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baseten
+0 points
·
about 5 years
ago
Original Poster
I am using the Resmed Airfit F30. I can get the mask to seal, but after a few hours of sleeping, a loud foghorn sound wakes me up. Does anyone know what could be causing that? The mask is already quite snug so I tried loosening it a little which seemed to help for an hour, but then the foghorn sound came back. Thank you for your help.
It is most likely the silicone edge of the mask seal flapping due to an air leak. I call them fart sounds. Don't have any real suggestions for you on getting rid of it, other than using the mask fit function and playing around with the straps to adjust the fit. I have an F20 mask that I gave up on. I just could not get it to seal so I was compfortable enough to sleep. I went back to the P10 mask.
What machine are you using and what are the pressure settings? Using EPR or Flex? Just wondering if there are opportunities to reduce the pressure.
Do you use SleepyHead to monitor your sleep data? If you are on a BiLevel however, there is likely less of an opportunity to reduce pressure. By discontinuing EPR and going to a fixed CPAP pressure I was able to reduce my IPAP from 15 to 11 cm. It also improved my central apnea frequency.
baseten
+0 points
·
about 5 years
ago
Original Poster
Yes, I use SleepyHead. The doctor tried all sorts of settings, and what I have is the best, I guess. My centrals are not even over 2 now; whereas before they were a big problem. I'll try mask fit and moving the mask to a different position too. Thanks for your help.
I find that there are kind of two approaches to deal with central apnea (perhaps 3). One is to use a larger split between EPAP and IPAP which along with some adjustments to trigger points for switching pressure can help reduce centrals by assisting the breathing effort when the body does not really want to do it. The second method is to do everything possible to keep maximum pressure as low as possible, by eliminating EPR or using no pressure support, along with using a fixed CPAP pressure instead of an auto mode. This is based on the theory that higher pressure causes centrals. In my case this method worked, and I avoid needing a BiLevel machine. The final approach and probably the best one is to use an ASV machine, which assists breathing effort but in a much more controlled accurate way than the BiLevel does.
This all said, I understand some people get some benefit with full face masks by using a mask liner between the mask seal and the face. One commercial brand is RemZZZs, but I don't see a version specific for the F30. Some apparently make their own mask liners with cotton t-shirt material.
I noticed when my ResMed machine will make a strange "howling" air leak type of sound the water chamber is not seated in the unit correctly. I shut the machine off, take out and reinsert the water chamber and everything works after that.
The flatulence sound from the mask is a good sign it is time to change the cushion, this makes noise but the feeling of the cushion flapping against the skin is worse.
The F30 mask worked fine for me, but every face is different. The F20 & Dreamwear FF are the ones that leaked & made loud noises, foghorn & farty. If you can try changing masks to see if you can get a better fit. If you want to stay with your current mask, I suggest using liners like Remzzz or Pad a cheek. I had to wear liners when I had the F20 & Dreamwear FF. I now use a nasal mask with chin strap. F30i. The only reason I gave up the F30 is because I kept getting tangled in the hose. I prefer the hose on top of my head like the Dreamwear or N30i/P30i series
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