Mask Options

patseguin · Post by **patseguin** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 7:45 am

Well, I have my S8 Compact and Resmed pillow system (original, not II). I've been doing OK with it but sleeping on my side seems a little touchy, especially on the side where the mask comes out. So, I got a Breeze sleepgear with the pillows and tried it last night. It put an awful lot of pressure on my nose and exhaling seemed a lot harder. I had a super restless night and ended up taking the thing off around 2am and slept with nothing. Now, I am looking at the ComfortLite 2 system. In looking at the picture, it seems good but I wonder if the part on your nose slips out easily when you move around. Anyone have experiece with that mask?

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 8:18 am

Your Breeze may just need some adjustments. While I encourage you to try as many masks as you can ... I would also encourage you to give your masks a fair chance and try out all of the adjustments before "kicking them to the curb".

I too had an awful first two days when I first tried the Breeze ... having tried 5 other nasal pillow systems since then, the Breeze is my favorite mask (although I hacked it up and redesigned it to suit my needs).

Best of luck!

twillson · Post by **twillson** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 11:05 am

Pat,

Have you tried the tips on how to get the swift to work for side sleeping? The three most effective that I know of are:

1) Use a firm pillow and keep your head close enough to the edge that front of the mask hangs off when you are on your side. (Your hose should be connected on the side that you are facing, but shoult be clipped to the headgear to make it more secure.)

2) Use your headboard or something else to hang the hose over your head. In this case you want the hose attached on the side opposite where your head will be facing, but you still want it clipped to the headboard.

3) Simply maintain a slight tilt with your face so that you are 10-20 degrees above horizontal when you are otherwise on your side. Although it is counterintuitive, I find this works best with the hose attached as in 1).

In all three cases you are OK to switch between back and side. I don't find that it EVER works better to have the hose hanging off loose. It always gives you more options to have it clipped to the headgear.

The breeze should work if you really prefer to sleep on your side. The problem is that they may not work if you ever sleep on your back. If that is what is causing your fit problem, you will need to seriously modify the breeze to make it work.

I have experience with both the Optilife and CL2 and they are both good options for side/back sleeping. I don't think either is as comfortable as the Swift. The CL2 has a lot more possible adjustments and offers three interface options - pillows, a cushion (like a mini-nasal mask) and a "direct seal," which is like a pillow without an edge. Also the pillow has spacing adjustment. The Optilife feels lighter and more comfortable out of the box than the CL2 and tends to fit most people better without a lot of adjustmemt. OTOH, it doesn't have many adjustments other than pillow size, and you don't have a second option if your nares end up too sore for the pillows.

As was said by DreamStalker trying a lot of interfaces is good, but there is no point to giving up on one that almost works for your until you have tried all the tips and trick you can get from this community.

patseguin · Post by **patseguin** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 7:39 am

Thanks for those tips on the swift Twillson. I used the swift again last night and for the first time in a long time I can only remember waking maybe once. I remember waking up the one time and hearing a loud hiss and thought something came loose and discovered my mouth had opened a little and the air was blowing out my mouth, lol.

I had wondered what that little strap on the tubing was for. That is so you can attach it to some part of the head straps? I don't have a headboard, so I don't have much an option except to have the tubing going accross my body on the bed. I already had been positioning my head at the edge of the pillow and trying to keep it firm but I think my pillow is too soft. I may grab a new one somewhere.

Off-topic, how does a patient change the pressure on the S8 Compact? Is it even recommended for us to try different pressures? I was thinking maybe an increase from 8 to 10 would put me over the edge.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 8:03 am

Pat, in the topics below you might find some fixes/tweaks that will work with the masks you're trying or thinking of trying:

LINKS to Breeze nasal pillows / nasal mask topics
viewtopic.php?t=3935

LINKS to Respironics ComfortLite 2 nasal pillows mask topics
viewtopic.php?t=8066

LINKS to Swift nasal pillows topics
viewtopic.php?t=3934

FreightTrain · Post by **FreightTrain** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 9:47 am

To get to the clinical menu hold the up arrow and the right button at the same time. You will see Clinical menu on the display. Cycle thru and you will see the pressure adjust. If you hold the left button and the up arrow it will take you to the reminder menu where you can set it to remind you to change your mask, hose, filter and other stuff.
I had to take my compact in to have the pressure adjusted and the tech showed me how to enter the Reminder menu, he wouldn't show me how to access the clinical menu but after seeing him hold the left button and up arrow I figured out how to get into the clinical.
Just don't adjust too much. I bumped mine up to 10 from 8. When I went for my titration study the tech told me she finished at 10 but my Doctor wrote my Rx for 8 for some reason. I tried 8 for a week and didnt feel much better. Now that its at 10 I feel much better. Just make sure you set it back to your Rx pressure if you have to take it in for any reason.

Mask Options

Mask Options

Change pressure on the Compact