Is "jaw drop" a problem for you...

...and is it worse with some FFMs more than others?

My reason for asking is that in the middle of the night I often experience my mouth/lower lip "falling out" of what would otherwise be my favorite mask, the Quattro Air- and I don't have that problem with other FFMs.

And would I be correct in assuming that the only solution is a chinstrap of some kind? I just hate to add more complexity...

What about an under-the-chin mask like the HC 431 (FP) or Forma?

I don't know about the Quattro Air, but I use a Quattro FX one size too big so that it cups the bottom of my chin instead of nesting under my lip. That and the lower chin strap does the trick for me. I can drop my jaw all night long!

Yep, with the Oracle 2 mask, jaw drop means big leaks.
Chin straps are forbidden with this mask,

I'm currently experimenting wih a home built cervical collar and it helps.

You might also try a hybrid.

Jaw drop was causing me issues until I loosened the upper straps. What had happened was that the top half of the mask was rigidly held in place, so any movement over my lower jaw simply moved it away from the mask. By loosening the top a little, the whole mouth section could follow my jaw (just a little bit, but enough).

I don't know whether this would work with a FFM, since it's rigid up to the bridge of your nose. But it helped with my hybrid.

Using a 2 1/2 soft cervical collar, props my jaw up, so the mouth stays closed. Before the collar, I would leak and had dry mouth in the morning. However, with a FFM and/or warmer climates, a collar might be intolerable. I'm interested if the homemade collar is cooler.

Kitatonic wrote:Using a 2 1/2 soft cervical collar, props my jaw up, so the mouth stays closed. Before the collar, I would leak and had dry mouth in the morning. However, with a FFM and/or warmer climates, a collar might be intolerable. I'm interested if the homemade collar is cooler.

I made one from a towel I got for $1.50 at Walmart that measures 24x44. I fold it lengthwise into a strip about 3 1/2 inches wide by 44 inches long. Because its a towel, I just wrap it around and tuck it in.

I'm still experimenting and am going to try including a short strip of foam to make it a little stiffer. When I get the size just right, I'll cut off the extra length and attach a velcro connector to make it act like a real cervical collar - custom fit just for me

The regular cervical collars I have tried are too stiff and uncomfortable. Because it is a towel (terry cloth) it absorbs moisture and doesn't feel too warm. After only a week of use, I am habituated to it since my leaks have dramatically been reduced.

I wear the Oracle and did not like the chin strap, so I now use a generic cervical collar that I trimmed. I wear it loosely, but it is still enough to prevent jaw drop and it is not as hot. Live in FL, but have A/C. It also helped with my flow limitation and hypopneas which are my main problems. Apnea events are covered fine by the pressure.

M'ohms wrote:I don't know about the Quattro Air, but I use a Quattro FX one size too big so that it cups the bottom of my chin instead of nesting under my lip. That and the lower chin strap does the trick for me. I can drop my jaw all night long!

Please tell me what you mean by "lower chin strap". I'm ready to try about anything.

I think he may be referring to how tight (or not) he makes the bottom strap(s) of the headgear.

JDS74 wrote:

Kitatonic wrote:Using a 2 1/2 soft cervical collar, props my jaw up, so the mouth stays closed. Before the collar, I would leak and had dry mouth in the morning. However, with a FFM and/or warmer climates, a collar might be intolerable. I'm interested if the homemade collar is cooler.

I made one from a towel I got for $1.50 at Walmart that measures 24x44. I fold it lengthwise into a strip about 3 1/2 inches wide by 44 inches long. Because its a towel, I just wrap it around and tuck it in.

I'm still experimenting and am going to try including a short strip of foam to make it a little stiffer. When I get the size just right, I'll cut off the extra length and attach a velcro connector to make it act like a real cervical collar - custom fit just for me

The regular cervical collars I have tried are too stiff and uncomfortable. Because it is a towel (terry cloth) it absorbs moisture and doesn't feel too warm. After only a week of use, I am habituated to it since my leaks have dramatically been reduced.

I used a towel at first, but the towel would move unlike the soft cervical collar. Had to try a few collars before one was soft enough and fit comfortably. Another collar-user on this forum loves the collar and has a skinny neck like mine!

Well, I've got a big fat neck (20.5") and a heavy head.

What size collar would anyone suggest I try , i.e., 2.5", 3", etc.? And can you get them down the street at Walgreen's or do I need to order a specific kind from somewhere?

Thanks.

Here is a post of the strap that I found usefull. The only change that I made was to add a pad between the strap and my neck to prevent marks in the morning:

viewtopic/t88030/Solution-to-Qauttro-FX ... k-NEW.html

old dude wrote:Well, I've got a big fat neck (20.5") and a heavy head.

What size collar would anyone suggest I try , i.e., 2.5", 3", etc.? And can you get them down the street at Walgreen's or do I need to order a specific kind from somewhere?

Thanks.

The 2.5" refers to the height of the collar, so if you have a fat neck, it's likely to be short. I would stick with a short and large collar. However, my husband thinks he would need a large ONE inch collar, and there is none to be found! This is the soft collar I use:
http://www.amazon.com/Duro-Med-Cervical ... cal+collar

Kitatonic:

I ordered the Large and the Extra Large from the source you suggested. I'm using the Extra Large one and finding that my leaks have dropped to almost zero as a result. What a great suggestion. Thank you very much.

Before they got delivered, I continued with the towel and eventually settled on a fold that is about 2 1/2 inches wide. It does the same thing but, of course, getting wrapped up so it doesn't fall off during the night is a bother. The cervical collar just slips right on and I'm good to go.