Love the Aloha but...

[lazer]

It is cutting the hell out of the inside of my nares. I had a nosebleed so bad at work yesterday, I thought I was going to have to borrow one of the lady co-worker's tampoons to stop it. So I temporarily switched back off to the Elan until my nares heal.

Any tricks or something I'm doing wrong. I've tried the lansinoh but that didn't prevent the soreness. I was ok with this mask for the first day but by day 2 to 4, the soreness and bloody nose became too awful to continue. I'm using the medium cushions with it assuming the fit is the same as with my trusty Swift FX.

[Sheriff Buford]

I'm sure some nasal mask folks will assist you, but the tampon thing in your nose... Where you gonna walk around all day with that thing in? Heck, there may be a sexual harassment complaint brought against you!!

Sheriff

[JohnO]

I'm using the medium cushions with it assuming the fit is the same as with my trusty Swift FX.

Not necessarily a good assumption, from what I've read here.

I do not have a particularly large nose/nostrils, but I use the large pillow with my Aloha.

Is the pillow hitting your nostrils in a different way than the FX? My pillow rests up against my nose, but after a couple of initial days of looking like a coke-addled fool (red nostrils), any exterior redness disappeared. Is it possible the headgear is too tight? If you stand in front of a mirror and put on the headgear, do you see you nose squishing up? If so, it might be on too tight. Also, if your weather is at all like Minnesota, the outside air is very dry when it is cold, so people are more likely to have dry skin, perhaps complicating the issue.

John

[lazer]

...Is the pillow hitting your nostrils in a different way than the FX? My pillow rests up against my nose, but after a couple of initial days of looking like a coke-addled fool (red nostrils), any exterior redness disappeared. Is it possible the headgear is too tight? If you stand in front of a mirror and put on the headgear, do you see you nose squishing up? If so, it might be on too tight. Also, if your weather is at all like Minnesota, the outside air is very dry when it is cold, so people are more likely to have dry skin, perhaps complicating the issue.

John

I don't think I had it too tight as one of the first things I noticed with the Aloha Vs the Swift FX was this very thing, I seemed I could wear it a bit looser and still get a decent seal. I did turn the humidity up a notch the last two nights but the soreness persisted and led to the bloody nose the next mrng. My humidifier is using more water than usual so I know the air is dry in my home. I'll have to maybe revisit it with the "large" pillows next go once my nose heals.

Thanks for the suggestions. Keep em coming!

PS: To Sheriff, Lol Seriously, I made a homemade tampoon out of toilet paper and you should have seen the reactions I was getting.

[jwerley]

It is cutting the hell out of the inside of my nares. I had a nosebleed so bad at work yesterday, I thought I was going to have to borrow one of the lady co-worker's tampoons to stop it. So I temporarily switched back off to the Elan until my nares heal.

Any tricks or something I'm doing wrong. I've tried the lansinoh but that didn't prevent the soreness. I was ok with this mask for the first day but by day 2 to 4, the soreness and bloody nose became too awful to continue. I'm using the medium cushions with it assuming the fit is the same as with my trusty Swift FX.

Lazer....I have been wearing the Aloha now for almost a year....I have found that you can wear it much looser than the Swift (Which I wore before the Aloha). You have to really do a lot of adjusting to get the whole mask just right. You need to experiement with it during the day...Lay in bed with machine on and just keep working with it until you get a good seal.....The headgear has to be just right as well as the angle of the nasal pillows and the depth of the little black grooved plastic pieces that go into the pillows. I finally got mine so it will seal with a very loose fit. It should feel like you don't have anything going up your nose at all. It sounds to me like you have the headgear way too tight. I also use the front slots (closest to pillows) on the headset.

Hope this helps......Take care

Janice

[Xney]

The swift LT has a very similar fit and wear to the Aloha. Bit different pillows - you could give that one a shot.

[chunkyfrog]

You could loosen the headgear even more,
and apply a smear of Lansinoh around the points of impact.
Help your poor beak heal up, too.

[Denial Dave]

Welfome back Lazer

[lazer]

Thanks for the continued suggestions. I'll keep them all in mind as I heal. Looks like I will be stuck with the Elan for a bit as my nares heal. Right now they are scabbed and I'm trying not to pick at them when irritated.

Thanks DD, I've been out for a bit busy trying to figure out my "social" life or whatever it's called....

[kaiasgram]

Ditto about the size of cushion lazer. I switched from medium to large -- the large is snug, forms a good seal, and thus can't move around much and cause rubbing and friction that can cause the irritation. I'd try the large and you may find you can have the straps even less tight.

[NateS]

Keep in mind that, in addition to loosening the backstraps and the headstraps, there are three (3) different ways to adjust the Aloha to the most comfortable and most perfect fit for your own nostrils:

1) Experiment with using the forwardmost or backwardmost slots for the straps - this can make a big difference and often the choice you first assume to be the best choice turns out not to be;

2) Adjust the forward-backward angle of entry into your nostrils by rotating the little black hooks so they are shallower or deeper into the pillows:

3) Take a look at the opening of your nostrils - are the openings perfectly horizontal - that is, parallel to the floor? Or do your nostrils slope upward from the center of your nose to the outer shell? - if so, is the slope a perfect 45 degree angle or something less or more? Once you have the mask on completely, look in the mirror and see if the base of each nasal pillow perfectly aligns with that sideways slope. If it doesn't, take hold of the rear portion of the "hockey sticks" that come across your cheeks, and gently move them a millimeter or less up or down to slightly alter the slope of the sticks so that the slope of the nasal pillows matches the slope of each nostril opening. That will give you the best air seal, reduce the need to over-tighten the straps, and thus reduce the pressure against your nostrils. And because of the friction of the velvety covering material over the hockey sticks, that adjustment is likely to stay in place all night.

Good luck!

Regards, Nate

[jwerley]

Keep in mind that, in addition to loosening the backstraps and the headstraps, there are three (3) different ways to adjust the Aloha to the most comfortable and most perfect fit for your own nostrils:

1) Experiment with using the forwardmost or backwardmost slots for the straps - this can make a big difference and often the choice you first assume to be the best choice turns out not to be;

2) Adjust the forward-backward angle of entry into your nostrils by rotating the little black hooks so they are shallower or deeper into the pillows:

3) Take a look at the opening of your nostrils - are the openings perfectly horizontal - that is, parallel to the floor? Or do your nostrils slope upward from the center of your nose to the outer shell? - if so, is the slope a perfect 45 degree angle or something less or more? Once you have the mask on completely, look in the mirror and see if the base of each nasal pillow perfectly aligns with that sideways slope. If it doesn't, take hold of the rear portion of the "hockey sticks" that come across your cheeks, and gently move them a millimeter or less up or down to slightly alter the slope of the sticks so that the slope of the nasal pillows matches the slope of each nostril opening. That will give you the best air seal, reduce the need to over-tighten the straps, and thus reduce the pressure against your nostrils. And because of the friction of the velvety covering material over the hockey sticks, that adjustment is likely to stay in place all night.

Good luck!

Regards, Nate

Gosh Nate that is exactly what I was trying to say....