Any tips for a new Swift FX user?

[MrPianoman]

Hello, I'm getting a new Swift FX nasal pillow mask on Tuesday (5 days from now), and am very excited. I started out with a Mirage full face mask (I believe that's the one), moved to a true blue nasal mask when my Medicare said I could get a new mask 6 months later, and it's almost been 6 months now and I get a new mask. Reading the boards here and doing my own research I've decided to try the nasal pillows. I don't think I could have used them when I first started out a year ago, my wife said I'd get up in the middle of the night and put away my mask (sometimes nicely, sometimes with a few choice cuss words), all without my knowing about it and I used to move around way more than I do now at night. Now I get a nice 8 hours straight with the mask on. Through the boards I've gotten the sleepyhead software and have started sifting though the data my cpap machine gives out. It was amazing how much my numbers changed for the better after I went to my true blue nasal from my full face mask. (I've grown to love my full face mask after I sewed a mask liner and have had a few stuffy noses...). Anyway, do any of you that have used the swift fx nasal pillows have any words of advice for a newbie to the mask like me? Sounds silly, but I've already read some posts about the o rings and how they support the pillows somewhat and a have a set for the medium and large pillows for when I get them. Nothing like being prepared even before I try it out, huh? I haven't gotten any lanolin cream either, I've heard that can help as well. Just looking for some advice from some people that have tried the Swift FX like I said. Sorry if anything is typed funny, I have a kitten that decided to sit on my chest as I wrote this post, maybe she's curious about nasal pillows too...

Thanks in advance,

Piano

[Pugsy]

Main suggestion.....don't get things too tight. That is the most common mistake people make with the nasal pillow masks.
If you look in the mirror and you look like you have "piggy nose"..straps are too tight.
If you have any discomfort more than very mild tenderness at the nostril area...straps are too tight.
You already know about the Lansinoh ointment..it does help.

Have you seen the video?
http://www.cpaplibrary.com/nasal-pillows.html

and there is one here...look at the little boxes of images for link to their video
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... dgear.html

[hopingitworks]

I started cpap over two months ago and have only used the pillows. They are extremely comfortable. To the point that I don't actually know they are on at night. At least when I go to sleep. Sometimes I will wake up in the middle of the night with the headgear off and not remember taking it off . And I do have to tape my mouth shut to prevent mouth breathing.

Someone posted the link below on another thread earlier this week. It gives a good explanation of the nasal pillow system, adjusting it for comfort and function, and how to clean the apparatus.

Hopefully the pillows work out well for you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gut4Kbbc-iM

[MrPianoman]

Thanks for the help so far guys! Definitely going to put some lanolish cream on my list! And hoping, I tried taping my mouth shut for a while too, fun stuff eh? I've lost a few teeth in a row and it was making me a drooling mess (attractive, I know). I was already using a chin strap but found out I was clamping the thing down too tight. Now that I've loosened it up a bit I don't have to use the tape, even though it's sitting on my nightstand, just in case. My favorite part about the tape is I have facial hair and now know the approximate feeling of waxing my mustache.

[ddk]

Main suggestion.....don't get things too tight.

+1.

It took me a week, and a very sore nose, to realise that I should loosen the straps.

[Slartybartfast]

Make sure you are using the right size pillows. Try the Medium and large and see which one you like best.
Second, try K-Y jelly to lube your nostrils. A very thin layer is all you need and it's not greasy and washes off with water unlike the lanolin cream which can be pretty sticky/pasty.
Third: The pillows on the Swift FX are very flimsy, very easy to collapse, so really keep the straps looser than you think they should be.
Fourth, you're a guy, so keep your nose hairs trimmed short. With the 'stache, you're going to have to work at it. It's surprising how a long nose hair can get between the pillow and your nostril and form a channel that can allow air to escape.

Best of luck with the mask.

[hopingitworks]

And hoping, I tried taping my mouth shut for a while too, fun stuff eh? I was already using a chin strap but found out I was clamping the thing down too tight. Now that I've loosened it up a bit I don't have to use the tape, even though it's sitting on my nightstand, just in case. My favorite part about the tape is I have facial hair and now know the approximate feeling of waxing my mustache.

I also have used the chin strap. And regardless of how tight or loose it is, I haven't been able to find that point where I don't mouth breathe with it in place. Part of my problem is that I am forced to sleep on my back (for other medical reasons) and my jaw simply drops, allowing the air to escape via the easiest route.

I sometimes question why we refer to it as "mouth breathing". To me it is simply exhaling air that should be in our lungs. And even at low pressures it sounds like a hurricane. If we didn't have a hepa filter as "white noise" running in the background, I might notice the hurricane sounds and put the head gear back on when I take it off.

For me, the facial hair is gone as I could not get a good seal with the tape. But the waxing seems to be a permanent part of my treatment. I am truly sorry for those women who feel they have to use that form of therapy!

Best of luck with the pillows!

[Xney]

Finding the right pillow size can be hard. Often you need a bigger pillow size (but less further in the nose) than you think. If you're "between" sizes, then you want to try a different pillow mask. The mask should feel a little loose, but snug enough to not move around a lot. You should be able to fit a finger under the straps without trying hard.

For example, I'm between M and L on the Swift FX mask, but L on the Swift LT fits well.

Trying to make a pillow mask that doesn't seal well work is an exercise in futility and frustration.

[Janknitz]

http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/swift- ... ing-guide/

[Bon Bon]

Something Pugsy told me for when using the bella loops, but I'm finding it to be true for most masks - make any fitting adjustments after you're laying down. The mask can feel really loose and even leak some while you're sitting up but somehow it all settles into place once you lay down. This trick helps me to not overtighten the straps and then I sleep more comfortably.

[lazer]

.......Have you seen the video?
http://www.cpaplibrary.com/nasal-pillows.html....

Thanks for this ^^^^

I seem to have forgotten the step/suggestion in tightening the top straps first and I think this is where I'm screwing up and ending up with the plastic junction around the ears resting too far down atop my ears creating the sores.

Tonight I'm going to start all over via the video remarks and see if I can get this thing working properly again.

[Burkebang]

Finding the right pillow size can be hard. Often you need a bigger pillow size (but less further in the nose) than you think. If you're "between" sizes, then you want to try a different pillow mask. The mask should feel a little loose, but snug enough to not move around a lot. You should be able to fit a finger under the straps without trying hard.

For example, I'm between M and L on the Swift FX mask, but L on the Swift LT fits well.

Trying to make a pillow mask that doesn't seal well work is an exercise in futility and frustration.

Very well said, this is important.

I'm also between medium and large. Medium seems to fit perfectly between my nostrils, but when I breathe out, I feel resistance and noice from the pillows being too small and going too far into my nostrils. With the large, I have to wiggle it about some to get it to fit properly, the pillows are a bit too far apart for me. But when I get it properly seated, the pillow size fits perfectly and does not go far into my nostrils. There is no sound or resistance when breathing out. These pillows seals perfectly and with a loose and comfortable fit of the headgear, it will keep the seal as good at 15 cm as it does at 4. No other type of mask that I have tried will do this with such a loose and comfortable fit.

I wish you good luck with your new mask and hope it works as well for you as it does for me.

[Tino2You]

...
I seem to have forgotten the step/suggestion in tightening the top straps first and I think this is where I'm screwing up and ending up with the plastic junction around the ears resting too far down atop my ears creating the sores.

Tonight I'm going to start all over via the video remarks and see if I can get this thing working properly again.

Lazer...first it was pink headgear NOW you're reading/watching directions...man we may have to vote you off the man team

jk ... sleep well
-tino

[lazer]

...
I seem to have forgotten the step/suggestion in tightening the top straps first and I think this is where I'm screwing up and ending up with the plastic junction around the ears resting too far down atop my ears creating the sores.

Tonight I'm going to start all over via the video remarks and see if I can get this thing working properly again.

Lazer...first it was pink headgear NOW you're reading/watching directions...man we may have to vote you off the man team

jk ... sleep well
-tino

The other team isn't so bad.

[Slartybartfast]

[snip] Sorry if anything is typed funny, I have a kitten that decided to sit on my chest as I wrote this post, maybe she's curious about nasal pillows too... [snip]

Last night I was helping my daughter study for her Physics mid-term today. Had the table covered with books, scratch paper, pencils, calculators, etc. Cat #1 decided to see what all the buzz was about, so she jumped up on the table, walked around sniffing and then lay down right where were working and looked at us through half-lidded eyes and vibrated. After the requisite petting, she became bored and jumped down. A few minutes later, her brother, all 18 lbs of him, jumped up on the table and lay down on the papers, looked at us through half lidded eyes and demonstrated his circular breathing purring technique.

Get used to it. Anything new will attract the attention of a cat.