Torn Between Two (Sizes of) Mask

I get good numbers with the Wisp mask. I have used the Small and the Medium, and if I could just get something between the two, I'd be set for life. The medium is just too big on my face. It's hard to sleep on my side or stomach without having megaleaks, and it comes up too high on the bridge of my nose. The small one is very comfortable to sleep in, never gets in the way, and is low enough on the nose that I don't wake up with huge bags under my eyes. The problem is that the small seems to be a little too narrow. I thought I was getting the stuffy nose that people complain about, since I have mild year-round allergies that keep me a little congested (with minor swelling, not mucus) all the time. It doesn't take much to block my nose entirely. Then I experimented with pulling the mask straight out a bit, and suddenly I could breathe again. Seating the mask back on my face immediately brought back the "stuffiness," which I now think is just my nose being partially pinched shut. Using an OTC decongestant spray is very helpful, but of course I can't use those every night, or even a couple times a week. Chronic use of those sprays can do awful things to the lining of your nose. I'm not taking chances.

Is there another mask that might be just a tad wider horizontally, but have the same vertical dimension? Does anyone have any experience or recommendations?

I have some pillows that I didn't much like, but I may give them another try. It seemed that I had to pull them up pretty tight to avoid leaks, but masks can feel very different with only small adjustments to the headgear. It would probably be worth fiddling with it again.

Sorry Professor, I don't have the answer for you but I do have somewhat the same question as pertains to FF masks. If you're between sizes (small/medium) what's the consensus on which size to go with?

Just a suggestion, but could you try a mask liner with the Wisp?
It may improve one or the other enough so the choice would be easier.

Actually, I did try a padacheek liner with the larger mask. I had to enlarge the hole in the liner just a smidge to get it to fit comfortably, and every time I inhaled (ok, this is going to sound weird) the liner felt cold all around the perimeter of the mask, as though cold air were coming through from the outside to the inside. Now, I don't have my pressure set very high, only 7.5, but that's enough to keep air from flowing in from the outside, so I don't know what was really happening. The sensation kept me awake until I just took the darn thing off. And, of course, the mask was still big enough that it was difficult sleeping on my side. I haven't used the liner with the smaller mask. It seems to me that it would just exacerbate the problem.

That's totally my situation, except for the Wisp which I guess was one of your problematic mask sizes. All faces are different, just like all fingerprints are different, hence there are fitting problems even tho ResMed, PR, F&P etc try to design in some 'overlap' between sizes. It all boils down to finding a mask that works for you.

I have been using the Swift Nano. I think this one may be my favorite so far. It is very similar to the Wisp but it just fits me better.

Oddprofessor, I have the very same problem. The WISP small/medium is too big and sticks into my eye sockets but the WISP petite is a little too narrow across the nostrils. I take an Allegra every day and my sleep doc wrote a prescription for generic flosnase and that made a huge difference in the congestion and I use it every day and have stuck with the petite. If my nose is really bad I use the small/medium for a night if I don't have to see anyone in the morning. Otherwise my eyes are too puffy to go out.

I do think the air cushion of the WISP is a very strong feature of it and makes it more comfortable and less leaking than others. If I knew of a similar mask just a little wider across the nostrils, I'd try it. FYI, I also have the small Eson and it might look like a good alternative to WISP but it is wider at the top than the WISP and goes even further into my eyes and they have no petite. If you find something in between that works for you, please let me know!!

I looked at the Nano, and it looks like it might be a good fit, except for one kind of peripheral thing. I have discovered that the over-the-head hose system is almost necessary for me. When the hose just sticks out from the front, I end up batting it this way and that, and it turns out that a good tug at the hose can unseat a mask pretty easily, causing leaks. Over the head keeps the hose orientation relative to my face constant, and turning doesn't cause much problem because the hose comes down from the top of the mattress, more or less on the axis of the turns. No wrapping it around my neck!

Yeah, I'm probably too picky.

Hose management is a necessity for me. I use the Hozer. http://thehozerusa.com/

I see that cpap.com no longer carries the Hozer, although it has a similar system. I watched the video. Don't you always feel as if your mask is being pulled upwards? You say that you like it, so I guess it doesn't feel this way, but it looks as though it should. Maybe with a little more slack in the hose...

Thanks for the reference. I will do some more research.

I'll second the suggestion on the Nano with some sort of hose management for sure. To route the connection tubing above and behind, I have had a few folks create a makeshift pillow "shelf" behind their regular pillow.

The one that I have seen work best so far has been the Nano for her small. Though many clients seem to find the standard very comfortable initially, quite a few have exchanged them due to leakage issues.

I have tried the Nano, but the headgear is the problem. Both the regular and the (for Her)
are the same distance between the front fasteners and the loops for the back strap--too far for me.
How ResMed ever got the idea that everyone's face is the same proportion in that direction completely baffles me.
On me that stupid loop is at least an inch above my ears; meaning the back strap is too high at the back.
The FX nasal pillow mask is stable enough with this headgear, but I sent the Nano back, because it is not.

Stormynights wrote:Hose management is a necessity for me. I use the Hozer. http://thehozerusa.com/

Thanks for the tip Stormy. The hozer sounds like a good product, I'll investigate some more. I saw last summer another suspension device mentioned that looked like the hozer but the armature was more stiff... as I recall there was a pulley type system and a thin cord unreeled. The cord attached to the hose and it subsequently stretched out to accommodate for any turning over in bed etc. Anybody remember what that product was called

SleepWellCPAP wrote: I have had a few folks create a makeshift pillow "shelf" behind their regular pillow.

Hi SWC. I'm having a hard time visualizing this pillow shelf and the real estate it takes up, especially for tall folks. Can you elaborate? Thanks SNO

Sir NoddinOff wrote:

Stormynights wrote:Hose management is a necessity for me. I use the Hozer. http://thehozerusa.com/

Thanks for the tip Stormy. The hozer sounds like a good product, I'll investigate some more. I saw last summer another suspension device mentioned that looked like the hozer but the armature was more stiff... as I recall there was a pulley type system and a thin cord unreeled. The cord attached to the hose and it subsequently stretched out to accommodate for any turning over in bed etc. Anybody remember what that product was called

http://www.pur-sleep.com/products/prodD ... ategory=13