Alternative to nasal pillows

[Duane Lord]

Please let me know (as specifically as possible) if you've had a positive experience with nasal prongs as opposed to nasal pillows which I have found entirely unsuitable, much to my dismay. I would like to know which ones have worked best and which have worked worse. Also, how are so many of you able to adjust your machines yourself? My technician "forbade" me to look when he adjusted mine--and as someone who's new to this game, I did as I was told, assuming I was not to know how to make adjustments as it could be detrimental to my health. Thank you.

[Janknitz]

There are many types of nasal pillows, and just because one did not work for you does not mean that others won't. I also wonder if you were fit correctly, since some DME's have NO clue as to what they are doing when they fit them. So if you can tell us exactly what brand and model of nasal pillows you tried and what the problem is, we can probably help. It will also help us to know what machine you are using and its settings.

As for adjusting the machine, it's not something you want to do without a lot of knowledge about what you are doing. The best approach is to learn everything you can (start with the CPAP wiki at the top of this panel marked by the yellow light bulb) and then collaborate with your doctor about what is best for you and your medical condition. Some sleep physicians are tickled pink that their patients take an active role in their therapy and some are very threatened by that. Hopefully yours is one of the former.

Eventually, you may gain the knowledge and the confidence to make changes to your own settings, and guess what--no alarms will go off and the CPAP police are not going to come and arrest you! You can harm yourself if you are cavalier about making changes and don't know what you are doing, but you can also educate yourself and make wise decisions, hopefully with the collaboration of a good physician.

[duanelord]

Again, thank you...and for those who have asked me to post the specifics of my equipment, I would love to do so. However, I am unable to edit my profile. I have registered (at least that's what the computer tells me when I attempt to "re-register"). I'm sure this is due to circumstances well within my control (AKA my own ignorance), but if you could advise so I could fix this problem, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

[Bert_Mathews]

Please let me know (as specifically as possible) if you've had a positive experience with nasal prongs as opposed to nasal pillows which I have found entirely unsuitable, much to my dismay. I would like to know which ones have worked best and which have worked worse. Also, how are so many of you able to adjust your machines yourself? My technician "forbade" me to look when he adjusted mine--and as someone who's new to this game, I did as I was told, assuming I was not to know how to make adjustments as it could be detrimental to my health. Thank you.

First try and keep in mind - "It's Your Health & NOBODY else is interested unless they get $$$$!"
-SO- do some reading here on the forum and learn to keep records and how to adjust "YOUR machine"
AS for Nasal Pillows or Prongs ??? I'm a Pillow person and use the AEIOMED with XLARGE which has less leaks than the large.
When my Nose gets tired of the pillows I switch to the ComfortLite 2 That fits over the nose & has the pillows?

ONLY real advise is Keep switching mask UNTIL YOU FIND a match that you can live with = = = The OSA will NOT GO AWAY so you need to live with it NOT the DME Tek or anybody else.

I have a closet full of mask and equipment over the past five years and still get something NEW from time to time BUT sticking with it will make the brain work better and a body that's happy with the O2 -- HING IN THERE!
Bert

[Janknitz]

If you can't change your profile (try clicking on User control panel on the left side of the screen just above the thread and the little "Bookmark" symbol), just tell us what your equipment is and what problem you had with it.

[jdm2857]

Duane --

You may have registered, but are you logging in when you come to the site? On the login page you'll find a checkbox that will make future logins automatic.

[Duane Lord]

Thank you all! I think I am finally on the right track (technologically speaking) due to the incredible help of those who help run this great site. Soon, I hope to be on a better track physically, thanks to all of you. This is a godsend.

[Mary T]

I discovered with the nasal pillows (which came with the mask - a small, a medium and a large pillow.) You can try different sizes each night. Also I discovered that when you move the pillows upward or downward, it changes the feel of the airflow into your nose. I went from stuffy to clear by adjusting it upwards, (the part that goes in your nose a bit). You just have to keep moving it around till it gets comfortable for you. It works well when you totally plug up your nostrils, so maybe a medium is your size, or maybe the small.

[Breathe Jimbo]

"On-board memory has been added to the CPAP as well as storing information on a generic SD Memory card and reads through any SD card reader. Use EncoreViewer Software to monitor therapy effectiveness through a series of reports. A new Patient Flow and Event report enables users to view a weekly breakdown on per-breath basis. Patient data is used to identify particular conditions and events with specific colors."