Disappointment

[eheavie43]

I am just about to throw in the towel!! Have been using a CPAP machine since beginning of July. I use a full face mask and even though I have tried tightening/loosening headgear, using different sizes of masks, nasal pillow mask, mask liners, air is still leaking into my eyes during the night. My eyes are constantly irritated , blurred and watering. I am at my wits end. I am spending most of the night now without using the machine as I can't get a proper seal and want to be able to go to work without tears running down my face all day.

[Barely Awake]

This is rotten for you, FFs are the most difficult to get a seal with in my experience but someone may come up with something, can you remind folks what FF mask you are using and what other ones you have tried?

[martin]

My first mask was sitting on the bridge of my nose, had sores and wind blasting into my eyes. I bought a gel mask by myself to save time (and i thought save the NHS money, got told off for it) and it was much better but it took a few days to get the strapping in the right place, used that for several months. Switched to sleepweaver and much better. it takes a while though and its a pain in the butt until you get it right, but its worth sticking to.

[Richard]

Disappointment

If everything else has failed, try this:

Buy from your pharmacy a pack of Mepilex 15cm.sq. surgical dressing and a tube of Siopel barrier-cream. Take a Remzzz face-mask liner and glue it to a piece of thin cardboard (a corn-flake box will do) Cut carefully around the edges, both outside and inside. You now have a template the shape of a mask-liner.

Take a piece of Mepilex and place the 'template' over it. Mark around the edge onto the thin sheet that covers the adhesive side of the Mepilex. Cut with scissors around both edges. You now have a face-mask liner, much thicker than the Remzz. Pull off the protective sheet and fit the piece where you placed the Remzz onto your face-mask.

Immediately before going to bed, smear a little Siopel around the area wherever your mask and face come into contact, then put on your mask. You will need to adjust the straps, but this should give you a more comfortable fit, and without leaks.

It will probably be a matter of trial and error before you get it right, but this method certainly works.

I hope you are successful.

Richard

[Grumpy]

Liberty Mirage

Try the ResMed Liberty Mirage mask which has nasal plugs attached to a gel mask that surrounds the mouth. The effect of a full-face mask without anything around your nose; so definitely no eye-blasting.

[eheavie43]

Disappointment

I have tried the Mirage Liberty but did not like it at all. Although I do not have small nostrils even the smallest nose plugs were too big. I also could not tolerate the cold air blasting up my nose and air was venting everywhere !! Today I am going to contact the Sleep Clinic to ask if there is anything else I can try before giving up.

[martin]

Just noticed you said about cold air, I use a heated humidifier in winter time to avoid the freezing blast feeling. Nothing worse than having frozen sinuses..ok there are worse things but this isnt that sort of forum. Maybe the heater add on would help. Also the word blast, possibly the machine being set a bit lower might help, i'm not suggesting you tamper and the clinic will know better what settings you need but possibly more use at a lower pressure is better than none. I have had great success with the therapy but even after a year and a half some nights i cant get the wee bugger to sit right and just give up and try to sleep sitting up or more usually just grab a book and a head torch to while away the hours but if you can make it work for you its worth keeping trying. All the best.

[eheavie43]

Disappointment

Thanks for your reply, Martin. I contacted the Sleep Clinic again yesterday. They think that altho I am a mouth breather (during the night), that I could try a nasal mask instead of a full face mask to see if this makes a difference. I have to attend the clinic on Monday and they will see if they can alleviate the problem. Here's hoping !!!

[Barely Awake]

Asked in various chemists and other shops, including Boots, Lloyds Pharmacy, and Debenhams for the in-flight style eye masks and not one of them stocked them any more. Boots had some gel types until recently and stopped apparently. The only place suggested was those 'travel' stands you get in some supermarkets, that have adaptors and the like.
I hope the nasal mask solves the issue, I certainly find them easier to seal than full face masks.

[Richard]

ASDA carry eye-masks and the retail area of motorway service areas carry them, too.

Richard

[Sparticus]

Bought

Yes I can confirm that as this is where I buy mine from

[James @ Intus]

Another idea, which may have been mentioned, is to wear an eye mask. If the watery eyes are more an issue than the leaks itself, then instead of trying to solve the leaks, you can avoid the air blowing into your eyes.

You may have to play with various designs, but luckily they tend to be cheap.

- Just seeing Barely Awake and Richard were thinking along the same lines!

[Mentalfog]

I wouldn't give up if I was you, you never know if the mask you never tried could have been the one to give you your life back..

I also found that having the straps too tight can actually cause leaks, it's just finding that right point.

Hope you get there soon