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Sierra
+0 points
·
over 6 years
ago
Original Poster
Sleep
Patron
The best mask I have found so far has been the ResMed P10. I really like it except for one thing. The headgear is really flimsy and of a poor design. It has no adjustment feature, and seems to stretch quickly. Yes, they include some goofy little clips that you are supposed to use to tighten the straps, but the biggest issue I have with this mask is that it will not stay on my head. I find that when I use the clips they catch on the pillow and make it even easier for the headgear to move and let the mask come loose.
Has anyone found any solutions to this? I would be really nice if someone developed a generic headgear that would fit on the funny attachment system that the P10 uses. I also have a Brevida nasal pillow mask which has a much better and adjustable headgear. However I can't see any easy way of adapting it to the P10. Unfortunately the nasal pillow part of the Brevida does not seem to agree with my nose. That part works much better on the P10.
Thought I would throw it out there in case someone is aware of a good solution. The best one I have come up with so far is to use a Breathewear Halo chin strap. It helps somewhat in keeping your mouth shut, and in keeping the P10 headstraps in place.
snuzyQ
+0 points
·
over 6 years
ago
Sleep
Commentator
Hi Sierra.
You might have better success with a combination of the ResMed Swift FX nasal pillows system. Make sure you get the right size pillows and use a dab AYR nasal gel to enhance your seal (and for comfort). The flat of the tongue against the roof of your mouth, with the tip of the tongue resting against the backs of your upper front teeth really works. It's a comfortable position. I think the air pressure from the CPAP exerts a seal (kind of like suction) that helps keep the tongue where it needs to be. My jaw actually falls open during the night and my lips part, yet I don't record any leaks at all, ever. Husband disturbs his seal whenever he turns over and the leaks don't wake him up a lot of the time. So, he wakes up in the morning with a dry mouth, but not always. I don't think he has tried the tongue trick. I'll suggest it again and maybe I'll get through. I'm not much help because I sleep through most anything, including earthquakes.
The Swift FX is better quality and stretches out slowly. Husband and I can go without changing masks about 6 months. The mask does eventually stretch out, but there is a lot of room in the straps for adjustment and this compensates. We change to new masks every 6 months just to keep our therapy fresh. The pillows get changed out every 3 months. Thank you for all your very helpful posts. I was inspired by your bio to update mine to something more useful.
Sierra
+0 points
·
over 6 years
ago
Original Poster
Sleep
Patron
Thank you for the suggestions. I will consider the Swift FX mask. On a quick look, the mask part seems quite similar to the P10 with the dual wall nasal extensions. It has the air exhaust on the hose like the Brevida, while it is built into the mask on the P10. I suspect I could tolerate it, and the headgear does look to be better. What I would like to do is just buy the headgear and fit it to the P10, but that looks pretty difficult. Perhaps when it is time for a mask change I will buy the whole thing. It is a shame that the mask manufacturers at least within their own brand would not standardize on how they attach the headgear to the mask. Each mask seems to have a unique attachment method.
I am a bit burned out on trying new masks at this point, and I think I will take a break from the new mask merry go round for a while. So far I have tried the Mirage Quattro, and even with the help of a good blog titled something like Taming the Mirage Quattro, I couldn't make it stop leaking. It just seemed to walk around on my face. I tried my wife's Mirage FX, and while it was better I couldn't stop the leaks and the rude noises the leaks make. They wake me up. Next I tried the AirFit F20 full face. It is probably better than the Quattro and Mirage FX, but still leaks, and when I finally gave up, it was causing a blister on the bridge of my nose. My sleep quality was bad, because I kept waking up. The latest purchase was the F&P Brevida, and while I think I could get to the point of tolerating it, the batwings part seem to stick out and make it easier to push out of place when side sleeping. I get more leaks with it than I do with the P10. The Brevida also irritates my nose more, but that I suspect would go away over time. I will keep it as a spare, but doubt I will ever use it regularly.
I would have thought with the popularity of the P10 and the poor quality of the headgear that someone would have come up with a new and improved after market version. Doesn't seem to be so...
sleeptech
+0 points
·
over 6 years
ago
Sleep
Enthusiast
ResMed really don't seem to care. In fact, for them, it's a bonus because of all of the extra head gear they sell. That's Capitalism at work - you should be thankful (not).
I too am annoyed by the poor design and durability of the resmed components. OK. Replacing nose pillows might make sense, but my supplier (who deals with my health ins co.) charges $50/pillow. Outrageous!! Amazon sells them for ~$16.
The headgear, tubing and reservoir should last indefinitely. The reasons for replacement, listed in the resmed website are ridiculous. My headgear is now creating leaks because there is no way to adjust tightness. Time for some garage mechanics. I intend to attach velcro to one, then the other of the two main straps leading from the nose fixture. You're correct sleeptech, "capitalism at work". Sweet dreams!
Sierra
+0 points
·
over 6 years
ago
Original Poster
Sleep
Patron
I have looked at trying to adapt headgear from another mask to the P10 mask, but nothing looks easy. The manufacturers seem to go out of their way to ensure nothing is interchangeable. It it amazing that they agreed on a hose connection that is virtually universal...
The headgear that seems to have some potential to being adapted is the F&P Brevida, and the Nuance Pro Gel. But, it would still take some garage mechanics to make them work. If you go the cut and attach Velcro route, you may also want to consider including a fabric hose like those used to hang eyeglasses around your neck and then slip it down over the Velcro section after you have adjusted it for length. That Velcro stuff can have sharp edges which could end up bugging you at night. Another thought I had was to just double (triple actually) up a section of the fabric strap without cutting it and then stitching it with a sewing machine. Kind of one shot adjustable, but should work.
For me the Breathewear Halo Chin Strap has been the saviour. I got a 6 L/min average leakage rate last night while using the chin strap over top of the P10 straps.
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