Nasal mask Recommendations Please!

[EnlightenMe]

I started out with a Respironics Nasal Pillow mask (small). It worked OK but after a couple of weeks, my nose was very sore, my eyes were very dry in the morning, and I was having mouth breathing issues that weren't helped by a chin strap. I switched to the ResMed F30i full face mask (small) which was much more comfortable, but it leaked often and woke me every time, so my sleep was actually a lot worse. I stopped using the CPAP after about a year.

I have a ResMed Airsense 10, but not sure why it isn't showing at the bottom.

Had a retitration to try different masks. They had me try the Respironics nasal cradle and it fit worse than the ResMed. I tried a Respironics full face mask that goes over the entire nose and that didn't fit right either. I tried the Respironics Pico and that seemed to have been the best fit. BUT I would like to know others' experiences with similar masks by other manufacturers.

I have a very narrow very long face. I suspect that's why the full face mask didn't work - it wasn't long enough to fit comfortably over my nose and mouth yet if I had a gone a size up it would have been too wide, I suspect the nasal cradle of the small Respironics was wider than that of the small ResMed, which fit my nose OK but was still a little too wide for my face. (I have the same issue with glasses frames - I need a kid's frame width with adult length stems.)

So ideally I'd like a Pico-like mask that perhaps has a hose on top to minimize my dry eyes in the morning - perhaps a Wisp?

Thanks in advance!

P.S. Can you see my signature line with my equipment? I can't see it and I don't know if that's because it's not posting at all or if I just can't see my own? I've entered the info in.

[zonker]

P.S. Can you see my signature line with my equipment? I can't see it and I don't know if that's because it's not posting at all or if I just can't see my own? I've entered the info in.

nope, it's not showing up. try again. you should be able to see it.

if you still can't get it, add it in your signature.

good luck!

[Pugsy]

Be sure to click on the submit button when you do your equipment profile or your signature line.

As far as masks go.....you are just going to have to try the ones that look interesting to you to see how YOU do with the mask.
Just because I might love a mask doesn't mean you will.
Everyone is different....different facial structure, different preferences, different wants and different needs.

[EnlightenMe]

As far as masks go.....you are just going to have to try the ones that look interesting to you to see how YOU do with the mask.
Just because I might love a mask doesn't mean you will.
Everyone is different....different facial structure, different preferences, different wants and different needs.

Yes, I know that, but it IS helpful to hear others' experiences and WHY they liked or disliked a particular mask. Before getting my first (nasal pillow) mask, if I would have known that some people have an issue with skin irritation (which in hindsight seems obvious), I would have not gone with their recommendation.

For instance, someone with a similar face shape as I described I have might be able to say "this brand seemed to fit me better than this brand." Just like I can now say that the small Respironics nasal cradle FF mask seemed to have a wider cradle profile than the small ResMed one, so if someone can benefit from that, great! I'm not just spitting into the wind. So please if others have input, i would love to hear it.

Be sure to click on the submit button when you do your equipment profile or your signature line.

I did hit "submit" when adding my equipment. All three times. I tried editing and resubmitting to see if it would trigger it to work I've used phpBB for various sites since the early 2000s (shortly after it was released), so I know how finicky and mysterious it can sometimes be. It's okay. I'll see if I can add a sig line.

[Pugsy]

The only other place that will affect signature or profile display that I can think of is in the user control panel
Board Preferences tab and then the "Edit display options" where it should have defaulted to yes for "show signature".

Also in the Edit profile there is a choice to "let others see equipment" which should have also defaulted to "yes".

You might check those setting choices.

[ozij]

You nose got sore from a pillow mask because our noses (before CPAP therapy) are not used to touch. Even the constant wiping when we have a bad cold can make them sore.
The only way to get over the soreness caused by a pillow mask is to stop using the irritating mask for a short time - and returning to it. The aim is to let the area heal, grow a stronger layer of skin, and then to challenge it once again, in effect letting it build up a type of callus.

Mouth leaking aside, it seems to me the best solution for your extremely narrow face is a mask that needs no seal on your cheeks, i.e. a pillows mask.
I suggest you try nasal pillows masks again, stop use for 2-3 nights at the first hint of soreness, and then repeat the attempt.
The soreness won't heal if you won't actively help it by stopping the irritation. The body needs time to process its response to external challenges, be it running a marathon, lifting more weight, getting used to new shoes - or sleeping with a nasal pillow mask.

BleepSleep makes masks that don't depend on straps to create the seal. You may one to try one of them.

Mouth leaking - with a mask the doesn't cover both your nose and your mouth is a different kind of issue. I've been using CPAP for 18 years, and simply can't get over the way the pressure breaches the seal between my nose and mouth. This makes air come into my mouth and blow my lips open. My solutions have to be either a full face mask or to tape my lips firmly shut. Most of the time, taping is better - for me.

Try watching "The Lanky Lefty 27"'s videos about "leak" on youtube - he has a number of suggested solutions - depending on the real cause of your mouth leak.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... ty+27+leak ; look for the newer ones.

[EnlightenMe]

You nose got sore from a pillow mask because our noses (before CPAP therapy) are not used to touch.

You're making a rash assumption here. That is NOT the reason my nose got sore. MY nose got sore because I have dermatological issues and the pressure of the pillows caused problems. This was confirmed by my doctor. Also, the structure of my cartilage after septoplasty made the mask pretty uncomfortable in general as the structural integrity is compromised, but that I could have tolerated.

Every body is different. Just because you have a certain experience doesn't mean everyone's will be the same. I appreciate your input, but it's not helpful to assume.

Your assertion that everyone's skin would heal and develop a callus could actually be harmful to some folks. A better response would be to offer your theory with a caveat.

As for some of your other suggestions, would love it if I could use something like the Bleep Sleep mask that uses adhesive tabs to attach the mask. And I would love to be able to use mouth tape and Breathe Right strips (the septoplasty was a fail unfortunately). Sadly because of adhesive allergies, I can't. But thanks for the suggestion.

I love Lanky Lefty's videos! I always recommend them, especially to people who are new to CPAP. I could have saved myself a lot of grief by finding him before I had my first mask fitting. I used a different style chin strap on the recent titration and that seemed to help with both my mouth naturally falling open and the phenomenon you talked about where the pressure blows your lips apart, so I'm giving that a try.

Also, I dropped out of the migraine study because - ironically - they couldn't adequately make an accommodation for my migraines. LOL. The device they used for their diary has the brightness settings so high it would actually trigger a migraine.

So I'll be ordering a new mask and for the time being perhaps use my old ResMed N30i.

[EnlightenMe]

Also in the Edit profile there is a choice to "let others see equipment" which should have also defaulted to "yes".

You might check those setting choices.

Bingo! I don't know if I accidentally changed that or if something wonky happened with the board, but I set that to YES and I'm in business. Thanks!

[ozij]

You nose got sore from a pillow mask because our noses (before CPAP therapy) are not used to touch.

You're making a rash assumption here. That is NOT the reason my nose got sore. MY nose got sore because I have dermatological issues and the pressure of the pillows caused problems.

You are quite welcome to continue assuming that YOUR nose would have gotten sore without the pillows ever touching it.

As far as masks go.....you are just going to have to try the ones that look interesting to you to see how YOU do with the mask.
Just because I might love a mask doesn't mean you will. Everyone is different....different facial structure, different preferences, different wants and different needs.

"

Yes, I know that, but it IS helpful to hear others' experiences and WHY they liked or disliked a particular mask.

And yet in response to my post

Every body is different. Just because you have a certain experience doesn't mean everyone's will be the same.

[EnlightenMe]

You are quite welcome to continue assuming that YOUR nose would have gotten sore without the pillows ever touching it.

That doesn't even make sense. I never suggested that. How else would my nose suffer from the pressure if the nasal pillows weren't touching it?

As for my statement about every body being different, yes that's true. That doesn't mean I can't learn from others' experiences. It just means I won't expect my experiences to be exactly like theirs. It must be difficult to live with such a binary vision of how the world works. Because life isn't binary. And medicine isn't binary.

Why don't you spend some time where you can offer helpful advice to someone instead of being defensive on here? It would be a much better use of both of our time.

[readingteacher]

I started out with a Resmed nasal pillow, and got sores and pimples under my nostrils. I then tried the Respironics Nuance Pro nasal pillow mask.The Nuance Pro was much softer and "squishier", much better for me. I also added RemZzz's liners for nasal masks. They are thin cotton knit, like T-shirt material. They make a soft barrier between the mask and your skin. They are GREAT! No more sores or even red skin!

Pad-a-Cheek also makes mask liners for nasal pillows. I prefer the RemZzzs, as they are thinner and do not get hot. But either one is worth a try.

For mouth leaks, I use mouth tape. The tape I have settled on is Somnifix. I am sensitive to some adhesives (I get a rash and can only use a few brands of band-aids), and Somnifix holds well for me, yet does not irritate my lips or skin. People use lots of different kinds of mouth tape, you can search this board for posts.

Good luck! I know how frustrating it can be to have a sore nose, and trying to find the mask that is right for you. Hang in there!

[EnlightenMe]

I also added RemZzz's liners for nasal masks. They are thin cotton knit, like T-shirt material. They make a soft barrier between the mask and your skin. They are GREAT! No more sores or even red skin!

Thanks so much! I wonder if the liners might help with the shifting and leaks of the cradle? I'm not so sure the nasal pillow liners would help as the biggest problem was the pressure, not the contact of the silicone on skin (though I could see that potentially becoming a problem long term).

For mouth leaks, I use mouth tape. The tape I have settled on is Somnifix. I am sensitive to some adhesives (I get a rash and can only use a few brands of band-aids), and Somnifix holds well for me, yet does not irritate my lips or skin. People use lots of different kinds of mouth tape, you can search this board for posts.

Again, thanks so much for this suggestion. It helps to hear from others with extremely sensitive skin. If the different chin strap fails, I may try the tape brand you recommended.

[readingteacher]

Thanks so much! I wonder if the liners might help with the shifting and leaks of the cradle? I'm not so sure the nasal pillow liners would help as the biggest problem was the pressure, not the contact of the silicone on skin (though I could see that potentially becoming a problem long term).

For me, I think pressure points were also causing my sores, not necessarily the silicone. That's why i switched to the Nuance Pro nasal pillows at the recommendation of my DME, because they have gel and are therefore not as hard. The sponsor of this site, CPAP.com, offers mask "insurance", so you can try out a mask and then return it if it doesn't work for you. Might be worth a try.