Mirage Swift Fx

[Sleepdeprived]

The time is arriving that my insurance will allow for a new mask so I am exploring my options. The Mirage Swift Fx looks interresting. Has anyone worn this mask with the hose routed over the head ? How has it worked out for you ? I have used the Mirage Swift II and the Opus 360 this way and it seems to suit me. My hose hangs down from a plant hanger on the wall making for a good hose management solution.

Thanks
Sleepdeprived

[sleepnationtv]

I tried out the Swift FX last night and liked it a lot. the flixible headgear makes it fit better and the expanding tubing helps solve tube drag problems. It does not have clips to keep it above the head like the other masks but I liked it.
http://www.sleepnation.tv

[Nord]

There is no "fixed" strap on the FX like there is on the Opus or Swift...
You will have to "rig" it with your own velcro strap or buy "Papcap" or the like...

One caveat... the air from the discharge blows very strong and very directional. I find there is no "good" direction unless I crank my head away from my wife.

Many people here have routed the hose over the head and it puts less pressure on the mask hose.
I wear the FX and find it comfortable in the normal hose mode but I am considering over the head to "lock" the hose to cause less leaks if I thought I could control the direction of the air discharge.

IMHO...

Nord

[Sleepdeprived]

I tried out the Swift FX last night and liked it a lot. the flixible headgear makes it fit better and the expanding tubing helps solve tube drag problems. It does not have clips to keep it above the head like the other masks but I liked it.
http://www.sleepnation.tv

Thanks. A clip is not really necessary. A little velcro attaching the hose to the headstraps is all that is needed. I formerly used the mirage Swift II this way and now wear the Opus 360 like that. Rather than having the hose routed straight up the middle to the top of my head I route it off to the left side of my head with a loop of velcro holding the end of the hose to the top headstrap. I guess depending on how the top strap is routed on the FX this may or may not work well hence the reason for my question.

Glad the FX is working for you.
Sleepdeprived

[Sleepdeprived]

There is no "fixed" strap on the FX like there is on the Opus or Swift...
You will have to "rig" it with your own velcro strap or buy "Papcap" or the like...

One caveat... the air from the discharge blows very strong and very directional. I find there is no "good" direction unless I crank my head away from my wife.

Many people here have routed the hose over the head and it puts less pressure on the mask hose.
I wear the FX and find it comfortable in the normal hose mode but I am considering over the head to "lock" the hose to cause less leaks if I thought I could control the direction of the air discharge.

IMHO...

Nord

Hi

I use a velcro loop on the Opus now so that will not be a concern. Is the discharge from the Fx greater than other nassal pillow masks and how is hose discharge effected by hose routing ?

Thanks
Sleepdeprived

[greg-g]

I find my set-up works very well with the suspended hose and a Velcroed headband for hose control.
It's detailed with photos in the below post on "Hose management.

viewtopic/t53591/Hose-management.html

[Janknitz]

The FX short hose is very flexible and a little heavy, and that makes the hose routing and management a little challenging. The pillows are so soft that they are easily pulled away from your nose (but also easily repositioned).

I think Greg g has the best plan, I'm going to try it myself as I'm starting to get annoyed with having to be semi-awake to move the hose if I want to change positions. Routing the hose that way also turns the angle of the vent holes upward so they are not blowing on your body almost inescapably.

But, I still love the mask. It's the next best thing to sleeping naked in the world of Cpap.

[cobra4x4]

Do a forum search for "Swift FX"

It will yield all sorts of results and you might find a few answers & tricks people use to make this mask work better.

[sheep1234]

I was eligible to get a new mask and chose the Swift FX to try out. I was currently using the Swift LT for Her. I tried the FX one night before going to bed and couldn't get it adjusted enough to be comfortable. Put my LT on. Tried it again a few nights ago and really tried to fall asleep. Just couldn't do it. The strap part that crosses your cheeks from your nose to under your eye was way too close to my eyes. When I tried to lay on my side (or stomach) it would push upward too far and make my cheek like go into my eye. I hope that makes sense. It also seemed to not seal too well either.

I tried for, oh maybe, 15 minutes and ended up putting my LT on and slept like a baby. It was like an old comfy pair of sneakers that have been all broke in. Or your favorite pair of jeans. lol

I didn't care for how loose it feels around where the hose is connected to the pillow. My LT, the hose feels more secure, like it stays where I put it. The "cheek straps" sit lower on my face, not SO close under my eyes!

I was excited to get this FX mask, but now, I can't recommend it. Sorry. I've already place the call to my DME to swap this one out for another LT.

Good Luck!

[jdm2857]

You may have the mask adjusted with the silicone strap too far forward on your head. If I remember correctly, the instructions state that the silicone strap should be approximately midway between the eye and ear. You'd probably have to shorten the velcro strap to make this work.

Might be worth a shot before you send it back.

[PetrusKy]

Is the discharge from the Fx greater than other nassal pillow masks and how is hose discharge effected by hose routing ?

Doesn't matter if you let the hose hang down or route overhead, it will blow straight forward. How hard it blows also doesn't matter, it will never hit you.

[Janknitz]

Doesn't matter if you let the hose hang down or route overhead, it will blow straight forward. How hard it blows also doesn't matter, it will never hit you.

Sorry, the FX does NOT blow straight forward. It blows down (assuming the hose is hanging down) at a 45 degree angle and it ALWAYS hits me. Look at the holes in the vent and you can see that they are at an angle. The arctic blast is almost inescapable--if it's not hitting me, it's hitting the bedclothes and bouncing back at me. I find this very annoying and it's a shame because it's otherwise such a nice mask.

It helps if I lay the hose along my pillow coming from behind my head (so the 45 degree angle of the outflow is up instead of down), but I lie in my side and tend to tuck my head a bit, so I still have that bounceback from the bedding issue.

I don't think I will enjoy wearing this mask in the winter. Now, during the summer (admittedly we've had very cool evenings lately) its cold blast of air is bugging me. In the winter, I think it will be intolerable.

[chunkyfrog]

Another complaint about the Mirage FX: why only one size of headgear? My little froggy head has no adjustment left should I lose weight. (always hoping, folks) The loops for the back strap sit a good inch higher above my ears than the illustration, putting the strap in a place where it wants to shift (a lot) This is a great mask so far, but I got better things to do at night than continually tugging at my headgear. --one of those things is SLEEP!

[Complikatyed]

I'm having the same "it's practically in my eyes" problem. The Swift FX was the first nasal pillows mask I've tried and I was initially really excited, but now I'm waking up four or five times a night, either because the headgear has slipped off the top of my head, or because the straps are squishing the top of my cheeks into my eyes or just because the pillows aren't staying sealed. I've tried adjusting and rigging the headgear, I've tried swapping out pillow sizes, I just can't get this to work!

[Janknitz]

Complikayted,

If your pillows have been in continuous use for about a month, they are probably getting mushy and soft and no longer have enough structure to stay in place and stop leaking. That's a big problem with the Swift nasal pillows, they only last about a month.

If your insurance will cover it, order replacement nasal pillows, otherwise you can trade out the sizes that don't fit for ones that do on The Great Pillow Exchange.