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Permalink Reply by RD on December 17, 2009 at 5:56pm

Hey Tom,
Don't worry about the "shouting" reply from trw99. It's all good and only an idiot would worry about it.

In response to your concern: I wear a mirage full-face mask and had the same problems with leaking around my nose bridge and upper cheeks (where my glasses might sit.) One of the other site users gave sage advice about the fitting of our masks and I've found it to be very useful.

It's recommended that you turn on your machine first and then fit the mask as you are lying in bed. This way the mask is sitting on top of your face as you have it when sleeping. It works! The only time I have issues now with leakage is when I'm lying hard-over on my sides. A little bit left or right seems to be okay with me.

Try it and see if that fitting technique works for you.

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Permalink Reply by Gary Geis on December 17, 2009 at 7:38pm

I had the same nasal congestion problem for years. CPAP would only be effective for about 3 hours then I'd be ripping it off inorder to breath. I now have a full face mask (covers nose and mouth) and sleep all night

Claude said:

I have a question about the nasal pillows--I have a real problem with stuffy nose at night, and I use a spray decongestant before going to bed. I currently use a facial (around the nose area only), and have considered the pillows, but am afraid it would aggravate the stuffiness. What do you think?

Andy said:

Hi Tom,

Well, I'veonly been doing this for close to two months, so I'm no expert.

But I've found that the trick with the nasal pillows type is to snug it up towards the top of your head, then snug it towards the back, though I've never tried the Mirage Liberty, so I have no direct knowledge of how it works.

I've found that the nasal pillows type of mask can be more comfortable, but mine does leak a lot more than the nasal mask or the full-face mask that I have.

I've also found that I tend to have the mask adjusted more loosely than it should be, so when I tighten it up, it usually works better.

At my last sleep study, I brought my nasal mask along, to ask how they would recommend adjusting it. The tech took the straps and pulled them so tight I thought the thing was going to be permanantly attached to my face! She said, "That's how tight it's supposed to be." It was way tighter than I've ever had it, and I can't imagine how I could sleep like that.

Point is, you may be keeping it a bit looser than it should be. Maybe try tightening it up until things improve, then try backing off a little each night until you find the right adjustment?

HTH...

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Permalink Reply by Claude on December 17, 2009 at 9:40pm

THANK YOU SO MUCH! (That's intended to be a shout). That's exactly what happens to me, and I have been wondering about the full face mask as compared to what I've been using. I think that would work well for me also. As you may have guessed (or not), I'm pretty much on my own when it comes to getting the help I need to make this work. We live 150 miles, one way, from the nearest ENT or even regular doctor that can help me with anything to do with CPAP. So what I do has to be by phone or discussions like this. My doctor is great to work with me on this, and if I discuss the full face with him next appointment, I'm pretty sure he'll agree to let me try that.

Again, thank you for your help and discussion on this. It gives me hope.

Gary Geis said:

I had the same nasal congestion problem for years. CPAP would only be effective for about 3 hours then I'd be ripping it off inorder to breath. I now have a full face mask (covers nose and mouth) and sleep all night

Claude said:

I have a question about the nasal pillows--I have a real problem with stuffy nose at night, and I use a spray decongestant before going to bed. I currently use a facial (around the nose area only), and have considered the pillows, but am afraid it would aggravate the stuffiness. What do you think?

Andy said:

Hi Tom,

Well, I'veonly been doing this for close to two months, so I'm no expert.

But I've found that the trick with the nasal pillows type is to snug it up towards the top of your head, then snug it towards the back, though I've never tried the Mirage Liberty, so I have no direct knowledge of how it works.

I've found that the nasal pillows type of mask can be more comfortable, but mine does leak a lot more than the nasal mask or the full-face mask that I have.

I've also found that I tend to have the mask adjusted more loosely than it should be, so when I tighten it up, it usually works better.

At my last sleep study, I brought my nasal mask along, to ask how they would recommend adjusting it. The tech took the straps and pulled them so tight I thought the thing was going to be permanantly attached to my face! She said, "That's how tight it's supposed to be." It was way tighter than I've ever had it, and I can't imagine how I could sleep like that.

Point is, you may be keeping it a bit looser than it should be. Maybe try tightening it up until things improve, then try backing off a little each night until you find the right adjustment?

HTH...

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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on December 17, 2009 at 11:00pm

What pressure are you on? Have you tried switching to a bigger pillow size?

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Permalink Reply by birdshell on December 18, 2009 at 9:41am

There are a couple of things that have worked for me with the Liberty:

1. Larger sized pillows: I have slotted nares and the tips seem prone to leaks. Often (this is true with any nasal pillows mask) using the next size up in the pillows will help a lot.

2. I use the cut-off leg of a pair of REAL pantyhose to go under the 'mushroom cap' of the nasal pillows and tied around my head in a flat knot. A flat knot is the beginning of tying one's shoes, and I just flip the end around twice, then snug it up to suit my comfort level. BTW, for this purpose, cheaper pantyhose are thinner and may suit the purpose better. I found that all I needed was a little more support at the tip of my nares and those pillows were sealed.

(A ResMed representative would probably not have tightened your straps as much, HTH. They recommend that they be a little looser to provide a good seal, which is taking advantage of the double walled nasal pillow.)

3. I use a buckwheat semi-circular spa pillow on top of my other pillows. This gives me a firmer support as I sleep on one side or another, is curved so I can position it under my neck and head, and actually is still there (almost) as I turn to my other side.

One more suggestion...

I tossed and turned a lot until I had a follow up PSG at one year. My first titration had only one sleep cycle, so I do not knnow if that affected the results. However, at that one year CPAP study, I was diagnosed with PLMD. I sleep better and with no real tossing and turning now that my legs are not moving so much. I now take Mirapex (as my result was moderately severe PLMD). It seems to work, as I recently ran out and noticed a HUGE difference.


Best wishes,
Karen

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