Bi pap

[Tracy500]

My husband has been having problems using the full face mask it hurts the bridge of his nose. We've tried everything, gauze, gel window cling taped down, still pressure that hurts him. He refuses the nose pillows and nose mask. We are waiting on a different mask but it's too soon for delivery. So now he won't use bi pap at all tonight. He had me plug in his diaphragm pacemaker instead and sit the hospital bed all the way upright. I lay listening to his breathing so irregular and not sounding good. What do I do? I don't want to wake him but am afraid he may not wake up? What should I listen for or do? I'm calling the MD office tomorrow to ask if they can send the diff mask even if I have to pay for it. He has advanced Als at this point. FVC in 30's.

 

[Vincent]

There is a new design, it covers the mouth and cradles under the nose. Nothing over the bridge. You can even wear glasses with this design. I was losing the seal on my lips, changed from a nasal mask to this one, what a difference. It's fairly new, i forget the name, but it ia a resmed design.
Vincent

 

[GregK]

That may be the "Amara View mask by phillips".

Plug the above quote into Google and you'll find it.

 

[lgelb]

Tracy, you can order any mask yourself at cpap.com or other sites, many with return insurance if he doesn't like it. You just need to upload the doctor's prescription for the machine and have a note on it about masks.

If he doesn't want to try nose masks (the Circadiance SleepWeaver, for one, would be worth trying as it is only cloth on his nose), they make a full mask mask as well (the Anew) and there are many others. Which one is he using now?

Greg, ResMed and Philips/Respironics are competitors so ResMed does not make the Amara. Possibly Vincent is referring to the Quattro FX or the AirFit, but he can tell us that.


Best,
Laurie

 

[Tracy500]

Yes I know that's the one we are waiting for, but it's too soon for a NEW mask they say.

 

[lgelb]

Again, you can buy the mask yourself on line and file for reimbursement after. Better breathing isn't a bad thing to spend some money on -- also, your DME sometimes has masks that were rejected, that they might keep on hand.

How is he today after his night w/o BiPAP? Since his breathing was irregular, I would certainly try by hook or crook to get him using it tonight. We used "gentle paper tape" on the nose bridge when he wore a regular FF mask. And cleaning the face/mask for a good seal also helps, of course. You might even reduce the IPAP if it helps maintain the seal, for now.

Best,
Laurie

 

[Janis J]

Douglas used CPAP for years and last summer when his lung function was still fine but he had trouble with dry mouth at night we spent a lot of time with respiratory therapists finding a mask that worked for him. The regular Amara View almost worked, then he tried the large size and it finally worked. They were able to "loan" masks to him to try out (although they couldn't use them for other people afterwards). It was such a relief when he moved to BiPAP to already have a mask that worked.

As Laurie pointed out, regular cleaning is important. Every night before putting on the mask I wash his face and use a CPAP wipe on the cushion.

See if you can get help with fitting the mask to his face; there's a real art to getting all of the straps set up correctly for a particular head. Once you've got something that works, make very small adjustments to the straps rather than trying to start anew.

Good luck, I remember how difficult this was to get right.

Janis