getting the aura today

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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rock and roll
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Post by rock and roll » Thu Dec 01, 2005 10:17 pm

I like the Aura also, after I bent the wire just right. I use the Swift for travel as it does n ot break easy and is light. The Activa is not a nasal pillow you know but a nasal mask, but is IMHO the best one for a MASK. Let's face it, none of them are perfect, but they have come a long way baby and maybe in ten years they will miniturized like everything else is these days.


Apneaat22
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Post by Apneaat22 » Fri Dec 02, 2005 6:55 am

I have just received my Aura and an Activa. Currently I have been transitioning between a "Comfort"Gel and a Swift.

I like the Swift better than the ComfortGel but as any mask I have my issues with it, Namely I cannot sleep facing my mate since I dont want to blow her head off. I used to also find myself waking up 4 and 5 times a night on the swift, but I wouldnt on the ComfortGel.

Last night I used the Aura for the first time. I must say, I missed not having stuff all over my cheeks, nice design. I had no problem with a seal as I have a large head. I did not wake up once and did not have to adjust. Time will tell as I have found with these masks, the first time is always the best.

I played around with the Activa and yeah thats a good design for a mask from what I can tell. I rolled around with it and it seems to be a good seal. I may have to wait a few days before I try it as I liked my nights sleep on the Aura.

Adam


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Linda3032
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Post by Linda3032 » Fri Dec 02, 2005 5:24 pm

Okay, I want an Aura, and I think I've read all the posts discussing fitting it, etc. Love Rested Gal's pantyhose solution.

Rested Gal, did you just use the pantyhose for your experiment, or do you use them all the time?

Also, I know you are a side sleeper (and I want a papillow now too, lol), where do you put the hose that goes over your head? Does it go behind the headboard, or come back down over your shoulder?

I've only used NasalAire I, for 2 1/2 years (yes I change out every six months), so I have no experience with interfaces that don't come down in front of my chest.

Thanks all for the wonderful forum. It's full of information by "very, friendly" people. I love you all.

Linda


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neversleeps
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Post by neversleeps » Fri Dec 02, 2005 6:08 pm

I'm not rested gal, but I found these posts by her...
rested gal wrote:...here are links to descriptions about how I hang the hose up. You don't have to get fancy with a swivel plant hanger though - anything that you can use to make a loop hanging on the headboard or affixed to the wall to run the hose through would work. I read of one woman who nailed a ponytail scrunchy to the back of her headboard...very secure without marring the front of the headboard or the wall.

Jan 24, 2005 subject: Equipment Advice Needed...

Dec 19, 2004 subject: Help and advice please

Jun 30, 2005 subject: Need help with Breeze hose

Here's a very simple solution I love! Jeff V's "sock ball" idea:

Jeff V's solution - a sock ball wedged behind head of bed

I tied a couple of clean old socks around my hose several times (in a strategic location) to create a large ball. Then I pulled the bed away from the wall, put the ball between the bed and the wall and pushed the bed back in place, with the sock ball jammed between. Now the hose forms a small loop over my head when I sleep. No pulling at all; and when the bed is made, everything is out of sight.

I don't need a humidifier, so I never have to wash my hose; don't know what kind of issue this would create for washing the hose.

I keep another hose in my travel bag and when I travel I leave the socked hose at home in place, with tissue stuffed in the ends to keep the cat hairs out.
and
rested gal wrote:...here's what to do:

The fix is a homemade strap at eyebrow level:
Image

Or a strap at the nasal pillows area:
Image

Or both:
Image

Or...none of the above.
and
rested gal wrote:I posted this as a reply to a topic on the TAS board. I love my Aura more than ever now!

Topic posted by LCM (Lorraine) Apr 27 2005 subject: My Hair! It's Being Destroyed!

Lorraine, let it never be said that lab rats won't go to extreme measures when it comes to their hair.

I've come up with yet another fix for my Aura. A pretty drastic one. You might not want to do it.

I've been thinking about doing this almost ever since I got the Aura and found I needed to add homemade straps.

With the straps added, there was really nothing about the Aura's own headgear holding it on for me. My straps were doing it all, and the Aura's top strap in particular was doing nothing more than keeping the lockbox from flopping over in front of my face.

Your post made me say, "Awww, what the hey...I've been meaning to figure out a way to get the connector hose out of that lockbox ... I'm gonna do it right now."

I took a serrated knife to the "lockbox." I unlocked the hose!! I now have the most ultra lightweight, most comfortable Aura in captivity! There's nothing touching my hair line or the top of my head at all now.

No "lockbox." No rubber straps. Nothing to break off a woman's hair (or a man's, for that matter) at the hairline, wherever it may be.

The lockbox and ALL the rubber strapping that comes with the headgear is now packed away in my discard drawer. All that's left of my Aura are the perfect parts...the parts that made the Aura my favorite - its ultra soft nasal pillow assembly and the plastic upward pointing exhaust.

Of course the connector hose is still on it too, but the hose is freed from the lockbox and is now happily flopping loose. It's even easier now to connect the Aura's hose overhead to the main air hose hanging from the wall. The hose still stays up out of the way for tossing and turning - side sleeping, back sleeping, whatever.

The Aura's nasal thingy and its plastic exhaust are still held at the same places by my two sets of homemade straps - one set at eyebrow level, the other set (the infamous pantyleg strap!) holding the bottom corners of the nasal assembly.

My stripped down Aura is the most comfortable nasal pillows I've ever had on. The only thing I had to add was a small piece of soft foam on my forehead where the eyebrow level straps are connected at the front. The foam pads it nicely at my forehead.

I chose a thickness of foam to tilt the top of the nasal assembly forward "just right", now that there's no lockbox up above to maintain a forward tilt to the top.

An extra black foam filter for the Remstar was the right thickness for me. I cut it in half, using one half at my forehead.

I wedged the other half of the foam between the connector hose and the cut off rods at the top, to be sure the hose would never get against the top of the cut off rods. That would be unlikely since the hose has a rigid connector there, but I wanted to be absolutely sure the hose never got jabbed.

Lorraine, this isn't a fix that I'd recommend at all unless a person liked the Aura's nasal part, but was about to discard the Aura altogether because of the underside of the lockbox thinning/breaking their hair or bothering their scalp - or just plain being annoying to have up there..

Getting the hose out of the lockbox involves putting the connector hose (as well as one's fingers!) in jeopardy while sawing (twice!) through the plastic piece at the back of the lockbox to free the hose at the back.

To avoid nicking the hose while sawing away at the hard plastic with my serrated knife, I stuck some closed scissors flat between the hose and where I was sawing.

You have to cut through two spots on that back piece of plastic to get that piece of plastic off and lift the hose out. Someone with the proper tools could do a faster, safer job of it, but I made it through both times with fingers and (more importantly! ) the hose intact.

You also have to cut through both of the thin rods of plastic that hold the front of the lock box. Compared to the thick plastic holding the the hose at the back, those front rods are a piece of cake to saw through. I sawed the rods off just above the small horizontal U shaped piece that's above the exhaust.

Again I stuck some closed scissors between hose and where I was sawing, to protect the hose from any slip of the serrated knife. File the cut ends of the rods to smooth them.

Image

Image

Aeiomed (makers of the Aura) might feel this drastic change defeats their design purpose of having nasal pillows with no "straps" on the cheeks. That's true.

But if it comes down to having no straps on the cheeks or thinning, breaking hair up at the hairline.... hmmmm

Anyway, I tried out my new sans-lockbox Aura thoroughly with a long nap. Sealed beautifully and was more comfortable than it's ever been before. Everyone's mileage may vary, though, so don't wreck your Aura unless it was about to hit the drawer anyway.

Update:
Two full nights using my stripped down Aura Lite.
AHI 0.7 each night.
Working great and soooo comfortable to sleep in.

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Jere
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Post by Jere » Fri Dec 02, 2005 6:39 pm

My Aura arrived today! I fooled around with the fit and looks like the thing will be a vast improvement in terms of comfort. The real test will be tonight (the fingers are crossed).

Over the weekend I'll have to come up with a rig for the hose (look for me roaming the aisles of Home Depot).

_

"First rule of holes: when you are in one, stop digging"

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Post by Sleepless on LI » Fri Dec 02, 2005 7:14 pm

viewtopic.php?t=4290&start=0

This is a link that has a wonderful way to route the hose to the top strap so that it takes it out of your way when you sleep. This is how I would position it when I'd use my Swift.

I do not have a headboard, so I would place the hose behind my second pillow. I would use a king sized pillow sham against the wall with my Tempur Pedic pillow in front of it. I would make just enough slack to allow me to move and turn position during the night from side to side and then put the rest behind the back pillow and route it back to the machine that way.

Someone posted a wonderful way, too, to use these 3M holders, I believe they were, (maybe someone can find the post) that hold the hose by placing it in these stick to the wall type devices. Looked like a great solution. Or if you have a headboard, people will use a scrunchie attached to it or anything that can go around the hose and allow it to slide through it during the night. It's call good lab ratting, as RG has taught us.

L o R i
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Linda3032
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Post by Linda3032 » Fri Dec 02, 2005 10:25 pm

Thants for all the info. I read so many posts on the Aura, I can't believe I missed those.

I have an old iron bed with headboard and footboard (but they are not boards of course). So I can easily rig up a noose to hold the hose. I just didn't know if it was supposed to go up over the pillow. The Aura pictures kind of show the unit as curving behind the head towards the back of the neck. And I knew that wasn't right.

Scrunchies are wonderful. I currently have one pinned to the edge of my mattress. I run my hose through it to hold the weight of the hose, and keep it from falling off the bed. It works great. I never wake up to the hose pulling my nose out of bed.

Thanks again. I won't get my new prescription until January - can't wait.


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Linda3032
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Post by Linda3032 » Fri Dec 02, 2005 11:17 pm

LOL. Now I want to know if Rested Gal is still using her Aura "invention" - cutting off the lockbox. My kinda woman. Innomed would never recognize what I've done with my NasalAires over the years

So, Laura, are you still using it?


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rested gal
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Post by rested gal » Sat Dec 03, 2005 9:05 am

Linda3032 wrote:So, Laura, are you still using it?
Yep.
(That was my answer in 2005 when Linda asked me that question. See my edit at the bottom of this post. )

Latest permutation: I took a sharp pair of scissors to the "medium" pillows of one of my deconstructed Auras, trimming a fraction off the tip tops. The slightly bigger openings and shorter "tips" are even more comfy -- practically not being inside the nostrils at all now.

Sealing with the tips lopped off that way is possible only because the bottom pantyhose strap nestles the smushy soft nasal assembly part upward and against the front of my nares so well.

Here are the two ways I route the homemade straps on mine, depending on how it happens to seal better on any given night:

Image
Image

Without the extra homemade strap down there, cutting the tips off would be a recipe for ruining a perfectly good set of pillows.

never sleeps...what you unearth is astonishing! I'd forgotten where some of that stuff was! Thanks.

Apneaat22, hope your great start with the Aura continues!

Jere, my fingers are crossed, too, for ya!

Ron, a rose by any other name....

My edit, six years later!!! Headrest has continued to be the mask for me...year, after year, after year:
Image
Last edited by rested gal on Fri Jun 24, 2011 3:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Linda3032
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Post by Linda3032 » Sat Dec 03, 2005 11:58 am

"Deconstructed Auras" -

Laura, I think I read in one of your posts that you normally use a size Large pillow. Was that in the Breeze and/or the Aura? Did cutting the tip off the pillow allow you to go down one size

I'm glad I found this forum. I've not been reading any forums since I've not had equipment problems. Wow, there's scads of new equipment now - mine are practically antiques.

Rats, why is it that sometimes the "emoticons" work and sometimes they don't?


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rested gal
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Post by rested gal » Sat Dec 03, 2005 1:11 pm

Linda, with the Breeze I use the "Large" (light mint green color) nasal pillows. Keeps them more to the outside.

With my deconstructed Auras, I can use either the Medium or the Large pillows. Doesn't much matter which, since the lower strap I use down there is keeping the pillows in place fine.

I'll have to look to see which size I snipped the tops off... umm, it's the....Large. Looking at them in broad daylight, I see that I came perilously close to taking off too much - those are two BIG holes now. They smush up against the snoot soooooo well, though, every night.

In addition to the strap to steady the pillows down at the nostrils, the other thing I do, that allows me to wear either size (Med or Large) with the Aura, is putting a band of velcro tightly around the tubes where the tubes run beside each other just below the exhaust. I use a little piece of velcro around them to push the tubes even closer against each other up there.

The first time I fastened the tubes closer together up there, it looked like I had squashed them closed. But, when I turned on the machine, the air was coming through the same as usual. Tying the tubes closer together up there has the effect of making the pillows themselves stay closer together down below. On the "Large", I've got mine so close the pillows touch each other.

You can easily determine if you even need the pillows shoved against each other more in that fashion by doing this test: If you're getting a little leak and you find that just taking your fingers and lightly squeezing the two tubes closer to each other up at the bridge of the nose stops the leak, then use velcro or a wide plastic zip-tie, rubber band, anything that won't damage the silicone, to keep the two tubes pulled closer against each other up at that spot.

But more than anything else, the leg off a pair of pantyhose tights, strategically placed around the pillows area usually is enough to stop leaks. I think using a leg from "tights" is better than a leg from just regular pantyhose. The "tights" material is a bit thicker, a tad "grippier", and holds a wide shape better as a strap. A regular pantyhose leg tends to roll into a thinner line...still comfortable enough, but I just like the pantyhose tights material better for use as straps.

Wish I had originally used a strip of cloth from a T-shirt or the leg off flannel PJ's! Maybe the guys would be more apt to add those kinds of things and end the leak battle quickly!


My edit, six years later: I never cut the tips off any pillows after that one experimental time long ago. Using the cradling strap underneath the pillows ("as is" or "as are" ) keeps them in place. Had no need to cut bigger openings.
Last edited by rested gal on Fri Jun 24, 2011 3:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Jere
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Post by Jere » Sat Dec 03, 2005 3:28 pm

First night with the Aura and slept 8 straight hours. No waking up and adjusting masks and no leak issues. I was able to switch my head from side to side without problem. I am becoming a convert.

I hope this is a sign of things to come. Thanks everyone for recommending this thing!
.

"First rule of holes: when you are in one, stop digging"

Sleepless on LI
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Post by Sleepless on LI » Sat Dec 03, 2005 3:48 pm

[quote="Jere"]First night with the Aura and slept 8 straight hours. No waking up and adjusting masks and no leak issues. I was able to switch my head from side to side without problem. I am becoming a convert.

I hope this is a sign of things to come. Thanks everyone for recommending this thing!
.

L o R i
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Newsgrouper
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Post by Newsgrouper » Sat Dec 03, 2005 9:41 pm

RG's Aura modification is the only reason I am still on CPAP. None of the interfaces allowed me to really get a good night's rest. The modified Aura is great and I don't understand why the manufacturer doesn't market a modified Aura. The lock box and straps, etc. are unnecessary and only add to weight, discomfort, and hair loss.


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Jerry69
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Just got an Aura/Everest

Post by Jerry69 » Wed Dec 28, 2005 11:19 am

I only slept with the Aura on the first 2 hours last night, but it was leaking, so I switched to the Swift for the balance of the night, 7-1/2 hours. [Am I sleeping too much?]

I came across this old thread again this morning. I saw what everyone was doing to their Auras, none as drastic as Laura's 'fix', however. (What a great thread this is for the nasal pillow users!)

So, I went back to the bedroom (lab) and started bending the wires in the pillow system. By jove, I think i've a seal! First I bent them apart side-to-side to better fit my widely space nares. This also shortened the overall configuration of the pillows. Then I bent them so as to cup up under my nose more, further shortening the overall configuration. I lay there with the CPAP running for 5-10 minutes and rolled from side to side. Didn't feel any air leaks around the pillows. I wrinkled my nose to try to get a leak and couldn't.

The Aura makes a different sound than the Swift. The Swift is a 'whoooo'. The Aura is a 'psssssst' But, I went to sleep with the psssssst' last night and I can get used to it. The Aura is very comfortable and will make a good switch from the Swift. It is not as cumbersome as the Breeze, although similar in style (over the head). The Breeze is the quietest of the three. It also sounds 'pssssst' but more quietly than either the Swift or Aura.

I think I could use the Breeze some, too, if I get the extra-large pillows. I slept with the Breeze several nights, but it made my nostrils sore, so the extra-large pillows might solve that. The Breeze didn't leak, except when I moved and the headgear moved. It is rather top heavy and tends to shift and pull at the pillows, unsealing them.

So, in conclusion, all three interfaces are tolerable. (How can you actually 'like' a PAP interface, or the PAP process for that matter.) I'm not going to say that any one of these three, 'is the best'. It is obvious from the posts that all three have their following for various reasons. One thing, I don't have to worry about is one or the other damaging my hair. I'm bald with only a short stubble around the edges.

Jerry Image


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