Newbie on APAP need help with mask

[hunt4sleep]

Hi

About me
- Moderate Sleep apnea
- Age : 34, male
- 6' height , 225lbs
- Mouth breathing
- Overbite
- Belly sleeper
- Severe allergies - pollen ragweed mold dustmites (you name it....)
- Related Surgeries : UPPP and Sinus(Deviated septum correction, sinusitis etc)

Started on Dreamstation APAP using Airfit P10 nasal pillows quickly discovered that needs a chin strap due to mouth breathing. tried several chin straps, was able to sleep a few nights with 5 hours, 7 hours etc with 1 break.

Switched to FFM Airfit F10, medium. I used it for a week. Could not fall asleep with it, there was issues with leaks and my nose and face constantly itching. Also, some of the cushion was covering my corners of lips and the bottom part of the cushion is soft and my chin would slide out of it.

Called DME again and now they have mailed me a Large sized Amara view. I am a bit frustrated with this however, going to give it my best shot to figure out this therapy.

Please let me know if I am in the right direction or need to try something else or am missing something

Thank you

[Crimson Nape]

Hi hunt4sleep,



Your profile indicates that your machine's pressure range is set wide open. This can be a cause for some of what you're experiencing. What does SleepyHead tell you about your sessions? (AHI, pressure values at Median and 95 Percentile)

[trish6hundred]

Hi hunt4sleep,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
The mask is the hardest part of this therapy so don't be shy about asking to try as many masks as you need to, 'till you find one that works for you.
Hang in there for more answers to your questions and much success to you on your CPAP journey.

[Sn00zeAlarm]

to prevent itching, shave just before bed. This drove me crazy until I figured out what caused it.

[hunt4sleep]

Hi hunt4sleep,



Your profile indicates that your machine's pressure range is set wide open. This can be a cause for some of what you're experiencing. What does SleepyHead tell you about your sessions? (AHI, pressure values at Median and 95 Percentile)

My Sleepyhead values are all over the place, however I am now looking at session only 4 hours and above and they are below, I am guessing thats because of allergies and different masks

Date AHI Median 95percentile
4/9 1.85 4.00 8.00
4/11 1.69 6.4 7.9
4/12 0.53 5.4 8.00
4/14 3.42 6.00 8.5
4/15 2.64 6.2 9.1
4/21 3.20 10.6 13.5
4/26 0.49 11.5 15.6
4/28 3.42 11.2 13.6
4/29 1.47 10.4 12.9
4/30 2.76 15.6 16.80

Thanks for all the help and encouragement both of you

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to prevent itching, shave just before bed. This drove me crazy until I figured out what caused it.

The itching is not on the chin area its on the nose bridge and surrounding area, not a beard issue, I shave daily

[PoolQ]

I use the Amara View and love it, it does however take some practice to get it seated correctly
1. that little strip near the breathing slot should sit flat against your upper lip and not against the bottom of you nose
2. it is quite sensitive to strap pressure, to get it right do your final adjustments 1/8" at a time
3. the mask likes to be fairly lose, to tight and it will tend to leak
4. it does not need to be pulled up under you nose, the mask seals around your nose from the sides and front when you turn on the pressure and not by being pushed up under your nose
5. the little nose cup goes over the tip of your nose, not way up and down under
6. I get my nose positioned and then rock the mouth part in place
7. once you turn on the air, I pull the mask slightly away from my face to let the silicon seal inflate and then set it back down

Once you get the hang of it, I think you will like it. I can even yawn and slide my chin right back into the mask

[sevenlevels]

I just got the Amara View to fit me after finding their fitting guide (only took two months).

This is a link to a fitting guide PDF, which I used.
It is over on [removed DME commercial link - instead please refer to Supplier #1 on the Supplier List] for Amara View under the "Important Tips" tab.

https://5faacd0c97cf0d23c6dc-064f3cd61bc...-guide.pdf

I used to have their Medium mask, but I had a lot of leaks. It turns out, I needed the Small size.

The one thing I do different is to put it over my mouth first then let it settle up under my nose when the machine turns on. (It does touch the corners of the lips.)

Belly sleeping? Because of the minimal strap pressure, my mask tends to slip against the pillow.

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[Rjhoeper]

Granted I am only 3 weeks into my bipap life, I have pretty high pressure, and I have noticed that this mask like to be loosely fitted. It seems that I get the majority of my leaks while side sleeping.