Mask Choices

I am recently diagnosed and am trying to get my equipment lined up. I have high deductable insurance, so cost of equipment is important to me.

After diagnosis, I got a call from a local medical supplier. They wanted to sell me a resmed cpap for $900 plus tax (about $1,000 with tax). They weren't sure which model they were selling. This was a red flag to me. I instead purchased a ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet from sleepdirect for $750.

I need a mask. I figure it is important to try on several masks/styles to find one that works for me. Unfortunately, I have had trouble getting the local medical supplier to make an appointment. I am worried there masks will be significantly more expensive than sleepdirect. They get terrible reviews online. However, it seems like all of there competitors get poor reviews. Any advice? I live in Tacoma, WA, so if you can recommend a local supplier, that would be helpful.

Finally, do masks have different long term costs? Are consumables more expensive for certain brands or styles?

Thanks for your help.

Cpap.com has the most variety and best prices out there so is a good place to look - they have graphics, reviews, etc. etc. and you can try them out for 30 days for a small fee. They are the sponsors of this forum, however are very hands off here and none of the members (of which I am one) are involved at all in the business end of things.

You didn't mention insurance except for the deductible stuff, and they may have something to say about your equipment otherwise... if you're sure though that they don't, and do have a script for a mask (which you can mail to online dealers), I guess you just need to start looking.

Twalk wrote:Finally, do masks have different long term costs? Are consumables more expensive for certain brands or styles?

Maybe when it comes to some specific mask parts that tend to age or wear out vs parts that don't wear out.
Headgear can get tired with age and stretch out and/or the velcro no longer want to stick.
Some parts are made out of stuff that won't wear out and can be used indefinitely with common sense care.
Usually it is the mask cushions or nasal pillows that are made out of silicone that come into direct contact with our skin that might tend to need to be replaced more often or not depending on the person and what it might be.

Example...See the link in my profile for the mask that I use....
The frame is pretty much indestructible but the headgear might need replacing (for me) at around 10 months and the nasal pillow will last me well over 6 months.

Cpap.com has some masks that come with free return insurance...meaning you can try it and have 30 days to get them back to cpap.com if you don't like it and get your money back.. The P10 that I use has the free return insurance. Cpap.com will even send you a printable prepaid shipping label.
Some masks have a low cost fee for return insurance...typically the highest return insurance amounts go with the full face masks because they simply cost more to start with and have a higher rate of return.

Finding the right mask can be the most challenging part of this therapy but it can be done.
First of all decide what kind of mask you want or need and start looking and reading about them.
If you can normally breathe through your nose just fine then I would suggest going with something like what I use because it has the least surface area that needs to be sealed..more surface area touching the skin the more challenge it is to get and keep a good seal.

If you have chronic nasal congestion issues that can't be cleared up and you are forced to mouth breathe then you will need to look a full face masks so that the mouth is part of the sealed circuit.

Long term costs for masks once you have one that suits you doesn't have to cost a lot though.
You can purchase replacement parts for the items that might need replacing and not have to buy the parts that are pretty much indestructible.

Finally...often forum members will offer for sale or give away past mask experiments that didn't go so well...so sometimes you can pick up your own mask experiment (something new to try) for very little out of pocket costs.
I sometimes have donated masks that I give away (only ask postage reimbursement) and these masks are usually failed past experiments and still with enough life left so that you can get an idea if the mask would work for you or not.

You might check out this post and PM sleepysuz.....might be a good deal for you.

viewtopic/t108304/Masks-for-sale.html

Thanks for the information. I think I will order a nasal pillow from cpap dot com and give it a try.

I did a survey here on the most popular nasal pillow masks recently. You can see the results and discussion here: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=106883&st=0 The AirFit P10 is the clear favorite. I love mine. It's incredibly light and just works.

I also use a hose hanger so that the hose comes down to the mask from overhead. This lets me turn side-to-side freely without anything pulling on the mask. I use this one from amazon for less than $12: http://www.amazon.com/North-American-He ... 0034CHMRU/ but some people prefer the heavy-duty ones available at cpap.com.