Mask not working - help

[Patsyw]

Just been diagnosed and told I need a full mask. Been given a Resmed Quattro, extra small (without even having my face measured). Apparently they cannot even be tried on because once taken out of the sterile packet they cannot be put back.

I have tried this mask for 3 nights and have never got so wound up and in a temper - nearly throwing the flipping thing across the room. I was up until 4am trying to get it comfortable and trying to get to sleep. I eventually got to sleep but have woken up with an indented face with broken veins all over my nose and cheeks.

When I get the mask in the right position on my forehead and nose, my mouth comes out the bottom and when I cover my mouth properly, it covers my eyes and presses down hard on the bridge of my nose and squeezes my nose so much I cannot breathe through it. In the end I just loosened everything off just to get comfortable but had to accept it was going to leak all night.

The plastic is awful and really irritates me and makes me sweat. So last night I did some research and found you can get pieces of fabric to go inside and place next to the skin. I was then making my own `cushion` in the middle of the night with pieces of cotton wool. This was a bit more comfortable and I did sleep.

I am wondering if it would help if I go back to the hospital and ask for a bigger mask. Just hoping they will give me some sort of cushioning to cover the plastic as well. Any comments would be appreciated.

[Fredxx]

I think going back to the hospital as soon as possible to get them to look at it is the right move.

Take your machine with you as well, and insist on trying the mask with the machine running at your normal pressure (i.e. not the ramp pressure) and get them to help you fit it right.

Unfortunately, it seems you got the standard "heres a mask, go home and try to make it work for yourself" treatment, when, as you have rightfully spotted for yourself, you need a little help and support to get it right.

As for the position that they "can't even be tried on" - well, if the hospital gives you the wrong size, they will have to change it anyway, so taking it out and confirming it is right should be no problem for them. If they have a problem with that, just tell them you want some help to get it to fit right.

One final thing - I have just PMed you a link to the fitting guide on the Resmed site...see if that helps to get the fit right, and don't forget, tighter on the mask straps is NOT better!

[Richard]

Hi Patsy,

What an awful experience. In bet you feel you have been fobbed-off by your sleep-clinic (if it was a proper sleep-clinic) and left to get on with it. Whoever examined you either did not have the experience or the common-sense to make sure the mask you were issued with was the right size for you.

You are very likely going to be sharing your nights with your CPAP for the foreseeable future, at least you should be comfortable with it.

Speak to whoever is in charge of your clinic and explain the problem; not being able to use it again for someone else, once it's been taken out of its box, is a nonsense. If you buy a pair of shoes, do you take the first pair you see? Of course not, and the same applies here.

Once you've been issued with a mask that fits, take some time to get accustomed to it: wear it, without the connecting-hose, around the house for, say, an hour or two at a time until you feel quite comfortable.

If it's a Mirage, there an adjustment at the top of the mask, which will bring the mask closer to your face, and if there are leaks, then adjust the straps, top and bottom. It's a mistake to pull them as tight as you possibly can; you will just end up having a very uncomfortable night and red marks around your face the following morning.

It's a help to have something between the mask and your face; the Remzzzs Face-Mask Liners you can find on this site are useful in this respect. There are several alternatives, too.

Smear barrier-cream where the face-mask touches; on your forehead and around the nose and chin. The strips of cotton towelling that tennis-players use on their racquets, they're adhesive on the back, are handy since they can be cut to length to cover the hard plastic of the mask.

But the important thing is to have a mask that fits!

Best of luck

Richard

[Patsyw]

Thank you Fred and Richard for your prompt replies and both very helpful. I have just used the mask fitting template and, from that, it seems I may have the right size for chin to nose placements. But it seems I need more height from the top of the mask (at bridge of nose) to forehead. When I have the mask in the correct position at the bridge of the nose, the forehead pads end up right on my eyebrows and it would be far better if it was actually on my forehead and about half an inch above my eyebrows. Maybe I have a weird shaped face ! You are right Fred - I need to ring the hospital (its NHS) and try and get an appointment for a proper fitting. And thanks for your advice about the straps not having to be too tight - I can see your point.

I must admit I was so relieved that they had found what`s wrong with me that I just accepted what I was told and given.

The machine is set at 6 (whatever that means) and I cannot alter it. I don`t think I`m supposed to. There seems to be a little card in the back of the machine which has been titrated specifically for me from the info they got from my sleep study.

Richard - thanks for your advice about the barrier cream and remzzzs - I definitely need some sort of nice soft cloth between that awful plastic and my skin.

I know I will get used to it (its a case of do or die). If I can get used to tinnitus during waking hours, I`m sure I can get used to this contraption during sleeping hours. But it has truly been a fight the last 3 nights.

Thank you

[dravidio]

Don't panic! You need to get a mask that fits and is suitable for you - but don't be surprised that it is not easy to get used to sleeping with something clamped on your face. It is very early days. But like other posters - I would agree that you need to go and make a fuss. You should not be fobbed off with any old mask - but one that is, at least, the right size. Loose or tight is another issue.

[Patsyw]

Thank you Dravidio. I have now spoken to a nice lady at my clinic who was really helpful and I will go there tomorrow.

I tried again last night for about 3 hours and ended up throwing it across the room and yelling at my dear little dog. He was getting worried because I was in such a state. My blood pressure must have been skyhigh - had to have a glass of sherry in the end to calm myself down. I gave up and slept my usual snoring/choking way and have just woken up at mid-day.

The thing is I know I won`t mind sleeping with one of these things on my face - if only I can get it right.

Thank you forumites for being there - you have been a life saver.

[Grumpy]

masks

Try to get a Quattro FX or Liberty Mirage which will fit you face shape better.
If the hospital can't supply them then hopefully you can afford to buy one (go for the Quattro FX). See the FX thread for info.

[Patsyw]

Thanks Grumpy - I`ll keep those in mind. The lady I spoke to at the hospital said there were other masks I could try, so I`ll wait and see what happens tomorrow.

[dravidio]

Thanks Grumpy - I`ll keep those in mind. The lady I spoke to at the hospital said there were other masks I could try, so I`ll wait and see what happens tomorrow.

Good luck. I am sure you will find a mask that you can get used to.

[Berneta]

Mask

Hi--just hang in there--we all go through the frustration and fits, but things will get better. x Berneta

[Patsyw]

Thanks for your kind wishes Dravidio and Berneta.

Went to the hospital today and the lady technician has given me the Resmed Mirage Liberty to try plus two sizes of sleepers. When she brought it out I thought of Grumpy. She actually let me try it on and it seemed good and the straps fit round the back of my head better. Its not a new one because it wasn`t in a sealed pack and the plastic has gone a bit cloudy and patchy in places but she said it had been away for sterilisation. But I suppose one can`t expect the NHS to keep dishing out new contraptions for everyone to try.

She was also good enough to go and photocopy my sleep test graph (which the other male technician had said I wasn`t allowed to have! - reckon he was just on a power trip).

I felt a bit sorry for her actually because I was quite bad tempered and on the verge of tears - I did apologise. But when I was explaining that every time I even twitched or moved my mouth, it was moving the mask and letting in leaks, she was a bit patronising and said I shouldn`t be moving my face when I`m asleep. I thought `is it any point trying to explain that I am not asleep at that point!

Anyway fingers crossed for tonight.