How many mask changes did you go through at first?

[Malinalli73]

I've been using my apap machine for almost two weeks now and can't get comfortable.
I have anasal pillow mask, which I chose feeling it would be less burdensome but I have some issues.
Sometimes I feel like air is not going through the little holes and that they might be obstructed by the walls of my nose...am I imagining it?
When I go to bed and my machine is on ramp I feel I'm not getting enough air.
I've been swallowing air.
I wake up constantly...although I also did it before the machine.
A couple of times I've opened my mouth, although this doesn't happen often. I have bruxism and my mouth is usually close...if not clenching. For this they gave me a chin strap but with the guard it made my gums hurt.
I also have allergies, and even when I use a nasal spray sometimes I get stuffy.

I don't know if it's a matter of getting used to it or I definitely need to change mask. Any advices?

EDIT: People have pointed out I haven't said which mask I'm using so you can help me better....so true!
I'm using the P10, technician recommended small....I'm trying Medium tonight. My machine is an Airsense 10 Autoset For Her, with heated hose. Settings 5-15.

UPDATE: last night I used the medium pillows, turned off ramp and humidity. Breathing was much more comfortable when I was falling asleep and pillows were much more comfy but got stuffy nose. I guess humidity and temperature control go back on but the other changes worked very well. Thanks everyone for your advices. I guess I still have a long road ahead but I'm finally getting the hqng of it.

[Arlene1963]

I'm pretty new to this as well and have already tried three masks.

Each one feels great for the first few nights and then I start falling a bit "out of love" with them.

So last night was not good for me. Fought with my new mask for half the night, stumbled out of bed and then put on my old first love, the Swift FX.

Maybe we'll get lucky and find a perfect mask. I'm still looking. I think it might be a lot like dating .... it takes a while to find the "right one" but don't give up!

[CosmosHuman]

One week on apap. Started with a F-P Simplis full face mask. Not happy. Just killing my face and leaving red marks even though I loosen the straps. Just put in an order for an Amara View mask. Had a fitting at the DME provider, but need size medium which they didn't have.

Also looking for a nice comfortable bed pillow.

[Julie]

Malina - it's quite possible that your lower setting level is too low to breathe comfortably at or treat your OSA properly - do you have a copy of your script or are you using Sleepyhead to track what happens overnight? And using the ramp at all, unless you have a particularly high level script (and machine is set for that) means that until the ramp reaches your set low level, you're not fully treated or getting the benefit of whatever level the machine is set to, especially if it's low - most of us stop using the ramp altogether after a very short time.

As far as nasal issues go, too much humidity (or even any at all) can cause congestion if local conditions are already humid, especially in summer, so feel free to turn it off altogether if you think it's an issue unless you e.g. live in a very dry environment and find the humidity helps. A dry mouth, of course, is more likely to be a result of mouth breathing and more humidity won't help, but trying a full face mask might.

Cosmos - you might want to put your experience in your own thread that you started earlier so as not to confuse this one.

[Snoozeless]

I'm on my 4th--the Dreamwear. I tried a full mask, a nasal, a pillow and I can't stand anything but the Dreamwear.

[Malinalli73]

Malina - it's quite possible that your lower setting level is too low to breathe comfortably at or treat your OSA properly - do you have a copy of your script or are you using Sleepyhead to track what happens overnight? And using the ramp at all, unless you have a particularly high level script (and machine is set for that) means that until the ramp reaches your set low level, you're not fully treated or getting the benefit of whatever level the machine is set to, especially if it's low - most of us stop using the ramp altogether after a very short time.

As far as nasal issues go, too much humidity (or even any at all) can cause congestion if local conditions are already humid, especially in summer, so feel free to turn it off altogether if you think it's an issue unless you e.g. live in a very dry environment and find the humidity helps. A dry mouth, of course, is more likely to be a result of mouth breathing and more humidity won't help, but trying a full face mask might.

Thanks for the advice on humidity San Antonio is pretty humid right now, I'll just turn it off tonight and see if that helps. I have mild apnea, so my settings are low as it is, 5 to15. I might not need the ramp at all, I'll also try that.
I didn't know about sleepyhead, I'll look into that too....you've been so helpful!

[Malinalli73]

I'm pretty new to this as well and have already tried three masks.

Each one feels great for the first few nights and then I start falling a bit "out of love" with them.

So last night was not good for me. Fought with my new mask for half the night, stumbled out of bed and then put on my old first love, the Swift FX.

Maybe we'll get lucky and find a perfect mask. I'm still looking. I think it might be a lot like dating .... it takes a while to find the "right one" but don't give up!

That's how I feel, the first few nights were great, now I'm having issues. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one....we'll have to keep looking. Good luck to both of us!

[spmccord]

I was offered only one mask, but it seems to have worked for me. I did boy a different mask (ComfortGel Blue Nasal CPAP Mask with Headgear) during one of our sponsor's sales, but I haven't tried it yet.

[Julie]

Malina - the severity of your apnea has nothing to do with your pressure settings - they are designed to keep your particular airway of its particular size open - someone with severe apnea may only need a little air pressure to keep their airway open, whereas you might need much more if your airway's narrower... how often you stop breathing (or for how long) each night has no relation to airway size.

[palerider]

I have mild apnea, so my settings are low as it is, 5 to15. I!

that means nothing. the 'severity' of your apnea has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the amount of pressure needed to control it.

mild, moderate or severe is simply a count of how often it happens, not what it takes to control it. no correlation whatsoever.

edit: I see Julie also answered that point, but I'll leave my comment up as a reinforcement of hers.

[Malinalli73]

I have an appointment with my dr next week, I'll make sure to ask about the setting. I haven't seen her since I got the machine, I'll have a long list of questions for sure, your answers are helping to figure out what I need to know. Masks, humididy, ramp, settings...

[beautifuldreamer]

I went through several masks, too many to count- it took me over a year to find one that worked for me- which initially was the Airfit P10, and then this past February/March, my Respiratory Therapist suggested that I try the DreamWear, and I like the DreamWear better than the Airfit P10.

[Okie bipap]

I have tried at least 10 masks before I finally found one that works for me. My insurance paid for a few of them, some came from members of the forum, and others were purchased from cpap.com. The ones I can't use I pass on to other members of the forum when they need or want to try something different.

[chunkyfrog]

Over the first two years, I tried over 20 masks,
settling on a couple that I could swap back and forth, so my face/nose could heal alternately
I used cpap.com's return insurance on a few more losers, until they offered the P10.
I made that one last until I retired. Now Medicare is my mask/hose/cpap sugar daddy.

[Elidh]

I have a nasal pillow mask, which I chose feeling it would be less burdensome but I have some issues.
Sometimes I feel like air is not going through the little holes and that they might be obstructed by the walls of my nose...am I imagining it?
When I go to bed and my machine is on ramp I feel I'm not getting enough air.
I've been swallowing air.

Hi Malina - I've been on CPAP a total of 3 nights!! So I'm an expert! I turned off the ramp feature before last night's sleep, because with it, I wasn't getting enough air (I felt) and I kept waiting for the full air to come, which of course it didn't because it was waiting for me to fall asleep - vicious cycle! So you may want to consider that.

When I went for my titration study I started the night with a nasal pillow for the same reason you chose it, but I was swallowing air too, and we switched to a full mask, which worked better for me.