New CPAP User - Swift Mask - Sore tip of the Nose - Help

[bangy104]

Hi I have been using cpap therapy for last 2 weeks now and I am using Swift mask, The starting was great and everything was good however since last few days I have devolped a very sore nose tip. even if I touch the tip of my nose it pains.It is ok if I donot touch it. So the day goes off fine but in the night whenever I put on the mask and it seals against the tip of the nose it starts irritating and paining. The pain is not too much but it is a constant feeling of some pain.
What this has resulted in is sometime I took of the mask at the last leg of my sleep say 2 hours and yesterday I could not sleep with the mask on and eventually took it off.

i think this would be a fairly common symptom. I feel if somehow I put some gap or cushion between nose tip and mask I will be ok but have not tried it. I am looking for suggestions on how I can overcome this. Any help / support will be highly appreciated.

[Hurricane]

You do have three sizes of pillows that came with the Swift, might try one thats a better fit, I started with a medium for a couple weeks, then switched to the large in my case worked a better seal, yes my nose was tender for several weeks, and like someone on the forum told me it just has to toughen up, keep working at it to determine if this is the mask for you, but be patient one morning you will wake up and say wow, was a pretty decent night.
Hurricane

[bdp522]

A lttle ayr gel or chapstick will help with the soreness. I apply the ayr gel liberaly just before masking up. If I use the chapstick, a very, very thin coat just before the mask.

Brenda

[mattman]

This happened to me as well when I first started using the swift.

After about 3-4 weeks it eased up. However, I still went to the drugstore and bought some moleskin and stuck a little tiny piece right there where it rests against my nose.

Now it's fallen off but my nose has toughened up enough that there is no pain anymore.

Hope that helps -

mattman

[Guest]

You may try loosening the straps a bit too - I still find my nose gets a bit tender if either of those is too tight. Ayr Gel is a MUST! I love it!!

[michael_schaap]

Out of curiousty, which direction is the vent venting air on yours? Down or up? It should be venting up. I had the exact same problem and just so happened to be at the docs office for them to change some settings. I mentioned of the very sore nose and we found out that I had been wearing it backwards (was venting down) Since putting it on correct, I have not had a sore nose again yet.

[GoofyUT]

As others here have mentioned, the soreness that you describe is VERY common when first starting to use the Swift. It certainly happened to me. But don't fret!! In a short time, your nose will "toughen up", the sores will recede and disappear, and for me now, the Swift is SO COMFORTABLE that I don't notive wearing it at all. I wake up in the morning after a restful 8+ hours of sleep and have to feel the Swift with my hand to reassure myself that its actually still on!!!

Three tips (some of which have been mentioned already):

1. Use the LARGEST size pillow that you can and still get a good seal, not the SMALLEST.

2. Buy some AyrGel (available at Walgreen's) and use it liberally. its a saline based gel with Aloe, and is a MIRACLE.


3. Make sure that the straps are loose, tightening them only enough to ensure that your mask remains in a stable position on your face. The MOST common mistake witht he Swift (and other ResMed masks, for that matter) is over-tightening tghe straps. They are designed to be worn with VERY loose straps. In the case of the Swift, the nasal pillows ought to barely caress the tips of your nares. They will inflate slightly under pressure and this will provide the seal.

I know how annoying and painful those sores are now, but they'll be gone in another week or so, and you'll find the Swift to be a remarkably comfortable, lightweight, unintrusive and effective interface system when they do.

Cheers!

Chuck

[bangy104]

Thankyou everybody for suggestions.I will go back on swift today again and see what happens.

[girlsaylor]

I'm also struggling with the Swift and sore nose issues. I think, for me, the DME rep tended to tighten down the mask straps at my mask fitting, to get the mask fitting accomplished quickly, with a fast seal. Unfortunately, the interfaces don't immediately cause pain. Just get them home and sleep with those tight straps and look out! Fortunately, I did see a tip to loosen the straps til the dang thing nearly falls off my face, and tighten straps while lying down, with unit on, just til the unit seals. Now I'm trying really hard to learn to like the Swift. I wear eyeglasses, and like to watch TV or lay back and play on the laptop til drowsy, wearing the 'gear'. I only wish I could lay my hands on an Opus to try.

Anyhow, I had to take a 2 night holiday from the Swift, and used the Comfortgel til my nose didn't hurt so badly. Sadly, the Comfortgel made the bridge of my nose feel like I had taken a fly ball in the face. Same tight straps. Loosened them up and seemed to alleviate the pain. I'm back to the Swift for now, but will probably try the Comfortgel again once my nose heals up, to see if I've solved the bridge of the nose pain problem loosening the straps.

I do have a hybrid on hand here to try; haven't done that one yet. Once I get either the Swift or the Comfortgel dialed in, I'll try the hybrid. When I find a good fit, I have to return 2 to my DME rep.

girlsaylor

[mattman]

Hiya girlsaylor -

For what it's worth you have the same 2 masks that I use on a regular basis.

As I previously mentioned I did have sore nose issues with the swift for the first several weeks and I've also had sore bridge-of-nose issues with the comfortgel.
The sore nose did finally go away with the swift and the sore bridge has lessened up some though I still have it a little with the comfortgel.

Mostly to me, I just chalk these up as the sort of things we will just have to learn to live with if we want to get better. Yes there are things to do to alleviate them but to me, a sore nose for a little while each day is certainly a small price to pay to get treatment!

I guess the nutshell is that the soreness does go away eventually more or less and what's left is really minor. (to me)

mattman

[DME_Guy]

I couldn't use the Swift mask for the same reason. I use the F&P full face mask now but for a nasal mask, I really like the Resmed Activa. It seals very well and you won't have a sore nose.

[Sleepless in St. Louis]

Being a Swift user since March of this year, I've become convinced that having a sore nose as a result of using this mask points to a mask that is not adjusted correctly. I've found through trial and error that it's best, as others have said, to keep the mask straps as loose as possible while still maintaining a seal. If you wake up with what others have called "pig nose" then the straps are too tight. In this case, the mask is pulling your nose up all night. Result you wake up sore looking like Porky Pig. What works for me is to pull the mask as low on your face as you can. I just put mine on and looked in the mirror. I cannot see how the very tip of your nose could be sore unless you are using a pillow that is too small. If that's the case the pillows will go into your nose rather that sitting right on the outside as they are supposed to. If the pillows go too far in, I can see how the barrel of the mask itself could rub against the tip of your nose. So, try using a larger pillow than you think will work to see if that helps. I've tried a couple of masks but I keep coming back to the Swift because of its simplicity, light weight, and comfort. With a little trial and error on your part also, you should get in a groove with this thing.

wishing you well.

Tim