How many different masks did you try?

How many different masks did you try before you settled for one? Just curious. I only tried one set of pillows and a full mask so far. Not to happy with either yet but it is all new to me. I just don't want to keep wasting money buying different ones to find out they are pretty much the same.

Have much different are pillows from a nasal mask?

Dave

I have had 12 masks. If you are new to this and have just received your machine and gear in the past 30 days, you should b e eligible for the mask program. The manufacturers will reimburse the dme for any masks that you have been given within the first 30 days of therapy. The dme's are sometimes too lazy to fill out the paperwork to send back to the manufacturers to get reimbursed...so some of them limit the program Talk to your dme and see if this is the case. I still have my very first mask the quattro and will sometimes still use it, but I have settled on the Innomed Hybrid, its still a full face mask but has a smaller footprint than others. The diffeence between a nasal mask and nasal pillows is...a nasal mask fits over your nose, nasal pillows stick up against your nares.....take a look at all the photos and descriptions at cpap.com and you will see the difference.
Welcome to the forum and the land of hose heads or hosers...whichever you prefer

I get mine through Advance Home Healthcare..They have a 90 day return policy.If you don't like it bring it back to try another one.

I went thru probably 6 different masks until I settled on "mine". As Nan said, you ought to be able to return the mask to your DME until you find one. Finding a comfortable mask that doesn't leak is the key to successfully treating sleep apnea. When you try on a mask at the DME, allow the DME to help you adjust the mask. Bring a pillow with you and have the DME hook up a display machine set at your pressure. Get on the floor and roll around to see if the mask will leak and help you decide on the comfort level. Know that a mask is a lot like shoes. What is comfortable to me may not be comfortable to you.

Sheriff

I started out with a nasal mask that I used for about a year. I then switched to the Quattro FF mask that I have now used for almost 3 years. Each time I tried several at the DME. Once I picked one I kept it.

One. Actually, I'm switching back and forth between the Swift FX nasal pillow small and the medium. Does that count as one or two? I can't decide which is more comfortable or which is less uncomfortable.

Over a dozen.
I still haven't found 'the ONE', but I alternate between 3 or 4 'OK' masks.

Five for me. Swift FX, Mirage Quattro, Mirage Liberty, Innomed Hybrid and Quattro FX. For me, the Quattro FX has worked the best and has been my mask of choice for over 7 months now. it's comfortable to wear and I get extremely low leak rates, often zero leaks for most of the night. As always, masks are a personal thing though so what works for one person may not work for another. I used the CPAP Library mask trial program to find the Quattro FX, but they discontinued that program recently. Definitely ask your DME about free exchanges though. My DME told me I was allowed only one free exchange. Others have said they can get unlimited exchanges if done within the 30 day period.

Let's see, I went through 9 or 10 on the way to the two I switch between now. Spent the first month or so in one mask, then tried about 7 or 8 over the next 5 or 6 weeks and then settled into the Sleepweaver for over a year before adding the Aloha to the mix. Right now I'm probably split 50/50 between those two -- maybe 3 or 4 days in one then 3-4 days in the other. Both have good and bad about them but basically I'm okay with living in either one of them.
I got fortunate in that my insurance was very liberal starting out with buying masks -- they sprung for 3 or 4 in those first 2-3 months or so and then my sleep center loaned me an additional 2 or 3 and I bought 2 or 3 outright, and then did the return insurance thing through our sponsor on a couple of others.

IMHO there is NO perfect mask -- there are some that are far better than others but I'd suggest you try and find 2 or maybe 3 that you can live with and swap in and out of them. When one mask starts irritating me I swap -- usually the things I like about the second one will jump out at me again and I'm happy and then it'll take a few days and it'll start to get irritating and I swap back and the cycle repeats itself.

daveverdo wrote:How many different masks did you try before you settled for one? Just curious. I only tried one set of pillows and a full mask so far. Not to happy with either yet but it is all new to me. I just don't want to keep wasting money buying different ones to find out they are pretty much the same.

Have much different are pillows from a nasal mask?

Dave

ZERO.
My first mask was THE ONE. And, I'm still using the very same one I started with seven years ago....the ResMed Ultra Mirage Full Face.
I've TRIED a couple of different brands and models since then, but I came to the conclusion that my preliminary homework paid off and I got it right the first time.


.

For a full face mask, it's a Quattro FX. It took 5 masks to get here though. Purchased and returned 2, and 3 loaners. My second mask is the Aloha nasal pillow mask, which I love, but find that the headgear is so loose that I manage to wiggle out of it most nights. This was a whim purchase because I was having difficulties finding a FFM that felt good and I was desperate for something to see me through. The full face mask is neat because I don't need to use a chin strap but the nasal pillow mask has the advantage that there's like nothing to it and should please the most claustrophobic sleeper.

Yes, the mask part of the equation has been a real adventure!

Suz

My respiratory therapist looked at me and said I would be most comfortable with the Swift FX.

He was correct.

Recently I tried the GoLife version 2 and the TrueBlue. I am back to the Swift FX. It is less intrusive and works better for me.

I didn't care for the GoLife, but the TrueBlue showed promise. Still for me, the Swift FX works best.

Comfort gel nasal mask- 4 wks
EasyLife nasal mask - 4 wks
Swift LT and Fx nasal pillows - swapped every few days, 6 wks
Headrest nasal pillow - last 2+ years

If they would just come up with better strap's that would last longer.Velcro stop's sticking..About 6 month'sI'm ready for something different..Just call'd today for my re-fit on something new.

Hi there
1) I went with the mask that worked well at the sleep study and have stuck to it.
2) I am happy with the Quattro FX for Her (for now anyway).