Has anyone using nasal mask had issues with nasal pillows?

I had great success with FFM.. but I kept waking up every time I would roll over and I just didnt like it.. so i tried nasal masks and had poor results (very high AHI compared to FFM).

I have now after a lot of tweaking comparable results with nasal (AHI of < 1). I was able to improve results by decreasing pressure and by adding a lot of humidity and using the heated hose. I am trying to find the least amount of humidity and heat that I need for comfort right now because i wake up a few times with sweat dripping down my forehead (i assume it can only be from the humidity in the exhaust since bedroom temp is 68-70F).

There are so many pros/cons to mask choices.

I purchased a few weeks ago the AirFit P10 nasal pillow to try pillows.

What is the consensus on pillows vs. nasal mask? It seems touching the nose might make a tighter seal so less leaks.. of course, i can see the con of getting your nasal passage sore and dry.

I tried the AirFit P10 one time and i woke up in an hour or two gasping for air (had an apnea event). I have never had this before while using a cpap... so obviously i ripped the mask off and that is the last time I used it.

Is there some explanation for why pillows would not work if nasal does?

Is it even worth my time exploring making the pillows work or do i just stick with what i have now and try to get better used to it?

Two data points to confirm that the mask comfort is in the nose of the beholder:

1) I strongly prefer nasal pillows because I cannot tolerate anything that covers the tip of my nose. Soon as tip of the nose is covered, it starts to itch like crazy. Hence I've used nasal pillows that let me scratch my nose and nothing else.

2) Hubby tried nasal pillows and could not stand them touching his nostrils and blowing air directly into his nose. He quickly switched to a nasal only mask and his nose was no longer bothered by the air being blown into his upper airway.

Both our AHI's are well controlled. Hubby's is a bit better than mine, but hubby's apnea is milder than mine and hubby's stomach tolerates pressure better than mine does. Hence he doesn't have to compromise between a bit more pressure to bring the AHI down and a lot more aerophagia to make you miserable vs. a bit less pressure with a bit higher AHI and a lot less aerophagia the way I do.

My advice is pick the mask that is most comfortable for you to use and then make that mask work for you.

doublev,
I get that same "not enough air" feeling if my nasal pillow is too small - esp with the P10. You didn't say what size pillow you were using but I would suggest trying going up in size. I am fine with a M but gasp for air with a S in the P10. However, need only a S in the Dreamwear gel pillow - the M is much too big and actually impedes air flow.
So - try experimenting with different sizes in different styles.
Most of us have tried many different types of masks/pillows and probably will continue to do so. They keep improving and we each have our own top 3 or so.
Good luck and don't give up!

I had some problems with "not enough air" with the P10 nasal pillow XSmall size. It was infrequent but annoying because I would wake up with it feeling like not much air was moving because not much air was moving. What I finally figured out was the XSmall was just a little bit too small for me and at times during the night it would sort of try to crawl up inside my nostril and when that happened pillow tended to collapse so not much air could move.
Gave up using the XSmall and went to the Small and it never happened again.