I found the Mack's Ear Plugs at Walgreens this evening.  There are four plugs in the pack and they were $2.99.  I took the last pair they had.  Hmmm, I wonder if there were hoards of sleep apneacs in there today buying them up after reading about them on this site!  I took one out of the package on the way home and played with it.  It's very pliable.  I am wondering what would happen if I slapped a chunk of it on over this horrible sore red lump on my nose.  I guess if I want to dress up like a witch for halloween I won't have to buy the wart to put on my nose.  

Junebug wrote:

Pseudonym - Any updates on the use of liquid latex?  How is that working for you?  Is it stopping the leaks?

I am VERY happy with how the latex works.  Perfect seal all the way around and my mask straps were so loose, I could almost do without them.  NO leaks during the night at all, NONE.  

Unfortunately, I developed contact dermatitis from the latex in a triangle around my nose (the exact footprint of the Simplicity)!!!!         I have worn latex gloves for years and years with no problems so the last thing I expected was a skin reaction.  After that happened I did patch tests on my hands, inside my elbows, and even on my face (cheeks and chin) for 48 hours (boy did I look funny last weekend).  NO reaction to the latex whatsoever, my skin is perfectly clear.  Apparently it is a combination of the latex and skin oils/sweat rubbing under the mask?  Don't know but I am really bummed I couldn't continue using the latex on my mask, it worked a treat.  For anyone who does NOT have this problem it will be a Godsend, I couldn't believe the difference it made in how comfortable the mask was and all night without ANY leaks.

Last night I tried Peke's silicone putty earplug suggestion.  I put TWO very thick bandaids on my nose, then used the putty to make a gasket for the Simplicity, so it could seal over the bandaids on the bridge of my nose.  The Simplicity normally won't seal over a bandaid, the transition on either side from pad to skin leaves a gap that leaks.

I created a slightly flattened upside down V and fitted it along the nose portion of the mask.  Unfortunately it does not like to stick to the Simplicity so it shifted a bit once I got the mask on.  For the most part it sealed the leaks over the bandaid but I woke up a few times from leaks there.  I think I can do better and will try again tonight.  It's not as comfy as the latex as I had to tighten the straps back up a bit to keep the seal.

I ordered the Skin-Tite silicone molding material mentioned by jabberwock in another thread.  I will also try that over the extra thick bandaids to make a 'molded silicone gasket' for the mask.  Perhaps that will work as well or better than the putty.

Oh the lengths we will go to, to get comfortable with this equipment!

On another note, my Aussie heated hose arrived on Friday.  I ordered this because my bedroom air is very cool (~65F) now that it is fall, and the CPAP air is just too cold.  I didn't have a humidifier but added one in the hopes it would add enough warmth.  It is better, but not quite warm enough, on the low settings.  I can't handle the higher moisture that comes with the upper settings.

I used the Aussie heated hose for the first time last night.  Wonderful!!!  The air was very nicely and noticably warm.  Even the hose itself, through its cover, feels warm.  When I woke up I saw I had a kitty sleeping on the portion of the hose sticking out from under my pillow        Fortunately it was not crushed but I sure don't want it to break down prematurely, it was too expensive.  So now I need to find kitty something more appealing than that hose...  

Blessings,
--pseudonym

Oh no!!      I am sorry to hear you developed the contact dermatitis.  It's odd how one body is covered with what we think of as one skin yet it can react so oddly in different areas.  The sore I had on my nose has now healed thanks to the chunk of silicone ear plug gel I have been placing over it.  It acts more like a cushion than the cotton or bandaids I was using.  

I agree...the lengths we have to go to in order to make this workable is ridiculous.  They can put a man on the moon yet this is the best solution thus far to help those with apnea?  Sad, just sad.

I do wish there was someway we could force the manufacturers to do some of this tweaking for us.  Last night I had to cut an end off of a panty liner to stick it to the chin cup of my Hybrid mask.  For some reason, the contact between that area of the mask and my chin was causing irritation.  It may have been the flashes of heat that, as a 50 something woman, I occasionally experience!

In any case, the panty liner provided the comfort I needed, so this $200 mask now has $.75 worth of silicone putty and perhaps $.01 worth of panty liner to make it wearable.  And most importantly, the contributions of the members of this forum.  

Why can't the manufacturers use some of us in a focus group?

Susan

Tried it myself last night with putty ear plugs. Not as much luck as I'd hoped, hard to get it to stop a leak and stay put. Any hints always welcomed.


_________________
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ResMed S8 Elite / ResMed Quattro Mirage full face mask
Pressure 19
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Life is something that happens when you can't get to sleep.
Fran Lebowitz

I've been using the silicone putty for four nights and can report that I've had a good result.  I'm still using the original plug and tonight will be the fifth night.

I get a very good seal, no air leaking near my eyes at all.  In the morning I do have a red spot on the bridge of my nose and down each side of my nose but it wears off in an hour or two.  It's easily covered with a little makeup if need be. I have no bruising and no soreness.  Each morning when I take off the mask the putty which is adhered to the silicone liner of my mask is pretty well flattened out from being against my skin.  I reshape it a little with my thumb and forefinger and it's ready to put it on again that evening.

If anyone did not see my post on another thread, I roll the plug into a 3 inch thin rope and lay it across the mask in and inverted V (like this  /\ ) then press it lightly in place and put the mask on.  I try to have it as close to the edge of the silicone liner (I wear a ComfortGel) so that it is pretty much confined to the inner portion of my liner.  So far, so good.  

I think it is very sad that we have to resort to putty, panty liners, bandaids, latex, etc. to make these masks wearable.  Until the companies that make them care enough to try to improve their designs, I guess we'll keep on having to use our own ingenuity.  But why should they?  As long as we are uncomfortable, we'll keep on buying masks to try to find the right one.  I bought seven. Sounds like a win-win situation for them.


_________________

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO~ http://tinyurl.com/69q52a


ResMed S8 Elite, F&P Flexifit 406, Optilife
AHI 54/hr, Pressure 8, desat. 73

Last night was another go with the silicone putty, it worked well to seal off the leaks around the thick bandaids I have on my nose.  That was good news!

The bad news is, I think I need to put the putty all the way around.  The Simplicity's nasal cushion now leaks profusely at the bottom under my nose!  (The putty was only over the bridge of my nose to seal over the bandaids).  I kept tightening the bottom straps until the leaks stopped, but then my nose started to ache from too much pressure, even over the bandaids...  {sigh} I managed to nap about an hour last night night but the leaks and then later the nose-ache kept waking me up... so off came the mask.

I'll try again tonight with the putty all the way around.  Here's hoping for no leaks and loose straps...!

Blessings,
--pseudonym

I too ended up using the putty all the way around the mask as the portion under my nose was making juvenile noises.  The last two nights I tried the putty without the eye mask but it seems there is just enough of a teeny tiny leak up there to irritate my eyes.  The testing continues.

So sorry the earplugs are not working for all of you.

I changed masks and they will not work with the new mask.

Now I have a new machine and another new mask. Haven't used the earplugs yet with the new setup. If I get a sore spot, I will.  Right now I am getting used to the new machine and my masks are tight.

Pseudo, I can't use my Simplicity any longer. It won't work with the ASV machine. I loved that mask!  

Ok Gang, I think we need to put some pressure on the companies that make masks!  They primarily make them for men's faces!  Just making one a smaller size doesn't help.

I am going to email them and see if they can do something so we don't have to add latex, bandaids, etc. to our faces and masks.

Hang in there,

Peke


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Res-Med VPAP - Adapt SV
FP Flexifit 406 mask
with Narcolepsy on the side!!!!

Is anyone still using the silicone putty/ear plugs?  Any new ways of using it?

I used one the other night and lost it somewhere. Don't know if I ate it or not!


Peke


_________________
Res-Med VPAP - Adapt SV
FP Flexifit 406 mask
with Narcolepsy on the side!!!!

I use the Swift II and my nose/nostrils slant which means the nasal pillows must be at a 45 degree angle...like a 'V'.  I take a small piece of putty and place it on the outer side of each 'nostril pillow' to make them lean toward my nose for a good seal. Not sure if my description makes sense, but it works


_________________
Remstar auto CPAP... mask=Hans Rudolph V2
Peace begins with each of us, as individuals

Peke, back when I had a snoring husband (as opposed to a now non-snoring one), I used to use what were called wax ear plugs that could be shaped and I sometimes lost one too.  If you can't find it on the floor somewhere or under the bed, look down where the bedclothes tuck in at the foot of the bed.

I just received my Comfort Lite 2 in the mail yesterday.  When I tried it on last night I noticed that it didn't want to seal quite as well as I would like so I grabbed my handy-dandy container of silicone putty plugs and started rolling.  I lined the edges of the interface and it did it's usual good job of creating a seal.  

Also, I was at an A.W.A.K.E. meeting the other night and I asked the sleep doc who was giving a presentation if there were any worries about inhaling this and he said there were not.  I was glad to hear that.

I have been using a cpap machine and wearing a Quattro mask for about a week now.  I have a pressure of 19. I seem to have leaks of the nature that flutters the mask along my cheeck and makes a "farting" (sorry) sound.  I have been reading many posts about this and bought some of the Mack's ear putty... rolled it into a rope and placed it gently on the mask where it would come in contact with my  cheeks.  Once my maching ramped up to 19 after 20 minutes it was leaking. At least is was just a hissing sound so I took it off. Every one has raved about this so I must be putting the putty on wrong. If someone would, either post or email me specific instructions.
Thanks for the help.

Hi 2005 Vette,

Don't think of it as "wrong" -- just not applied optimally

I am using a full face mask (Hans Rudolph 7600) and as my face relaxes into sleep I get the same mask 'sounds' that you do (LOL quite common with FFMs).  In my case the putty must be very very thin and go along the mask for quite a distance.  The putty works pretty good for me but the mask can still leak if I bump the mask when moving around.

This seems to be true for many people (an exception is creating a 'plug' to fill a gap, such as on either side of the nose).  I have found that if the putty is too thick, it disturbs the 'balance' of the mask on the face and causes leaks elsewhere.  Take care to make it very very thin and extend only slightly past the areas of leak.

If you have read the earlier posts in this thread, the liquid latex was (and still is) the winner for me.  Unfortunately I've tried a couple of different brands and still get contact dermatitis from it (contact determatitis is a skin irritation from the chemicals used in the latex manufacturer.  It is NOT a latex allergy).  I have worn latex gloves for years without issue, I not allergic to latex, so I'm still trying.  I've just ordered yet another brand of skin-friendly theatrical latex and am going to give it a try.

Also, I was recently browsing a website with diabetic and related supplies, and ran across a skin-safe adhesive that is safe for application near and directly on open wounds.  I now have a bottle of that but have not yet examined it.  Since it is an adhesive my first and foremost concern will be to determine how it behaves on skin and how difficult it is to remove.  If that's good I'll next 'glue' something to my skin to see how that behaves.  If it is very gentle I'll check it on an edge of my mask (I have two HR's so I can experiment on one of them) and see what it does to mask silicone.  If it passes all my tests I'll try it overnight.  

Just to be clear for anyone reading here, I do not advocate gluing the mask to face!  That is NOT safe.  The mask must come away easily if there is a need to get the mask off in a hurry (someone recently wrote about waking up with a sudden and unexpected need to vomit.  That's but one example).  Never 'glue' down the mask firmly, skin safe or not!  Slightly 'tacky' or 'sticky' substances like the putty and latex are far far safer.

When I have time to try the newest brand of latex and also to examine the diabetic wound-safe adhesive, I'll report back on what I find.  In the meantime the sillicone putty earplugs are most likely the safest bet.

Blessings,
--pseudonym