Aura De-Cap-itated???

onecoknower · Post by **onecoknower** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:03 pm

I know there are a couple of you who love the aura but have done something to change the headgear. Can you share with me what you've done? I just got mine today and am planning to use it tonight. But the headgear feels kind of heavy so I'm wondering if I might want to change it.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Donna

Linda3032 · Post by **Linda3032** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:12 pm

I think you should try the headgear for a couple of nights. But here is the site about how to de-cap-itate it.

viewtopic.php?t=5919&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

And Aura Tips:

viewtopic.php?t=3098

I love mine, good luck with yours.

Linda3032 · Post by **Linda3032** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:20 pm

And, it used to be that the upper portion of the nasal pillows "spread" apart. So we tied or taped them closer together.

That is no longer necessary. The new Twilight Aura pillows have a firm clear plastic splint inside - in addition to the bendable wire. That splint keeps the pillows from spreading apart.

Also, small, round, foam makeup pads (Walmart, Walgreens, etc.) cushion the forehead plastic nicely -- if you deconstruct.

blarg · Post by **blarg** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 6:39 pm

I just sliced mine up and used it last night.

Seems to irritate my nostrils less than it did with the headgear.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 7:10 pm

I really liked the comfort of the Aura, but it was so noisy that it kept waking me up! Does the new design make it any quieter?

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:30 pm

Guest wrote:I really liked the comfort of the Aura, but it was so noisy that it kept waking me up! Does the new design make it any quieter?

Nope. Same sound as far as I could tell. The same "shuuuush" sound when you inhale. A noticeable change of sound when inhaling is rather typical of any nasal pillows interface I've used. For the comfort I get using nasal pillows interfaces, though, I'll put up with the inhale sound. (And with taping my mouth. )

blarg wrote:I just sliced mine up and used it last night.

You daring lad, you! Why does that not surprise me?

What, might I ask, did you use as homemade straps to hold your deconstructed Twilight NP (Aura) on?

Thanks, Linda, for posting the links!

Linda3032 · Post by **Linda3032** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:40 pm

Good for you Blarg -- isn't it great?

And actually, I found a really good home-made strap material - quite by accident.

I had an old cotton tee-shirt with some lycra in it. Very soft and stretchy. I cut 4" wide strips of it, and fit it around my head and mask. Once I got a nice fit, I sewed the ends together (no longer have to tie or knot it). So I ended up with a soft stretchy headband. It's even better than the "pantyhose or tights" for me.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 12:07 am

WTG, Linda! Plus, "guys" might be more inclined to use a strip of T-shirt.

blarg · Post by **blarg** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 12:15 am

Linda3032 wrote:Good for you Blarg -- isn't it great?

Dunno yet, gimme a week.

rested gal wrote:"guys" might be more inclined to use a strip of T-shirt.

While I was in the store picking out my pantyhose tights, a lady looked at me quizically. I simply held up two of them and said, "Do you happen to know which of these is more comfortable?"

That got her to leave me alone.

onecoknower · Post by **onecoknower** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 7:30 am

Results of the first night:

Pressure 11.2 - about the same as the swift
leaks 0.12 - about the same as the swift
AHI 0.8 - lower than AHI on the swift - that usually ran around 1.5

Headgear is heavy, but I like the design with the hose going over the head and the exhale holes going up instead of out. Felt great sleeping on both sides without a hose in the way.

Headgear seems kinda loose, but there are adjustments that I probably still need to make to get everything just right. Felt good in my nares. I use a small in the swift and tried the med. for the aura. They don't go quite so far into my nostrils so felt more comfy than the swift.

Slept exactly 8 hours - very little tossing and turning - a little bit of adjusting.

Overall, think it went well.
Donna

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 9:04 am

onecoknower wrote:Headgear seems kinda loose

Donna, that's the case for a lot of women. The headgear for the Twilight NP (Aura) is often just a tad too big for smaller heads even when taken up all the way. That's one of the reasons I used a homemade strap around it (up high, like wearing a sweatband) even when I used it with its headgear still intact.

Sounds like your first night using the Twilight NP went well!

Linda3032 · Post by **Linda3032** » Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:44 pm

Donna, glad it worked for you so far. Isn't it wonderful having that vent blow upwards instead of out?

Hope you continue to do well with it.

Watch out for rainout. Nasal pillows are very prone to it.

onecoknower · Post by **onecoknower** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 6:52 am

I experienced some rainout the first week on cpap, but, thanks to the wisdom of this board, found the comfortsleeve. Love them! No more rainout, AND, makes the hose look and feel more comfy, less institutional.
Donna

Born Tired · Post by **Born Tired** » Sun Feb 25, 2007 3:53 pm

Donna,
The following is an earlier post that tells what I did to make the too loose headgear fit my head:

"I shortened the strap (that goes around the base of your head) by pinching up a portion of the fuzzy part of the strap, then folding it over and using a safety pin to hold it in the shortened position. This made it short enough that the hooks on the velcro were able to grab onto the fuzzy fabric. It makes a slight lump where it is pinned, but since I am rarely on my back it doesn't bother me. This made the headgear fit snug enough so I didn't need to use the homemade strap around the nose. I almost never had to adjust it once it was set. Just popped it on and off like a baseball cap--well except for the nasal pillows thingy. The worst part for me was the hat hair in the mornings. Which is why after well over a year I have finally deconstructed my beloved Aura. It's not bad this way but I did really like the feel (of nothing on my face) and ease of donning and removing it with the headgear. Who knows--in time I may love the deconstructed model as much as RG and Linda."

It has now been over a month that I have used the deconstructed version with a variety of straps. At present I am using the headgear (lightweight strapping) from a Tiara nasal prong system (couldn't deal with the prongs). The hair problem is almost eliminated, and I have rigged part of the strap to act as a built in chin strap (which I always have to use--taping didn't work for me).

Hope you find just the right method for you! It's a great interface.
Esther
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onecoknower · Post by **onecoknower** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:57 pm

So, I'm sleeping better with the Aura - I like being able to roll from side to side. I'm de-capitating it, though. I can't stand the headgear - it's hot and plastic and wrecks my hair.

So we'll see how the decapitated version works...