Nasal Pillow - feel like I bumped my nose

[Cgull]

I've had my FX for a month now and can not prevent the piggy nose? I keep going back to the trusty (but saggy, I've had the same headgear for a year, my provider sent chin straps rather than headgear) Swift II. I can sleep without and discomfort with the Swift II, other than the headgear riding down on my ears. I've tried all three size pillows of the FX and still get piggy nose. I'm thinking maybe the piggy nose with the FX has something to do with the double layers of the pillows creating friction or pressure

[Pugsy]

Piggy nose is from the top strap being too tight.
Unless someone already has nostrils that are more upturned than usual.
If the end of the nosed where nostrils are ....is turned upward at all..the top strap is too tight.

[JoeP]

Reading around the forum, it sounds like most people tape their mouths shut to stop this from happening. That seems pretty extreme to me, but I'm willing to give it a try just to see if my pressure settings can bring my AHI down from the 22 it seems to be hovering around. I have to run to the drugstore tonight anyway, so I'll pick up some of the micropore tape. I was wondering exactly how people are doing this taping, and what width of tape you use?

I use a neoprene chin strap to keep my mouth closed. when awake I can talk or take a drink but when asleep the strap holds my mouth from falling open. For me it is much less hassle than taping would be.

[RenW]

Even with extremely loose headgear I still have to watch out for piggy nose since I get it now and again.

What I've found works:

1) Ridiculously loose straps---particularly the TOP (silicone) straps. My FX is so loose that it threatens to fall off if the back strap moves up towards the crown of my head. I still get a wonderful seal, and quite frankly I don't know how I do it. And I am a side sleeper.

2) Correct placement of the back cloth strap. Too high, and it pulls the pillows too tight and up against my nostrils and pulls them into piggy nose. Too low and it pulls the pillows back where the tip hits the inside of my nose.

3) Getting the pillows at the proper angle in the first place. If I can feel the tippy-tip part of the cone touching the inside of my nose, I know I don't have them at the right angle (yet). And when the pillows are not at the right angle, I tend to get piggy nose symptoms. So whenever I notice the tippy-tips touching the insides of my nostrils, I reseat the mask by pulling it away from my nose (very slightly) and then when the pillows are fully inflated I gently place them back against my nostrils. Usually I only need to do this once or twice before I'm happy with how the pillows feel---in the sense of me not feeling them at all inside my nose.

3) Running the hose under my covers and lightly hugging the small hose in one hand. This hand is usually my right hand and I tend to hold the small hose an inch or two below the exhaust vent. This allows me to very slightly tug on the hose whenever the pillows feel like they are getting a bit too tight and causing piggy nose. I think I am now even slightly tugging the pillows in my sleep at time. The slight tug does not completely break the seal nor does it fully reseat the pillows; it just slightly readjusts the pillows angle in my nostrils an relieves a bit of the physical pressure that causes the piggy nose.

4) Ample use of Lansinoh if the tenderness gets to be significant. As a newbie, I was using Lansinoh every night. Now, I hardly ever use it. However, I am still using copious amounts of a non-petroleum based lip balm most nights. And I usually slather it around my nostrils as well as the whole area between my nose and my lips.

5) Frequent replacement of the pillows if need be. I've found that my pillows have a very unpredictable life span. I usually use two (or even three) pairs at a time, switching them out every day or every couple of days. Sometimes I'll get several months (two of my current pairs are from December) and sometimes I'll only get a few weeks. Signs that I need to replace them include a high frequency of "cone collapse", a higher than normal leak rate, and a tendency to need to keep the straps tighter than I like, which leads to piggy nose.

Even though this is an older thread, I just wanted to thank you and the other members for advice on this thread. I have a Swift FX mask and on my second night of using a CPAP (last night) I woke up after two hours with so much pain on my nose and upper lip I had to take the mask off. A search of the internet led me to this forum and thread. I brought my mask into the bathroom to take a look, and there it was - the dreaded piggy nose! I loosened the heck out of my mask, trying to make it just tight enough to avoid leaks. In fact, the back strap was more secure, but I made the silicone strap really lose. (I could stick my thumb easily under it.) It made a wonderful positive difference. Since the DEM tech tightened the heck out of the mask when she was fitting me, I thought I would have trouble with a mask being this loose. I also positioned my hose better in my bed. The mask slipped a couple of times, but no more than they had the night before when it was on tighter.

Just wanted to thank you again. I really was worried when I woke up in pain! Hopefully this will continue to work well for me.

[neverbetter]

If you need lanolish more than a night or two, you have the wrong size (or wrong mask). Try wearing your nasal pillow looser. The pillow should not feel as if they push up against your nose.

[Nicki]

I am so thankful for the suggestions on this thread. I have been using my CPAP for only 10 days and my nose has hurt so badly each morning, but I was willing to deal with it if it meant I can finally get some decent sleep. I am going to try loosening my silicone strap.

[chunkyfrog]

Just make sure the tender nose isn't something else.
A developing cold sore may feel the same.