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Where exactly is the air leaking from?
Some of my patients use padding to prevent this. Some use a folded up flannel. Others have cut up a piece of sheep skin to use as padding. It works for some of them.
The DreamWear comes in 2 versions - intranasal and under nose. Both have far more reliable headgear than either the Nuance or the P10. I have seen people solve the P10 problem by going to a fabric/sewing store and buying a roll of elastic which has button holes in it couple of centimeters (inch for our US readers). This can be fitted on to the P10 frame quite easily, works about as well as the normal head gear, and costs about 100th as much to replace.
How long have you been using CPAP?
Auto CPAPs work fine for most people but certainly not for all. There are a few things which can prevent them from doing their job properly.
I wonder why the nurse suggested that you change from 14 to 10 - 14. The minimum pressure isn't that low, so you won't get much improvement in comfort. And if you were happy enough at fixed pressure, why muck around with it? If they wanted you to go on auto mode, why not a slightly higher max pressure to see if that reduced your AHI further? Setting the max pressure at the same levels as your fixed pressure is not going to reduce obstruction at all.
It really bothers me that some doctors, who get paid so much, can be so negligent in their obligation to educate their patients. I have a friend who is being treated for cancer. Her doctor told her she needs a second round of chemo. She was very unhappy about this and didn't want to do it, so she got in touch with a charity which supports young cancer sufferers. They connected her with one of their volunteers who organised another appointment with her oncologist, went a long to the appointment with her and made the doctor explain WHY she needed a second round of chemo. As soon as she had an explanation she was more than happy to go ahead. Seriously, why didn't the doctor do their job and explain it in the first place. Instead, there had to be a charitable organisation set up which trains volunteers who have to make extra appointments with doctors and be present at those appointments just to get the doctor to do EXACTLY WHAT THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN DOING ANYWAY!
This is why I often advise people on this forum to make your doctor answer all your questions (or at least direct you to someone who can) or get a new doctor. They are paid massive amounts to do their job, so make them earn it.
It would be worth trying out whether boiling for 10 mins would have the same effect. We have our masks sterilised at just under boiling temperature (I think) for about 3 hours at a time. The older gel masks usually didn't cope, but the newer ones, like the Nuance, seem OK with it. Still, If boiling for a shorter time can produce the same results, it would help extend the lifespan of your mask.
Very wise. For obvious reasons, bed partners are at risk too.
As suggested above, you may just need a little more air to feel comfortable. This is not unusual. Also, you could consider a mask that allows you to breathe through you mouth.
On the bright side, when you can breathe properly, you may well find that you do not move about nearly so much in bed. Most people do.
