01-13-2020, 04:51 PM
RE: AirFit N20 problems
(01-12-2020, 07:26 PM)johnno Wrote: Tried again last night with the N20. Had to switch back to the Aptiva about 2 am. Mask leaks onto my cheek.
Hi, first time I have seen your post. Sorry, usually these don't escape me....
I have been using the very same headgear and mask since Day One. I'm still using the same items I was issued on that day, and have not replaced any of it, hose and all.
I did learn right away that I have to tape my lips or I gush out of my open mouth. With that fix, I also had to learn how to sleep on my side. Initially, I despaired of every being able to use the N20 on my side, but after a few months, maybe five, I suddenly found that I had 'taught myself'. I awakened on my side often, and now even turn over to fall asleep after that first dip into unconsciousness we all feel when attempting to fall asleep.
I can't articulate the magic, but eventually you should teach yourself how to do this. In my case, I use a good down-filled pillow, and I don't have the pillow well under my neck and near my shoulders. I just put my ear and the top of my head on it, which leaves the bottom half of the headgear and the mask itself nearly free from contact. Not completely free, but the pressure is so light that the cushion is not deformed, nor the headgear forced to turn the mask to one side.
You must also fiddle with 'fit'. Your four straps need to be played with until you get no leakage. They must NOT be over-tight. My own mask just touches my nose and upper lip; it barely deforms near my face.
Also, the air rushing out of the vent at the turn of the smaller hose into the mask is normal. That's the bypass when you are exhaling and don't need air from the machine quite so much. If you need pressure support during exhalation, you'll notice the amount increase per the machine's programming. It might be counterintuitive, but if you need a bit of 'back-pressure to keep your airway open while you exhale, the machine has to force more air toward the end of that hose. So, the vent is carefully engineered for that back-pressure, and leaks impede the capability to keep a finely tuned response to your breathing demands. When you inhale, and need the higher pressure, the machine must boost the amount of air, and that will seem to increase the amount rushing out of the vent at the same time. Then, a second later, you begin to exhale, and the air will rise again as the machine finds the balance in 'flow' between what you need and what it must supply with that darned vent open all the time.
My real, and I hope useful, message is that learning how you will get the most out of your therapy takes time. In my case, it really was almost six months before I awakened on my side one morning and was experiencing no leakage whatsoever. It took months of lifting my head clear of the pillow, sometimes several times each hour, and repositioning it before I learned what worked.
You'll get there.
