How did you find your favorite mask?

[Rem949]

I’d like to hear stories about how you settled on your mask of choice. Did you just keep ordering ones to try until you found your favorite? How many nights did you give yourself to try out a new one?

[Rem949]

I’ve been using a cpap for several months now and am starting to feel used to the Dreamwear nasal cushion finally. But I sleep on my side a lot, and it tends to break the seal when it comes into contact with the pillow. I ordered the Dreamwear nasal pillows and tried that last night for the first time, and it was awful. Thinking about ordering an Airfit n30i to try, or maybe a FFM. Seems like the costs of trying out different frames and masks will add up quickly though! Really curious how everyone else found their best fits.

[Bertha deBlues]

I went through several before settling on the P10. Started with the DreamWear nasal cushion, but just like you, when I slept on my side it dislodged enough to leak. On to the Swift FX nasal mask, with better results, then tried the Nuance Pro gel nasal mask, better yet. I was reluctant to try a nasal pillow, but after hearing so many users say they loved it I got one to see what was so great. Had problems at first with the headgear being too tight, then too loose. I tried going back to the DreamWear, but found that the noise from the air blowing through the tubes was now intolerable. Back to the P10, able to get the fit and seal just right, and now it's my first choice. Along the way, I tried a FFM (couldn't get a good seal, massive leaking all night long) as well as a few other nasal masks and pillows. The shape and size of our heads and noses is so individual that you really have to try more than one to find your best fit - unless you're lucky enough to find it right at the start.

[chunkyfrog]

Two years; twenty+ masks.
Sometimes you have to be really stubborn.

[Pugsy]

I just keep trying any new mask that interests me.
If it doesn't look interesting then I don't try it.
Sometimes it works out to become a new primary mask and sometimes it works out I decide that was a stupid idea to try.

Been on cpap over 10 years now and have changed primary masks several times over the years but the number of masks I have actually tried....too numerous to count. Almost every single nasal pillow mask has been tried along with a few nasal cushion masks.
Even tried a couple of full face masks just to see what they were like.

[zonker]

I’d like to hear stories about how you settled on your mask of choice. Did you just keep ordering ones to try until you found your favorite? How many nights did you give yourself to try out a new one?

i'm a full bearded fellow. at the time i'd been diagnosed with sleep apnea, i had been sporting a beard for 40 + years. i really LIKE having my beard and didn't want to shave it off so that i could use a full face mask. but, some of what i'd read said that having a beard wouldn't interfere.

HA! i couldn't wear a full mask nor even a nasal mask as i couldn't get them to seal properly. yet, i felt i was a mouth breather and couldn't use nasal pillows.

but i tried it anyway, with the p10. soon found out here on the forum the things needed to keep my jaw up and my lips together. i've been using the p10 for close to three years.

i was lucky. the p10 was my fourth mask. there are folks(like chunky frog above) for whom it takes a hell of a lot more tries than i did.

[ChicagoGranny]

How did you find your favorite mask?

Here are some tips collected from the forum.

How to Choose an Initial CPAP Mask for Newbies

1. If you had a sleep lab titration and liked the mask that was used, and that mask was recommended by your medical team, then go for it.

2. If not 1., then did your medical team recommend a nasal mask or a full face mask (FFM)? For many people, nasal masks are easier to use assuming they don't mouthbreathe, leak air out the mouth or get air inflating the cheeks while using CPAP during sleep. If you have any of these problems, you may need to use a FFM. (Despite what you may see in the forum, there are many of us that find FFMs are easy to use, do not leak and are not uncomfortable.)

3. Once you have decided whether you need to start with a nasal mask or a FFM mask, begin looking at the mask descriptions and images at https://www.cpap.com/cpap-masks.php . This is the website of this forum's host.

4. For a newbie, you should select a popular mask that gets high rankings from the reviews. Some people in this forum get excellent usage out of masks that are not popular and do not get good reviews. They might rave about the mask to you. But for a newbie, you want to start with a popular mask with high rankings. After you get some experience, you can experiment with masks that pique your fancy but are not so popular.

5. Once you have a category (nasal or FFM) of masks selected, you can go to that category on CPAP dot com's web page and sort by Biggest Sellers and then by Rating. You can check the ratings and read reviews.

6. When you receive your mask and machine, you should watch the mask manufacturer's videos (On CPAP dot com's web page) for instructions on use and adjustments.

7. If you have any problems using the mask, please start a new thread here and ask for help.

8. It's not unusual to try different masks before settling on one that works well for you. If you find yourself buying a fourth or fifth different mask, the problem may be with the way you are trying to use the masks, instead of the mask itself. Please get help from the experienced forum members.

- ChicagoGranny

[Wulfman...]

I’d like to hear stories about how you settled on your mask of choice. Did you just keep ordering ones to try until you found your favorite? How many nights did you give yourself to try out a new one?

I picked my favorite/best mask on the first try. (It's listed in my profile below)
Back then (14 1/2 years ago), there weren't quite as many masks to choose from, but I did quite a bit of preliminary research/studying of the available types, brands and models........on https://www.cpap.com/
Since I was a horrendous snorer, I figured I needed a full face mask (already knew that before my sleep study).
Next, I studied the various brands and models to compare the various options........to narrow down my selection.
Next, I used the mask fitting guide on the above-mentioned website (unfortunately, the guide is no longer on their site) to determine which size would be better. My measurements were right between "Medium" and "Large", so I selected the Large size......which proved to be a little better.......but I CAN use either size, and have some of both.

I ordered all of my initial equipment from CPAP.COM and then used their invoice (because it had all of the appropriate insurance codes on it) to create an invoice to bill my insurance provider (me being the billing party and they being the party being billed) and sent it to them. They then reimbursed me for 80% of the costs.

Over the years, I've bought a few other different masks to try or have as backups, but none has compared to my first choice.
I now have many backup/spare masks and parts of my "favorite" for future use.......in case they ever decide to quit making that model.


Den

.

[TheDuke]

My preferred mask is ResMed Activa in any of it's evolutions. I initially tried it at the insistence of my ,then new, sleep doctor. I had been on CPAP for about 20 years then and was in for a consultation with a pulmonologist who deals with apnea. He prescribed a Res Med Activa, and the addition of a humidifier to my respironics BiPap. That was about 13 years ago, and I still use a version of the Activa mask. There are many similar masks now, buy I will never willingly change.

TheDuke

[Dog Slobber]

When I was first fitted my DME offered me either:

• The ResMed N20 or
• A Nasal Pillow system (this is important), can't remember which one.

I chose the N20, because I was new, ignorant and is just seemed a traditional mask was the better choice.

Fast forward a couple months, I was really struggling because of a deviated septum, called my DME, asked about trying a Nasal Pillow system. She told me my pressure was too high, (I was APAP 8-14 cm). Huh? That doesn't make sense because a month or so earlier, you offered me a Nasal Pillow system. Nothing's changed.

I told her I wanted to try, anyway.

I went in for a fitting, she put a set of P10s on me, set the machine on full blast (though I didn't realize it, at the time) and turned it on. The P10s leaked like crazy and wouldn't hold a seal.

She looked at me, shrugged her shoulders. With this I told you so look.

Feeling discouraged, and with a sense of something's not right here:
I posted the following topic:
viewtopic/t171333/To-much-pressure-for- ... llows.html

The wonderful contributors here, verified that Nasal Pillows and the P10 were capable of pressures above 14cm.

I order a ResMed P10 online, have since upgraded to a P30i. I haven't been back to that DME since. That DME has lost thousands of of dollars in my business.

That was the day I learned a lot of DMEs were full of shit and dishonest.

[Becca8104]

I just kept trying a new mask every 3 months when insurance would pay for it, & I also bought cushion changes, chin strap changes, & headgear changes out of pocket in between mask orders. I went through at least 6 different masks/variations until I found the one I love. The mask I currently use and love was not invented until this year, the N30i. I found the perfect chin strap in the Ruby. It took nearly two years & the invention of a new mask in order to make my therapy comfortable. Just keep trying. There are several models/brands to choose from & a new mask is always coming out. Eventually you will find what works. I discovered that I prefer the hose on top of my head, so my options remain limited. If you have no preference in hose placement, the options are endless. I did try the F30 and found that to be an excellent full face mask for me, but did not like the hose on the nose. I am waiting for Resmed to create a F30i. The hose will be on the head, and hopefully, the same F30 cushion will be used. I know I will switch to that full face mask in a heartbeat if it ever gets created. It should seal just as well as the F30 (she says with high hopes) and I can ditch the chin strap.

[Okie bipap]

I have gone through 16 or 17 masks since I started. The first few I got from the DME I used when I first started treatment. I purchased some on eBay, and quite a few came from our forum sponsor, cpap.com. Some of the masks came with return insurance, and I managed to return a few of them in time to get a refund. The others I passed on the forum members who wanted to try them, or perhaps could not afford to purchase a mask. When ever I see a new mask come out that look interesting, I try one to see if I like it. I have been using the F20 for about two years. The last couple weeks I have been thinking about the new F&P Vitera mask, but I haven't seen any reviews of the mask, yet. I may go ahead and get it before I see any reviews.

[Becca8104]

if the reason you asked this question is because you are not happy with your current mask and want to try something else that is similar to your current Dreamwear nasal mask, I recommend the N30i. I found that Resmed's version fit me better than Dreamwear.