Discoloration

yawn · Post by **yawn** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 6:47 pm

I picked up a Swift mask from my DME today to try and when I got it home and unpacked it, the plastic parts were yellowish instead of clear. Has that happened to anybody else? I'm guessing that I'm not the first person to use this particular mask but why would it be discolored? I've been washing the parts of my other masks and this never happened to me.
I thoroughly cleaned all of the pieces and will call my DME tomorrow to find out what's going on.
I know some of you use a diluted vinegar solution to clean your masks...does the vinegar change the color of the plastic pieces?
Thanks!
Amy

th · Post by th » Wed Aug 03, 2005 7:35 pm

Amy, something is not right if it is a yellow color........mine is clear as a bell so is my wife's swift....Call your DME and tell them you want another one
th

_________________

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): swift, DME

elliejose · Post by **elliejose** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 8:18 pm

I have been using my Swift since March. It has gradually turned a yellowish color. I have switched off and used the small some of the time. It is also slightly yellow. (but not as much as the medium, which I use most of the time). I also wondered what causes this. I usually wash mine in baby shampoo. Rinse in vinegar water on occassion. Only the soft part of mine has discoloration.

lindas88 · Post by **lindas88** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 9:14 pm

Hi Yawn...when I first started trying masks they would give me one that was used and one I tried was a yellowish color. I told then about it and they reassured that it was cleaned and safe for me to use. This kind of bugged me but I couldn't do too much about it. When I finally decided which mask I wanted then I was given a brand new one which was clear. I don't know if that one you have is old or not...but you said you unpacked it. The one I got wasn't packed like a new one. I think you better phone the company especially if you bought it.

yawn · Post by **yawn** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 9:18 pm

I didn't buy it...I'm just trying it out. I figured it must have been used before me (which is kind of creepy) but I'm assuming it was disinfected before I got it. I washed it really well just in case. I played with it a little tonight and it seems to be really good. If I end up liking it, I will insist on a brand new one.
Thanks! Amy

lindas88 · Post by **lindas88** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 9:26 pm

Amy... It is kind of creepy wearing a used mask....try not to think of that when you have to wear it tonight...if I thought of it when I had to do that I probably couldn't have even put it on.

yawn · Post by **yawn** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 9:33 pm

Creepy or not, if it fits and I get to sleep, I don't care who used it (ok..maybe I care a little bit...don't want to think too much about it)

rock and roll · Post by **rock and roll** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 11:00 pm

In all my time using cpap, I have never had ANY mask yellow on me. It takes me back to when I was around smoking a lot and everything yellowed. I wonder if a smoker or someone living in a smokers house might be the cause?

Grabraham · Post by **Grabraham** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 7:08 am

rock and roll wrote:In all my time using cpap, I have never had ANY mask yellow on me. It takes me back to when I was around smoking a lot and everything yellowed. I wonder if a smoker or someone living in a smokers house might be the cause?

I would not be surprised if that were the case. I am a smoker (grrr working on that) and after one nights use the Nasal Pillow interface on my comfortlight has lovely yellow stains where it was in contact with my nares I have been unable to remove the discoloration

lindas88 · Post by **lindas88** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 9:21 am

Grabraham....I remember reading on here that someone had the same problem with yellowing and she had a solution...soaking it in something....but I can't remember what she said....maybe you could find it again. She said it worked.

yawn · Post by **yawn** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 9:47 am

Grabraham wrote:
rock and roll wrote:In all my time using cpap, I have never had ANY mask yellow on me. It takes me back to when I was around smoking a lot and everything yellowed. I wonder if a smoker or someone living in a smokers house might be the cause?

I would not be surprised if that were the case. I am a smoker (grrr working on that) and after one nights use the Nasal Pillow interface on my comfortlight has lovely yellow stains where it was in contact with my nares I have been unable to remove the discoloration

No offense but...yuck! I am a former smoker and I can't stand being around smoke anymore. It really grosses me out to think I'm using something that a smoker used before me....I hope that isn't the case. I'm going to call my DME.

yawn · Post by **yawn** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 11:47 am

I just talked to my DME and she assured me that my Swift is brand new. I told her that the nasal pillows were yellowed so she's going to investigate that and see if she can get some that look better. She also assured me that they are not allowed to disinfect the masks and then give them to somebody else...they have to throw them out. I wonder what they cost my DME because I've tried at least 8 different masks and returned 6 of them...how can they afford to just toss them?
hmmmm...amy

john57b · Post by **john57b** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 4:45 pm

if the mask is used one possibility fo yellowing is exposure to bright sunlight

seamaiden · Post by **seamaiden** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 6:15 pm

My new Swift came encased in all the original sealed packaging. Over time, the barrel piece has acquired a yellow tinge. One of the other sizes remains sealed in its plastic envelope, never opened, and I can see that it has become yellowed too.

yawn · Post by **yawn** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 10:21 pm

oh...that's interesting. Maybe mine was just sitting around on a shelf for quite awhile waiting to find a new home. I'm curious to see what my DME will do about this. If it is "old" and been sitting around, I wonder if it works as well as it could.

Mask