Masks

I've had a CPAP machine for a few years now, but I've had sleep apnea for much longer.

I have a love-hate relationship with it. The mask drives me nuts, especially when I'm exhausted and need to sleep. I've got the "Profile Custom Nasal Mask" and it can get infuriating at times.

Who's the genius who decided to have the air holes near the mask, so it blows right into your eyes, unless it's precisely positioned?? I have to sleep on my side, and if I roll on my back (which is my preferred position), the mask pushes up and inevitably leaks. My eyes burn for hours.

Am I the only one that feels this way?

I'm considering the nasal masks, but they're pricey, so I want to be sure first.

What do you all think?

I know I need the cpap machine, but sometimes I'd like to take a hammer to it!

BTW, great forum!

I have the nasal unit with the mouth piece. It is very noisy & hard to exhale through the foam nasal units. Very expensive also. I went back to my comfort classic mask. good luck.

Wow - I would have thought there would have been more responses than this.

FWIW, I haven't tried the nasal mask yet. If you're a guy and have a mustache, keep it trimmed. If you've got a lot of hair, you may have to either keep it fairly short or figure out a better way to move your hair around so that it doesn't act as a cushion and (essentially) change the fitting of the straps.

Here's a link to some interesting discussions about several kinds of masks:

LINKS to MASKS - nasal mask, nasal pillows, nasal prongs

OMG! I had the same thing happen...DRY EYES. And a blazing headache from the top of the mask resting between my eyebrows. Even with the little foam thing there, it was awful. I actually started to take the whole thing off in my sleep. Finally, I stopped using my machine altogether.

Needless to say...I'm 47 and am borderline HighBlood Pressure, and have a muscle in my heart that's getting 'tough'...all from my apnea. So I have to get back on the program!

I found this site (thank goodness!) looking for a new kind of mask. I'm glad I did

I'm going to give the C-Curve a try. I'll let you know how it works.

Hope to talk to everyone soon...

My nose has been broken at least four times during my lifetime so I often find myself sleeping with my mouth open (mouth breathing). Additionally, the thoughts of a chin-strap send me into late night panic attacks, so a full face mask has been my stable for some time. They are also nice to have when you're experiencing a cold and can't breathe normally through your nose.

I have used both the ResMed Ultra Mirage Full Face (nice one) and the Fisher Paykel FlexiFit Full Face (nicer one IMHO).

Here's my .50 cent breakdown

ResMed has a very cool adjustable nose piece that allows for pressure relief by using a slider to slightly offset pressure locations around the bridge of your nose. FP has a solid, non-movable piece with a generic rubber piece to relieve pressure. I suspect it works well at lower pressures, but with my setting at 16, it requires a snug mask fit to stop leaks and the pressure has already created a tender spot at the top of my nose I am sure would be aleviated with an adjustable nose piece. (Please add this feature if you work for FP )

I LOVE my FP FlexiFit 431. It's a slightly longer mask that just reaches under my chin to work much like a chin-strap but without the restrictive feeling from a chin strap. It is very comfortable!!! Likewise, the mask soft material seems to provide a ton of flexibility that just overcomes pretty much any leak I can create through tossing and turning. It also has a nice pull cord for quick release that is designed very well and I like the way the face mask vents through holes at the top of the mask (above the eyes!). This design is absolutely fantastic sans the lack of adjustment to relieve pressure on the forehead/top of the nose.

I might try jusing JB Weld to assemble my ResMed nose adjustment onto my FP Flexifit JK!

Thanks

Greetings:

I started C-PAP 4 days ago and am trying to deal with it all. My base of the nose between the nostrils is getting a sore after only 4 nights on the Ultra Mirage Nose Mask.
I have the straps as loose as I can so it doesn't leak when I sleep on my side. I sleep on back & side - can't figure how you could put your face into a pillow, I have a PRo-2 set at 9. I asked my provider for a new mask as this feels too heavy.
Maybe it's too early to draw any conclusions but it feels heavy on my face and the straps are uncomfortable even though their loose.
I am considering the Activa - Apparently the mask is the comfort variable.

Any input would be appreciated - thanks for this forum.

Tom

You might also try the nasal pillow masks, such as Headrest Aura, Swift, or Breeze. You can do a seach on this forum for info on all of them.

The nasal pillow masks are very lightweight, especially the Aura, and could give you a break from the sore forehead.

Is the rain-watering effect a common issue with the nasal pillows?

THanks,

Tom

Yes, "rainout" is bad for nasal pillows, and many masks. Aura appears to be prone to rainout, but they are still my favorite. A heated hose is almost a must have for Aura users.

What's a "C-Curve"? I've got high blood pressure, diabetes, and apnea. Sucks, but I'm dealing with it.

I hate my mask, and want something better. I broke my water chamber and went to order two new ones, but they sent me two 6' hoses instead. Oh, well!

Zombiequeen wrote:OMG! I had the same thing happen...DRY EYES. And a blazing headache from the top of the mask resting between my eyebrows. Even with the little foam thing there, it was awful. I actually started to take the whole thing off in my sleep. Finally, I stopped using my machine altogether.

Needless to say...I'm 47 and am borderline HighBlood Pressure, and have a muscle in my heart that's getting 'tough'...all from my apnea. So I have to get back on the program!

I found this site (thank goodness!) looking for a new kind of mask. I'm glad I did

I'm going to give the C-Curve a try. I'll let you know how it works.

Hope to talk to everyone soon...

dfish wrote:What's a "C-Curve"?

It's the "Comfort Curve" -- a mask made by Respironics, a company that makes very nice machines and....lousy masks, imho. But, hey, if a mask works for a person it's the right mask for them, regardless of how it does or doesn't work for someone else. I've tried the Comfort Curve several times and found it unusable (for me), but it might very well suit you.

Here are links to a lot of discussions about the "CC" as it's also known:

LINKS to Comfort Curve nasal mask topics

And here's a link to a mask that more and more people are ordering out of their own pockets from online stores and are happily using -- a mask the local home health care places have never heard of:

Links to Aeiomed Headrest (Aura) nasal pillows mask topics