My friend brought over some Honeywell KN95 masks from China.
They’re compliant with Chinese standards hence the K prefix. A few articles online said they’re do not meet the US N95 standards so I opened a bag to check it out myself. The N95 mask feels like it’s made from a denser material and the elastic loops go around your head instead of behind the ears.
The same friend gave me some N95 masks early on. I have a larger than average head so all these masks fit tight on my face. It was very hard to breath using the N95 mask so I gave up on them early. Right now I use the rectangular surgical masks since they are usually pretty loose fitting. However, that was during the time that I had pleural effusion so maybe I should try again now that I can breathe.
I’ve been wearing the KN95 mask for about 10 minutes and my ears are plenty sore. I wanted to see if the elastic will stretch out a bit, and if I could wear it for several hours. If I wear the mask to dialysis, they have to be comfortable for about 4.5 hours. Without modification, I probably can’t wear them for more than 15 minutes. My mom volunteered to splice in some additional elastic straps but I think that will reduce the effectiveness of the mask.
Life with chronic diseases 