Strange Swift FX problem

[jbn3boys]

I started using a Swift FX for Her a little over a month ago. I LOVE it. After about 3-3 1/2 weeks, I started to get leaks, especially towards morning. It finally dawned on me that it could be the pillows wearing out. I went to the DME and got another set. Viola! no more leaks. I loved the feel of the new pillows. But after about a week on the new pillows, I'm starting to get leaks again.

These aren't major leaks, just little annoying leaks. The mask fits perfectly when I go to bed, with no problems. After I've been asleep for a while (2-6 hours) I start to realize they are just not quite right. I can fidget with them and go back to sleep, but they seem to quickly be "not right" again, with minor leaks. The best way I have found to fix the leak problem is to take the whole thing off, take a potty break, and back to bed. Then the mask seems to fit fine for a few more hours. It seems no amount of messing with them, short of taking the whole thing off, will "fix" the problem. This is a lot like when I first realized the first set of pillows was wearing out, but that was after 3 good weeks of wearing them. This is only after one week. I cannot imagine having to replace pillows once a week!

I started out cleaning my mask every few days. When I first started noticing problems with the first set, I started washing the mask nightly. The new mask, I've washed about every other night, and sometimes remember to use a baby wipe to wipe them clean in the mornings.

I've played around with the sizes, and I'm pretty sure I've got the right size. And, yes, I know how they fit, with just the upper part of the upper cone going into the nostril--the bigger, base part of the cone sealing around the outside.

Does anyone have any suggestions or helpful hints??

[scrapper]

When I turn or feel leaks, I simply pull the nasal pillows away from my nose, allow the air to reinflate the pillows and then put them back in place. Sometimes a little lanolin on the nares before bedtime helps--sometimes the pillows do need replacing. Some pillows last only 2 weeks, others I use for months. I have the same problem but it worsens as pressure increased.....

[xenablue]

I have the same mask, but no issues with leaks. I do wash it every day with Ivory soap and hot water and make sure I avoid the area the pillows touch with moisturizer. Maybe a soaking in a vinegar solution on occasions might help. My skin tends towards dryness, but it makes sense if your skin is on the oily side you might need to do more to prevent leaks.
I'm still quite new at this, so I'm sure others will have better suggestions.

Cheers,
xena

[Janknitz]

It was pointed out to me by someone here that the directions for the Swift FX specifically state to avoid using vinegar to wash/rinse them.

I think various pillows have various lives. There are numbers inside the pillows, i.e. 1, 11, 13. I think those indicate where that particular set of pillows was made and what mold was used. I'm venturing to guess that some of these pillows hold up better than others.

When your pillows are starting to get leaky and you don't have another set on hand, try the O-ring fix (see the lab rat page) as a temporary measure. If any knitters are out there, the large and medium rubber ring markers sold for knitting are the perfect size.

[xenablue]

I checked on the Resmed manual for the Swift FX and it says not to use certain products on the mask/pillow, but vinegar wasn't included. I use a 1:10 vinegar solution on my masks and haven't yet seen any deterioration - but as I said, I'm pretty new at this yet.

Cheers,
xena

[robysue]

It was pointed out to me by someone here that the directions for the Swift FX specifically state to avoid using vinegar to wash/rinse them.

I've read and re-read the user guide that came with my FX and didn't see ANYTHING at all about vinegar.

The two relevant sections of the user guide state:

Cleaning your mask in the home
Your mask and headgear should only be handwashed by gently
rubbing in warm (approximately 86°F/30°C) water using mild soap.
All components should be rinsed well with drinking quality water and
allowed to air dry out of direct sunlight.

And

WARNING
Do not use aromatic-based solutions or scented oils (eg,
eucalyptus or essential oils), bleach, alcohol or products
that smell strongly (eg, citrus) to clean any of the mask
components. Residual vapours from these solutions can be
inhaled if not rinsed thoroughly. They may also damage the
mask, causing cracks.

Now I suppose that you can argue that vinegar is strong smelling. But a 1:10 solution of white vinegar to water is less smelly to my sensitive nose than most baby wipes (including some unscented ones) are. I soak my pillows in 1:10 vinegar:water and rinse in tap water. But then I also dislike the smell of almost all soaps and detergents and I also worry about my ability to really rinse the area between the inner cone and the outer cone free of all soap residue with our somewhat hard water.

In any case, I'd suggest reading the ingredients on baby wipes and anything else you use to clean the pillows with jbn3boys Lots of skin products have various kinds of alcohols or essential oils in them. So maybe the baby wipes are not the best choice of thing to wipe the pillows down with?

Another thing I do is use two sets of pillows and swap them out every night. I'm on my second set and four months into therapy. I think I'll be throwing this set out at the end of the month or maybe sometime in Feburary. They're not yet leaking noticebaly, but I have noticed that on some nights the inner cone on my left nostril (the one next to my bed pillow) seems to be really prone to collapsing, which is both uncomfortable and leads to leaks.

I get new pillows mainly from E-bay, but I'd use cpap.com if I needed new ones and it wasn't time for my not-very-generous insurance company to buy them. I got a nice set of five unopened new ones for $35 (and free shipping) from E-bay a few weeks back, so I wouldn't need to worry about tossing the current pair when they started to wear.

[jbn3boys]

When your pillows are starting to get leaky and you don't have another set on hand, try the O-ring fix (see the lab rat page) as a temporary measure. If any knitters are out there, the large and medium rubber ring markers sold for knitting are the perfect size.

I found plastic rings for knitting at a store last night, so I tried those out. NOT good. My leaks were worse than before. I think I will try using small rubber bands made for hair/braids. If not, I may have to run to the local farm store to find the o-rings. I just can't imagine having to replace pillows after only a week. I'll go broke!

As for cleaning them, I do use a gentle baby shampoo to clean them. The baby wipes I referred to are the mildest/most natural/fewest ingredients ones I could find. I think I've used them only once on this set of pillows.

[HoseCrusher]

I have been using the same set of pillows for almost 7 months now. I wash them every morning. They have 1 stamped inside, if that helps.

Now if I could get the hoses to last as long as the pillows, I would be in great shape. In the same amount of time, I have had 4 hoses fail on me.

I took some time today to play with this a little. (I really need to sweep the patio, but why do today what you can put off until tomorrow...) I noticed that when air is applied, the outer pillow seems to be held in place by the inner pillow. We all know this, but I noticed that when I flare my nostrils, the pillows seemed to "settle in" for a better fit.

You might try "making like a horse" and flaring your nostrils... I wonder if I do this in my sleep in a effort to hold the seal while rolling over in bed.

Oops, be careful with this. I actually can break the seal if I flare wide enough. Interesting...

[jbn3boys]

I took some time today to play with this a little. (I really need to sweep the patio, but why do today what you can put off until tomorrow...) I noticed that when air is applied, the outer pillow seems to be held in place by the inner pillow. We all know this, but I noticed that when I flare my nostrils, the pillows seemed to "settle in" for a better fit.

You might try "making like a horse" and flaring your nostrils... I wonder if I do this in my sleep in a effort to hold the seal while rolling over in bed.

Oops, be careful with this. I actually can break the seal if I flare wide enough. Interesting...

Thanks for the giggles, and the suggestion. I'll pretend to be a horse tonight.

And just be thankful you CAN sweep the patio! Ours is under feet of snow right now. It's shoveling that we need to do.

[kempo]

I use the Swift FX and was having trouble with leaks after about 4 or 5 hours. When I would awake with leaks the pillows felt slippery. I have very oily skin so I started cleaning my face thoroughly right before going to bed. It has stopped 99% of the leaks I was experiencing.

[RachelM]

I have Swift LT for her. If I don't keep the nasal pillows and face clean I do have problems with keeping the seal all night long.

I have the original pillows that came with my Swift LT for spares, in case of whatever. Comparing these with my new replacement ones:
The new ones are more pliable than original.
The new ones are clear, old ones are opaque white.
The original pillows seemed to last longer than the replacements.

[jbn3boys]

I do keep my mask and face clean...using gentle baby shampoo/wash.

It just seems so strange to me that they can fit fine when I go to bed, but I wake up with leaks. I can readjust and readjust over and over (pull them away from my face, let them inflate, reset) and I just can't get a good seal. But all I have to do is shut the machine off, take the whole thing off, give it a few minutes, and restart everything--then it works like magic. I don't know what shutting the machine off/taking the mask off would do differently than the readjusting I'm doing. But it does.

[sleeplessinaz]

Hi there--i have the FX too and had the same issues as you. The mask fits perfectly when I go to bed, with no problems. After I've been asleep for a while (3-4 hours) I start to realize they are just not quite right--and I hear hissing and leaking sounds. YEP! Air coming out of them around my nares---I am a side sleeper and I wonder if they become dislodged when I roll from side to side?

I use the Swift Lt for her mostly now, but once a week I get out the FX and try it again to see if anything has changed --I just can't seem to get the pillows to fit exactly right after sleeping with it for awhile. I have tried all sizes of the pillows. I wash my face before bed and I clean the pillows with Dr, Bronners Pure Castile Liquid soap--all natural stuff in it and smells like peppermint, Maybe I am in between sizes on the pillows I just don't have a clue!!

Carrie

[jbn3boys]

Last night I felt like my pillows were new again! I didn't have any problems with leaks or anything. The difference? I used the little pony tail holders (Goody brand Ouchless). I put one round each pillow, like the o-ring trick, and it worked perfect. I had tried a firmer, plastic circle the night before with disastrous results. But these pony tail holders seem to be just right!

Only bummer is my AHI was over 6 still. Sigh.

[HoseCrusher]

Well... so much for playing like a horse. Girls...(note to myself) I should have know better and referenced ponies.

I've got you beat. My machine scored AHI was 5.9 for last night. However there are two differences. 1. I have a different machine and 2. I wake up totally rested. My average oxygen saturation for the night was 96.4%, what was yours?