Ready for New Mask

[gerry]

Thanks to the generosity of Medicare I am now entitled to a new mask. We old folks can get one every 6 months. My original was the new Breeze, which I never was able to properly adjust; then the Swift, which I liked until it began to irritate the area below my nose, and now the Comfort Lite 2, which seems to wake me after 3 hours by slipping out of my nares. I have never been able to use the nasal mask with a proper seal and seem to do best with the large pillows. I usually fall asleep on my back and then roll over to my side after several hours of sleep. That's when the problems begin.

Question: Should I get the new Optilife, the redesigned Swift, or something else. Help is always appreciated

[RichCMH]

Lots of folks are loving the OptiLife, myself included. Go to Respironics website to take a closer look.
http://optilife.respironics.com/

[dieselgal]

Gerry, I have the Optilife and even though I like it a lot if you aren't careful when you turn over you will still pop the seal in the nares. That is the most common thing to wake me totally up. If you find a mask that doesn't do that please let me know!

[mikemoran]

I would look into the Opus. It is very similiar in design to the Optilife, but has a ball joint swivel elbow that allows easier hose managment. You can attach it to thead gear or let it free float. I had used the Optilife for 4 months as a product trial and liked everything except for the fact the hose had to run down your front. The Opus solved this problem. I run it over my head board, but you can also run it through a lopp screwed to your wall. I don't even notice it when I turn onto my side.

[Jim Bassett]

I have been on CPAP for 3 months and Medicare provided me with a new mask. It has been my understanding that this is SOP. Where did you get the six month information? jim

[gerry]

Jim, my DME told me that at 3 mos I could get a new nose piece, but the entire mask including head straps was only available every 6 months. I haven't checked the regs, but now I will.

[twillson]

I am using the Optilife and have used the Swift. I gave a lenghty review of these a while ago, but basically I find that they are both good products. The Swift is a bit more comfortable, but the Optilife is a bit more secure. (Most people would be able to live with either.) If you get the Optilife, definitely follow the recommendation to get the Respironics High Performance tubing that is designed to go with it.

Like you, I generally prefer nasal pillows, but I am also a BIG believer in having a non-pillow interface as a backup in case of soreness (or just to give your nose a break every now and then.) Since you already have a Comfort Lite 2, I would really encourage you to try the other two interfaces that work with that headgear. I much prefer the "simple cushion" with the CL2 compared to the nasal cushion - and most people seem to like the "direct seal" best of all.

I chose the Optilife over the CL2 because I didn't really like the way the CL2 felt with the pillow. And I already have a nasal mask that I can get by with for a night or two at a time. Even if you end up with an Opus or Optilife I think you would be well advised to get fitted for the simple cushion and direct seal interfaces so that you can use your CL2 as a backup for your new nasal pillow system.