TAP PAP - Seeking Advice For Some Issues

I'm 4 nights into using my new TAP PAP mask and I have some issues I need to address. Although I appreciate anyone offering to help, users with experience using this mask is preferred. So here goes:

Unlike my Airfit P10 mask, I have to adjust this mask each night to get the best fit. I'm not confident that I am fitting it correctly though because I have developed a sore on my nose. Yes I am using Lanolin.

1) Pillow fit: The medium size looks to be the same as my Airfit P10's medium. However, I'm using the large size because the medium seemed to leak. I am going to try the mediums tonight to see if I like them better.

Question: The instructions say the pillows shouldn't be tight when adjusting. How tight is tight?

2) Although I felt I had a good seal, my AHI's have been higher with the TAP PAP vs how they have been with my Airfit P10. i.e. .7 vs .3. Ironically, looking at my sleepyhead data shows my leaks are improved slightly. Not sure what to make of this.

Below is 2 nights data from Sleepyhead. The first is from 7-28-14 using my Airfit P10. The second is from last night (8-1-14) using my Tap Pap.

nan

Yes the pillows are a tad smaller than others, but I still prefer the M even though that is my usual size when using the swift. I find that if you just tighten it to just snug then take your thumb and fore finger and pinch the top and sides of the pillow edge outward. Then just check the seal with your finger if you feel or hear a whosh of air then you need to either tighten the pillow to your nose or do the pinch and pull thing again. The pillows for this mask last a verrry long time... like I am using the same M pillows since LAST June (2013) and still have a perfect seal. Pugsy uses a small pillow on other masks but went up to the medium for a better fit on this one... me, I'm still okay with my usual medium. Like Pugsy, I only wash the pillows every 2 weeks or so, but wash the mouth piece every day when I am brushing my teeth in the morning.... not only cleans out the morning mouth taste but gives them a minty taste.
Good luck

AHI from 0.3 to 0.7 that is primarily clear airway is statistically insignificant. It's not unusual to have differences greater than that from night to night without changing a thing.

I did have to step up in size as the small didn't seal well.
In all the other nasal pillow masks I have been able to use both the XSmall and Small sizes with great success.
The Tap Pap runs small...I had to step up to a Medium to get a good seal. It isn't tight...doesn't have to be tight. For me the angle was the most critical adjustment. Once fitted they never moved.

JCWarrior, why did you switch from the P10? I am in the process of switching to the P10, and I actually find it better than the TapPap, although I only have 3 nights of experience. Leaks are much lower. Hard to tell with the AHI because it is low anyway. Maybe I should have been using the large pillows on the TapPap, based on Pugsy's comment. I use a chinstrap that allows me to route the hose to the top of my head with the TapPap. When I woke up because of leaks this morning I wondered if I should make an adaptation of my chinstrap to keep the hose in place - then it would almost be a combination of the TapPap and the P10, without the mouthpiece. I am a perfectionist, but also willing to experiment ... as I have been with masks since I started!

Impossible to tell on the basis of a single night whether a mask will or will not work - there is so much variation in AHI from night to night that you cannot know if the increase is due to the mask or some other factor. In clinical trials, the smaller the difference between two approaches to treatment the more datapoints you need - either more patients, or, in our case, more nights of recording. So, it was easy to see when I started CPAP that a reduction from 31 to 4.5 was significant. The difference now between 0.7 and 0.3 is much more difficult to "diagnose." I will be giving my new P10 at least a week before I decide whether to make use of the return insurance or write a positive review about it. Probably more like 2-3 weeks (so I still have time to send it back if needed).

The Airfit P10 has been fantastic. I wanted to see if the TAP PAP would let me turn over without having to situate the hose. This it does. Not having any straps at all is nice too

I'm not giving up on it.

Update: Switched to the "medium" size pillows and this made all the difference. I have found the TAP PAP Medium pillows to be about (almost exactly) the same size as my Airfit P10's. After switching to the mediums and getting the angle adjusted correctly I have no leaks and it's very comfortable.