Help me choose a new mask

[amybeth]

I'm new to CPAP therapy. I'm about a week and a half into it. I can already tell a huge difference in how I feel! The first night, my mask was making farting noises all night. The 2nd night I made cover out of an old tshirt and that solved that problem. BUT I have one more problem and that is the bridge of my nose! It is red and sore and giving me a headache. I have tried bandaids, mole skin, and lots of readjusting. I'm afraid this mask just isn't going to work for me. I'm intrigued by nasal pillow, but I know I open my mouth sometimes so I don't know if I should even go down that road. I don't want to waste a lot of time, money and energy on trying tons of different masks. I chose the one I have based on reviews on cpap.com. It appears to be the 2nd highest rated full face mask and lots of great reviews. I chose it because the Mirage Quattro, even though it's number 1 rated full face mask, is soooo expensive! It was hard to shell out the almost $1000 to start my therapy, but maybe it's worth the cost? Here's a little about me that might help in deciding a mask: I'm 37, thin, narrow face. (not your typical osa patient), I have a longer narrow nose with a bit of a bump on it right where the mask I have now sits.

Any advice on what I should try next would so greatly appreciated!

Also, will I need to buy different tubing too? I have heated tubing now.

[Pugsy]

Welcome to the forum.

I will share this....I open my mouth sometimes and yes, sometimes I mouth breath and I only use nasal pillow masks...
How much of a negative impact mouth breathing may have on therapy depends on just how much mouth breathing a person might do.

Try the nasal pillow mask if it interests you. Heck, you might not do any significant mouth breathing or maybe just 15 minutes of mouth breathing.
I am not about to add a full face mask to my routine just to fix maybe 15 minutes of bad leak.

[Pugsy]

It's always a good idea to have a spare long hose but it doesn't have to be a heated hose (especially during summer).
With proper and common sense care...these hoses last a long, long time.

The best regular hose that I know of is the Respironics White Performance hose....super lightweight, flexible and just in general a better hose...works on all machines.
I always have a couple handy but only keep one heated hose.

I hate those generic gray hoses...heavier, not very flexible and not all that cheap when it comes to cost.

[digitalepiphany]

Is this the one you're referring to?

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... ubing.html

[Pugsy]

Is this the one you're referring to?

yep....but do call for price because it is significantly lower than posted price. A LOT lower.
When buying from cpap.com ....make use of free shipping specials or bundle with another purchase.
or shop EBay....I have found 2 of them for $14 and that included shipping and a filter for the machine.

[TonyG]

I'm new to CPAP therapy. I'm about a week and a half into it. I can already tell a huge difference in how I feel! The first night, my mask was making farting noises all night. The 2nd night I made cover out of an old tshirt and that solved that problem. BUT I have one more problem and that is the bridge of my nose! It is red and sore and giving me a headache. I have tried bandaids, mole skin, and lots of readjusting. I'm afraid this mask just isn't going to work for me. I'm intrigued by nasal pillow, but I know I open my mouth sometimes so I don't know if I should even go down that road. I don't want to waste a lot of time, money and energy on trying tons of different masks. I chose the one I have based on reviews on cpap.com. It appears to be the 2nd highest rated full face mask and lots of great reviews. I chose it because the Mirage Quattro, even though it's number 1 rated full face mask, is soooo expensive! It was hard to shell out the almost $1000 to start my therapy, but maybe it's worth the cost? Here's a little about me that might help in deciding a mask: I'm 37, thin, narrow face. (not your typical osa patient), I have a longer narrow nose with a bit of a bump on it right where the mask I have now sits.

Any advice on what I should try next would so greatly appreciated!

Also, will I need to buy different tubing too? I have heated tubing now.

I use both the F&P Simplus FFM and the F&P Eson nasal mask and would highly recommend both. Tried many during my trial period and these 2 were by far the most superior. Both are very light weight and very good when it comes to leaks. However having said all that whats good for one isn't necessarily good for all but I would give those a try if you can.

[sleeplessinaz]

Welcome Amybeth. Most of us have purchased 7 to 10 masks trying to find the right one that fits us and works! So don't feel badly if you have to switch to find something more comfortable. I have never owned a full face mask. To me that seemed to be to overwhelming.

I used mostly the nasal pillows. The most current one that I still use is the Aloha mask. Take a look at it on CPAP.com. It fits well, comes with different sizes of nasal pillows to try out. Best of all is the headgear! It's very minimal and is adjustable. I just ordered the nuance pro nasal pillow mask and I liked it a lot but the backstap on the headgear is not adjustable So I got leaks with it.

I just got a new mask in the mail yesterday and plan to try it out tonight. It is a nasal mask - no pillows. It's called the Wisp. It has adjustable headgear and a soft supple nasal cushion that surrounds the nose area.

Good luck on your mask search. Save that full face mask for when you are stuffed up. Go ahead and try one of the nasal pillow masks- I think you would really like them.

Carrie

[2flamingos]

I have been on PAP since late 2008, and like most folks here I have tried a variety of masks. The ONLY ones that have worked for me are nasal pillows. Yes, I have to use a chin strap - but with the results I get, I ain't conna complain! My leaks must not be bad because every morning when I check my machine I get the smiley face. This morning my AHI was 0.5! Needless to say, I LOVE my Swift FX.

If you are curious - try one. There are several posts here about making your own chin strap from old stockings. What have you got to lose?

[DenG]

Hi AmyBeth,
The first question I have for you is - Don't you have health insurance?
Why are you paying out of pocket for this stuff?

I'm still relatively new at this, ~3 months in, but if there's one thing I've learned it's that there are as many different preferences for masks as there are shapes of faces.
What works perfectly for some can be absolutely miserable for others (ask me how I know ).
Unfortunately, it seems finding the right mask is purely trial and error.
No matter what the reviews and other users say, you won't know what will or won't work for you until you try it.

Fortunately for me, my DME supplier has a liberal exchange policy - I can exchange a mask within 30 days at no charge, with no questions asked.
I have returned 3 different masks.
The one I used for the first 3 months (Sleepweaver Elan) sometimes worked, sometimes didn't, so when I was eligible for a new mask at the end of 3 months, I tried nasal pillows, which I found to be horrible, returned those and got a Mirage FX nasal mask, which so far seems to be a keeper.

A lot of people seem to love the Wisp, for me it was one of the miserable ones that I returned.
It gave me a sore on the bridge of my nose and while sleeping on my side, which is the only way I can sleep, it felt like it would eventually cause my nose to be bent 45 degrees to the side.

Again, not sure why you're paying for this stuff out of pocket - if you don't have insurance, you should get it!
Thanks to "evil" Obama Care, you can't be denied coverage for a preexisting condition.
You'll still have to pay out of pocket until you meet your deductible, but after that you should be covered.
I'd say you should also try to find a DME provider with as liberal an exchange policy as the one I have.

Good luck!

[surf_rower]

Hi - see my recent post "Once a mouth breather, always…NOT"

[amybeth]

Hi AmyBeth,
The first question I have for you is - Don't you have health insurance?
Why are you paying out of pocket for this stuff?

I'm still relatively new at this, ~3 months in, but if there's one thing I've learned it's that there are as many different preferences for masks as there are shapes of faces.
What works perfectly for some can be absolutely miserable for others (ask me how I know ).
Unfortunately, it seems finding the right mask is purely trial and error.
No matter what the reviews and other users say, you won't know what will or won't work for you until you try it.

Fortunately for me, my DME supplier has a liberal exchange policy - I can exchange a mask within 30 days at no charge, with no questions asked.
I have returned 3 different masks.
The one I used for the first 3 months (Sleepweaver Elan) sometimes worked, sometimes didn't, so when I was eligible for a new mask at the end of 3 months, I tried nasal pillows, which I found to be horrible, returned those and got a Mirage FX nasal mask, which so far seems to be a keeper.

A lot of people seem to love the Wisp, for me it was one of the miserable ones that I returned.
It gave me a sore on the bridge of my nose and while sleeping on my side, which is the only way I can sleep, it felt like it would eventually cause my nose to be bent 45 degrees to the side.

Again, not sure why you're paying for this stuff out of pocket - if you don't have insurance, you should get it!
Thanks to "evil" Obama Care, you can't be denied coverage for a preexisting condition.
You'll still have to pay out of pocket until you meet your deductible, but after that you should be covered.
I'd say you should also try to find a DME provider with as liberal an exchange policy as the one I have.

Good luck!

My option with my insurance was to "rent to own" my machine through a DME for $200/month for 10 months. After I figured out I could get a machine online for WAY less than that, I opted to buy from cpap.com.

[hyperlexis]

Return the flexifit and go with the new F&P Simplus.

Or try the Respironics Amara Gel. Cheaper than the Quattro but still very good quality.

If your treater wants you starting on a FFM, stick with that before switching types. Learn to handle that first before taking off the training wheels.

[sawinglogz]

My option with my insurance was to "rent to own" my machine through a DME for $200/month for 10 months. After I figured out I could get a machine online for WAY less than that, I opted to buy from cpap.com.

What does your insurance pay for supplies? It might or might not be cheaper to use insurance/DME for supplies, even if they weren't cheaper for the machine.

[sawinglogz]

f your treater wants you starting on a FFM, stick with that before switching types. Learn to handle that first before taking off the training wheels.

Actually, I would have recommended the opposite if you're not sure what kind of mask you want; use the 30-day return period to try a variety of types and then settle in on which variant works best for you. Especially if the bridge of your nose is sore, something with nasal pillows (alone or hybrid) might be worth at least a try.

But the FFM alternatives mentioned above are certainly worth trying if you want to stay with FFM.