Hello all....newbie here

I have the nasal pillow style. During the sleep test they put on the regular mask, but it totally freaked me out and I couldn't do it.

It totally freaked you out _AT_FIRST_!

That's the key thing, "at first". If you calm yourself down and work through that first night (it's only air, I can do this, lots of people use these things and so can I, I'm gonna get used to it!, etc.), you quickly get used to the full-face mask... and then you get to enjoy all its benefits forever (no taping your mouth shut like a hostage, no using giant rubberbands around your head to hold your mouth shut, even severe nasal congestion is never a problem and you can take big huge breaths through your mouth anytime you like, there's only one seal to worry about instead of 2-3, etc. etc.).

However, new people mistakenly assume that a freak-out or other negative reaction during the first 5 minutes of the first night means intolerability forever. In the vast majority of cases, it DOES NOT, and it's a shame that so many people miss out on all the advantages of a full-face mask just because they completely ditch the concept within 5 minutes and never think to work through the problems and/or try it ever again.

I too was VERY negative on the full-face the first time I tried it... I remember thinking that I'd NEVER be able to sleep with this thing on my face, and it felt like I was suffocating (which was all in my head of course), and it was horrible, and I'd rather die than have to sleep wearing it.

Within two days, I was liking it.

Within one week, I'd wake up and have to reach up with my hand and touch it TO EVEN DETERMINE IF I WAS STILL WEARING IT AT ALL!

New folks, please don't immediately and eternally reject the full-face mask because initially you hate it. Keep at it, if you can. Your reward will be one of the best, simplest, most comfortable and most effective CPAP interfaces out there. If possible, don't just run to nasal interfaces after a lousy 5 minutes and never look back. The human body/mind is capable of quick and incredible accomodation of new things like full-face masks... try it and you'll see. What once made you freak out and panic can soon become barely even noticeable, and even your best buddy. It can be THAT dramatic of a change, trust me.

Just my two cents... but I've been there. And the same full-face mask I loathed the first night, I now love... and congestion never worries me (bring on those colds and allergies, baby, I don't care!), and I own no big elastic headstraps or hostage mouth tape, nothing. It's great.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for all the advice and kind words. It seems that each person has their own likes and dis-likes, especially regarding the different masks / pillows. I'm sure I was to impatient when it came to the mask during my sleep study. I do know I want this to work for me. I'm really tired of being really tired.
It amazes me how well informed everyone on here is and how helpful you all are. It actually gives a newbie like myself some confidence that we can do this.
With that being said, I have a question. Since I am using the nasal pillow, it did seem that there was a small amount of air leaking around my nose. Is this normal or do I not have a perfect fit?

I know that for me, I at first expected to be told all that I needed to know by an RT (my sleep doc is invisible - reads studies and prescribes by fax; the clinic is looking for an on-site doc) and was a bit of a "sheep".

As it became apparent that CPAP is very much a do-it-yourself and lab-ratting endeavor, I found ways to learn more (but not TOO much - I try to avoid obsession). We're glad you found the list and want to optimize your experience. ( I've run into 5 or 6 people in town who are stumbling along or who have given up entirely, not caring at all to help themselves. Sigh.)

Adjust your pillow some more or try another size. There should be a good seal. If you tell us which mask you're using, we can give you more specific advice.

Shari

momadams, I am using the Mirage Swift. As you can tell I have no idea if I need a pillow or a mask, or which is better. Thats why I am SO glad to have found you all

To add to the confusion, they all tend to be called "masks".

The other Swifties can jump in here, but my experience is that one of the 3 pillow sizes should give you a leak-free fit. Try some of these ideas:
Pull the mask away from your nostrils slightly with the machine on, and releas it to settle in the right spot.
Be sure not to over-tighten the straps - I keep mine comfortably slack.
Rotate the barrel to get a good angle. I pretend that I can rotate the ends of the barrel separately - don't know if that really happens.
Sometimes gently squeezing the cylinder bengly while pressure is on helps settle things.

I like to put on the mask, turn on the machine to test for misplacement or leaks, and then hit the ramp button.

Time to go irritate the neighbor's dog with Stars and Stripes practice Piccolo is a very vengeful instrument!

Shari

Well, the 2nd night actually went well. I slept for 8 hours and only woke up once for my usual mid-nite spit stop. My daughter said I even slept through a really good T-storm, which is unusual for me. The right side of my nose is a little sore, but I think my straps were loose. I'm just not sure how to tell that this is working. I suppose it takes time.
I've been reading as many posts as possible and have come to the conclusion that I have LOTS to learn. Especially the terminology and the abbreviations. I'm just grateful that so many of you are willing to share your knowledge with a novice. Thanks