nasal pillows

[cntrygrl]

i am a new user to the cpap machine. i have a resmed with the nasal mask which i found to be a bit claustrophic. so my rt supplied me with the mirage swift II nasal pillow system. i have only tried it once but the air noise is unbearable. it sounds like i'm in a wind tunnel when i''m breathing in and/or out. it is almost like a loud 'white noise' sound. i believe i have it adjusted properly with the hose and attaching it to the machine. can anyone comment? i have an appointment with the rt next week. he is not happy that i wanted to switch masks (not that i care) but i don't want to not give this one an opportunity if i might be doing something wrong. thanks.

[Julie]

It is a very noisy mask, and why so many 'newbies' are given one I can't imagine. There apparently are some (same mask) that are quieter, but with so many quiet masks out there, I'm sure you can find a few that suit you without having to accept that one. It just seems to be 'the' starter mask handed out by a lot of dealers, but you can get many others without that noise.

[GaryG]

If you're a mouth breather, recommend you try a FF or hybrid mask. If not, then you should try other nasal masks. Fitting is so subjective. Best to keep trying masks until you find your ideal one. You'll know it when you find it. (I'm still a work in progress myself - on mask #6 over 2 months).

[Muse-Inc]

Loved my Respironics OptiLife nasal pillow mask! Started mouth breathing and now wear the RespCar Hybrid mask which I also love.

[letchworth]

I use the OptiLife and it is a love/"not so love" relationship for me.

As for noise- if all is perking well, I don't hear any noise except the machine noise. If the exhale port is near blankets or any object is too close, you can hear that.

My wife has complained that the exhale port being on the front gives her a shot of cold air at times (especially face to face-- I sometimes put a pillow in the way, but not too close as I said above).

I like the cushions better than the pillows (same maske, they usually give you some of both in the starter pack, I think- at least that is how I tried them out).

Maske is light, and once properly fitted works well (I added an additional neck-strap because I am an active side-sleeper). I am committed to keep with it- but I feel there are pluses and minuses with every maske. The benefits far outweigh the alternative.

letchworth

[ozij]

Swift LT and Opus 360 are quieter masks.
My experience with the Swift (not the the Swift II) was ike what you're describing for your II.

O.

[cntrygrl]

so, if i'm getting this right, i could find a quieter nasal pillow system out there instead of settling for the swift II? how do you go about switching out masks all the time? my rt blew a gasket when i asked to try a pillow versus a nasal mask. i understand that there is a 30 day return policy with the resmed masks apparently but i've already been thru two now. how do you go thru 6 masks? will they continue to try to work with you? i really can't stand my rt but since i'm contracted with this company now and paying on my machine, i'm stuck between a rock and hard place. i'd love to get a quiet nasal pillow! i'm still waking up at 3-4am taking off the nasal mask d/t intense claustrophia and 'hot air' in the mask. freaks me right out.
thanks for all your help. nice to know there's someone to reach out to.

[Hawthorne]

You might want to buy a different pillows mask on your own. Cpap.com has good prices and cpapauction.com has some really good deals on "never used" or "lightly used" masks.

[Pugsy]

i understand that there is a 30 day return policy with the resmed masks apparently but i've already been thru two now. how do you go thru 6 masks? will they continue to try to work with you? i really can't stand my rt but since i'm contracted with this company now and paying on my machine, i'm stuck between a rock and hard place. i'd love to get a quiet nasal pillow!

ResMed offers the 30 day exchange no matter how many masks you try of theirs in that 30 day period. ResMed will reimburse the DME for each and everyone but the DME has to fill out the paperwork which some don't want to do.
I am enough of a bitch that I would make them work for their money given what they charge for these things but that is me... My insurance only allows 1 mask/headgear every 6 months so I have used the cpapauction to get a number of masks to try. I think it is a close race between the Opus 360 and the Swift LT for her as to which I like the best. Only noise I hear is when I get the exhaust vent too close to something like my arm or another pillow.

[GaryG]

I actually found the Mirage Activa nasal mask much more comfortable than the nasal pillow masks, but I'm a mouth breather so had to give up on them anyway.

[brucelegs]

so, if i'm getting this right, i could find a quieter nasal pillow system out there instead of settling for the swift II? how do you go about switching out masks all the time? my rt blew a gasket when i asked to try a pillow versus a nasal mask. i understand that there is a 30 day return policy with the resmed masks apparently but i've already been thru two now. how do you go thru 6 masks? will they continue to try to work with you? i really can't stand my rt but since i'm contracted with this company now and paying on my machine, i'm stuck between a rock and hard place. i'd love to get a quiet nasal pillow! i'm still waking up at 3-4am taking off the nasal mask d/t intense claustrophia and 'hot air' in the mask. freaks me right out.
thanks for all your help. nice to know there's someone to reach out to.

you are their customer - try this wording "I WANT the Swift LT for Her mask, please get me one".
Don't ask if you can have it, they will say no since it means paperwork for them. If they will not satisfy you call your insurance provider's customer service and let them know of the issue you are having with this provider. As they say, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. I am a firm believer that there is mask out there for everyone, some of us may have to search a bit longer to find it.

[SleepyNoMore]

I use the Swift 11 & I love it other than the mask marks the next day, I use the pad a cheeks on my straps but I think it's due to my skin (aka/ the aging process), As we get older, our skin gets softer and thinner and therefore gets marked easier and they don't completely go away but that's a whole other subject
Be sure and don't over tighten or under tighten your swift as this will cause large leaks to occur, it will take a few days of adjusting to get it where it need to be!!! Just keep working with it and you'll soon get the hang of it, Goodluck