Face mask nose pad emergency

[zgochenour]

I am trying to go to sleep, but somehow the foam pad that sits in my face mask managed to become torn and it is leaking massively. I dont have any replacements. Does anyone have any makeshift/ghetto solutions to this problem that I could execute in the next 30 minutes or so and I can get some sleep?

[PaulaO2]

Do you have any moleskin bandage or some sort of silicone? Like a silicone ear plug? You could stick it either to your face or to the mask and see if it seals it enough.

[trish6hundred]

Hi zgochenour,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
I echo what Paula said and hopefully that will work for you 'till you are able to get a new cushion.
Best of luck to you.

[zgochenour]

Nope, it's torn pretty badly, I will definitely need a new cushion, I am just wondering if there's something I can stuff into the mask to help get a seal of some kind. I am very tired, I am about ready to go to "sleep" without my cpap for the first time in 3 years..

[renatae]

I saw elsewhere some little squares of apparently jersey (t-shirt) type fabric that are sold as a device to seal up minor mask leaks. May or may not work for your situation, but do you have an old t-shirt you wouldn't mind sacrificing and cutting into some small pieces and stick them in the offending areas if you think that might help? Such a thing would never have occurred to me - I'd be thinking plastic or something, but people have said the small fabric pieces helped them.

[Bernie]

Nope, it's torn pretty badly, I will definitely need a new cushion, I am just wondering if there's something I can stuff into the mask to help get a seal of some kind. I am very tired, I am about ready to go to "sleep" without my cpap for the first time in 3 years..

Adhesive backed foam weather stripping tape (the kind you use to seal around doors or windows) might do the trick. You should be able to find it at just about any hardware store or home store. It comes in a roll and you can cut off a piece and trim it to the right size and shape with a scissors.

Good luck.

[zgochenour]

Okay, now the thing is completely destroyed. Once it started falling apart it didn't take long especially as I kept applying tape to it and such. I have ordered a new cushion, but it hasn't arrived. Can anyone recommend something that I can use in place of the foam cushion to provide some kind of seal so that I can use my cpap tonight? Comfort is not really relevant. I just want a seal so I can breathe and sleep.

[zonk]

get some spares so you can avoid similar situations

[zgochenour]

I ordered a bunch, but it is of absolutely no help to me now. I would suspect this is a much more common problem than it seems to be, especially because you cannot just go buy this stuff at Wal-mart or whatever.

[PaulaO2]

No suggestions for you at all. Unless it is leaking everything that it puts out, go ahead and wear it anyway. Other than that, there's plastidip. Or that black foam pipe insulation. Nah, that'd be too stiff.