Nasal mask or Pillows/Prongs (which is best?)

53now · Post by **53now** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 10:55 pm

For those of you who have tried Nasal masks AND Breeze Pillows/Adam Circuit, Swift or Prongs (NasalAire).........Which gives you the best Pap therpy ??
I have found (through more experimentation than I care to discuss) that I seem to feel better.....(interpreting as better treatment) when I use my NA2 as opposed to my Activa !!!!!!!!! Any thoughts on this?
I know many of you use 2-3 different interfaces. Do you notice any difference ? Does the data show any difference ??
Just wondering...........I've been tweeking this blasted NA2.......I got it right last night !! (finally) It was the best night's sleep I've had in months (no data to prove this) What about this Gal---Muck ---and ChrisP ??

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat Jan 22, 2005 12:08 am

53now, I think the tick marks on the data can be skewed sometimes by whatever mask one is wearing. Plus, mouth leaks may enter into the equation, etc. etc. Lots of variables.

I used to count the tick marks and take note of the AHI religiously. Now, I just go by the way I feel in the morning. That said, I seem to do best with my Breeze/nasal pillows and my mouth taped shut. For me, the Breeze is so comfortable that I think the comfort of it reduces the number of times I might have cortical arousals - micro "wake-ups" that don't really wake a person all the way up into awareness, but could disrupt sleep. There are so many pieces to the puzzle of getting comfortable and leakproof. A mask that allows one person to sleep better isn't necessarily going to be comfortable at all for another...might keep arousing them with leaks, noise, digging into face or nose, shifting out of place, etc.

A person could possibly sleep better and feel better in the morning with a slightly higher AHI using their favorite mask. They might get a lower AHI with another mask, yet not feel quite as good... discomfort can cause disrupted sleep just as surely as events that are noted in the data can. And the events listed (or not listed) may not be all that accurate, especially if the machine is being tricked by odd air flow in some masks or the mask's hose configuration. I'd go more by how I felt in the morning rather than trying to compare the data from which mask was being used on any given night.

wading thru the muck! · Post by **wading thru the muck!** » Sat Jan 22, 2005 2:03 am

53now,

I'd love to try the NAII but haven't. I have spent a week using the Breeze and wnt back to the Swift last night. What a joy. Tried to use the Breeze without the benefit of C-flex at 3 and could tolerate it. I switched back to the Swift/420E combo and all went well. Next I will try the Swift/Remstar Auto w/C-flex combo. I'll let you know. So far I'll have to say I like the Breezes fit, but I'm not sure I like it's effectiveness.

HOTTUBKID · Post by **HOTTUBKID** » Sat Jan 22, 2005 9:17 pm

I use the resmed pillow and love it. When I tried the masks most of them felt like I was rebreathing my exhale but not with the pillow. Try it.

Janelle · Post by **Janelle** » Sat Jan 22, 2005 9:40 pm

While talking with my RT who is also a long-time CPAP user he had the same problem I do with the Breeze maintaining a seal when you move or sleep in different positions without adjusting the whole thing. Neither of us has this problem with the Swift. He thinks it is because his nostrils are rather close together. Mine are too, so this might be the cause of the leaks we are getting or the Swift material is a bit more flexible or the design shape holds better.

I do know that in order to properly adjust the Breeze, and in fact no matter where I put the shell, there is extreme pressure on my upper lip. With the Swift there is no pressure at all. Another bonus.