Night 3 that alien thing on my face...

[chirurgeon]

Is really annoying. Hopefully this weekend I can get some microfiber to make sleeves for the face bands and a something to be between my lip and the nasal pillow. But the worst last night was the irritation in my nostrils. I didn't have that the first night. The seal is good, not leaking. But could they be the wrong size anyway? I'm using the medium size.

ETA: I'm wondering if I'm having am allergic reaction to the material in nasal pillow.

[KentuckyHoser]

I use the same mask you do. I've only been at this for two weeks, but I don't think I'll ever be looking for a new mask. This one just disappears for me now. I don't have a particularly tiny nose, but I've found that I get the best fit/seal with the small pillows and a pretty durned loose fit. Maybe you're pulling things too tight? I made that mistake for half of one night and woke up with dry eyes from leaks and a sore nose. Also (at least on me) to get a good, comfy fit and seal, my top strap is never at the 'top' of my head. It's more toward the front. I had to fiddle and tweak it in the beginning, but now that I know where everything needs to be 'masking up' takes seconds. What I finally ended up doing is tossing out directions, making everything as loose as possible, putting it on without looking in a mirror and going entirely by the way the thing felt to make adjustments. I love the Nuance and the Nuance Pro. I have both headgears/frames that I can switch between with the same short hose setup and pillows, but now that I have the fit right I lean more toward the Pro. I think the cloth headgear of the regular Nuance will be nice in warmer weather.

[Pugsy]

Get some Lansinoh lanolin ointment to use just a small amount in your nostrils.
The silicone in the nasal pillows...chances of allergic response extremely rare and if you were allergic should have showed up most likely first night and you most likely wouldn't we wondering?

Try a different size nasal pillow and watch the tension of the straps. The most common mistake people make with these masks is that they have the straps too tight and just a couple of millimeters difference can make a huge difference in fit.
And yes, they could be the wrong (maybe less than optimal is better than wrong) size even if not leaking...I can use all sizes of nasal pillows and make them not leak...but I have one (sometimes two) sizes that are the most comfortable and that's what I want to use.

[chirurgeon]

I'm still leaning towards allergy, it took at least five or six hours for the itching to go away. And it reall bugs my upper lip. Unfortunately my RT is out of town at a conference, I have to wait until Tuesday for a replacement. I'm going to push for the Airfit P10.

[chunkyfrog]

The Lansinoh could help with mild contact dermatitis.
When you wash your face before bed, make sure all soaps are removed.

[Pugsy]

Oops, 5 or 6 hours is way too long for any itching to last.

Do wash the pillows really, really well and rinse even more so..lots of rinsing.

While allergies to the silicone are rare...they aren't impossible but do wash and rinse A LOT to remove any chance of soap residue being the culprit.

[chirurgeon]

I'm taking the night off from the alien. I'm off this weekend and will be back on the machine tomorrow night. I'll give all three nasal pillows a good wash and rinse and let them dry over night. I still think I want the Airfit. This one rests on my upper lip and it bug the heck out of me.

[Pugsy]

You will like the AirFit P10..it's much lighter on the face and head all around.

Oh...one other thing...just thought of it.
When I was first starting therapy I had some itchiness in my nose but it was from not using enough humidity.
Triggered itchy, sneezy reaction when I lowered the humidity...and confirmed by repeat of symptoms when I let the tank run dry a couple of times.
So just in case...keep that in mind should symptoms return.

[spmccord]

I had to laugh at someone else calling the mask an alien. It's just like the face hugger in the movie Alien.

[Stormynights]

I have both the Nuance Pro and the AirFit P10. My NP doesn't touch my upper lip. I know we are all different, but maybe you need to tweak the fit a bit. I love the gel pillows. They are both great masks. When I had nose itch problems I was told to turn the temp down on my heated hose. That solved the problem for me.

[chirurgeon]

I tried again last night, but after only a few minutes I started itching again where ever the pillow touched my nose. I sure hope I don't have a silicone allergy. Hoping the reaction is from the gel.

[KentuckyHoser]

It could be the gel, but looking at my mask it seems that the gel is completely encased in a thin layer of silicone and the actual gel doesn't really touch your skin? Do you have the Nuance Pro or the Nuance? If you have the Pro are the side straps causing the same irritation? If it's not an allergy, maybe it's just you being hyper aware of it being there?

[Pugsy]

To confirm that it just the mask/silicone or whatever....wear it without turning the machine on (as the air blowing could be a drying agent causing itching) for a short period of time.
Unhook the short hose from the long hose so you can breathe freely.

[DRONE]

On that microfiber--check eBay for microfiber "tubes" that slip over the straps on the mask. Search for CPAP hose cover. I contacted one of those sellers and had them make a custom set EXACTLY the way I wanted.

About the frustration--everybody has a different length "fuse". I didn't get frustrated until many months of failures to get comfortable. So I gave up. Eventually almost by accident I found the mask I'm using now and all has been well ever since.

About the irritation in your nasal passage--I have the same machine as you and the humidifier is really weak IMO. I have mine turned up to MAX which I think is "5". Try it--but it helps to use one of those microfiber hose covers to prevent any moisture from collecting inside the hose.

About getting used to the mask--how about wearing it disconnected while watching TV? Your brain needs to get so used to it. Kinda like a chipped tooth--it bothers the hell out of you for 3 days then like magic you forget it's there.

[chirurgeon]

The only thing that was making me think it was an allergy (besides the itching) was it took so long for the itching to stop. I'll see what happens on Tuesday. Hopefully they will have an Airfit for me.