New CPAP User W/Questions

Hi all,

I have lurked here for about a month now and decided to join. I was diagnosed as mild/moderate (15.5 events per hour) in early December. I got my machine on 22 December and what a difference it has made. I went from sleeping all the time to hardly ever needing a nap. I was seriously sleep deprived before I got my CPAP device and was worried to even drive. I was diagnosed with hypothyroid in 2005 and started on synthroid but never seemed to be rid of the tiredness and in October, asked my doc to see a specialist. He said he would after I had a sleep study because he said my thyroid levers were "spot on." I did not think I had sleep apnea but complied so that I could get my consultation for my thyroid. Was my doc ever right. I am a whole new person and love my CPAP!! I call it my MSM (miracle sleep machine.

My only complaint is with the nasal pillows. I am having a hard time finding something comfortable. I started out with Swift FX for her and loved how lightweight it was but the nasal pillows (small) were at a wierd angle and caused my nose to get raw and have sores. I talked to my CPAP rep and she recommended the GoLife for her. i do not like how bulky it is compared to the Swift FX but the angle of the pillows are good so i thought i had a winner. Unfortunately the small pillows allowed for leakage from my right nostril. I tried the medium pillows and there is no leakage but the part that slips inside is so large that my nose hurts each morning. Each day I use it my nose hurts more. I don't understand why they don't make the nasal pillows like pants, with a size for the part that blocks the air flow and a size for the part that fits inside your nostrils. It would work for me to have a medium size to cover my nose but a small size that is inserted inside since I have oval (oblong) shaped nostrils.

Surely someone out there has had my issues and can recommend something. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Deb

Welcome to the forum.
Check my signature line for links to information about the software for your machine.

Regarding the nasal pillows and sore nose. I use the Swift FX. It shouldn't cause anything but very minimal tenderness to the nostrils (mainly because it is virgin territory and not used to having anything up against it). If you are having extreme pain then either the nasal pillow is wrong size or you have that top strap way too tight or maybe both. The is some ointment that nursing mom's use to help nipple tenderness called Lansinoh. Found in the baby bottle aisle of Walmart and similar stores. A little goes a long way and really helps any chafing soreness.

Also there is a little barrel cozy for the nasal pillows that can help cushion the barrel against the nostril.
I bought it to help with rain out but found it so comfortable I use it year round.
http://www.padacheek.com/PACSwiftII_Barrel_cozy.html

There is a video available to show how the nasal pillows should fit. The most common problem is that people simply tighten the straps too tight.
http://www.cpaplibrary.com/nasal-pillows.html

You might prefer the Swift LT (for her) as the pillows not only pivot to provide a better angle to the nose, the pillows are reversible so that the openings are either in a \ / or / \ configuration. I also can attest to the use of Lansinoh to prevent irritation from the pillows. I was lucky to read about using it before I began therapy, and I had it at the ready from my first night. I have used just a tiny dab on each nostril opening every single night and have never had so much as twinge of pain or irritation. You can buy it on the baby aisle of any pharmacy or big box store...in the nursing section.

If your DME isn't into loaning a mask for trial, you could get an LT for a trial period from Dane at http://www.cpaplibrary.com/mask-trials.html . You pay $14 for roundtrip S&H and get to trial run the mask for a week. Great service!