Need help with the Swift LT Nasal pillows

[BigDaddy12t]

I cant seem to get my Swift LT to work right. I could use any, and all of the tips you can give me. Last night I tried for an hour to make them work, but gave up, and tossed them in the corner. Can someone post a picture of how the straps are suppose to go? Thanks!

[ozij]

Resmed videos about the Swift LT.
http://www.resmed.com/us/products/swift ... s&sec=true

And make sure the Remed Logo on the pillows is on top.

O.

[ChrisC]

Good morning!

What kind of issues are you having with fitting the mask? Is it with the headgear, or the nasal pillows themselves? The instruction booklet should show you how to don the mask/fit the straps. Did your DME run you through this?

Here's how the mask should look:

[Froro]

Make sure the pillows are the right side up. (I've made that mistake). The resmed raised lettering should be on the TOP. I can't tell you how much trouble I had on night two when they were in upside down.

[BigDaddy12t]

It seemed like I was having every problem I could think of. For starers, the straps were rubbing on the top of my ears, causing me lots of pain. No matter how I adjusted it, I could not stop this. Other then that, I just couldnt get the pillows to stop leaking. I had worn this mask allot before last night, and didnt seem to have the problems I was having last night. Other then that, my biggest problem is keeping it on during the night. I move around alot in my sleep, and seems to come loose allot. I will watch the video when I get home from work, I have dial up at work, and not enough time to watch it here.

[TerryB]

I posted in your other thread about the LT.
Please keep trying and you might check into arranging a support for the hose above your head to keep the hose from pulling the mask off the sweet spot.

TerryB

[Hawthorne]

I don't know about this mask. When I first got it, it was great! It was so comfortable and the leak rate was good. No problems. Within a month I began to have trouble getting a good seal. I changed pillows, etc and still trouble. I would put it on, lay awake for an hour trying to get it to stop leaking - no luck. That's when I get up and put my trusty Snapp on and blissfully fall asleep.

Sometimes, without reason, it will seal great, I'll fall right to sleep and have a good night.

It feels so good that I hate to give it up but it is proving to be very inconsistent for me.

Anyone else have this problem with this mask?

[DreamStalker]

It seemed like I was having every problem I could think of. For starers, the straps were rubbing on the top of my ears, causing me lots of pain. No matter how I adjusted it, I could not stop this.

The top straps are key to mitigating rubbing on top of your ears ... tighten up the top strap so that the side straps don't ride on your ears. This may require that you losen up the back strap a bit.

Other then that, I just couldnt get the pillows to stop leaking. I had worn this mask allot before last night, and didnt seem to have the problems I was having last night.

Note that the pillow frame does rotate in the vertical plane so you can adjust the angle that the pillows seat on your nares by tilting up and down. Also look closely at the pillows and make sure that the inner wall of the pillows are pointing upward in the same direction as the outer wall of the pillows. Finally make sure that you wipe oils off your nose before bedtime.

Other then that, my biggest problem is keeping it on during the night. I move around alot in my sleep, and seems to come loose allot. I will watch the video when I get home from work, I have dial up at work, and not enough time to watch it here.

Hose routing may be your answer. For those who move around a lot, routing the hose up over your head may be your solution. There are many differnt ways to route over your head with hangers and such ... maybe someone can find RG's links to hose routing for you.

[riverdreamer]

Don't know why, but my Swift LT for Her came with fleece pads for the part over the cheeks. They make all the difference in both comfort and fit, for me. The padding of the fleece lets the mask sit more securely without having to tighten it much. In fact, it fits pretty loosely. While tightening the upper straps to get them off your ears is good, padding on there might also help. I hear Padacheeks makes a great product.

Other stabilizers that I read about, but haven't tried, are using the leg off of a woman's pair of tights, to tie on the front of your mask to stabilize the pillows, or using the grabby side of velcro, inside the headgear, to keep the mask from shifting around. I know Rested Gal has a great pic someone of the tights trick. Maybe someone will post the link.

I just pull my hair into a rather frightening hairstyle, to fit over the straps and hold them in place. It does require a bit of extra effort in the moring to repair, but it works. I move around quite a bit, and sleep on both sides and my back, with little trouble. I do squish my down pillow to keep it from pushing off the mask.

Make sure you are using the right size of pillows for the Swift. Going up or down in size might help. Some people use lanolin on their nares to help the pillows seal, and my sleep doc suggested chapstick. I make sure my face is clean, as oil will cause them to slip, and also clean the pillows at least every other night. I also make sure I rotate the pillows out, and up off my lip. That may not be the best position for you, but it seals best for me there. If you have trouble getting it to stay, that might be where the tight leg could come in handy. Just don't make it too tight, or you will get soreness.

I've been using the same two sets of nasal pillows now for almost two months, and still getting a really good seal. I feel spoiled with the Swift, and dread the idea of ever having to use anything heavier, though I will if it becomes necessary. I'm just glad I haven't had to yet.

Good luck!

[robertmarilyn]

If you wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and see the ResMed logo imprinted in the skin under your nose, you know you had the nasal pillows inserted in the mask upside down.

But you probably won't make it to morning if that is the case because wearing the pillows like that hurts and no amount of lanolin will fix it.

Routing my hose above my head, by attaching it to the wall with a plant hanger (read that here and tried it and it not only keeps the hose out of the way but helps eliminate rainout) made all the difference in the world in helping me be able to roll from one side to the other without any interference from the hose (before that I had a hose wrapped around my neck more often than not).

By fine tuning the adjustments on both straps you can probably get the strap that is bothering your ears, off your ears. And loose is better than tight concerning the straps...the first night I made my nose sore by having the straps too tights. Oh, and grow your hair long enough to wear a ponytail at night...I don't know how those you can't wear ponytails manage to keep their straps in place at night.

mar

[BeanMeScot]

I have my nasal pillow tilted a litte. There is no doubt when I have the pillow upside down because I can't even get it to my nose let alone in it!

[Nephi]

If your having trouble putting the pillows in right, along with the mask, there is a single raised bump on the right side of the mask/headgear near you cheek. Also, you'll find raised bumps on the pillow, near the bump on the mask/headgear. Once I figured this out I was able to put the mask on properly in the dark. I stumbled upon this when thinking how would a blind person put on this mask by touch alone. It's subtle, but useful, once you look for it (or feel for it).

Make sure the mask is not too tight and adjust the angle of the pillows!

Mike

[sleeplessinaz]

Hi---what helps me is that I sit up in bed and adjust the angle that the pillows seat on my nares by tilting up and down. Then when I get a good seal, I lay down and I am out! The trick is also don't over tighten the straps ---keep them pretty loose. Having the Resmed Logo facing upward will help as well. I did order the PAD A CHEEK custom made strap covers that go all the way up to your ears--they are worth their weight in gold. SO order a pair of those for comfort. I also just recently got the FOR HER version and it came with its own strap covers. You should play around with pillow sizes too --go up or down a size to see what works better for you. I wash my face every night thoroughly before masking up at night --so make sure that you are free of facial oils too as that will help the seal.

Good Luck!! You own the BEST mask out there right now!!!

Carrie

[BigDaddy12t]

Hi---what helps me is that I sit up in bed and adjust the angle that the pillows seat on my nares by tilting up and down. Then when I get a good seal, I lay down and I am out! The trick is also don't over tighten the straps ---keep them pretty loose. Having the Resmed Logo facing upward will help as well. I did order the PAD A CHEEK custom made strap covers that go all the way up to your ears--they are worth their weight in gold. SO order a pair of those for comfort. I also just recently got the FOR HER version and it came with its own strap covers. You should play around with pillow sizes too --go up or down a size to see what works better for you. I wash my face every night thoroughly before masking up at night --so make sure that you are free of facial oils too as that will help the seal.

Good Luck!! You own the BEST mask out there right now!!!

Carrie

Where did you order your PAD A CHEEK custom made strap covers, and how much did they cost?

[DreamStalker]

Where did you order your PAD A CHEEK custom made strap covers, and how much did they cost?

http://www.padacheek.com/