So Many Masks....

...hi everyone. Last night was my third night on CPAP therapy and I'm trying to figure out this whole mask situation. I have a Mirage Micro from ResMed and an AirSense 10 APAP. The medium cushion seemed to be a little snug. I tried the large cushion last night and according to the myAir program online, I had the most events per hour I've had since starting.

I also noticed that with a medium cushion, the highest pressure I had when waking up and seeing where the machine was at was 6-7 but with the large cushion, it was cranking up to 10 in some cases which to me is like a hurricane (I know it's probably not but for a new guy, it felt like one!

I'd love some input - should I try a mask liner for the medium cushion to prevent the red marks, try tightening the large cushion a little more, try a different nasal mask, try any of the above with a chin strap in case my mouth is dropping open, or try a full face mask.

My DME is fairly worthless so I'll probably get my mask from CPAP.com but really not sure what the best direction is here. I probably should call my doctor on all of this too but I haven't had the best of luck trying to ask questions over the phone there either. New year, new DME, new doctor, perhaps?

BrooklynCPAPer wrote:...hi everyone. Last night was my third night on CPAP therapy and I'm trying to figure out this whole mask situation. I have a Mirage Micro from ResMed and an AirSense 10 APAP. The medium cushion seemed to be a little snug. I tried the large cushion last night and according to the myAir program online, I had the most events per hour I've had since starting.

download sleepyhead and toss that myair thing in the trash.

the amount of data you'll get from sleepyhead will tell you far far more than the summary numbers from myair.

all that said, nights vary, sometimes you'll have a good night and a not so good night back to back without changing anything at all with the cpap/mask ... there's a lot of factors that go into it, and you normally shouldn't base anything on a single nights results.

I think it's a good idea to try several types on at the DME and then buy at cpap.com (better prices). I badly want to use pillows because of the lightness but over the years have found nasal works best. Everyone's face shape and sleeping pattern is so different it is hard to choose. I have also found that a new mask will be perfect for weeks and then be a pain to get right. Masks can drive you crazy and I can never really understand the data to know what will make a difference anyway so I go by how I feel in the morning and all day.

As PR said we sometimes have poor sleeps unrelated to masks and OSA. I know I had many more poor sleeps before OSA so there is that. Good luck and good for you for persisting.

BrooklynCPAPer wrote:...hi everyone. Last night was my third night on CPAP therapy and I'm trying to figure out this whole mask situation. I have a Mirage Micro from ResMed and an AirSense 10 APAP. The medium cushion seemed to be a little snug. I tried the large cushion last night and according to the myAir program online, I had the most events per hour I've had since starting.

I also noticed that with a medium cushion, the highest pressure I had when waking up and seeing where the machine was at was 6-7 but with the large cushion, it was cranking up to 10 in some cases which to me is like a hurricane (I know it's probably not but for a new guy, it felt like one!

I'd love some input - should I try a mask liner for the medium cushion to prevent the red marks, try tightening the large cushion a little more, try a different nasal mask, try any of the above with a chin strap in case my mouth is dropping open, or try a full face mask.

My DME is fairly worthless so I'll probably get my mask from CPAP.com but really not sure what the best direction is here. I probably should call my doctor on all of this too but I haven't had the best of luck trying to ask questions over the phone there either. New year, new DME, new doctor, perhaps?

To me, unless or until you find interface that is the cat's meow, you need to get your hands on as many as possible and try them in a systematic fashion. It's probably a good plan to find at least one or two that you at least tolerate well in the process as things can change quickly with therapy, preferences, and mask availability/design. If you can use all interfaces, I would find one of each that is tolerated for the same reasons.

I wouldn't bother with the DME unless yours is really helpful. I will get my insurance allotment there, but I do my trying and buying at cpap.com. It seems like a pretty expensive process, and it does cost some. However, if you are smart about it, you can try a lot with minimal investment. Time and sleep quality during trials is the real investment, but it is a real investment in one's future. My wife isn't buying this, but if I can get a good nights sleep she won't have to mow the lawn this summer

Right now I'm trying 2 masks in 5 sizes from cpap.com. If they all go back, I'll be out around $40US. Not bad to me for 30 days in my own sleep environment. I do hope that posters from other areas have access to providers and deals as fair as cpap.com. I suggest you go ahead and ask about some interesting candidates here and go for a few. The sooner you get that taken care of the quicker you can advance. Good Luck!

Best,

Mike

Thanks a million for the great replies and suggestions. I'll download the SleepyHead software over the weekend and get a card reader too as it sounds like a lot of people on here highly recommend a deeper-dive into the data (and I'm an analyst so right up my alley anyway!)

My doctor's office is going to have me come in and do a mask fitting in their office next week so they can help me find the right mask or at least one I can tolerate. I like the suggestion of trying a few different masks from CPAP.com and will probably do exactly that over the course of a few weeks.

I think the good news is that despite my challenges, I'm still using my CPAP machine at least 5-6 hours per night. I'm totally willing to use my machine - I know it's just a matter of one step at a time and asking for help.

Sleep well all!
Chris

Most newer computers have a card reader so check that out before you buy. Might not need it. Before I switched to the P10, on my nasal N10 a liner helped with comfort and leaks.