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+--- Thread: Just looked in the mirror - am I relieved! (/Thread-Just-looked-in-the-mirror-am-I-relieved)
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Just looked in the mirror - am I relieved! - retired_guy - 02-16-2014
Yes. I thought maybe my face had warped in my sleep... Last night I tried out my new Mirage Quattro FFM for the first time. It worked great for about 4 hours. Then it began to leak ---- loudly ---- and I could not get it to shut up.
But I felt really great about those first 4 hours.
So at 3:00 am, I went back to my faithful nasal mask. "Let's go to sleep now little mask, I'm sorry I dissed on you earlier." But it decided to leak too! No matter what I did, I couldn't get it to behave.
So that left me with only one possibility, and that is my face warped.
But looking in the mirror, it doesn't look a lot different than before, so for me it's back to the basics, back to reading the "how to's" on this board, back to the wonders of "youtube."
The only thing I am assured of at this point, is success.
My mask and I are one.... Estranged for the moment maybe, but nevertheless "one."
RE: Just looked in the mirror - am I relieved! - trish6hundred - 02-16-2014
Hi retired_guy,
I know what you mean, it seems like some nights, your mask just doesn't want to cooperate. No matter what you do, nothing wants to line up right at all. Better luck tonight.
RE: Just looked in the mirror - am I relieved! - Galactus - 02-16-2014
Hahahhaha this is soooooooo very true. Just when you think you have it all figured out, and your mask is "just right" boom goes the dynamite! and it starts leaking or whatever, I don't get it either.
RE: Just looked in the mirror - am I relieved! - Sleepster - 02-16-2014
When this happened to me I would have to get up in the middle of the night and wash my face. Oil on the skin was causing the leaks.
That's when I decided to switch to nasal pillows and never looked back.
RE: Just looked in the mirror - am I relieved! - eviltim - 02-16-2014
Usually I will wake up once a night to go to the bathroom and I just remove my chinstrap, "re-seat" the pillows and put the chinstrap on again. Makes my leaks much better.
RE: Just looked in the mirror - am I relieved! - me50 - 02-16-2014
I agree. wash face and/or use a spare cushion so you can wash the other one just in case that was part of the problem. sometimes things just go bump in the night (and sometimes in the day)
RE: Just looked in the mirror - am I relieved! - herbm - 02-16-2014
Just from having "adjusted" other, similar things (diving helmets, combat helmets, wrestling headgear etc.) I would also suggest the following:
You may have become used to the "fit" and then are trying to OVER-TIGHTEN to make it feel just as tight as at the beginning or to make (1 of) the two mask feel like the other.
Over-tightening can be as problematic as under-tightening.
Another possibility is that you may have gotten (1 of) the mask out of adjustment (left/right, top/bottom, etc) from the perfect fit you worked to accomplish in the beginning.
If you have tried all the ideas about washing your face and the mask then perhaps a round of daytime (when you are sharp and not in a hurry) re-adjustment and testing is in order.
Another trick I heard was to cut a circle of t-shirt material from an old t-shirt, then cut and CROSS in the interior for you mouth and/or nose (and trim out this area. Put the t-shirt on the mask and the whole thing on your face.
I have no idea if that is BS or not, since I didn't try it but if you are desperate....
RE: Just looked in the mirror - am I relieved! - Steven C - 02-16-2014
Another suggestion.
Once you have the headgear adjusted just as you like it, use a Sharpie to "mark" the headgear where the Velcro attaches to the headgear. Do that on both the top & bottom straps. Then, if you remove the headgear for cleaning, you will know exactly how much to tighten the headgear.
Yes, after time, the headgear does stretch & you will probably have to re-mark it.
But, it sure saves having to "adjust" the headgear every night.
RE: Just looked in the mirror - am I relieved! - trish6hundred - 02-16-2014
Hi Steven C,
WELCOME! to the forum.
RE: Just looked in the mirror - am I relieved! - Franklyspeaking - 02-16-2014
(02-16-2014, 12:56 PM)retired_guy Wrote: Yes. I thought maybe my face had warped in my sleep... Last night I tried out my new Mirage Quattro FFM for the first time. It worked great for about 4 hours. Then it began to leak ---- loudly ---- and I could not get it to shut up.
But I felt really great about those first 4 hours.
So at 3:00 am, I went back to my faithful nasal mask. "Let's go to sleep now little mask, I'm sorry I dissed on you earlier." But it decided to leak too! No matter what I did, I couldn't get it to behave.
So that left me with only one possibility, and that is my face warped.
But looking in the mirror, it doesn't look a lot different than before, so for me it's back to the basics, back to reading the "how to's" on this board, back to the wonders of "youtube."
The only thing I am assured of at this point, is success.
My mask and I are one.... Estranged for the moment maybe, but nevertheless "one."
I make a great sugar and sea salt body scrub that I use in the shower each night to thoroughly cleansed my skin, I use it on my face too. So far my leaks are like 3-4L each night. I have two nasal masks I alternate them each night. I wash daily and air dry. So far no problems.