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Mask troubles, feeling low. Venting
I just started back on my Mirage Quattro FFM Sunday night after taking a 15 day break to allow my badly swollen and broken down nose to heal. I have thoroughly padded the mask and my nose and after just two days it's starting to look red again. It was really hard to take all those days off as I am so committed to using my CPAP 100% of the time. I need a full face mask and my DME has been great about letting me try new masks. The last was a Respironics ComfortGel full which I found rather flimsy and leaked like crazy and also damaged my nose.I had a lot of hope as it felt so soft. I have very thin skin, and not good skin (prone to acne) so it breaks down easily. I keep going back to my Quattro as I have the best leak control. I have cushioned the hard plastic in the nose piece with a piece of a comfort gel pad and cushioned my nose with duoderm. I think my "last chance for happiness" LOL,is the total fit mask that completely misses the bridge of the nose. It has a lot of area to make a good seal though since it starts above the eyes and goes all around the face. I'm waiting for it come come in to the DME. I had disturbing dreams last night, then woke up with a red swollen nose and the combination has given me the blues.
Make no mistake, I am counting my blessings, I have insurance, a DME that works with me, a great Sleep Doc, and this forum. I know my problems are small compared to many folks here.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Mary Z.
PS: My DME just called (Roberts Home Medical in Virginia- great folks) and he's going to come by tonight and try a nasal pillow system with a chin strap. I have such hopes about the total fit mask, but he's not very confident it will work.
Views: 87
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sonia S. on
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Thanks Mary. I will check out the Respironics FitLife total face mask. I don't like how the full mask I wear leaves the dents, marks and wrinkles on my face and causes the skin to break out with acne. I hope the total face mask works, though I am also a side sleeper and move a lot during the night. Who would have thought finding a comfortable mask that doesn't leak would be so hard. Hope your search for the right mask for you is over soon.
Be well,
Sonia
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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on
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Clueless, Chronic pain is not something we talk about often in regards to fitfull sleep. It is a real problem though. The medicine I take lasts about four hours and even taking another dose after that does not help. For the last part of the night I have severe hip and knee pain which seriously interfers with my sleep. I'm working with my doc for something longer lasting and just started on ketoprofen, unfortunately it takes about two weeks to feel the effects. If you can get your pain treated you may sleep better.
Mary Z.
Clueless in Redwood Shores said:Rock Hinkle said:I believe that Judy and Christine have both used the fitlife total face mask. I think
I have as well. That's the mask I was rambling on about yesterday. Zero leaks when I can tolerate it but I haven't gone beyond three hours of uninterrupted sleep yet (dealing with chronic knee pain as well). I am going to try the chin-up strips and see if those help with either this or my Quattros...
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Permalink Reply by susan mccord on
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Hi Mary--long time, no talk to--my fault entirely. Wanted to tell you that I have one of the new Respironics FitLife masks. Haven't used it yet--another story--but when my DME fitted me with it, I LOVED it. It's huge and I was taken aback when I saw it, but it's kinda light and covers eyes, nose, and mouth. Sounds scary but what I liked was that it's so big it diffuses the air so I couldn't feel any pressure whatsoever. Amazing. Like I said, I haven't slept with it on yet, so that remains to be seen. But I've tried a gazillion masks trying to get a good fit, and this one is TOTALLY different. So keep the faith, and give it a go. I had the same bridge-of-nose problem you've had with the Quattro--I really liked it 'cause it didn't leak--but I had to wear bandaids every night to stay ahead of the breakdown. And it eventually DID begin to leak. So this FitLife mask is my next effort. Hope it works for you! It's about time you got some relief.....
Re: chronic pain--I hear 'ya. I have it too. There are a lot of pain meds available--many non-narcotic which is preferable--I'm thinking of one I had after surgery a couple of years ago that worked like a charm but I can't remember the name of it at the moment. I'll look it up and get back with you. My daughter-in-law had it too after back surgery--she never had to have a narcotic 'cause this stuff worked so well with no side effects. Same with me. That's a sleep problem that rarely gets discussed.....sure compounds the rest of this apnea stuff.
Fondly, Susan :-)
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Permalink Reply by Jonathan Spencer on
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Do I hear you! I'm convinced that I'm going to end up with some weird tumor on my nose after all the damage various masks have done.
As a matter of curiosity,did you try customizing the ComfortGel mask?
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Jonathan, I'd be interested in any ideas you have about customizing the mask!
Mary Z.
Thanks
Jonathan Spencer said:Do I hear you! I'm convinced that I'm going to end up with some weird tumor on my nose after all the damage various masks have done.
As a matter of curiosity,did you try customizing the ComfortGel mask?
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Mary Z said:Jonathan, I'd be interested in any ideas you have about customizing the mask!
Mary Z.
Thanks
Look at the final section of the user guide at http://global.respironics.com/UserGuides/1033258b00ComfortGel.pdf if you didn't receive a paper copy with your mask. I've had two of these and found the process was more successful the second time when I pressed the mask quite firmly to my face as the gel cooled rather than relying simply on the tension of the headgear.
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Thanks Jonathan, I had read that , but was too lazy to try it. I find the forehead piece to be quite flimsy, popping off when I try to tighten the top headgear. I tend to overtighten due to a high pressure. Maybe customizing the mask would help.
Thanks again,
Mary
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