Hi JaneOnymous,
It gets better, I have been on "the hose" since October and the first 2-3 weeks are rough.
Bandaids on the nose will reduce the chafing there so keep that up.
The full face mask is not an easy critter to tame, but I have had to since my nose is
not sufficient by itself for me to breathe through.
everyone has a different face so:
Fit:
I have tried 3 other masks and finally found one I can live with.
One for my friends has gone through 10 before finding a keeper.
Poke around this forum some more and there are some good tips for fitting
the mask each time you put it on. (It does make a difference!)
Cleaning:
I wash mine in Dawn (original formula) almost every day but on the occasional day I don't do that I mop it out well with Handi-Wipes to disinfect and de-grease the surfaces.
Degreasing is a major thing since the mask needs to stick to your facial skin to prevent leaks.
Leakage can be so bad that the CPAP machine cannot fully compensate for it and then it can't do it's job well. (besides being noisy)
As for the breathing discomfort: perhaps if you discribe more as to how the machine settings are, someone may have some good ideas for you since I am not that familiar with your hardware.
And again:
"Never give up, never surrender and never EVER back down, unless it is immoral to do so!"
:Winston Churchill
Good Luck!
=^.^=