Best nasal mask and get Aerocare to give me 3rd mask?

So I’ve had bad luck with the first two masks I got from AeroCare. They may also have given me the wrong size.

The second mask (Resmed F30) was worse than the first (Resmed P10).

They wouldn’t let me try on the mask prior to permanently choosing it. Or they would only let me try on one of the masks that was on their display dummies.

My dad had an extra mask that I’m borrowing, but it’s so large that the nasal mask fits over my mouth.

I figured out that I don’t like anything pushed up against my nostrils blocking the air flow, and I prefer something with multiple adjustable straps so that there’s less chance of pulling it off in the middle of the night.

I also sleep on my side sometimes and don’t like having hard plastic lying against my cheek against a memory foam pillow, which was a problem with the p10.

What nasal masks would people suggest that they like? The Respironics Wisp Nasal and Resmed N20 look similar and only have one strap against your nose. I’d be worried that that the part against your nose is not adjustable and wouldn’t fit right.

The Resmed N10 looks interesting, but I’m not sure if the upper part of the strap coming out from the nose is hard plastic or not.

Also, has anyone had luck getting Aerocare to waive their policy about only allowing you to switch masks once? I also was so frustrated with the F30 that I enlarged the nose holes with scissors.

Is your insurance locked into Aero(don't)care?
If you are buying out of pocket, there is cpap.com, who have mask insurance.
Their prices beat the snot out of local dealers.

My insurance is locked into AeroCare or another local DME. I'm considering going through CPAP.com, but I still have to get a prescription from my doctor. And my lovely sleep doctor that sent me to Aerocare has no way to contact them other than scheduling an appointment for a couple months out. Their voicemail literally has no option for "leave a message for the doctor". (Scheduled for early Feb).

Just leave a message with his nurse and say you need a copy of your prescription.

In a nutshell: Look at the F&P (Fisher & Paykel) Brevida Nasal Pillows (more comfortable than P10) and their Eson 2 nasal Mask. Details follow.

I have Kaiser Permanente insurance in California, and Apria is my DME. I never had to ask them about mask options because my Respiratory Therapist at Kaiser GAVE me several masks to try. I hated the full-face mask, and preferred nasal pillows to the nasal mask because I got a little more CO2 with the nasal mask. I tried it again as I write this and in retrospect, it's pretty good now that I'm used to CPAP breathing (6 mo). It's a Fisher and Paykel nasal mask (see below). I've never tried the ResMed N10 so I can't vouch for it. F&P seems to pay more attention to a softer face-contact than ResMed, in my limited experience.

I digress. The main point is that my RT had several different masks that she just gave me to try out. You may want to ask your sleep doc about this. Mask preferences are EXTREMELY personal and psychological. You shouldn't be forced to use a certain mask just because you can only change once. That's inhumane. It pretty much only leads to dissatisfaction and discontinuation of therapy to the patient's detriment.

So lean on your sleep doc and see if they have some options to give you to try. Otherwise, you may have to invest a bit in a few masks to test yourself. Remember you're going to be in therapy for many, many years so it may be worth it to find something you really like. Or dislike the least. Do you have an FSA? You could at least purchase them tax-free.

Rx seems to be required for mask purchases. However, I found that I could get "parts" for mask systems without an Rx. You just have to dig more to find out all the parts you need to assemble a mask system. (I did this for the special P10 system for the ResMed AirMini because I wanted to get the passive humidifier integrated into the mask tube for a homebrew CPAP project I'm working on.)

Or try craigslist in your local area. Sometimes people buy masks in multiples and then sell the extras still sealed because they decide they don't like them. You can get them at a big discount this way and be able to try different masks on a budget. You don't even need a prescription!


FYI, here are the masks I've tried. My RT (or Kaiser) seems to like F&P products (Fisher & Paykel) so I have more experience with them, although I have a ResMed AirSense 10 system.

1. Full face: Tried it during my trial. Instantly didn't like it. Felt like I was suffocating.

2. F&P "Eson 2" Nasal Mask. Very stable 4-strap system with one over-the-head stabilizing strap. Has a vertical rib coming up about 4" from the center of the mask to which the two top straps are attached. I don't seem to feel it in testing but I've never slept with the mask.

3. F&P "Brevida" Nasal Pillows. Very soft material envelops the entire front of your nose and distributes the contact over a much wider area than the ResMed P10 Nasal Pillows. The result is much softer and you don't feel something pushing at your nostrils and you don't get the nostril-tissue wear and tear. I love this mask the best but I got a deal on some P10 Nasal Pillows so I'm using them more.

4. ResMed AirFit P10 Nasal Pillows. They push on the nose a bit but I find them comfortable enough to use routinely. I got a bunch of them on Craigslist so this is my mask of choice.


Note on nasal pillows: They have only two straps (one on each side) with a split back that goes high and low across the back of your head. Stays in place if straps are positioned well but not very stable to tube pulling. I put a lanyard at the output end of my main tube that goes around my neck (with a lanyard safety-disconnect latch for safety). This prevents tugging on the nasal pillows and they stay in place great for me.

squid13 wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 12, 2020 5:50 pm

Just leave a message with his nurse and say you need a copy of your prescription.

In person.
Works for me.
I just drop in--lets them know I'm serious.

SleepyTexasGirl wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 12, 2020 9:24 am

So I’ve had bad luck with the first two masks I got from AeroCare. They may also have given me the wrong size.

The second mask (Resmed F30) was worse than the first (Resmed P10).

They wouldn’t let me try on the mask prior to permanently choosing it. Or they would only let me try on one of the masks that was on their display dummies.

My dad had an extra mask that I’m borrowing, but it’s so large that the nasal mask fits over my mouth.

I figured out that I don’t like anything pushed up against my nostrils blocking the air flow, and I prefer something with multiple adjustable straps so that there’s less chance of pulling it off in the middle of the night.

I also sleep on my side sometimes and don’t like having hard plastic lying against my cheek against a memory foam pillow, which was a problem with the p10.

What nasal masks would people suggest that they like? The Respironics Wisp Nasal and Resmed N20 look similar and only have one strap against your nose. I’d be worried that that the part against your nose is not adjustable and wouldn’t fit right.

The Resmed N10 looks interesting, but I’m not sure if the upper part of the strap coming out from the nose is hard plastic or not.

Also, has anyone had luck getting Aerocare to waive their policy about only allowing you to switch masks once? I also was so frustrated with the F30 that I enlarged the nose holes with scissors.

I really like the N20. It is very comfortable to me and has fewer leaks than a ff mask. It is advertised that it fits like 98% of all faces. I don't know about that but it fits mine. . When I first started out people were kind enough to send me spare masks to try because like you my provider would only give me the one mask and I just couldn't make it work. I will have to look but I think I have an Eason small and an Activa standard that I could send you to try if you don't mind used. I also have the medium cushion for the N20 and I know I have an unopened small N20 cushion I could send you if you would like to see how the N20 cushions feel

chunkyfrog wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 12, 2020 7:21 pm

squid13 wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 12, 2020 5:50 pm

Just leave a message with his nurse and say you need a copy of your prescription.

In person.
Works for me.
I just drop in--lets them know I'm serious.

I'm not sure there's a nurse there, just a receptionist. They have 5 locations with the sleep lab company and I don't know which hours/days they are actually open. My office visit was in a room with a bed.

babydinosnoreless wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 12, 2020 8:00 pm

I really like the N20. It is very comfortable to me and has fewer leaks than a ff mask. It is advertised that it fits like 98% of all faces. I don't know about that but it fits mine. . When I first started out people were kind enough to send me spare masks to try because like you my provider would only give me the one mask and I just couldn't make it work. I will have to look but I think I have an Eason small and an Activa standard that I could send you to try if you don't mind used. I also have the medium cushion for the N20 and I know I have an unopened small N20 cushion I could send you if you would like to see how the N20 cushions feel

My mom has the N20. She had spare cushions and frame but no extra strap. I may see if I could use the strap from the F30-I thought it used different size clips but after looking at them I think they are the same. I'm currently using my dad's spare Mirage LT but it's so big on me that I have a choice of having the top part go into my eyes or the bottom part over my mouth.

If you wanted to send the Eason and Activa that would be helpful - I may want to wait until after I can try out my mom's N20 (set to meet up with her on Thursday) and/or pester Aero(don't)care.

SleepyTexasGirl wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 13, 2020 1:12 am

babydinosnoreless wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 12, 2020 8:00 pm

I really like the N20. It is very comfortable to me and has fewer leaks than a ff mask. It is advertised that it fits like 98% of all faces. I don't know about that but it fits mine. . When I first started out people were kind enough to send me spare masks to try because like you my provider would only give me the one mask and I just couldn't make it work. I will have to look but I think I have an Eason small and an Activa standard that I could send you to try if you don't mind used. I also have the medium cushion for the N20 and I know I have an unopened small N20 cushion I could send you if you would like to see how the N20 cushions feel

My mom has the N20. She had spare cushions and frame but no extra strap. I may see if I could use the strap from the F30-I thought it used different size clips but after looking at them I think they are the same. I'm currently using my dad's spare Mirage LT but it's so big on me that I have a choice of having the top part go into my eyes or the bottom part over my mouth.

If you wanted to send the Eason and Activa that would be helpful - I may want to wait until after I can try out my mom's N20 (set to meet up with her on Thursday) and/or pester Aero(don't)care.

I had to drop down to the "for her" sizing on the N20. I think I have the regular size head gear that I can send. Private message me your address and I will get the stuff sent out.