Mask driving me crazy

[phoebesalva]

I started therapy 1.5 months ago and switched to a Philips resperonics full face mask due to mouth leakage. Every time I move (side sleeper mostly, some back), the mask loses the seal and wakes me up. I added a liner and that helped with the seal around the chin but now it keeps losing the seal under the nose. The hose coming out of the top of my head is ideal so I don’t get tangled but I saw those holder things on Amazon so I could try that with a hose that comes out of front. I just don’t want to spend a bunch of money trying masks. I’m female, 5’8 145lbs oval shaped face, if that helps.

[OpalRose]

Unfortunately, the mask is the one thing that has to fit you almost perfectly for optimal therapy, and at the same time it can be frustrating to find that fit.

Some suppliers will allow you to trial a mask for 30 days, like Supplier #1, but you sometimes have to pay shipping when returning it.

Read through the  Mask Primer

You may find some tips for a better fit.

[phoebesalva]

It’s so frustrating! I’ll check it out, thanks!

[Deborah K.]

A lot of people who mouth breathe find that they can control leaks better by using a nasal mask or nasal pillows mask and then tape their mouths.  This is what I do and leaks are rare now.

[phoebesalva]

What kind of tape do you use? I tried it once and my tongue or something pushed the tape off a little so air could get out and it made a weird sound haha

[Deborah K.]

I used to use silicone tape, but I often had lots of leaks with that.  I am using Hypafix tape right now, but I think I'll switch to Cover Roll tape because it is stretchy.  I use the 2 inch wide version.  I started with 1 inch, but it was too narrow for me and it leaked a lot.

[phoebesalva]

Thanks a bunch! I have the silicone tape now and I’ll check out the other two.

[BoxcarPete]

I am using cover roll and a nasal mask at the moment. It seems to have a really nice balance of holding power and ease of use if I fold one corner down before sticking it to my face. I had leak trouble with one FFM and other issues with the other and actually found that the therapy was noticeably worse with both FFM, at least for me, compared to nasal mask with tape.

[phoebesalva]

Thank you for the suggestion boxcarpete. I followed the directions opalrose gave me and it actually worked pretty well last night but I may try a different type of tape. I tried the silicone kind and it did not work.