Question about my Swift FX

[craftyncrazy]

I got my equipment last friday. Friday and Saturday I had no issues sleeping or anything, but I was also on pain killers from dental work I had done.

By sunday I was a bit fidgety with the nose piece every time I woke up so I switched from Large to medium pillows for one night then back to large because medium didnt feel any better.

My mouth dropping open was giving me issues so Monday I ordered a PapCap because I liked the idea of covering up my hair which gave me fits with the headgear straps plus the added chin strap.

Last night I got my shipment in from CPAP.com and I wore the cap and chin strap. (yeah for one day delivery in the Houston area thanks to the postal service)

My issue really is it feels like the pillows are collapsing on themselves then I put them up to my nose. I sort of have long narrow nasal openings and I wonder if thats causing the pillows to squish closed?

When I pull the mask out from my nose where I can feel the air blowing I feel the air much stronger than when i put them up to my nose like I was directed to do.

I dont know what to do. I've tried going tighter and then looser.

I know I am getting some air thru them because when I open my mouth I can feel it blow out, but I just dont feel the warm moist air in my nose like I did when I first tried the thing on.

[apneawho]

Your pillows should not be collapsing on themselves. Mine do that when they need to be replaced. Did you try washing with mild soap and warm water and drying them out. Not sure if oils from your body can cause this. When they are fully inflated are they collapsed? When they are fully inflated, do the pillows fill the outside of your nares without making you look pig nosed? The pillows should not go very far into your nares if sized correctly.

[Pugsy]

When you say "up the nose" I am hoping only the little cones are inside only the nostrils. They really don't go very far into the nostril opening. The large rim of the nasal pillow rests gently against the nostrils.

2 possible causes for the cones to collapse.. they are tired and need washing and/or replacing or my first suspect the top strap is too tight and the pressure is compressing the pillows and cones.

I just dont feel the warm moist air in my nose like I did when I first tried the thing on.

Room temp and ambient humidity will affect the perceived warmth and moistness of the air. Now that the nights are much cooler I am finding that my normal settings on my humidifier are MUCH cooler to the point of waking me up with ice cube nose. Even with setting of 5..
We can change to the "old" way of humidification on these machines.. Heat only and much more of it.
It will warm it up considerably but one uses more water and rain out is much more of a problem. Always something...

[sleepnationtv]

You may try the small size, if the pillow is too big for your nose that will cause it to collapse.

Dane

[craftyncrazy]

Your pillows should not be collapsing on themselves. Mine do that when they need to be replaced. Did you try washing with mild soap and warm water and drying them out. Not sure if oils from your body can cause this. When they are fully inflated are they collapsed? When they are fully inflated, do the pillows fill the outside of your nares without making you look pig nosed? The pillows should not go very far into your nares if sized correctly.

Well mine are brand new so I hope they dont need replacing after only 4 days. I haven't washed them only wiped them with a dry cloth like the DME said to do every morning to wipe off oils.

How would i know if they are inflated? They do not go far in my nose, only the little tip part goes inside.

[craftyncrazy]

When you say "up the nose" I am hoping only the little cones are inside only the nostrils. They really don't go very far into the nostril opening. The large rim of the nasal pillow rests gently against the nostrils.

2 possible causes for the cones to collapse.. they are tired and need washing and/or replacing or my first suspect the top strap is too tight and the pressure is compressing the pillows and cones.

I will wash them even though they are 4 days old ( hopefully the DME didn't give me used equipment). I've done the strap tight and loose to try and get it feeling right, but I know from reading here that it should be loose. The DME said should be able to get one finger on each side of the straps.

Room temp and ambient humidity will affect the perceived warmth and moistness of the air. Now that the nights are much cooler I am finding that my normal settings on my humidifier are MUCH cooler to the point of waking me up with ice cube nose. Even with setting of 5..
We can change to the "old" way of humidification on these machines.. Heat only and much more of it.
It will warm it up considerably but one uses more water and rain out is much more of a problem. Always something...

Well here in Houston its still pretty warm at night and still near 100º in the day time and its always Humid. But my hubby does like to keep the room pretty cold when we are sleeping.

[JeffL]

I just started about 6 weeks ago, and had the same sensation. The medium size felt like it was blocking the air, so I switched to the large size. If I make it tight so that there is no leak, I still have kind of a blocking feeling at first, but I think it might be psychological, because I know I'm getting air, and I've become use to it. When the tech had me try it out at the lab, it was with the medium, but it must have been a loose contact, because I could feel the air.

BTW, after a few days, I noticed the the openings formed themselves to the shape of my nostrils.

[apneawho]

I have found that too tight can be as bad as too loose.

[craftyncrazy]

So basically I have to find the "PERFECT" tighness?

[JeffL]

So basically I have to find the "PERFECT" tighness?

I think that's part of it. Sometimes the strap slips upward on the back of my head (probably from changing sleeping positions), making it too loose and the hissing wakes me up. I just pull the strap back down to give the mask the right tension.

[squid13]

Put some Velcro on the inside of the back strap in the center and it will stick to your hair and won't slide.

[Breathe Jimbo]

What is your pressure?

Are you using a ramp? If so, is the squishing only when you first put them on?

You may need to up the pressure or start ramping at a higher pressure.

[Pugsy]

The only time I have had the inner cones collapse was when I had the top strap too tight.
Have you seen the video?
http://www.cpaplibrary.com/nasal-pillows.html
I usually try to give the pillows a good washing every 3 to 5 days. My skin is rather dry so I use moisturizer. If someone had rather oily skin the oils could easily build up and impair the fit. Wiping off with a cleaning wipe might not get enough oil off. Might need a wee bit of soap and warm water to loosen the oil accumulation.

[ems]

So basically I have to find the "PERFECT" tighness?

Well, perfect tightness or perfect 'looseness'. Top strap should be kind of loose so that you can slip two fingers under it. Side straps should be comfortably tight.

[JeffL]

Put some Velcro on the inside of the back strap in the center and it will stick to your hair and won't slide.

That would probably work good with my curly/fuzzy hair