My poor, sore nose! Please Help.

[Janknitz]

I am so frustrated with my poor, sore nose.

1. I am a side sleeper. I always sleep on my right side, and no matter what I do, the mask gets pushed into the side of my nose. Even masks that have nothing hard that could possibly touch my nose dig in and hurt a LOT. I try to "hang" the front part of my face off the pillow so nothing is pushing it, but as I sleep my head pushes into the mask anyway.

2. I want to use a nasal mask. I get claustrophobic in FF masks, and I don't think nasal pillows will work for me because my skin is very sensitive (I can't even use regular tissues if I have a cold). I'm able to keep my mouth closed without problem.

3. I have a small nose with a very narrow, sharp bridge. Nearly everything leaks around that bridge and into my eyes, no matter what I do. (The F&P 407 did not, it just hurt like H*LL).

So far I've liked the F&P 407 and the Mirage Micro the best, BUT they both hurt my nose a lot. I was tempted to cut the foam cushion of the 407 where the pressure is because everything else was good--no leaks with that one--but I had to give the sample back.

The Mirage Micro is very leaky, but with a LOT of silicone ear stuff I can control it. I love how quiet it is. The straps ride up and hurt my ears, though. Despite the shortcomings, the Micro is what I've been sleeping in, because it doesn't start digging in until several hours have passed, unlike the others.

I had high hopes for a Mirage Activa LT (size small) but it was huge, heavy, too long at the bottom--bumping into my lips, and I cannot get a good seal no matter what I do to loosen or tighten the straps and adjust the headpiece.

I also tried the Comfort Gel mask and that one hurt from the first moment until I ripped it off. There was no "comfort" in it for me. I could not even get to sleep in it because it was too uncomfortable from the get go.

Any suggestions other than cutting off my nose (I'm tempted )????

[harry33]

the comfort gell can be resized as per the instructions and should then fit well, get your nose measured to get the correct size mask

[LSAT]

Most of us sleep on our sides without the problems you are encountering. Have you considered your pillow as being the problem?

[tseefl]

My nose gets sore, too, from the nasal pillow cushions and my small sensitive nostrils. Before I go to bed, I put Ayr gel into my nostrils: this helps me from getting sore. I have been using the Swift fx for 2 mos now and it's pretty good, but I still need to use the Ayr gel sometimes. You can get it at most drug stores. you can see it online at: http://www.amazon.com/Ayr-Saline-Nasal- ... 927&sr=8-4
Also: the "Swift LT for Her" offers an extra small nasal pillow: I use the small.
I hope this helps you!

[dave21]

I had high hopes for a Mirage Activa LT (size small) but it was huge, heavy, too long at the bottom--bumping into my lips, and I cannot get a good seal no matter what I do to loosen or tighten the straps and adjust the headpiece.

Oh, actually that was going to be the first I was going to suggest, I find a lot of nasal masks hurt the bridge of my nose, but the Activa is perfect. The downsides are though that it's big, heavier and a little cumbersome but the trade off far out weighs the discomfort on my nose bridge for me.

Any suggestions other than cutting off my nose (I'm tempted )????

Nose job?

Have you thought about the SleepWeaver?


Check out the SleepWeaver website for more information. There's also a video showing how the mask works.

Thanks
Dave

[ozij]

• Our noses need time to toughen up for any mask we use -- some of us need more time. Try alternating masks, giving pressure points a break, and then returning to the other mask -- it's surprising what a difference the short break can make.
• Consider changing your head pillow - it's a personal thing, but many of us do better with one type of pillow than they do with another. For me, a tempurpedic cervical works much better than a regular pillow. Others swear by Target's "shapeable", other use a CPAPillow, and yet others a Water pillow.

You may also want to try the following tips from "rested gal":

<snip>
With any of the masks you've used, have you ever tried putting a homemade strap over the front of the mask and around your head, to stabilize the mask better?

The extra strap doesn't have to be tight. You know how you can put your fingers lightly against the front of a mask that's leaking, and get the leak to stop with very little finger pressure? That's kind'a the way a homemade strap works -- worth a try. The leg cut off a pair of pantyhose tights ("tights", not plain pantyhose) is what I use. Soft and stretchy:

Using homemade straps -- useful for stablilizing masks other than just the one shown.
Using one or two homemade straps with the Headrest nasal pillows mask.
http://www.tnlc.com/Lara/laura/osa/aura-strap6ways.jpg

DoubleStart Knot How to tie a flat knot behind head when using a homemade strap.
http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/doublestartknot.htm

It's also helpful to rig up a way to hang the main air hose overhead. Think of being a fish on the end of a slack line -- able to turn over and over underneath the hanging hose without the hose pulling the mask when you turn:

LINKS to Hose hangers and methods of managing the air hose
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