First night with OptiLife

[zzzzzz!!]

I'm relatively new at this -- I was diagnosed with OSA and started CPAP therapy in August 2006 with an Ultra Mirage full face mask at a pressure of 7, and that's all I've known up to this point. I like the UMFFM well enough, though it tends to blow air on my eyes now and then and also accumulates a lot of moisture (I've never used my humidifier because it seems to get so wet just from my breathing that I didn't see a need to add the humidity on top of that).

I have always tended to be a mouth breather. In my sleep study they first tried me on the Swift but I felt like I was suffocating and couldn't get enough air. Since then I've been practicing breathing only through my nose in my FF mask and thought I'd like to try a nose mask or nose pillows. For one thing, I'll be living in a place with no air conditioning this summer and am afraid I'll sweat to death in the FFM... for another, I will most likely be dating again and wanted something a little less "alien-like" just in case I have company overnight!

I'm a side sleeper and turn over a few times a night, so I wanted to find a mask that would accommodate that and ended up choosing the OptiLife. The vendor included the Respironics performance hose as a bonus.

Knowing this was going to be a bit of a challenge for me to get used to, I started out by taping my mouth shut and reading for a little while before bedtime, just to relax and get used to breathing 100% through my nose. Then I put the mask on. I started with the smallest pillows on it as they seemed to fit my nose. I felt like I couldn't breathe, so I stayed still (to avoid any exertion and need to breathe harder) and just concentrated on breathing rhythmically and deeply. My nose was already feeling a little dry from the air going through it, so I turned my humidifier on. It took a while to get used to the sound of exhaling through the nasal pillows--to me it sounded like the wind in a blizzard. I fell asleep and woke up a few hours later. My nares were a little sore, so I put some Ayr gel in them. I also got a drink of water and decided not to re-tape afterwards.

While waiting to fall back to sleep, I suddenly heard this huge whoosh of air. Everything seemed to be in place, but no adjustment I could make helped. I looked in the mirror at the placement of the mask and discovered that the entire pillows had slipped up into my nares! I swapped out to the next size up -- end of problem. After sleeping again for a little I suspected that my mouth might be open (not sure, as I didn't feel any rush of air, but it seemed likely) so I stuck a little piece of tape in the middle of my lips and went comfortably back to sleep until it was time to get up.

IMPRESSION: Overall I found the OptiLife quite comfortable. I have the chin strap quite loose (with my double chin, it's useless to tighten it as it would just slip anyway) and almost had the impression I could have removed it altogether as the mask seemed to stay in place well on its own, supported by the headgear. The headgear did slide up a little on the back of my head, but that didn't seem to be a big problem. I may just need to tweak it a little bit. The straps did leave marks on my cheeks (whichever side was lying on the pillow), so I've ordered Pad a Cheeks to take care of that. I have only a RemStar Plus M Series CPAP, so I have no concrete data regarding the mask's effectiveness. As far as I could tell, once I changed the nasal pillows to the next size, I had no leaks. I clipped the hose to the fitted sheet just above the center of my pillow, which allowed me to turn from side to side relatively easily. I'll keep experimenting with hose placement. I haven't tried the mask with my old regular hose, but I can see why the lighter-weight performance hose is recommended.

This was just the first night's experience; I'll be anxious to see how things go from here.

* * * * * * * *

Here's a question for those of you who have used the OptiLife: They say you don't have to take it apart to clean it. Well, you have to take something apart or else it just stays hooked up to the machine! What do you do? Do you unhook it where the small tube joins the CPAP hose? Do you just take off the nasal pillow section? Some other method?

[Rich.CMH]

Welcome aboard zzzzzz!

Next week I celebrate 2 months on cpap and about 5 weeks with the Opti!

CLEANING:
Yes, disconnect the mask hose from the cpap hose. The mask has only 3 parts, the nasal pillows, head/chin straps and the blue plastic interface with small hose.

I remove and clean the pillows every night so I get a good seal. A build up of skin oils I find prevent a good seal. I take apart the mask on weekends and clean in warm soapy water and air dry on a clean towel. Remember to note where the velcro was attached, so when you put it all together again you have the correct fit. However, you CAN leave the straps on and clean it as well. Hopes this helps.

HUMIDIFIER:
I think it is essential to use with nasal pillow masks, but it's personal preference.

HOSE MANAGEMENT:
Well done. I have mine clipped on the side of my pillow with enough hose to allow me to roll over.

[zzzzzz!!]

Last night, night two, was probably the best night's sleep I've had since starting treatment last August!

Just a little discomfort in the nares this morning which is quickly disappearing, but other than that I was comfortable all night. I clipped the hose to the corner of my pillow this time, and that worked well.

So far I have to say I'm pretty pleased with the OptiLife.

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): hose

[Linda3032]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz, for sore nares, be sure to use a lubricant (Ayr gel, or Chapstick, etc) when you put the mask on. Prevention is the best way to go. Glad you like the mask.

[blarg]

And if you're already experiencing sore nares, I found that Ayr gel (during the day) helped heal mine much faster than they healed on their own last time.

[Guest]

Thanks for the suggestions. I do have the Ayr gel.

It's not really an irritation of the nares from the nasal pillows but rather a slight discomfort from the pillows stretching the nostrils a bit (actually, it was only in one of them--so I think it may be positional, depending on which side I'm sleeping on), and it resolved within probably 10 minutes after taking off the mask.

It will take a little time, I think, to really get used to it and see how things go.

[zzzzzz!!]

Good sleep again with no nose discomfort at all. I even dared to untape my mouth to see what would happen, and discovered that although my lips open, my tongue stays in place to keep me from mouth breathing.

Out of curiosity I unfastened the chin strap (which was already fairly loose) and let it hang. The pillows stayed pretty much in place if I didn't move but would leak a little while I was moving around. I could possibly get by without it but it does in fact help with mask "stabilization" and keeping things in place, even when the strap is loose, so I'll keep using that as intended.

I wouldn't mind having some kind of padding on the plastic "wings" where the chin strap attaches as they can dig into my cheek a little, depending on my position.

All in all, I'm quite happy with the OptiLife.