Swift FX Fit & Slippage!!!

[NateS]

I am using a Swift FX nasal pillow mask and really like it and want it to work for me, but I am having a problem keeping it in place on my head.

When I put it on and adjust the position and tightness/looseness of the top clear band and the back blue band, the pillows fit just fine in position with my nostrils, and I start therapy with no leakage.

Many times during the night, however I awake to hear the roaring sound of leakage/misadjustment, and sure enough one or both of my bands have slipped out of position, thereby moving my nasal pillows either slightly down or to the side.

At first, it seemed that the clear band over the top of my head was sliding forward, so I solved that problem by using two tiny hair clips to hold it in place. Now, it stays in place but now the blue band in the back slips upward, causing the same problem. No matter how much I tighten or loosen it. And I can't clip the blue band to my hair because, as a man, my hair at that point on the back of my head is too short to clip anything to. (Even if I could, I wouldn't be able to lay down on my pillow with clips stuck to the back of my head.)

So I am going nuts waking up to the misplaced roaring umpteen times during the night and having to pull my blue band back down into place so that my nasal pillows can be placed back into position!

Is there some trick to the adjustment to keep the blue band down where it belongs? Is there something extra I can hook onto my Swift FX to hold it in place all night? I have scoured the internet looking at things like the pap cap, bands over the forehead, bands over the jaw etc. (even though I don't have an apparent problem with mouth breathing) but none of these devices look like they would work to hold the blue band of the Swift FX down in place. I suppose it would help me figure this out if I had an engineering degree, but unfortunately I don't.

I've gotten to the point where I don't think that just making one or both of these two bands a little tighter or a little looser is going to solve my problem, because I feel as if I have tried very possible combination of tightness and looseness between the two.

Can anyone suggest a makeshift home item, or a device I can purchase and add on, to keep that blue band down in place so that I can keep using this nasal pillow mask that I think is perfect for me in almost every other way?

[Pad A Cheek]

Hello Nate,

There is a solution to this slippage. The photos of the strap we have to fix this are here:




If you would rather make your own, it is not terribly hard to do. I wish you the very best on keeping the headgear in place.

Karen

[Pugsy]

Cool idea Karen. I didn't know you had that little jewel.

In the absence of Karen's solution or while waiting for hers to arrive if you order one. My first thought might be one of those kerchief like things that bikers wear over their heads. I forget the cool name they are called. Wear it over the head gear straps to keep straps from moving. I use the Swift FX and I have short hair and sometimes I have that back strap slide up but not enough to warrant worrying over. I wonder if some people have more of a problem because the back of their heads aren't as "rounded" as others and if they don't have much hair there just isn't much there to keep that back strap down low where it is supposed to be.

[xenablue]

I was always able to keep my Swift FX and LT in place due to using a chinstrap or PapCap chinstrap. Recently I've been able to keep my mouth shut without the chinstrap and both these masks were slipping around on my hair.

I wrapped some of that self-sticking crepe bandage carefully around the straps - just enough to give it a 'grippy' surface. Both masks stay in place all night now.

Had forgotten about the Padacheek one - might get one of those as well.

Cheers,
xena

[Janknitz]

The very simplest soluiton is to sew some velcro hook tape (the stiff side) into the blue back strap of the Swift FX so that it grabs your hair. Sounds uncomfortable, but it's not even noticeable once you have it on. It works like a charm.

[NateS]

Karen,

What a great solution, but now I really feel dumb - I can't find it on your website!

Where is it?

Regards, Nate

[Pad A Cheek]

Sorry Nate,
You are not losing it, I do not have all our products on the website yet. I will be happy to help you. Feel free to send me an email.

Karen

[NateS]

Okay I am ordering Karen's solution and am anxious to get it, but I also want to express my heartfelt thanks to:

Pugsy,
xenablue and
Janknitz

for jumping in here so swiftly and giving me a variety of great alternate ideas!

You are all wonderful for taking the time and thought to reply, and to do so quickly, when I was ready to tear the rest of my hair out in frustration!

What wonderful support members you are!

Best regards, Nate

[Moat]

I'm glad I saw this because I have the excact same issue. The top strap seems to stay in place for me but the blue strap in the back will creep up and I find myself waking up to readjust it. A small leak will form on the upper portion of only my right nostril and the noise wakes me up.

Some great advice to fix it...thanks all!!

[thud]

Do you have a picture of it on the head?

Are the straps supposed to go under the ears?

Once assembled can you just slip the mask over your head or do you have to disconnect 1 strap, put it on, then resecure the strap?

[Pugsy]

Do you have a picture of it on the head?

Are the straps supposed to go under the ears?

Once assembled can you just slip the mask over your head or do you have to disconnect 1 strap, put it on, then resecure the strap?

Above the ears .
Once assembled and with initial adjustments over with..I put it on and take it off without doing anything to any straps. It stretches enough that it is not needed. This past summer I broke my wrist. I was able to put it on and take it off with one hand and didn't need to adjust anything. I am still using the same headgear..still no need to adjust anything.

There is a video on the Swift FX
http://www.cpaplibrary.com/nasal-pillows.html

[thud]

Thanks for the info Pugsy. Seems like a good solution to the slippage problem.