Newbie with some questions

[jle323]

Hello everyone! I just received my ResMed Airsense 11 autoset earlier this week. I’m having some difficulty getting comfortable with it and was looking for some advice. For some background, I am a petite female so I think I’m having some size issues. 

During my fitting I told them I am a mouth breather. While this is generally true, I usually fall asleep breathing through my nose and then my mouth falls open in the night. I didn’t think this would matter, so they suggested the Aifit F30i. However, I can’t breathe through my nose while wearing it. I’m not sure if that’s normal or if it’s not on correctly. Because I can’t breathe through my nose, I have to breathe through my mouth and apparently I have trouble falling asleep with  my mouth open (which I never knew until now). There is also a huge air leak at the top, enough that it blows into my eyes and is very uncomfortable. Every time I wake up I try to readjust the mask to decrease the air leak, but I can’t get rid of it. I know that the frame it came with (standard size) is too big for me so I’m waiting for them to ship me the small frame. I’m not sure if that might help with the leak. But I’m also thinking of asking to try a nasal pillow or nasal mask with a chin strap. I’m a healthcare worker and I’ve always had trouble getting masks to fit because of my small face. Any thoughts? Thank you all so much.

[Sleeprider]

Your mask problem sounds like a fit issue where the opening in the F30i mask are not properly aligning with the nares. I'm a big fan of the Airfit P10 nasal pillows and normally encourage new users to try nasal therapy first. It's not that hard to maintain nasal breathing when the air helps to open the nasal passages. If you need a chin strap be careful not to get one that pulls back to the crown of the head, and instead pulls vertically from the jaw to the top of the head. Our mask primer is a very helpful guide for selecting and fitting your mask as well as solving mask problems http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php/Mask_Primer Practicing with the mask while awake may help to find the proper fit and position for the mask, but if the frame is not the right size, it can be like putting a square peg in a round hole.

You should be sure to get copies of your diagnostic study for your personal records and to review the basis for your diagnosis. It is fairly common for all studies to diagnose "obstructive sleep apnea" even when other problems like hypopnea or central apnea are predominate. Get your study and feel free to post an image with personal information redacted on the forum if you have questions. Also be sure to download the free OSCAR software. It will provide much more detail about your therapy efficacy as well as settings and respiratory information. It is the primary tool we use to help new users optimize the therapy.

[Melman]

The large headgear will definitely be a problem. Is the mask cushion itself properly sized? It should fit against the outside edges of your nose. If there are gaps at the sides it will leak toward your eyes. Another issue with the mask is that there are two holes that need to align with your nostrils rather than one large opening. If they are shifted to one side or the other you will not be able to breath through your nose. Sleeprider has the best solution but only if you can avoid leaking air through your mouth with it held closed. That is the problem I had when I tried a nasal mask with a chin strap.

[jle323]

Thank you both for responding! I contacted my supplier to see about trying out the P10. I don’t believe the mask cushion is properly sized, but it’s a size small and as far as I can tell it doesn’t come any smaller. The nasal holes are not sitting under my nostrils. My nose is too small, and the holes are outside of my nose. Thank you both for your advice! I look forward to learning more here.