Slow but steady progress

[Admiral_Schmidlap]

Hi All,
I have not posted in a few weeks so I thought I would let you know how I am doing. I am happy to say that I have slept every night since Feb 1 with the CPAP mask. I am also back in my bedroom and getting between 4.5 to 5.5 hours of sleep. I still wake up once in awhile but I have always been able to fall back asleep. My AHI's have been mostly between 1.0 and 2.0 with a couple of spikes in the 3.0 to 4.0 range. I can definetely tell the differnce in those days when my AHI is higher but on the whole I am feeling much better than I have ever felt. I have a new sleep study with my cpap machine within the next few weeks.
I do have a question about masks though. I have the Swift Nasal Pillows with the large pillows. I had started out with the medium pillows but switched to the large pillows based on a suggestion I found on this board. The large pillows feel like they are delivering much more air and it is a very comfortable feeling. I do however have some small issues with them. I sometimes wake up in the morning with a very sore nostril. It is not enough to make me want to switch at this time but I was wondering if there was a mask out there similar in design to the Swift Nasal Pillows with a pillow size between medium and large. I would appreciate any recommendations any one has. Thank you all for the continued support and hope you have good sleep.


Thanks,


Admiral Schmidlap

[jdm2857]

You may have the straps adjusted a bit too snug.

Also, some people find it helpful to put a small bit of Lansinoh lanolin cream on the nares just before masking up. You can

find Lansinoh in the "Baby Care" section of most stores with a drug section. It's typically used by nursing mothers to soothe

sore nipples.

[Admiral_Schmidlap]

You may have the straps adjusted a bit too snug.

Also, some people find it helpful to put a small bit of Lansinoh lanolin cream on the nares just before masking up. You can

find Lansinoh in the "Baby Care" section of most stores with a drug section. It's typically used by nursing mothers to soothe

sore nipples.

Hi jdm2857,
Thanks for the advice. When I think back on it I do not believe I made any adjustments to the straps when I switched the pillow size. I will also check out the Lansinoh cream.

[quietmorning]

Welcome back! It's good to hear you're making progress - a LOT of progress, from what I can see!

I don't about your mask question, so I'll leave that to the rest -

Is the sleep study to re-titrate?

[cosmo]

Maybe try the Aloha with return insurance? I never tried it myself. Seems to be another crowd favorite on this board along with the Swift LT. Swift LT and Swift FX have the same nostril sizes so it wont do.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/devilb ... -mask.html

[RandyJ]

As jdm said, use a bit of the Lansinoh cream at bedtime, and reapply in the morning if you have an irritated nostril and it will feel better in short order.

It is worth adding that Lansinoh is one of very few creams that can be used without damaging the silicone, so you can't just use any cream. This isn't so critical with nasal pillows since they need to be replaced every month more or less, but if it was a mask cushion that should last 6 months or so, you wouldn't want to break down the silicone with a cream that could damage it.

[quietmorning]

Last night, when I was trying to sleep for the second time *ire* - I remembered something that might help you:

Before I was on the FX swift, I used the Opus 360 - and was having the same trouble you are, now - the small was too small, the medium was too big. I talked to my DME about it, so she pulled out the swift FX and had me try that - the small is sized right between the Opus 360's small and medium. So I'm thinking the Opus 360 is the half size of the the Swift FX - you could probably go to the Large and be right in between your current medium and large.

The Opus 360 has a different feel to it - the sides are harder - so it will take a minute to get used to - but It was not an uncomfortable mask for me. I would still be in it if it weren't for the pillow sizes being the half size of what I have now.

[Sheriff Buford]

Admiral: you know I wasn't gonna let your post slip past me! I can't comment on your issues with your mask because I have to wear the fitlife - gas mask-type. Good to see you making good progress! Why do you have to go back for a sleep study? It's obvious you are using the mask at night and anyone can look at your data... just curious.

Keep up the good work! You will see your body adjust very well with the therapy. I often notice the difference when chasing someone. I'll think of how great I'm doing and how I couldn't have felt as well as I did before therapy. I have to watch it, though. A few years back, I was admiring how my body was responding so well to the apnea treatment, when I rounded a corner and ran into a tree. Trees don't move! Who put that tree there? I gotta quit doing that when I'm chasing someone.

Best to you!

Sheriff