Looking for nose pillow recommendations

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
User avatar
AMK
Posts: 398
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2015 8:34 am

Looking for nose pillow recommendations

Post by AMK » Tue Mar 31, 2015 7:36 am

I would like to try a nose pillow mask for the sake of complete research. I have used nothing but nasal masks except when I had my titration study where the first mask I tried was a nose pillow, an AirFit P10. The tech put it on me, said, "Let me get the size small pillows," she got them, and I made it till 2AM with them and then just had to get them away from me. They were an awful combination of painful inside my nostrils yet leaking wildly every time I shifted position. Based on that I thought that pillows were not for me, but if I could find some I could tolerate I would like to try them again just because I've gotten up this morning with a badly messed up eye again from mask leak. I look at the pillows on cpap.com and I am not sure which to try. Thanks!

User avatar
Hosehead4ever
Posts: 422
Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2011 7:53 am
Location: USA

Re: Looking for nose pillow recommendations

Post by Hosehead4ever » Tue Mar 31, 2015 8:28 am

The SwiftFX mask is one of the most popular nasal pillow masks on the market and worth a try. I don't know what to suggest for painful nostrils but, for leaks, it usually means your headgear is too tight or your pillows are too small or a combination of both.

_________________
Mask: AirFit™ P10 For Her Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: Auto 5-7 cmpw, EPR 3; Climateline heated hose; Snugglehose cover; Airsense 10 Autoset apap backup machine; off grid
Full-time off-grid hosehead living in a converted school bus with on-board solar power system consisting of 480 watts solar panels combined with 340 Ah LifePo4 batteries.

User avatar
Pugsy
Posts: 63941
Joined: Thu May 14, 2009 9:31 am
Location: Missouri, USA

Re: Looking for nose pillow recommendations

Post by Pugsy » Tue Mar 31, 2015 8:44 am

The P10 can be a bit of pain initially if the headgear is too tight and if it is too tight it can cause your nose to feel like it ran into someone's fist. There are ways to fix that.

You probably would do better with the P10 at home so that you could play with the adjustments and give your nose some time to adjust but you may not be inclined to go down that road and in that case I would second the recommendation to give the Swift FX a try. Make sure you get all 3 sizes of nasal pillows though because you may need to play with different sizes.
The Swift FX will allow for more adjustments in tension than the P10 allows.

Oh...no matter what nasal pillow mask you try be sure to get some Lansinoh lanolin ointment/cream to use on the nostrils. It will help reduce any discomfort you might have with the nasal pillows being next to the nostrils.

You might also look at the Respironics Nuance nasal pillows. The pillows themselves are quite nice but the headgear has more to it than the Swift FX so for that reason I don't care for it as much as the Swift FX but that's me and my preference for as little on my face and head as possible.

_________________
Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier
Additional Comments: Mask Bleep Eclipse https://bleepsleep.com/the-eclipse/
I may have to RISE but I refuse to SHINE.

If you want to try the Eclipse mask and want a special promo code to get a little off the price...send me a private message.

User avatar
AMK
Posts: 398
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2015 8:34 am

Re: Looking for nose pillow recommendations

Post by AMK » Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:06 am

Thank you both. Pugsy, so the lanolin won't harm the mask? Does that brand of lanolin smell like sheep?

User avatar
robysue
Posts: 7520
Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2010 2:30 pm
Location: Buffalo, NY
Contact:

Re: Looking for nose pillow recommendations

Post by robysue » Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:10 am

AMK wrote:when I had my titration study where the first mask I tried was a nose pillow, an AirFit P10. The tech put it on me, said, "Let me get the size small pillows," she got them, and I made it till 2AM with them and then just had to get them away from me. They were an awful combination of painful inside my nostrils yet leaking wildly every time I shifted position.
This sounds like the size small pillows may have been too SMALL. And that the tech doesn't know how to properly adjust the P10's straps. Or both.

The nasal pillows should NOT be inside your nostrils. They rest outside the nostrils with just the tippy-tip of the cones going into the nostrils. If more than that tippy-tip part of the cone is going into the nostril, the pillows are too SMALL or the headgear is too TIGHT or BOTH.

Also the angle of the pillows has to be correct. When the pillow cones are at the correct angle, you should actually feel almost NO moving air hitting the inside of your nasal passages: When the pillows are at the right angle, the airstream follows the nasal passages up through the nose instead of hitting some part of the inside of the nostril with a jet stream blast of air. If the headgear is not properly adjusted, then pillows can rest at the wrong angle against your nose and that can lead to a lot of discomfort inside the nasal passages.

And a combination of wrong sized pillows and badly adjusted headgear will definitely lead to crazy leaks whenever you move around in bed.

There are a lot of folks around here who swear by the P10. If that one-size fits all headgear actually fits your head and you can figure out how to use the split back strap to find tune the tightness of the mask and the angle of the pillows, it can be a great mask. The general idea to keep in mind is that the wider apart the split straps are, the looser the mask will be on your nose. And the looser the mask, the easier it may be to get the pillows angled correctly. And once the pillows are angled correctly, the mask's stability increases significantly. (By mask stability I mean the mask's resistance to springing a leak when you move around in bed.)

I'm a long term Swift FX user who owns and sometimes uses a P10 mask. I prefer the P10's exhaust vents---no more jet engine exhaust stream. And the lightweight small hose the P10 comes with is much superior to the heavy small hose for the FX. But I prefer the Swift FX's headgear since it's actually adjustable with velcro and and an adjustable top silicone strap. So for me there's a lot less guess work in fitting the FX's headgear: Once I have the top strap adjusted (when the mask is NEW), I hardly ever touch that strap's adjustment. The velcro back strap? I have to adjust it once a week or so when I swap the strap out for a clean one. With the P10, I feel like I'm adjusting those split straps off and on almost every night I use it. And they seem to never stay put where I need them to be in order to keep the pillows at the correct angle.

I also find that I can wear my FX headgear ridiculously loose and still have an excellent seal night after night. I've got a small head, but the P10's headgear never feels as loose as I wear my FX's headgear. And because the P10's headgear feels tighter, it's not as comfortable to me.
Based on that I thought that pillows were not for me, but if I could find some I could tolerate I would like to try them again just because I've gotten up this morning with a badly messed up eye again from mask leak. I look at the pillows on cpap.com and I am not sure which to try. Thanks!
Given your previous bad experience with the P10, I'd suggest the Swift FX as the mask to try. It's worth spending the few extra bucks to get the Bella Loops version if your earlobes are not attached. (Heck even though my earlobes ARE attached, I really like the Bella Loops headgear in hot weather, but my ears can only tolerate them for about 2 or 3 nights in a row.) The Bella Loops version of the FX comes with both the Bella Loops and the traditional FX headgears.

_________________
Machine: DreamStation BiPAP® Auto Machine
Mask: Swift™ FX Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: PR System DreamStation and Humidifier. Max IPAP = 9, Min EPAP=4, Rise time setting = 3, minPS = 3, maxPS=5

User avatar
Pugsy
Posts: 63941
Joined: Thu May 14, 2009 9:31 am
Location: Missouri, USA

Re: Looking for nose pillow recommendations

Post by Pugsy » Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:11 am

No the Lansinoh ointment won't hurt you or your mask.
It's the stuff that breast feeding mom's use on their nipples...and it doesn't smell like sheep at all.
Now there are some plain lanolin products out there that do smell like sheep but if you get the Lansinoh it doesn't smell bad.

It's found in the baby aisle of most stores where the bottles and pacifiers and nipples are sold.
Use it sparingly at night and a tube of it will last a long time.
https://www.lansinoh.com/products/hpa-lanolin

_________________
Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier
Additional Comments: Mask Bleep Eclipse https://bleepsleep.com/the-eclipse/
I may have to RISE but I refuse to SHINE.

If you want to try the Eclipse mask and want a special promo code to get a little off the price...send me a private message.

User avatar
AMK
Posts: 398
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2015 8:34 am

Re: Looking for nose pillow recommendations

Post by AMK » Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:32 am

This is great info. So glad there's a lanolin that doesn't smell. A few years ago I had to use lanolin on my legs and it smelled, but it was just a generic product.

Robysue, thanks for all that info. I will try the FX with the bella loops. I figure this experiment will help me determine once and for all if the air is going up my lacrimal ducts. I think maybe it's not based on recent experience with a new nasal mask off Ebay. But I'm finding that nasal mask cushions fit like a dream with no leaks for about 3 nights and then it's all over, even though I gently wash them each morning, and the RemZzz liners make things worse, so I might as well see how I do with pillows. From your description I can bet that the tech didn't have the pillows on me properly.

User avatar
AMK
Posts: 398
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2015 8:34 am

Re: Looking for nose pillow recommendations

Post by AMK » Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:45 am

One fly in the ointment: the bella loops version of the Swift FX for her does not come with return insurance. $118 for the regular Swift FX, $140 total for the Bella version plus return insurance. Would I love the loops enough for that?

User avatar
Pugsy
Posts: 63941
Joined: Thu May 14, 2009 9:31 am
Location: Missouri, USA

Re: Looking for nose pillow recommendations

Post by Pugsy » Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:46 am

You can buy the Bella Loops separately once you find out if you even like the Swift FX.

_________________
Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier
Additional Comments: Mask Bleep Eclipse https://bleepsleep.com/the-eclipse/
I may have to RISE but I refuse to SHINE.

If you want to try the Eclipse mask and want a special promo code to get a little off the price...send me a private message.

User avatar
Pugsy
Posts: 63941
Joined: Thu May 14, 2009 9:31 am
Location: Missouri, USA

Re: Looking for nose pillow recommendations

Post by Pugsy » Tue Mar 31, 2015 9:49 am

What nasal cushion masks have you tried? Did you by chance get the Swift FX Nano cushion mask? If you did the Swift FX Nasal pillows will work with that headgear and I have some new unused Swift FX nasal pillows you can have.

_________________
Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier
Additional Comments: Mask Bleep Eclipse https://bleepsleep.com/the-eclipse/
I may have to RISE but I refuse to SHINE.

If you want to try the Eclipse mask and want a special promo code to get a little off the price...send me a private message.

User avatar
AMK
Posts: 398
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2015 8:34 am

Re: Looking for nose pillow recommendations

Post by AMK » Tue Mar 31, 2015 10:01 am

Thank you, Pugsy, I had just found the bella loops online. Unfortunately I sent back the Swift FX Nano cushion mask after a half night with it because the cushion was so teensy that it was painful. Too bad that one doesn't come in sizes. Thank you for the offer of pillows! It looks like I'd have to buy the whole thing. What size pillow do you use?

User avatar
Pugsy
Posts: 63941
Joined: Thu May 14, 2009 9:31 am
Location: Missouri, USA

Re: Looking for nose pillow recommendations

Post by Pugsy » Tue Mar 31, 2015 10:15 am

Actually the Nano cushion does come in different sizes should you ever want to revisit it. I don't know what size you tried.

Nasal pillow size seems to vary with the manufacturer and the model.
With the Swift FX I could easily use the XSmall and Small and probably could get by with the medium.
With the P10 I couldn't use the XSmall as it wanted to crawl up inside my nostril too much....so with it I can use the Small and Medium quite nicely.
With the TapPap nasal pillow mask I had to use a Medium...no way could I use the small as it simply wouldn't seal.
With the Aloha and Swift LT (different manufacturers but similar mask) I could easily use the XSmall and Small.

Nasal pillow sizing depends on the nostril opening and not the size of the nose. So a big strapping man which a big nose might need XSmall or Small if his nostrils were peanut size openings.

If a person's nostrils seem to be more elongated or slotted instead of more ovoid then I would suggest the Pilairo Q nasal pillow mask from F & P. The inner cones are probably more forgiving in terms of size and they tend to be slightly elongated. The Pilairo is a one size fits all nasal pillow. I was able to finally get used to it but it wasn't good enough to outweigh the benefits of the Swift FX that I was using at the time the Pilairo was released and I tried it.

I have tried pretty much all the nasal pillow masks except the Respironics GoLife. Just never got my hands on one to try and it didn't interest me all that much at the time.

_________________
Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier
Additional Comments: Mask Bleep Eclipse https://bleepsleep.com/the-eclipse/
I may have to RISE but I refuse to SHINE.

If you want to try the Eclipse mask and want a special promo code to get a little off the price...send me a private message.

User avatar
AMK
Posts: 398
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2015 8:34 am

Re: Looking for nose pillow recommendations

Post by AMK » Tue Mar 31, 2015 10:29 am

Well I had just gotten this and it only came in size small, which was as I said teensy:
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... dgear.html
The grey comes in standard and wide. I was not interested in ordering that after the bad experience with the small, but it's possible the standard might have worked. I appreciate the fit packs that some models have, like the Pico which I ultimately had to return (the small/medium was a little too small and the large was too large...I have noticed that these companies avoid size "medium" sometimes, which is probably what I need).

My nostrils are actually different sizes because my septum was so deviated by septum surgery in '98 (irony alert), but I think they would adjust sideways a little to accommodate a pillow.

User avatar
archangle
Posts: 9294
Joined: Sun Mar 27, 2011 11:55 am

Re: Looking for nose pillow recommendations

Post by archangle » Tue Mar 31, 2015 10:34 am

The Swift FX pillows were carnivorous at first and sort of ate up my nostrils. Luckily, I still had my old nasal mask, so I could wear the Swift for a while, then change back. Some nights I'd skip the Swift entirely. Once I adjusted, they're like part of me. I could wear them 24/7.

I think part of the problem was realizing that the pillows should inflate into my nostrils, not held tight with the straps. Running a little hot water over the cushions before putting them on seemed to help them settle into the right fit as well.

The right size probably matters, and masks are a bit like shoes. One person's perfect match is another person's torture device.

_________________
Mask: Swift™ FX Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments: Also SleepyHead, PRS1 Auto, Respironics Auto M series, Legacy Auto, and Legacy Plus

User avatar
Pugsy
Posts: 63941
Joined: Thu May 14, 2009 9:31 am
Location: Missouri, USA

Re: Looking for nose pillow recommendations

Post by Pugsy » Tue Mar 31, 2015 10:42 am

I haven't had a chance to compare the headgear on the for Her and the regular Nano but if it follows past ResMed sizing the back strap will be the only thing different and the for Her might be a little shorter. Pretty sure the silicone part of the headgear is the same no matter which model.

Should you like the Swift FX but later want to revisit the Nano in maybe a little larger size...again the Nano cushion will fit on the Swift FX headgear just like the Swift FX nasal pillows will fit on the Nano headgear. So all you would have to buy would be the slightly larger Nano cushion.
Despite what ResMed says the headgear and nasal pillows and short hose assembly and Nano cushion are interchangeable...because I did it. I even tried the Nano cushion with the Bella Loops. Thought for sure that would be a disaster but I slept quite well with the Nano on the Bella Loops. Really surprised me as I had thought that the weight of the cushion would pull on the Loops too much but it didn't.

I do understand about the fit packs though....would have been nice of ResMed to at least offer one other size cushion in the Nano package. That small was almost too small for me.

_________________
Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier
Additional Comments: Mask Bleep Eclipse https://bleepsleep.com/the-eclipse/
I may have to RISE but I refuse to SHINE.

If you want to try the Eclipse mask and want a special promo code to get a little off the price...send me a private message.