Nasal mask without full headgear?

[ivory]

I use the Nasal Aire II with no headgear and it works great for me. It's a nasal prong mask rather than nasal pillows and it did take some getting used to (the correct size prong is the one larger than you think at first). I use the elastic ring shaped like an "8" along with a cheap athletic wrist band to hold the tubing together behind my head, and bring it back in front of my neck to connect to the hose.

Good luck!

[znurtdog]

I am new to this, but found the Aloha nasal pillow VERY comfortable including the minimal head gear. No forehead gear at all, might be worth a try. Also, I agree with earlier poster, I don't like the 'ramp up' feature, and start with full blast right away. Unfort. I'm a mouth breather, and am going to have to try a face mask. Good luck.

[kaiasgram]

I am new to this, but found the Aloha nasal pillow VERY comfortable including the minimal head gear. No forehead gear at all, might be worth a try. Also, I agree with earlier poster, I don't like the 'ramp up' feature, and start with full blast right away. Unfort. I'm a mouth breather, and am going to have to try a face mask. Good luck.

znurt, you might want to try the double mouth guard -- I posted the link in another recent thread if you're interested. If you liked it you could continue to use your Aloha.

[Daisy004]

oh I agree with other posters...the sleep lab gave me nasal pillows size XS and set the ramp at 4 for 30 mins..I felt like I was trying to breath through a straw with a sponge on the end. I upped my starting pressure to 6 and went up a size nasal pillow to an S. The head bit on the nasal mask annoyed the heck out of me too..good luck!
Daisy

[lorraineg57]

oh I agree with other posters...the sleep lab gave me nasal pillows size XS and set the ramp at 4 for 30 mins..I felt like I was trying to breath through a straw with a sponge on the end. I upped my starting pressure to 6 and went up a size nasal pillow to an S. The head bit on the nasal mask annoyed the heck out of me too..good luck!
Daisy

I hear ya on that one. I really liked the idea of the nasal pillows in part due to the minimal headgear. They started me out at 4 too with a small in the FX Swift for her. That lasted less than five minutes before I was ripping it off, I couldn't get any air. I ordered a size up and will up my starting pressure when I give them a shot. What did you have to raise your starting pressure to feel more comfortable?

[Always tired]

I can't count how many forum members complained of that lack of air movement feeling with nasal pillows

I tried out the Swift FX medium a couple of times about a year ago and made it maybe 2 minutes before going into panic mode and ripping it off. I just could not get enough air--my DME never me told about different sizes and I did not know anything about a return policy. I am wiser now!

I am considering buying the Large size and giving it a try, but am trying to find out how much bigger the large opening size is compared to the medium (maybe percentage). Cpap.com does not know and suggests contacting ResMed.
Does anyone out there have a good experience going up a size? I know it's only $22 for the large but I have thrown so much money into masks, straps, liners etc. that I thought I would go for some advise first. The medium size seems to fit well, but I just feel like I'm being slowly suffocated.
Thanks in advance
A T

[jencat824]

lorraineg576,

You may want to try the Piliaro, while it is not a popular mask, the nasal pillows are one-size-fits-all, but the opening is fairly large. I love this mask however its not popular to many of the forum members who have tried it.

Another easy to breathe with mask is the SleepWeaver Elan. The Elan is a nasal mask but some DME's may not be carrying this. SleepWeaver offers a 30 day guarantee on this mask, and it is available on cpap.com.

I've also tried the Mirage Vista, it does not have the forehead strap, but the headgear at first seems heavy. I've worn it from time to time and can see why it works for some people. I usually wear it if I have a bad cold.

Good luck,
Jen