralph

Would you consider an oral mask.

Fisher-Paykel makes called the Oracle 2 mask and it can be made to work with no straps at all.

There are some considerations that need to be mentioned.

It requires a lot of humidification, you are breathing through your mouth and the normal nasal conditioning won't be there.

It does have a single strap that goes straight back but the material is quite soft and only about 1/8th inch thick and, to repeat, use of the strap is optional.

You cannot use a chin strap of any kind with this mask. A chin strap will pull back on your lower jaw and force obstructive apneas.
Some folks have issues with the nasal plugs that come with this mask. You can learn to not need them so any issues may be short-lived.

I made an extensive post on using this mask (its the only one I use) a while back that you might want to read. Search on JDS74 and Oracle and that should get you to it quickly.

I'm available for any questions about this unique mask if you want to consider it.
Cheers

Hi - I really think you need to try different FF masks besides the couple you may have tried however long ago. The FitLife and especially the other Total mask are known to be leaky unless you're exactly the right 'configuration' for them, and I wonder if you've considered something like the Hybrid? I also find that back or side sleeping changes my facial structure enough that I also get the large noises you do, so I sleep on my front with the mask in a trough cut out of my foam bed, and it holds it in place quite well, but I imagine you may not be able to do that so ... have you tried a real variety of others, lying down your usual way?

Hi, JDS74,

Is it possible that the Oracle could cause jaw problems like a mouth piece that doesn't fit properly can? I just wonder because I've never heard of oral masks until now.

Thanks,


Ralph

i have suffered severe neck pain now for many years pain that has resulted in overwhelming headaches, dizziness, an inability to function normally with the problem affecting my ability to work, rest and participate in sports etc. I have spent literally fortunes trying to find a solution. Everything from physiotherapy and general massage, every form of pain relief and anti stress medication and a host of scans and medical tests. After a period of specialist physiotherapy and electrically stimulated Acupuncture I recognised a possible potential problem that may be contributing to a repetitive strain disorder, the pressure of the strap around my neck under the base of my skull, used to secure my papa mask.

I have now tried many types of masks, nasel pillows and have returned to confirm the effects of the original full face mask used. In all cases where a neck support is used, even where the pressure in low, results in a return to problems originally suffered. However, the use of nasel pillows, or systems where no neck strap is required, results in a slow recovery and eventually an end to the problem.

It is my belief that my neck over time has been weakened and compression quickly results in my neck going into spasm. This is my hypothesis but I would urge others to at least explore the possibility that this could also affect them in a similar way. It's such an easy thing to check. It must at least be worth a try.

DavidPitts, I have had the same pain problems in my neck for years. I wish I had the answer, but I don't. I can't believe the industry is not making a greater effort to find a solution to our problem. They obviously don't have the neck pain we suffer from, or they would get right on it. I will keep searching for a solution. There's got to be something we haven't tried.