swift vs respironics comfort gel-my opinion

seagull · Post by **seagull** » Sat Jul 30, 2005 9:59 pm

I used the comfort gel I got from sleep study last night instead of my swift. Although the swift is comfy for sleeping on side, the comfort gel was more comfortable and more stable (when sleeping on side). My machines lower limit is set on 5 which was not enough air for me with the swift, but perfect for the comfort gel. I will raise the minimum pressure when I use the swift again. I did sleep better last night with the comfort gel than the whole week with the swift. I love the swift, I think it needs more pressure to make up for smaller openings. I also like the fresh air feel circulating in the nasal mask. I am new, and these are my new observations.

sir_cumference · Post by **sir_cumference** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:34 am

seagull - very interesting observations. I have stopped using my swift after using it for a long time. The reason is that I find that once I'm on my side with the arm of the mask on the pillow and the end of the nose piece resting no or near the pillow, any slight wriggling from me will cause a leak as the mask stays still because of the friction it had with the pillow. For the last few nights I've been using a breeze and its stability, especially when wriggly, is excellent.

I too found that that breeze used an overall lower pressure than the swift, and at higher pressures was a lot quieter than the swift which could roar at 10 or above. However, I do like the coolness of the swift, and when settled it can be extremely comfortable so that you almost forget you've got it on.

What I also did not like about the swift was the arm marks on my face, which over time seemed to take longer and longer to go - and, a few times I actually slept on the hose and ended up with nasty ridges up my face which also took a long time to go.

thanks for starting the thread, it will be interesting to hear other people's experiences.
sir_cumference

yawn · Post by **yawn** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 10:35 am

I have found just the opposite. I have been using an Activa mask and my pressure is set at 9 and my ramp starts at 4. 4 is way too low when I wear the Activa but it's ok if I use my Infinity (similar to the swift). Last night I just couldn't get the infinity to seal well so I took it off and put on the Activa. I felt like I wasn't getting near enough air even though I was using a pressure of 9 at that point. I had to talk myself out of an anxiety attack because I felt like I couldn't get enough air. Once I settled down, I was ok.
I really want to switch from a cpap to an apap. Does anybody know if I have to get the Dr's approval for the switch?
Thanks..Amy

sir_cumference · Post by **sir_cumference** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 11:45 am

I think, that once you have a CPAP prescription and it is less than a year old, you can use it to buy any machine you want. Why not email cpap.com and ask them?
sir_cumference

Macishman · Post by **Macishman** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 12:58 pm

Because APAP machines can also function in CPAP mode, your valid prescription should allow you to purchase an APAP machine.

The cpap.com people will set it to CPAP and at your prescription's setting, but they also send you the provider's manual, so you're in complete control. I recently purchased my APAP machine that way.