Has anyone else experienced problems with their FF mask causing an open sore on the bridge of their nose? I finally received my CPAP and was doing good. The first night I went to sleep and woke up with the bridge (both sides) of my nose a little sore. The next night I slept with the FF Mask and woke up with my nose really sore, red and puffy. I know this is gross, but later that day it became irritated and puss began to come out. The sore was very nasty and painful. I have not used my mask or CPAP since. I am waiting for my nose to completely heal before trying it again. It is obvious that I had the mask too tight, but it would leak if I didn't have it that tight. I spoke to the DME and told them that I would try the mask another toime once my nose heals, but if it doesn"t work I will like to try a nasal pillows and a chin strap. Has anyone heard bof anything like this happening before?

When I started treatment I had the same problem.  My mask was too small.  What kind of mask do you have, some of them need to be adjusted differently.  For instance for my FP 431 I keep the straps very loose.  When the air is flowing, I lift the mask away from my face and the air bladder inflates to provide the seal.

Chris

A sore on the bridge of the nose appears to not be uncommon with people who wear FF masks and it appears to be caused by an ill fitting mask, an overly tight mask, or both.  The fix seems to be a properly fitting and adjusted mask and the use of either moleskin or a bandaid until the sore heals.  It also seems that some people who are using FF masks could use a nasal mask or nasal pillows which appear to be much easier to fit and adjust than a FF mask.

Kveille-

I had the same problem at first.  I use the Quattro FF Mask.  At first, I had similar blisters on the bridge of my nose as well as on my forehead from the supports there.  To overcome this issue, I bought a pad from padacheek.com for the forehead support, and for the bridge of my nose, I used medical tape from 3M (the breathable plastic type) plus a tiny strip of athletic prewrap for the bridge of my nose.  I did this for about 2 weeks, but I found that after washing the mask numerous times that whatever was causing my irritation finally wore away with numerous washings.  I now wear the mask with no taping on the nose bridge and have not had any more trouble with it.  I don't necessarily agree that it is caused by overtightening, although that would do it too.  Don't give up.  The taping REALLY helped me.  The tape is very gentle on the skin and the small piece of pre-wrap gave the added protection I needed.  It also did not cause a leaky mask.  

I wish you good luck and I hope you will give it another chance.  

(The tape is available at your local pharmacy store)


_________________
Forneyfrau
From Forney, TX
Resmed Adapt SV with Resmed Quattro FF Mask
AHI 93
Primary Central Apnea
Diagnosed 4/8/2008

kveille I more or less have had the same problems with FF mask, Maybe I am a wimp but I just cannot stand the pain those mask cause me on the arch of my nose, and I constantly have problems with air leaking into my eyes, and no matter what I have tried it just hasn't worked for me. Tighten the straps and it causes pain in my neck and nose, and even sores like you described! If I  loosen the straps even a little the air leaks into my eyes. Everyones face is different and those type mask just don't work for me! Now Psuedonym has suggested a mask called the Hans Rudolph at rudolphkc(dot)com I am trying to get my DME to get me one, to try it out! Get a hold of Psuedonym she can tell you all about it. Anyway I guess it's not supposed to cause problems with pressure on the arch of the nose like the others. It might be worth your time to check it out.  So no you are not the only one that has had this problem.   Good Luck to You white Beard


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White Beard with a White Beard
Resmed VPAP Adapt SV Enhanced, HumidAire 2i, ResLink with Model 8000 Flex sensor Pulse Oximeter, and ResScan 3.5 software. Respironic EverFlo OPI Oxygen Concentrator 3 lpm
EEP 9.0, min PS 6.0, max PS 16.0

No you are not alone with this issue.  My Quattro mask caused me to have a blister on the bridge of my nose within the first week or so of use.  It took several weeks of adjusting etc to get the "fit" right and I have been using a paper tape on my nose since.  This week I have had several "pimples" appear due to my overly oily skin and I think some of the residue from the tape adhesive.  A small bandaid and better vigilance cleaning my mask as well as my oily skin will hopefully make this issue go away.

I am close to the time for being eligible for a new mask and while I finally have the Quattro at a comfortable level am leaning towards trying the "Hybrid" mask.

Stay with it, I have felt better the last 6 months while on CPAP than I can ever remember.

I believe the most common cause is a mask that is too small.  It should be above your nose...not ON your nose.

Thanks for replys. I feel much better that I was not the only one to experience this. I am going to try the mask again tonight and not make it as tight as before. Wish me luck.

Well, last night I finally returned to the CPAP and I did not have it as tight. Throughout the night I was waking up due to leaks and kept adjusting the mask. I guess it is going to be like this for the next few nights until I can determine if I can wear this mask without making it too tight to stop the leaks.

My Numbers this morning were:
AHI: 21.4
Leak Rate: .58

I know they aren't great, but I guess it is better than not wearing it at all.

I kinda keep head straps med tight, and bottom (under ears straps) tighter.  I also pull mask away from face and reposition (making sure the pressure on my nose is in a slightly different place each night).

I also manually repostion mask & hose, when I turn to sleep on side, or air will blow into one eye.  Also, If I am watching tv, with head slightly turned in one direction.

With this manual postioning, strap settings 'just so' (Have marked my headgear with fingernail polish, and I ain't gonna be washing it!), am having no 'sores', or 'night noises'    

Someone mentioned that these masks were 'adjustable' and u needed correct sizing.  Not mine!  The length of the entire plastic mask is what it is, and is not adjustable (though came w/a small, med, large, inserts).

Why do these ffm need that stupid middle of the forhead piece anyway??? Why not a ffm that covers nose, mouth, chin only???


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Oldster
wheel chair person
4 x cancer survivor
If in doubt, take a nap!
***
Started CPAP 5.2.08
Full face Flexfit 431
RemStar Pro M w/heated humidifier

A sore on the bridge of the nose is very common in new CPAP users.  My husband had this problem when he started, too.  Of course, the answer is to adjust the mask but the trick is to change the tilt of the mask.  That is, loosen the top straps a very little and tighten the bottom a very little.  If you use a Resperonics mask, the forehead connection can be adjusted to do this.  Resperonics website has instructions for dealing with the problem.

Since it is best to make the adjustments in very small increments, it may take several nights to get it right.  In the meantime, moleskin makes a very good pad to protect the skin.  Do not let the sore get worse.

And yes, I agree that the mask may be too small.  One of the connectors on my husband's mask broke after only 2 months and he replaced it with a larger size and felt it was an improvement.