What is your favorite nasal PILLOW mask?

[elena88]

Hi there!

I use the opus 360 headgear with the f and p nasal pillows.. this was given to me the day I took my machine home, a few mintues after
I was told I had OSA.. I have tried several other full face masks, and some hybrids, they were all a disaster..

so, if anyone has used this set up, have you found something you like better?

I just love the nasal pillows on this thing! I tried two different kinds of pillows on some hybrids, and they could not even come close to comfort.

If you wear another nasal pillow mask, what is it, and how do you like it?

thanks!
elena

my gear
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/fisher ... -Mask.html

[jdm2857]

I started out with the Swift LT. I switched to the Opus 360 when I got one for free, mostly because of what I was hearing about the LT pillow issue. I liked the Opus a bit better than the LT (less clunky), but had problems with the headgear straps sliding out of place. (I now know that sewing the hook side of velcro to the inside of the straps helps hold them in place.)

When the opportunity presented itself, I switched to the Swift FX. It's the best of the three and I can't quite imagine how ResMed can minimalize it any further. Great for side sleeping. But now I'm back in the thick of the ResMed pillow issue. If that becomes a problem for me, I'll probably switch back to the Opus (plus velcro). One caveat about the FX: there is no way to attach the tube to the top of the mask. (I did that with both the LT and the Opus.) So the hose has a greater ability to shift the mask around. Since I roll about during the night, I created my own version of a hose management system. While it looks a bit like I am sleeping under a weird football goal post, it allows the hose to move very freely and not tug on the mask. It's a combination of several ideas I found on the forum. I'll probably post it when I have it perfected.

And please, no scoring in bed comments.

[cobra4x4]

I got lucky, only used 2 masks ever.

I got the swift II with my machine and then heard such good things about the swift FX that I decided to get it and pay out of pocket.

I now use the FX exclusively because it seals perfectly for my face, not even so much a slight leak all night long. I have kept my swift II as a backup and for travelling. When my works insurance kicks in (Dec 2010) I'll be getting another FX for backup then I'll try to find a nasal mask in case I get a cold or something.

[elena88]

hi thanks for your replies!

I keep the opus headgear in place by doing a top of the head "pepples" pony tail, I have noticed when I didnt do that, the headgear would
slide all over the place. Im pretty interested in having some back up head gear and pillows so was interested in trying something new..

Those F and P pillows are pretty near to perfect, wish they would make a hybrid mask..

[jdm2857]

I don't know about the pony-tail solution for me.

Did Bam-Bam have one?

[jrfoster]

So, am I hearing the the Swift FX is a much better mask the the LT? My DME did not have one is stock but could order it for me. He gave me the LT to try for a few days. Maybe I should have him order the FX?

Jeff

[okitoki]

I have been using the Opus for 4 weeks during the trial, and now I bought my own stuff, I decided to try the Swift LT since the product challenge result between it and the Opus was a tie.

I have to admit the fitting of the LT felt alot different to the Opus. But the biggest difference was the pillow, with the Opus being smaller and has a more define longer nasal "prong" while the LT felt more confined... sort of like comparing having a pair of chop sticks or a ball of jelly up your nose, and the LT pillow was also touching the top of my lip (OK... Im asian, and I dont have a big nose ).

I like the Opus as it either fits well and wont leak, or it will leak... where as the LT it feels like I have to roll the pillow around my nose to find the "sweet spot" so that it wont leak... this can be a problem if you woke up during the night, and you are trying to go back to sleep, but have to keep readjusting the nose so it wont leak. However, I find that once you have both headgear adjusted well, the pillow rarely comes off and leak.

With the head gear, the Opus had the top strap more to the front of my head, while the LT had it towards the back. I admit the first day I had the LT, I had it more forward like the Opus, and it kept on leaking. Now i had it strapped correctly, it felt more comfortable when I go to bed. HOWEVER, last night I actually woke up with a pain on both my ear where the straps were rubbing against. So more adjustments needed.

Ultimately, I think the Opus is more user friendly, while the LT needs abit of fiddling and adjustment to "get it right"... Im still in the process of figuring it out after using the LT for one week

The FX looks good, but I didnt try it because I like to roll around on my pillow when I sleep... with the LT I can turn my head from top -> right -> facing pillow -> left -> top with no issue (no... I dont sleep with my face into the pillow anymore with my CPAP on)

hope this helps

[rosacer]

My first try was the Swift LT, TERRIBLE experience. I had lost hope of one day be able to use a nasal pillows mask

Two or three months after that I tried the Swift FX, I was surprised by its comfort and I reconciled with nasal pillows. But, there is often a BUT; the pillows started to leak after 15 utilizations or so. I don't know if it was the same problem other people have mentioned about the pillows too flimsy or what. The comfort is not bad I should say, but (another but) the straps makes marks on my face.

Then my favorite nasal pillows is Headrest Aeimoed. Yes that ugly mask which I was not too decided to try is the best by far. No marks on my face at all, sturdy and comfortable pillows ( long last as per good information I had), no need to deconstruct; but ( there is always a but) my lovely Headrest tried to waterboard me.

Once I was in a hotel in USA and mistakenly I set the temperature ( Fahrenheit I'm not used to that measure) too low (62F) and I was using my S8. I had a really bad wake up with a big amount of water going into my nostrils way down And it happened not once but twice that night. The next night you can imagine I reset the temperature at 74F and I was afraid of having the same experience. I had still some rain out, I slept paying attention, when I woke up to turn around I emptied the mask before an attack .

All the times I have used the Headrest with my System One at home at 21Celsius ( I don't use the Aussie hose at home with the System One) I have never had an important rain out in the mask, only very tinny drops not enough even to roll.

Next time I travel I will bring my Aussi hose, I think that will protects me from waterborading. This mask is very good, we need only to take care of the rain out, I love the mask.

[jdm2857]

I've been intrigued by the Headrest for a while. Several members swear by it. But my supplier does not carry it, so I've never been able to see it in person and have tried other masks instead.

I did notice on cpap.com that although the mask is listed as the Headrest, the description calls it the Twilight NP. A mask for vampires?

[rosacer]

Jeff, don't worry it can fits for you too

I'm not old on the cpap world but I understand the mask has had several names through the years, maybe the company was sold a couple of times

I didn't deconstruct it, I only added two pony tail elastics to keep the pillows more tight to my nose.

I don't use a tight around the pillows, the pony tail elastics makes enough tension to keep it secured against my nose and a bit of Lansinoh finishes the job. I have a lower pressure and a better AHI with it than with the Activa (my second mask).

[elena88]

that headrest mask is interesting!

but I sleep on my face a lot, so that wouldnt work..

and bam bam wears a little papcap so he doesnt have a ponytail

Its great to hear about all these pillow experiences..


love the goal post idea! We have a four poster bed with wrought iron canapy above, so I run my hose through a french ribbon I tied to the top.
Works pretty darn good, but that goal post idea, thats so cool!

[jdm2857]

When they come out with Edward and Jacob versions, I'm outta here.

Where, exactly do you put the pony-tail holders? I've looked at the pics and don't have a clue.

And did you find it at a brick-and--mortar store or order it online?

[jdm2857]

I just checked AEIOMed's.com and they don't have a single reseller in the state of NJ. Only 3 in southeast PA. I'm not impressed.

But it seems that they have settled on the name "Headrest" because it's the only one used on the site. They have the Everest CPAP, the Headrest mask and the Datarest compliance module. (You have to buy a "docking module" just to get compliance data!)

Are you beginning to see a pattern to the names? It's enough to drive me to that little hotel on "Petticoat Junction".

[DreamOn]

My favorite nasal pillows mask is probably the AEIOMed Headrest. The one drawback is that it's a little noisy on inhale, but it has other features that make it a winner. It vents upward, out of the way (a huge benefit, in my opinion)! The nasal pillows are comfortable, and they seem to last a long time. And it comes with two pillows -- medium and large -- and both sizes fit me (although large slightly better). Some people alter the headgear, but it works fine for me as-is. The back strap adheres to the Velcro of my PAPCap Plus in the back, so that probably helps to keep it in place. I think it would slide around if I didn't have that, as my head is quite small.

I also like the Fisher & Paykel Opus 360. It's very lightweight, and the pillows are extremely comfortable. I like that I can secure the tubing overhead. I almost gave up on it at first, until I figured out that I needed to tighten the overhead strap to get the pillows angled just right.

I've recently been trying the ResMed Swift FX. The nasal pillows don't seem angled quite right. I've tried readjusting the straps, but haven't quite figured out if this one is going to work so well for me. I'll keeping working with it, though. I do wish it had an overhead tubing anchor like the Opus 360, but that's easy enough to improvise.

I tried the Swift LT, Swift LT For Her, Swift II, ComfortLite 2, and OptiLife during mask fittings, and those didn't work for me.

With any of the nasal pillows, I have found that a very small dab of Lansinoh lanolin (made for nursing mothers) around the outside of the nares cuts down on nasal pillow leaking. My leak rate is usually zero.

[roncron]

Hi Elena,

I started out 3 years ago with the opti-life and thought it was okay but not super comfortable.

I switched to the Swift II and liked it better. Then the Swift LT which I liked even better, which I'm still using today. I briefly tried the Breeze and had a bad experience with it, was grateful for cpap.com return insurance. I also tried the Opus as part of cpap.com's product challenge last year (it went up against the Swift LT). It didn't work well for me.

As you can see from different people's responses, the best mask for one person is the worst mask for another. It seems the only way to find the mask that works best for you is through trial and error, which unfortunately is costly. But most people find something that works for them sooner or later.

Good luck!

Best,
Ron