Landing the right mask/survey/what's your #?

[krl]

How many different masks have you tried before staying with your current model? I'd be interested to see what the norm is. I'd also be curious how many years you've been a cpaper.

So far I'm at 4 and I'm 2 months in from initial diagnosis. I imagine that once you've found one that you love...you still are looking for the latest and greatest innovations.

I'm an apocaloptimist. I'm well aware that everything is going to hell - but I'm convinced it's going to be okay.

[LSAT]

Maybe this will help you....but I don't know why...
viewtopic/t113942/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1 ... ey#p990442

In my 8 years, I tried a nasal mask that didn't work for me and then switched to the FF Quattro which I have been using since 2008.

[SewTired]

6, but I use them all. Every single mask has an issue - mostly sliding up the back of my head during sleep. I finally gave up finding the 'perfect' mask cuz I already have it, I just have to figure out how to adapt it to me.

[chunkyfrog]

It depends on how close to average/normal your face is;
Out of over 20 masks, only 3 fit well enough to use long term.
I wish more had worked. For a long time I had to alternate so my face could heal.
Thank goodness for the P10. I have collected five now.
This way I can "pressure wash" all at once, not soaking the bathroom as often.

[exiii]

In 11 months, I've tried 3, and now have one I like now very much.
That's the short answer - read/ignore the rest at your leisure.


My sleep studies were horrible. Tried pillows - felt like I was being waterboarded. Tried full face - couldn't sleep on my side. Tried nasal - better. I don't know the brands of any of those I tried at the time.

I got set up at home with A Fisher & Paykel - Eson Nasal mask. I used that for about 6 months. Never really got a great fit; and though my leak index was low, I still woke up with the occasional red-eyes from air blowing into them all night. Since I had adapted pretty well to the CPAP breathing by then, I decided to give the waterboarding pillows a 2nd chance.

I went to the Intermountain Home Health, and asked for nasal pillows. The sales guy said that I might like this hybrid mask, the Philips Dreamwear Nasal mask, and it seemed to work great sitting in their chair for about 5 minutes. I got it home, and couldn't get it to fit for more than a couple hours. I tried all the cushions to no avail. It was just horrible. The mask itself would stretch over the course of the night, and the air passing through the mask, next to the ears was LOUD (jet-landing strip loud)! I still ended up trying to use it for two months, before I decided to go out of pocket for it's replacement.

I purchased a ResMed AirFit P10; and it has, by far, been the best fit for me. I often forget it's there, I can easily sleep on my side, or pull the blanket over my head. The mesh air port on the front keeps air moving around my lower face, which isn't fabulous; but it's not really a problem either. I wash the cushion in the bathroom sink most mornings; and just shy of 3 months use, it still works great.

So now I've moved on from looking for the perfect mask, (because I'm a good consumer) to looking for secondary accessories: hose-snugglies, anti-bacterial filters, and a secondary FFM for those times I can't breathe through my nose (which actually occurs much less often since I started CPAP). I'll get the FFM when my insurance will pay for it, but I don't really see a need to go to the home healthcare place much any more.

[Arlene1963]

I"m experimenting with different masks.

I like nasal pillows but also find them a bit annoying because I occasionally mouth breath and the sound of the gushing air wakes my husband, who then nudges me awake. Also, my mouth gets super dry on those nights and it feels awful.

Last night for the first time I used the Simplus FFM which was surprisingly comfortable and light, and I hardly felt it on my face, so drifted off to sleep with ease.

I woke up after about 3 hours and that's when the FFM mask suddenly felt a bit claustrophobic.

So I changed back to nasal pillows for the rest of the night, ( I managed to remember to change my mask setting on the machine as well, amazing!).

So far I've tried 5 masks, and own 3 different ones (soon to be 4) and I'm just a rookie CPAPer! I wonder how many I'll have in a few years time!

I'm beginning to think that my pursuit of the perfect mask is Quixotic.

[Julie]

And quixotic is capitalized because...?

[chunkyfrog]

Spellcheck may capitalize when it identifies a proper name.
Curse the computer or turn the feature off.
You might be able to add words to your dictionary.

[Bill44133]

I have been on this therapy since April 2013.. Masks selection is the toughest part of this therapy..

In the first year I tried a total of 9 different masks. I spent alot of my own money on masks. Between the DME and the insurance obstacles only covered me on 4. I ended up settling with the Zzz-Mask Full Face CPAP Mask by Probasics.

I like that it does not have the forehead support, and more then anything else I like the price. Compared the price to Resmed masks this mask is half price, and the replacement cushions are about half also. The mask works well for me, but every one is different. I have high pressure settings of 23/19, and so far this mask serves me well.



I wish you well...

[snoozysue]

I bought 10 masks in the first year or so (no "try" system in Australia) and eventually settled on the very first mask I had bought.
Six years on and I am still using the exact same mask although the silicone has been replaced a few times.

[bwexler]

Been a PAPER for 6 years.
I have well over a dozen masks, not counting duplicates.
I have 3 favorites.
Circadiance SleepWeaver Élan
Wisp
F&P 431 FFM
F&P is only for when I am too congested for a nasal mask.
The Élan is for daily use.
The Wisp is good when I pull the Élan apart in the middle of the night and don't want to wake up enough to reassemble it.

The others are relegated to the closest just in case. Maybe some of them need to go to Pugsy for redistribution to a needy home.

[Okie bipap]

I went through ten different masks before I found one I could use. I returned two of them using the insurance offered by the forum sponsor. The rest I have passed on to forum members that wanted them.

[avi123]

krl, why don't you try this mask together with a chinstrap:




Directions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58jWIeg ... e=youtu.be