sizing guide on cpap.com?

[lummusc]

Has anyone used the sizing tool on cpap.com? I did, and some of the masks that I wanted to try aren't listed as good for me. Do you find that it is accurate, and should I stick with only the ones it suggests?

[Pirateghost]

I found it kind of close but nothing can substitute for sticking a mask on your face.

[Bearded_One]

I found that every time I measure my face that I can come up with different dimensions, and that those minor differences in dimensions can cause recommended mask size differences and changes in which masks are said to fit.

[geoDoug]

I found it kind of close but nothing can substitute for sticking a mask on your face.

What Pirate said. The first mask I used was a comfortclassic, which is a nasal mask. They didn't suggest, nor did I know, that there were even other kinds. They didn't do any measuring of my face. Apria fitted it over my face in two minutes max while I was sitting up. That mask, not surprisingly, turned out to be intensely inadequate. I could never get it to stop leaking into my eyes. I have to assume because of the shape the mask and of my nose.

I'm only on my second mask now. The Hybrid's fit is turning out to be excellent. It's comfortable and it fits my face extremely well. I doubt seriously that the fitting guide could have predicted that.

The moral?

I don't doubt that the fitting guide is helpful for some people. However, there's no substitute for trial and error. My suggestion is to use it as a starting point only. Then if a mask isn't working look at why. If you can pin down why, maybe try a different category of mask. For example, in my case, it was pretty obvious. The comfort classic leaked into my eyes and I was a mouth breather. Since I didn't want to tape my mouth shut or use a chin strap (yet another strap!) I decided to try a Hybrid full face mask to address both of the issues. I chose that first because it has a lot of flexibility in sizes. It comes with three sizes of cushions and three sizes of pillows--all of them interchangeable to adjust for different sizes of mouths, heights of upper lips, and even different sizes of nostrils!

Doug.