Whether it is "curiously comforting" or a "nightmare", the various reactions are all valid and describe how we are all different and react differently based on our own experiences. When my son was fitted for his mask, I think my own claustrophobic tendencies caused me to worry about it more than he did - i.e. what would happen if he has to cough, can't breathe, got sick, or all the other possible 'What-ifs"? Since those first days as CG, and the beginning of his Rad Tx, there have been so many helpful replies and various ways to handle "the mask". I really like the one posted by someone on OCF not long ago about the use of a bell for the patient to signal distress. It was never used but provided the comfort of knowing help and communication were very close by. My son got through it just fine, flirting with the cute female assistants, even getting them to take his picture while strapped down.