What was your first mask - sleep study and beyond.

No option applies for me....sleep lab was also respironics centric.

They were pushing the OptiLife mask. That's what they put on me in sleep study. And, the sleep doctor recommended it in his summary, and my doctor wrote the summary on my prescription. So DME issued me an Optilife to start with. (Fortunately a data capable CPAP machine was in his recommendation...)

Hanging out on here, I eventually worked up the nerve (after a few weeks) to go back and work with DME to find a different mask. And, then later I started buying masks of all sorts online until I eventually settled on the Respironics Comfort Lite II (acquired on CPAPAuction). Kind of surprising, because I was feeling that I'd have to go with a different company to find a mask that worked, and wondered if that would put me in conflict with what I can get from my DME. I have a small collection of masks that were either used once or twice (or only a tried on)... and other masks that I haven't used at all....yet.

Someday I'll organize my collection and do something with them....

Since I'm nearing on 6 months, I wonder what new mask I'm going to try getting insurance to help pay for. Though I have another Comfort Lite II waiting to get modified and readied to take over when needed....need to remember to get a hacksaw or something. Also need another inlet tube.... I did the first one, because a Mirage Vista was among my collection of masks that I had purchased and tried (but didn't sleep in it, because I couldn't get it to not leak....cpap.com sizing tool said deep, but no go because I have a flat nose...and that part of my nose didn't weigh into the measurements....I thought about getting a standard cushion, but then I swiped the inlet tube and now don't think the side parts work for the way I sleep on my face, anyways.)

Hmmm.....

The Dreamer.

Given the OptiLife to try before getting wired for my Sleep Study; it seemed OK after adjustments. After the first half, we put it on and I finally fell sleep (all the attachments and straps and wires were very distracting) and woke up only when they upped the pressure close to what I need. Wowowow, even with wakeups that 2 hrs was the best sleep I'd had in maybe a decade -- I obviously needed CPAP. Took another 2 wks to get my ResMed S8 Escape and the OptiLife mask...I've used them every night & for naps since then (Aug07). The first 4 nights I used them at home were horrible, every time it ramped to full, I woke up (whee, exciting work nights *grin*, good thing my boss's hubby is a hosehead too); finally, just set the ramp to 45 mins and exhaustion had me asleep. By the 5th night, I slept 9 hrs without waking up! I woke up refreshed...amazing, can't remember ever feeling that way. Power to the neighborhood went out and I woke up gasping thru the mask; by then, the power'd been out about an hour...scary to be re-breathing that long. I bought an alarm for power outages and am considering getting a CPAP that runs off a battery (or buying a ResMed compatible battery), just in case. The power's gone out twice since (I live in an electrically active area) and the alarm woke me up immediately both times...good investment.

I love this mask, perfect for me & my setting.