Mask Differences -- Finding a New One

[Kiralynx]

About nine years ago, I posted the following thread about my inability to use the Swift FX mask, despite its popularity with many CPAPers.

viewtopic/t65519/Difference-Between.html

It appears that I have the same issue with another Resmed mask, the AirFit P10.

I still have my Headrests, although I have successfully used the TapPap for around five years.

Then I ran into a problem. We got a lovely Class A RV (a 2019 Newmar Baystar 3419 for those who are curious). I outfitted the bed with the same hose support I use at home. My Bipap ASV just barely fits on the night stand -- it's clear RV designers have NO idea of the needs of CPAPers!

And somehow, I cannot get the house to go in a position which supports the TapPap -- it ends up pulling on my jaw, and I wake up with very sore teeth.

Okay, I was due for a new mask, any way, so I decided to get one from my really excellent DME (NOT Apria, as in the original post).

I tried the DreamWear Gel Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask -- it lasted one night -- couldn't stand the wide straps and the woosh-swoosh of air going past my ears. Returned it.

Next up was the Resmed Airfit P10 Mask. It appeared to work, although I repeatedly struggled with the stupid straps sliding loose over my hair. I've been using it at home, and in the RV.

And then, about two weeks ago, the pain in my knees flared. And my shoulders from the 2017 auto accident. And it did NOT want to go away. And I couldn't go to a doctor because (a) covid, and (b) my husband was RIFed at the end of August and we are in transition between his work insurance and Medicare.

Well, I accidentally left the P10 in the RV when we got back from a Barn Hunt. I was tired, and didn't feel like going back out there for it. So I fished up one of my Headrests and put it on.

And had the best night's sleep I've had literally since I started trying the P10.

My knee and shoulder pain resolved. I noted I was not having nearly the urinary leakage issues I had been having. (I've had this, slightly, since my cancer surgery in 2008, but it had gotten WAY worse in recent months, which I attributed to getting older... only it clearly wasn't.)

So obviously, the P10 falls in the same category for me as the Swift FX.

And, needless to say, I'll be sticking with my Headrest for the foreseeable future -- plus I do have an extra one to keep in the RV, just as my 960 resides there so I don't have haul things back and forth.

But the question is... what mask to try next? I loathe full face masks, though I do have a ResMed AirFit F30 Full Face CPAP Mask for when I have a respiratory infection. But full faces just are not comfortable for me.

What next?

(Apart, that is, from Hurricane Zeta heading straight for us. Thank goodness for a whole house generator!)

[khauser]

I would normally jump to suggest the bleep dream port but the hose management issue has me concerned.

But that is the mask I use, with a hose support system, and it's the best I've ever used.

Took a little work to get used to it but that's true of any mask I've tried.

[ChicagoGranny]

It appears that I have the same issue with another Resmed mask, the AirFit P10.

If you have problems with hose pull on the mask, the AirFit P30i is the solution. The hose does not attach to the mask. It attaches to the headgear. Hose pull on the mask is eliminated. https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... illow-mask

[Pugsy]

It appears that I have the same issue with another Resmed mask, the AirFit P10.

If you have problems with hose pull on the mask, the AirFit P30i is the solution. The hose does not attach to the mask. It attaches to the headgear. Hose pull on the mask is eliminated. https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... illow-mask

If she didn't like the DreamWear Gel pillows then it's unlikely she will like the P30i. When I tried it I found it even noisier than the DreamWear gel pillows. Bad Darth Vadar noise...so bad I didn't even try to sleep with it. Much worse than the DreamWear.

I tried the DreamWear Gel Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask -- it lasted one night -- couldn't stand the wide straps and the woosh-swoosh of air going past my ears. Returned it.

[ChicagoGranny]

Bad Darth Vadar noise

That's curious to me. I've used one sporadically - about 15 nights - and never noticed the noise. The customer reviews (https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... er-reviews) rate it highly. Only one of the reviews mentions the noise. Maybe I am not very sensitive to the noise?

[Pugsy]

Bad Darth Vadar noise

That's curious to me. I've used one sporadically - about 15 nights - and never noticed the noise. The customer reviews (https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... er-reviews) rate it highly. Only one of the reviews mentions the noise. Maybe I am not very sensitive to the noise?

Seems to be hit or miss with the noise. Maybe I am just spoiled by the silence of the P10 or Bleep but the P30i was horribly Darth Vadar like for me and the DreamWear much less noisy when I tried it and I actually slept with it for a few nights when I tried it.
The P30i when I got it to try I couldn't even begin to sleep with it I found it so noisy. I know some people say they don't notice the noise and others have said they just got used to it but for me it was so bad there was no getting used to it and you know that I normally adjust to new things fairly easily. I couldn't get past the noise with the P30i but I could with the DreamWear.

Now Kiralynx might like the P30i but if she didn't like the noise with the DreamWear....I have my doubts as to how much success there would be with the P30i. Would be worth trying though as long as it could be returned.
I have been racking my brain for a suitable mask for her but I can't come up with one that would fit her needs and rather unique circumstances with the limb pain issues. The Bleep could be used with her hose management system but I don't know if she would want that monthly expense and for sure don't know if she would have limb discomfort that she seems to have with some masks and not others.
It might be worth a try as well. It is a mystery to me why the limb discomfort happens with some masks and not others. All I know is that she needs to try different nasal interface masks and see if she can find one that doesn't annoy her and also doesn't seem to cause the limb discomfort issues she has.

[Kiralynx]

If you have problems with hose pull on the mask, the AirFit P30i is the solution. The hose does not attach to the mask. It attaches to the headgear. Hose pull on the mask is eliminated. https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... illow-mask

Actually, it was probably the Airfit P30i that I hated since my DME really likes Resmed masks.

Can't stand the swoosh noises around my ears. It looked like it would be great, but for a side sleeper like me, nope.

[Kiralynx]

I have been racking my brain for a suitable mask for her but I can't come up with one that would fit her needs and rather unique circumstances with the limb pain issues. The Bleep could be used with her hose management system but I don't know if she would want that monthly expense and for sure don't know if she would have limb discomfort that she seems to have with some masks and not others.

It might be worth a try as well. It is a mystery to me why the limb discomfort happens with some masks and not others. All I know is that she needs to try different nasal interface masks and see if she can find one that doesn't annoy her and also doesn't seem to cause the limb discomfort issues she has.

I had considered the Bleep, but was unsure of the costs. My husband was RIFed (Reduction in Force) at the end of August and we are in the process of transitioning from his work insurance to Medicare, and finding a MediGap policy.

The Bleep might work for the RV, since until Covid is more under control, we will not be doing as much travel as we had planned. However, I would emphatically have to try it at home for a couple of months.

I do now have an oximeter, and tested the P10i, and determined that although there were no significant leakages shown, my oxy levels were around 85-87, which is likely the reason for the pain. (That was how I was diagnosed... pain did not let up after my cancer surgery in 2008; they sent me to a pain management specialist, who sent me for a sleep study. Once I got my pressures dialed in, the pain went away.)

So it may be that I can use the oximeter to test an assortment of masks.

I did note that with the medium pillows on the P10i, I often felt like I wasn't getting enough air. I wonder if the large pillows would work? The P10i was comfortable (although I had trouble with the strap slithering on my hair) and I really WANTED it to work.

Sorry for the delay in responding: Hurricane Zeta ripped through NOLA on Wednesday and we are still without grid power. Thank ghu for a whole house generator.

[4betterO2]

You could try this one:
Wisp Nasal CPAP Mask, by PHILIPS RESPIRONICS

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/wisp-n ... it-pack-pr
It includes its own, very supple hose, which attaches to the regular machine hose. The magnets on the gear are great! and the hose clips on and off easily from the mask, for taking a break, without having to remove the mask or headgear.
Most important, I have found that this mask gives me the best airflow of all the types I've tried, it came like a breath of fresh air, and I sleep better!
P.S. Seems to me the link shows the old model, which didn't have the magnetic snaps, but I don't have time to find a current one
Good luck

[Kiralynx]

You could try this one:
Wisp Nasal CPAP Mask, by PHILIPS RESPIRONICS

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/wisp-n ... it-pack-pr

Thanks for the recommendation. IS this a regular nasal mask as opposed to nasal pillows? Those are usually too hot in New Orleans for comfort.

I do like the idea of the ease of the magnetic snaps, and the thought that it gives great airflow is certainly a big plus for me!

[realshelby]

Have you tried a Nuance Pro? Nasal pillows, front hose. Most secure mask ( for burrowing into a pillow ) I have ever used. You can tug on the hose and yet it still stays sealed. Drawbacks for me were the venting. Not diffused so that would wake me on occasion both from noise and the air hitting my arm. Lowest leak rate mask of all the 14+ I have used.

The P30i is my everyday mask. There IS noise with it. I choose to ignore that because I MUCH prefer the top mounted hose. The small frame is quieter compared to the standard frame ( standard is the recommended size for me ) since it is slightly more forward of your ears. But there is still going to be noise. The Dreamwear, both styles of nasal, was quieter but the venting was wide open.

The N30 and Bravida are both quiet, but I suspect you would find they can tend to sweat ever so slightly also. Both are very comfortable, but they are fairly easily dislodged from where they should be and that cuts air flow.

[4betterO2]

You could try this one:
Wisp Nasal CPAP Mask, by PHILIPS RESPIRONICS

IS this a regular nasal mask as opposed to nasal pillows?

Its is not a nasal pillow in terms of having tubes inserted in your nostrils, so I guess it is in the category of regular masks, though the mask part is so small that it is called a "cushion", and when you replace the cushion, it's the whole mask you're replacing. It only covers the tip of the nose and the nostrils. its is in the category of "nasal masks" . Here is a link with a good pic:

https://rapidcpapmask.com/products/wisp-nasal-cpap-mask

and it shows the magnets on the side of the cheeks. You just flip them and they're off, they also sometimes jump into place by themselves when you put on the mask and approximate the two sides of the mask. Very quick.

[zonker]

Its is not a nasal pillow in terms of having tubes inserted in your nostrils...

woah. that sounds uncomfortable, having tubes up your nose. i'd certainly want to avoid THAT.

could you tell me which brand and model of nasal pillows have tubes that go up your nose?

thank you.

[chunkyfrog]

Nasal pillows do not go up your nose.
They have hollow cones that BARELY enter the nostril opening.
Unless they are being fitted/worn ALL WRONG.
Perhaps there is an interface with tubing that does go "in there", but I don't want to think about it.

[ChicagoGranny]

could you tell me which brand and model of nasal pillows have tubes that go up your nose?

Prongs. https://www.cpap.com/plp/nasal-prong-cpap-masks/ZT0yNjc