Suggestions for a newbie buying a mask?

A couple of things:

The most important thing to consider when buying a mask is THE RETURN POLICY of your supplier. It's rare to hit the exact right mask the first time, some of us took 8 or even 10 tries. A good DME will take a mask back and let you try another UNTIL you find the one that works. That's because the manufacturers will credit the DME's for each mask returned within 30 days (this means you have up to 30 days PER mask, but don't wait that long if it's not working!). Lousy DME's don't want to do the paperwork involved so may balk at any returns, or try to limit the returns.

Keeping in mind that the MASK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT factor in your ability to use CPAP consistently, you need a DME who will work with you on this to ensure you get the right mask for your needs.

You said "My Dr. office doesn't carry Respironics machines but does carry Resmed which I take it are pretty good". We all worry a little if your doctor is involved in selling you the machine, because that sets up a conflict of interest. Especially since the doctor is suggesting a "trial" of APAP. Why not just get an APAP in the first place as your "forever machine", and then you can use it to titrate and if you don't need the APAP after titration it can just be set in CPAP mode? APAP's are preferable because you can always retitrate if problems occur or things change. But your doctor may not want you to get an APAP if he's the one selling them, because he would make less profit on an APAP depending on your insurance. This is just to say that you don't have to use your doctor as your DME, although he might (or might not!) be easier to deal with than an independent DME.

to chunkyfrog and cherrygrl - I was wondering what the experience of using the sleepweaver is relative to the swift fx - I love the feeling of the swift ( even though i have to tape my mouth ) relative to any full-faced mask i've used. My only problem is that my nostrils tend to get cut/damaged and hurt in the morning. I know the claim that they are on too tight but i work for about 10-15 minutes each night before going to sleep to try to get them as loose as possible without major leaks and i find that i can't get them not to leak without a scrunched up nose - it may be the size of the pillows where i am between a lg and a medium but use the large. What i hate about the ffm is that while i'm hardly aware of the air flow on the swift, with the ffm i'm totally conscious of the mask blowing up with air against my face and mixing with the air i'm exhaling - i have a lot of trouble falling asleep with them and i wake up quite a bit. Is the experience on the sleepweaver more like the swift pillows or the ffm?

z

Cloth masks are completely different from anything else; the weight is a fraction that of any silicone nasal mask.
The contact is almost veil-like, if veils were inflatable. (or like a poufy bandanna)
The tough part is leaks; the trick is to get smooth contact all around without creases.
This MUST be done with the air blowing at therapy pressures.
I had to reduce my EPR to stabilize pressure inside the mask.
I had to modify the Regular to make it fit my wee face--(sewing doll clothes was great experience)
I bought mine from CPAP.com--30 day return insurance is FREE, and they are on sale right now!

nose hairs trimmed daily along with my nightly shave for the taping - my headgear is always tight - if it were loose, the air would be pouring out. As to the condition of the pillows, i've been using them for about a month, they seem fine and i've got a new replacement or two waiting in the bull pen. I haven't noticed any difference when i switched to a new pillow

If you try the masks suggested here (and I think the Swift FX is a great starting point) and they don't work you may want to try the Piliaro. Only try the Piliaro if you do not have problems with mouth breathing. If you breath thru your mouth any during sleep, don't try this mask. I love my Piliaro, but I am working thru some mouth breathing issues. However, I am having less mouth breathing with the Swift FX, why I cannot figure out, since they are both nasal pillow masks. The Piliaro however, fits much looser that any other nasal masks, and has very wide openings, so I suspect I may be losing air via the mask too. That said, IF you never breath thru the mouth, the Piliaro is really comfortable. As Frog said the Elan is nice too, since its made out of cloth. Piliaro is silicone, very soft & very easy to tear and is made by F&P, so your DME may not deal with this brand. Just throwing my opinion in as another option, if the other recommendations here don't work out.

Remember, getting the right mask is as in individual as the fit of certain articles of clothing. You may or may not find one brand of jeans preferable over another. Masks are very individual items. Based on the feedback from forum members, I would have to suggest the Swift FX first, then read the posts of those of us who use something different, then try another. That is IF the first mask you try doesn't work for you. Some people get really lucky and are able to use the first mask they try. This is rare, but I hope you have this kind of experience.

Happy mask shopping & good luck beginning your PAP journey.
Jen

OH, I forgot to ask, when using a nasal pillow, do you use a kind of lubricant to help the seal and to stop from irritating the nostrils like vaseline, lotion, WD-40, valvoline 10/30 wt?

fishy wrote:OH, I forgot to ask, when using a nasal pillow, do you use a kind of lubricant to help the seal and to stop from irritating the nostrils like vaseline, lotion, WD-40, valvoline 10/30 wt?

Definately NONE of the above............
Lansinoh, its pure lanolin and can be found in the baby isle at walmart or any pharmacy. It is used by nursing mums to keep their nipples soft and does not hurt the baby, It keeps our nares soft and supple and is a bit tacky, so keeps the pillows from moving.

fishy wrote:do you use a kind of lubricant to help the seal and to stop from irritating the nostrils like vaseline, lotion, WD-40, valvoline 10/30 wt?

No petroleum based products...they will degrade the silicone.

My preference is Lansinoh ointment. Found in most baby sections because nursing mom's use it to help with nipple discomfort. They are calling it breast cream now but it is really a thick ointment and you only need to use a tiny bit.
Looks like this. Most Walmart's have it stocked all the time.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lansinoh-Lano ... am/3922518

Some people like to use KY gel... it's a little to slick to suit me but others like it. Something about using a lubricant in my nose just doesn't jive with me.

So nipple cream or KY jelly...am I in the right forum ?:lol:

fishy says: " So nipple cream or KY jelly...am I in the right forum ?:lol:"

My view is that upon starting cpap therapy it is best to abandon all self-consciousness since at best, you will resemble Mr. Snarfalupagus every night

I just got the Sleepweaver Elan yesterday and used it last night. I much preferred it over the Swift FX that I've been using since I started this journey on Tuesday last week, because the nasal pillows of the FX were hurting my nostrils; I just couldn't get the strap tightness dialed in to that sweet spot between "too tight resulting in nostril pain" and "too loose resulting in leaks". The Elan is not a full face mask at all, it mostly just covers the nose area, and it didn't bother my mild claustrophobia at all (no full face for me!).

So another vote for the Sleepweaver Elan*!



*Well, y'know, at least for now....until it annoys me.

Thanks wildflower - based on your review of the sleepweaver, I'm going to give it a try ( even if you are from Texas). I'm in the same boat as you with the swift FX, i can damage my nostrils or have it leak all night - no sweet spot at all

wildflowertx wrote:I just got the Sleepweaver Elan yesterday and used it last night. I much preferred it over the Swift FX that I've been using since I started this journey on Tuesday last week, because the nasal pillows of the FX were hurting my nostrils; I just couldn't get the strap tightness dialed in to that sweet spot between "too tight resulting in nostril pain" and "too loose resulting in leaks". The Elan is not a full face mask at all, it mostly just covers the nose area, and it didn't bother my mild claustrophobia at all (no full face for me!).

So another vote for the Sleepweaver Elan*!



*Well, y'know, at least for now....until it annoys me.

You might try going up a size with the Swift FX nasal pillows. They shouldn't actually go into your nose, but kind of sit on the edge of the nostril. You might get a better seal that way.

John, you're welcome....you Yankee! I hope the Elan works for you.

Kimberly, I actually started with the medium pillow on the Swift FX since I have kind of a big nose and that's what I'd had in the sleep study. But after the first few nights it seemed too big -- leaks -- so I went to the small. It seemed to fit better at first. But I still never could get it to fit quite right without sticking the pillows in the nostrils a bit even though I'd read here they shouldn't be, the seal just doesn't work for me I guess. Maybe it's the big nose.