25-01-2011, 11:10
Why do I keep losing suction?
December 10 2008 at 6:05 PM roakie (Login roakie)
SENIOR MEMBER
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have been using manual suction for at least six days since my Smartbox broke. I am supposed to be getting a new one delivered today.
I have followed everyone's advice for manually sucking out the air. I seem to get a lot out. I get to the point where the domes are pressing so tightly into my chest that I can hardly bear it. I continually suction throughout the evening and again in the morning. But, I don't seem to get the same degree of swelling as with the smartbox, and somewhere, though I can't detect where, the air gradually seeps out over time.
Twice last night, the domes literally almost fell off since my skin underneath had become so sweaty. Twice I ended up taking them off, wiping the perspiration out of the domes, wiping off my skin, and sucking them back on as hard as I could. Why is this happening when it did not seem to happen with the Smartbox? Am I unusual or do others have this problem?
Keep in mind I am almost completely flat so I don't have much boob to fit inside. I don't have to work at getting tissue in there. Yesterday, after five hours of removing the domes, I had lost almost all the swelling. With the smartbox, I seemed to retain swelling even after ten hours.
On another note - I still haven't come up with an invention to bring on my out-of-country trip, so I will be anxious to see what happens.
By the time I leave next Thursday, I will have almost 750 hours into this, and likely will go back to square one! Oh well - I can always hope!
Author Reply
Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER Re: Why do I keep losing suction? December 10 2008, 10:18 PM
What are you using to hold the air in? A rubber band or some sort of valve? Is the whole system definitely air tight? Do you only lose suction when you are asleep? Could you be moving your arms and breaking the seal? This does seem to be an unusal problem! As a percentage how much of the dome is full when you first get the seal?
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roakie
(Login roakie)
SENIOR MEMBER Re: Why do I keep losing suction? December 11 2008, 1:53 AM
I am using an elastic hair band to hold the air in. Maybe I need a check valve. I am so flat that only about 20% of the dome is full when I first do the suction, and if I am lucky, it is filled to about 25% when I am done. I don't even think it is that much, though! I can not imagine ever, ever, coming close to the sides or the end of the domes, no matter how hard I try to suck on that tubing!
I don't seem to loose that much air early on, but after a few hours, I can feel little burbles of air under the rims (as if bubbles are moving around) and when I feel around the edges of the rim, I don't detect any areas where they have come detached. Even before I go to bed, the rims start slowly detaching (either under my arms or up near the top) because they seem to be getting slimy with moisture. Could this be because I usually take a shower before I put them on? Maybe my skin is retaining moisture even though I dry off thoroughly.
By morning, the slightest arm movement (like wiping off the kitchen counter) will cause both domes to totally lose suction and start to slide off. I immediately suck in as much air as possible, but they won't stay, even though the suction is strong for about ten minutes. They start to slide off again.
I actually just got my new smartbox and I just used it. I am going to start a new strategy. I am going to use the smartbox for the entire evening until bed, and then take it off and do the rest of the night until I take them off in the morning with manual suction. That way, I won't ruin the smartbox but maybe I can add to the results.
Edit Message Delete Message
roakie
(Login roakie)
SENIOR MEMBER Re: Why do I keep losing suction? December 11 2008, 7:45 PM
I used the new Smartbox last night. No doubt about it - I go much more swelling than I did with the manual airlock. I have a feeling the manual suction has more slow leakage than the smartbox (for me, at least). I had at least an inch more swelling this morning with the Smartbox on than I did over the last week with manual suction.
For the last four hours, I took the smartbox off and tried to utilize manual suction to get out any remaining bit of air. I will use that strategy from now on and see what happens.
Edit Message Delete Message
Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER Re: Why do I keep losing suction? December 11 2008, 8:10 PM
A few other people have used manual suction while awake so they can watch that air doesn't escape and then use the smartbox overnight. It may be possible that the band you're using isn't totally airtight so maybe it'll be better with the valve. Also sadly the less breast tissue you've got the harder it is to keep the seal, my narrow XL have just packed up and it's harder to do anything more than lie on my back with the wide XL so I'll probably order another narrow set as I've got a lot to do in the house this month on my days off.
December 10 2008 at 6:05 PM roakie (Login roakie)
SENIOR MEMBER
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have been using manual suction for at least six days since my Smartbox broke. I am supposed to be getting a new one delivered today.
I have followed everyone's advice for manually sucking out the air. I seem to get a lot out. I get to the point where the domes are pressing so tightly into my chest that I can hardly bear it. I continually suction throughout the evening and again in the morning. But, I don't seem to get the same degree of swelling as with the smartbox, and somewhere, though I can't detect where, the air gradually seeps out over time.
Twice last night, the domes literally almost fell off since my skin underneath had become so sweaty. Twice I ended up taking them off, wiping the perspiration out of the domes, wiping off my skin, and sucking them back on as hard as I could. Why is this happening when it did not seem to happen with the Smartbox? Am I unusual or do others have this problem?
Keep in mind I am almost completely flat so I don't have much boob to fit inside. I don't have to work at getting tissue in there. Yesterday, after five hours of removing the domes, I had lost almost all the swelling. With the smartbox, I seemed to retain swelling even after ten hours.
On another note - I still haven't come up with an invention to bring on my out-of-country trip, so I will be anxious to see what happens.
By the time I leave next Thursday, I will have almost 750 hours into this, and likely will go back to square one! Oh well - I can always hope!
Author Reply
Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER Re: Why do I keep losing suction? December 10 2008, 10:18 PM
What are you using to hold the air in? A rubber band or some sort of valve? Is the whole system definitely air tight? Do you only lose suction when you are asleep? Could you be moving your arms and breaking the seal? This does seem to be an unusal problem! As a percentage how much of the dome is full when you first get the seal?
Edit Message Delete Message
roakie
(Login roakie)
SENIOR MEMBER Re: Why do I keep losing suction? December 11 2008, 1:53 AM
I am using an elastic hair band to hold the air in. Maybe I need a check valve. I am so flat that only about 20% of the dome is full when I first do the suction, and if I am lucky, it is filled to about 25% when I am done. I don't even think it is that much, though! I can not imagine ever, ever, coming close to the sides or the end of the domes, no matter how hard I try to suck on that tubing!
I don't seem to loose that much air early on, but after a few hours, I can feel little burbles of air under the rims (as if bubbles are moving around) and when I feel around the edges of the rim, I don't detect any areas where they have come detached. Even before I go to bed, the rims start slowly detaching (either under my arms or up near the top) because they seem to be getting slimy with moisture. Could this be because I usually take a shower before I put them on? Maybe my skin is retaining moisture even though I dry off thoroughly.
By morning, the slightest arm movement (like wiping off the kitchen counter) will cause both domes to totally lose suction and start to slide off. I immediately suck in as much air as possible, but they won't stay, even though the suction is strong for about ten minutes. They start to slide off again.
I actually just got my new smartbox and I just used it. I am going to start a new strategy. I am going to use the smartbox for the entire evening until bed, and then take it off and do the rest of the night until I take them off in the morning with manual suction. That way, I won't ruin the smartbox but maybe I can add to the results.
Edit Message Delete Message
roakie
(Login roakie)
SENIOR MEMBER Re: Why do I keep losing suction? December 11 2008, 7:45 PM
I used the new Smartbox last night. No doubt about it - I go much more swelling than I did with the manual airlock. I have a feeling the manual suction has more slow leakage than the smartbox (for me, at least). I had at least an inch more swelling this morning with the Smartbox on than I did over the last week with manual suction.
For the last four hours, I took the smartbox off and tried to utilize manual suction to get out any remaining bit of air. I will use that strategy from now on and see what happens.
Edit Message Delete Message
Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER Re: Why do I keep losing suction? December 11 2008, 8:10 PM
A few other people have used manual suction while awake so they can watch that air doesn't escape and then use the smartbox overnight. It may be possible that the band you're using isn't totally airtight so maybe it'll be better with the valve. Also sadly the less breast tissue you've got the harder it is to keep the seal, my narrow XL have just packed up and it's harder to do anything more than lie on my back with the wide XL so I'll probably order another narrow set as I've got a lot to do in the house this month on my days off.