Masks are very very personal. You really need to find what works for you. Do not be afraid to try different brands and styles until you find one that works for you.
This can become costly if you are self funding but this is a long term investment and getting it right early will make your CPAP experience a lot more pleasant and hopefully means you stick with the therapy. I cannot sleep without mine - A recent lung biopsy meant I was off the CPAP for a week - not pretty.
More Importantly at this stage of your journey, make sure the
DME gives you a decent machine - at this stage
more important than the mask, Masks change regularly, but your machine should last years and you need a decent, data capable machine - see the FAQ on that. without a good machine you will judge a mask solely on comfort instead of how effective it is in treating you. Comfort, while very important is still only one aspect. Also decent EPR (exhale pressure relief) can make a mediocre mask experience great. Read the Thread
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...ew-machine
That said my experience is as follows
I use nasal pillows, specifically the Airfit P10. I tried a few other pillows before this that did not work as well for me, e.g. the Swift. The swift was actually not bad but my wife hated the venting on it which was why I switched to the P10 when it was released. I get great AHI (below 1) with low leakage
I am self funded so could not afford to try a huge variety of masks so I read everything on this forum I could find on masks (there is a lot) before deciding what to spend my cash on. I tried a ffm and a nasal mask (I keep them for when I have colds/sinus issues etc) - the leaks for me were atrocious probably because I had extremely severe acne until after 30 and my face is like the surface of the moon. - lots of scar tissue and anything but smooth. I had to tighten them to the point of pain, leaving huge red marks all over my face. This was partly due to the fact I prefer to sleep on my side and that tended to push the FFM/Nasal askew. That said they both gave great AHI results
If you do not mouth breath pillows work great. Even with me occasionally opening my mouth that is still way less leakage. I do use a chin strap now though that is not always effective. Although it feels like you are bundling up your face, it is still way less confining than the effect of the ffm for me. In short I hate strapping a hose to my face regardless of the type of mask doing it, but the results for my sleep mean I do it every night.
The venting on the P10 does not usually disturb my wife where the FFM and Nasal were/are hated. Noisy and a strong stream of cold air that always seemed to find her. In short if I have to use them she moves to the spare room.
I do not have any maintenance agreements and find the masks last way longer than advertised as long as you regularly clean them. I boil the silicon cusions and strap with baking soda which cleans them great and doesn't leave any scent behing to set off my sinuses. In the early years I tried a variety of commercial cleaning products but they all took 3 -4 days to de-scent so I didn't continuously sneeze. The baking soda combines with your natural oils the silicon cushions absorb, making a natural soap that cleanses it. I then use that to scrub down the other parts, rinse thorougly and dry. I do the same with the silicon parts of the FFM etc after using them as well.
