So last night was awful. I'm premenstrual and waking up constantly, hot, crampy, and uncomfortable. I don't know how the cpap plays in there, or if apnea played a role. (I can't take hormones to stabilize things, as I have a history of complicated migraines, and hormones dramatically increase my risk of stroke. )

But for some reason, last night I could NOT get a good seal on my mirage quattro full-face mask, no matter what I did. I couldn't necessarily feel the leak, but could hear the air leaking. And my ahi was 13.1 this morning, whereas it had been below 5 for several nights. Not sure how to account for the variaiton. Each time I'd get what felt like a good seal, with no leak, my muscles would relax, and the mask would start to leak.

Can't explain the variation. But if I were to base it on last night, I'd say my mask just doesn't fit me. But more accurately, I'd say it fits until my face relaxes, then it leaks. arrgh! So I kept waking up to a leak. would adjust. rewind, repeat. I was sorely tempted to just rip the whole thing off, but persevered. Could something have stretched out in just ten days? I don't think my face has changed sizes overnight.

any ideas?

BTW, the bridge of my nose is looking pretty red and raw.

Please see the fitting instructions for your Quattro, assuming it *is* the right size you do not have it adjusted correctly if it is hurting your nose.  It has excellent adjustment capability designed to take the pressure off your nose.

If you do not have a copy from your DME you can see the instructions online.  Go here:

http://www.resmed.com/en-us/products/masks/mirage_quattro/use-and-care.html?menu=products

And view the fitting instructions links.  (Note:  Resmed site has been very slow and having intermittent outages, if you can get there try again later.)

I believe I also posted in another thread you started, you mentioned your face relaxing and the mask leaks.  You will need to keep adjusting your mask each time you find it leaking until it no longer leaks.  Tight is not the key but rather 'looseness' in the right places.  Again I refer you to the fitting instructions.

You can also check your measurements online with one of the retail sites that sells the Quattro, and see if you have the right size mask.  NOTE: If you have an oval or round face, start with one size smaller than what the measurements recommend.  The measurements seem to be correct only for people with longish face shapes.

Blessings,
--pseudonym

I have the same problem . I use the quattro, it fits perfectly when I put it on . But when my face relaxes, it slips on me and I have major leaks. I sort of solved that problem by using macks super soft ear plugs.  I stretch one out long enough to fit the bottom quarter of the mask, flatten it out as much as I can, then attach it to the mask. I had to fiddle with it a bit to get it just right, but most of the time it works pretty well.  I talked to my DME guy yesterday, and he said his company is no longer handling the quattro, too many problems with them.  They are only going to carry the resmed ultra mirage, and the fp flexfit 432 I think. Anything else has to be special orders, and he gives a fit when you ask to do that.  My insurance only covers his place, so its a pain.  I don't have a probem with the nose, but mine is pretty small, and with the ear plug, I can loosen the top a bit more anyway.  Virginia


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Resmed elite , 17, mirage quattro ff . 25 + years of untreated OSA

Thanks, you guys! Where do you get the ear plugs?

You can pick the ear plugs up at any mass merchandizer, Wally world, target, ext.  Larger drug stores like CVS. Buy the pack of 6 pair, they are usually less than 5 dollars.  I have found that they dry up quicker toward the end of the package, so I keep them in a sealed plastic tupperware like containor. Virginia


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Resmed elite , 17, mirage quattro ff . 25 + years of untreated OSA

I have found I have to wash my face & mask seal right before going to bed otherwise I always have mask leaks.

Hi, I'm new, and I have the same problem, same mask too! I started on the CPAP almost 3 weeks ago, and I swear I am more tired now than I was before, because of the stupid mask leaking. If it's not blowing air out near my eyes it's blowing it out on my cheeks. I have read all of the tips on here and I still can't get it right. It's so frustrating. It fits fine when I lay down, but when it starts leaking it wakes me up. It also doesn't help that I sleep on my stomach, so just getting comfortable is a huge pain in the rear.

Well, my husband just came home and said it was leaking really bad last night, it woke him up with a farting noise.   So I put it on and turned it to my setting, 10, and adjusted it and flopped my head around a few times. I think I got it figured out. It doesn't feel like it's going to blow off my face anymore. I had to really tighten it up though.


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Started CPAP 4/08, pressure 10
nights camping with CPAP: 11!

When Mkoven wrote that she was premenstrual and her Quattro was leaking it got me thinking.  I can sometimes go for a whole week without any leaking and then my Quattro will slide around and blast cold air down my face and neck every night.  I am certainly not premenstrual but sometimes I retain a lot of fluids in my legs.  I can't really tell by looking in the mirror or touching my face but I wonder if there's a change in the shape of my face when I am retaining fluids which makes the mask not fit right. Has anyone else noticed a connection between fluid retention and Quattro leaks?  I wish I could figure it out because I can't get my insurance company to replace my mask unless it's broken or "doesn't work".  Well, mine works part of the time so the DME won't let me try for a new one.
Grandma


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ResMed Quattro Full Face Mask
ResMed S8 Escape with heated humidifier
Pressure set at 11

I have tryed several masks and mask sizes during the past three weeks with no success.  I started with the nose only, then tryed a ResMed full  face Quatro for two weeks.  I get to sleep, but then wake up in 60-90 minutes with air leaking.  I have tightened the mask until I bruse my face and still no success.  My pressure is 16/22, which I understand is on the high side.  The most comfortable seal is on the Fisher & Paykel Flexifit 432.  I have tryed it for two nights, as tight as I can stand and still have leakage.  

  I plan to call my Dr. next week and see if he would recommend lower pressure to see if it would work.  

  Would appreciate any ideas.

OJ Anderson :  

@Grandma

I do think our faces change shape somewhat just with normal day-to-day hydration etc.  It doesn't take much change for a leak to develop, that's been my experience.

Have either of you (Grandma, ojanderson) gone back and followed the fitting instructions for the Quattro?  I haven't used a Quattro but have seen several posts here and on other forums, where referring back to the fitting instructions has solved or helped tremendously.  There are some specific details and tips for where/when to tighten the straps.  The Quattro should not be really tight from what I can gather.  Hope that helps.

Blessings,
--pseudonym

I know that my face changes after I fall asleep because no matter how well the mask is sealed when I get in bed, once I start sleeping it begins to leak and I have to adjust it. Lately I have begun to use an old relaxation exercise that I use when I am so tense that I can’t get to sleep. I begin by feeling my feet and then relaxing them, and then I do the same for my lower legs and so on up. When I get to my face I can feel it changing, unfortunately I then have to readjust the mask, but from there it’s fairly easy to get back to a very relaxed state & sleep follows quickly. In the last couple of days of doing this I have found that my leak rate has gone from over 1.4 L/sec to 0.4 L/sec. I just hope this is the solution for me.


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Machine: ResMed S8 Elite
Humidifier: HumidAire 3i