Best full masks for newbie?

cpapguy338 · Post by **cpapguy338** » Sat Jun 08, 2019 6:42 pm

So got my used resmed S9 set to auto and it seems while I slept with it last night, (about half the night before I took it off) I was running at 11.8. I did sleep hard with the full mask that the used unit came with. That said, the mask seems a little small. If it's up high enough on my nose to prevent it from pinching off my sinuses, it just barely fits under my bottom lip. I'm assuming it should sit a bit further down on my chin? That said, it did seal and did work about 4 hours nicely for me.

Here's the other thing, with this mask on, no way in all get up, I'm breathing through my nose. I feel as though I am currently mostly a mouth breather anyhow, due to my sinus being stuffy or swollen shut. Pre-Cpap for the past year or so, I wake up some 10-12 times nightly reaching for a swig of water as my mouth is so dry it's ready to bleed. The humidifier on the Cpap should help with this? Seemed to last night. Anyhow, what I'm getting at, is aside from using like Afrin all the time, I'm not gonna be using a nasal mask. I doubt it would work. So mouth breathing it is.

So based on all this above info, can anyone recommend a good solid mask?

Thank you!

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Sat Jun 08, 2019 7:36 pm

So what mask came with the used machine you picked up? What size is it?

There are all sorts of full face masks out there.
Me personally...if I was a newbie and wanting a full face mask, I would still want for as little silicone needing to touch the skin to be kept sealed. Let's face it...more silicone to skin real estate having to touch and seal...the harder you work to get that seal.

So I would tend to look at full face masks that don't come up over the nose at all.
Look at these to see if any of them look interesting to you.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-dre ... k-headgear

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... -cpap-mask

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... k-headgear

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/RespCa ... -CPAP-Mask

Or just take a look at the ones that are here
https://www.cpap.com/cpap-masks/full-face-cpap-mask

When you ask forum members which mask is best they tend to tell you that the one they are using is the "best" and to them it is.
It might or might not be the best mask for you though. There's a huge YMMV sticker with all this cpap stuff. One man's treasure is another man's trash sort of thing. Example...I can't stand anything on the bridge of my nose at all...so I am not going to recommend something I hate.

Doesn't mean you won't like one though.

In general though...the more stuff you have to have touching your skin the more potential leak issues you will have. So the least mask real estate having to touch the skin generally is going to be less problematic in terms of getting and keeping a seal.

Sizing is critical though...most of these masks have templates you can print off to get you in the ball park for correct size...use them.

cpapguy338 · Post by **cpapguy338** » Sat Jun 08, 2019 7:42 pm

Pugsy wrote: ↑
Sat Jun 08, 2019 7:36 pm
So what mask came with the used machine you picked up? What size is it?

There are all sorts of full face masks out there.
Me personally...if I was a newbie and wanting a full face mask, I would still want for as little silicone needing to touch the skin to be kept sealed. Let's face it...more silicone to skin real estate having to touch and seal...the harder you work to get that seal.

So I would tend to look at full face masks that don't come up over the nose at all.
Look at these to see if any of them look interesting to you.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-dre ... k-headgear

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... -cpap-mask

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... k-headgear

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/RespCa ... -CPAP-Mask

Or just take a look at the ones that are here
https://www.cpap.com/cpap-masks/full-face-cpap-mask

When you ask forum members which mask is best they tend to tell you that the one they are using is the "best" and to them it is.
It might or might not be the best mask for you though. There's a huge YMMV sticker with all this cpap stuff. One man's treasure is another man's trash sort of thing. Example...I can't stand anything on the bridge of my nose at all...so I am not going to recommend something I hate. Doesn't mean you won't like one though.

In general though...the more stuff you have to have touching your skin the more potential leak issues you will have. So the least mask real estate having to touch the skin generally is going to be less problematic in terms of getting and keeping a seal.

Sizing is critical though...most of these masks have templates you can print off to get you in the ball park for correct size...use them.

The mask I have with my unit is a mirage quattro and on the seal part on the bottom down by the chin an imprinted "S" so I am assuming it's a small? I might do well with a medium?

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Sat Jun 08, 2019 7:48 pm

Yep...the S stands for Small and you very likely probably need a medium at least.

I think I might have a Quattro FX in a medium in the donations box (people send me their failed mask experiments and I pass them along for only the cost of my postage). I can't remember if I have sent it out or not but if you think you would like to try it I will go look to see if I still have it and I would be happy to send it to you. Probably about $7 postage depending on how far you are from me.
If I still have it...this is what it is
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... k-headgear

Send me a PM if you want to try it and I will check to see if I still have it and let you know.

Janknitz · Post by **Janknitz** » Mon Jun 10, 2019 5:33 pm

You may have been mouth breathing all this time out of "air hunger" and may find with CPAP you can breathe through your nose all night. Give it some time.

jsmit86 · Post by **jsmit86** » Tue Jun 11, 2019 9:34 am

The other thought is that your issue may not be with the type of mask, but the size.
If it's barely under your lip, it's probably too small.
I use the Resmed Airtouch and Airfit F20... they are basically the same mask, but the Airtouch has a memory foam cushion. It's more comfortable, but doesn't last as long.
In my case, the bottom of the mask fits nicely in the indention between my lower lip, and my chin. I'm pretty sure that should be what you need to have for proper fit on a full face mask.

Some of the suggested masks don't cover the nose.
That may work for you, but in my case, I got a lot of leakage from that style, and poor AHIs. The one I tried was the Resmed Airfit F30.
I really wanted that style to work, but in my case it wasn't great. Perhaps it was not quite the correct fit.

Best of luck with the fit.

JayDee · Post by **JayDee** » Wed Jun 12, 2019 4:36 pm

cpapguy338 wrote: ↑
Sat Jun 08, 2019 6:42 pm

So based on all this above info, can anyone recommend a good solid mask?

I wish it was as easy as pointing you to a mask that's a safe bet for everyone, but I do not believe such a mask exists. I went through 5 or 6 masks my first year until I settled on "The one For me". It works great! However, I would bet there's maybe a 50% chance it will work as well for you (ResMed F30 FFM, if interested). People are too different with fitting and what they can tolerate. The "mask hunt" can be a pain, but with a bit of patience and perseverance, you can find the right mask for you.

That being said, some masks are definitely more popular than others. Listen to the good folks in here -- their advice is invaluable!

Not to add a sales pitch, but the gracious sponsor of this forum (cpap.com) offers mask "return insurance" where you can try a mask and if it does not work, you aren't stuck with it. That was a big help in my search.

Good luck!
-JD

Best full masks for newbie?

Best full masks for newbie?

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