Sleepweaver Elan

[khauser]

OK all you Sleepweaver Elan users! I wear nasal pillows, and have done so for a LONG time now. Long enough that I "forget" why I didn't like my nasal mask (not at all true, but I have the hope that this one is different). A quick search of the forum shows me that there are a number of people that love the mask, but that it sends "puffs" of air towards their eyes. Is this unintentional air leakage or is this from the intentional venting? How often is this happening? Several users decline to use the mask while reading, indicating it's more often than desired.

What masks did YOU try before settling on this mask? And what is your typical pressure (CPAP pressure, or 90-95% APAP pressure, or top IPAP pressure, etc)?

The idea of a soft mask is very appealing, but only if it leaks less than my nasal pillows AND doesn't cause me to feel like I can't breathe. (The problem I've had with nasal masks in the past is they put pressure on the outside of the nose whereas pillows introduce pressure only on the inside ... for some reason I seem to have issues breathing in that scenario).

I hope to find my old nasal mask just to try it long enough to see if the breathing problems were a thing of the past or not, and if so I'm going to seriously consider trying the Elan. Yes, I do know I have 30 days to try it. But I like some idea before I try.

[chunkyfrog]

I can't read with mine; the weight of the elbow and short hose pull it away from my face enough to release a steady breeze,
right into my eyes. The Advance might work for me, if they made a smaller size.

[khauser]

I can't read with mine; the weight of the elbow and short hose pull it away from my face enough to release a steady breeze,
right into my eyes. The Advance might work for me, if they made a smaller size.

Have you tried the strap that keeps the hose going up and over the head? I guess that would defeat the reading idea, though.

[khauser]

Also, to be clear, *I* am not looking for a solution for reading in bed. Bed means sleep to me. I'm looking for reduced leakage in general...

[Stormynights]

The Elan is the perfect mask for me. I loved the previous design but this is by far the best mask I have ever used. Just don't over tighten the straps. It has to have plenty of room to fill out with air to be able to seal properly.

[YogaKitty]

I don't have a lot of experience, I've only been at this for about five months. I started out with the Swift FX. I switched to the élan because I prefer the softness, I didn't really like nasal pillows, and the venting on the Swift FX blew on my sheets and drove me crazy I prefer the slight amount of air puffing up towards my eyes. I don't have high leak numbers, so I guess this is by design. For me the small cushion is much better for lessening leakage. And I have to agree that the weight of the elbo pulls on it a little. I just don't want anything routed over my head!

[Stormynights]

I don't have a lot of experience, I've only been at this for about five months. I started out with the Swift FX. I switched to the élan because I prefer the softness, I didn't really like nasal pillows, and the venting on the Swift FX blew on my sheets and drove me crazy I prefer the slight amount of air puffing up towards my eyes. I don't have high leak numbers, so I guess this is by design. For me the small cushion is much better for lessening leakage. And I have to agree that the weight of the elbo pulls on it a little. I just don't want anything routed over my head!

Try to loosen the top stap just a tad.

[johnthomasmacdonald]

I received the elan on saturday but haven't been able to really use it because of the leaks. I tried both sizes they include in the package but both of them leaked excessively around the eyes. I watched a couple of youtube videos about how to properly seat them but so far it hasn't been too successful.

[chunkyfrog]

It took me several days to learn how to wear the élan.
It's a lot like learning to ride a bike, roller skate, or dance.
It is a lot more interactive than any other mask.
For me, the comfort is well worth the nightly "dance" I have to do with it.

[Stormynights]

I wear the large. I don't think my nose is large but it was broken years ago. My face is very sensitive around my nose. The only nasal mask I have ever been able to wear is a sleepweaver. I wore a sleep mask to cover my eyes with my old one because of a slight air leak around my eyes but with the Elan worn loose it is very easy for me to get a good seal.

[SethW]

It must be try out SleepWeaver elan week.

After finally getting a permission slip on Friday from my doctor so I didn't hurt myself by ordering a CPAP mask (what would I do without the FDA?), my order with cpap.com went through and my new SleepWeaver elan arrived today (Monday). I tried it out a little bit before dinner to see how it worked. It seemed like the headgear was a little small for my head; the mask seemed to want to push up into my eyes. I think I'll be able to work that out.

Like khauser, I wasn't able to use the nasal masks that they tried at the sleep lab because my nose immediately became congested and closed off. I have no idea why, although I also kind of feel like it had something to do with the way the masks squeezed my nose. I only used this for a few minutes but I didn't notice that. There's absolutely nothing squeezing on your nose like the plastic nasal masks.

It seems like the plastic tube on this mask will probably wind up hitting my face. With my other masks, the tube stuck out far enough I never really noticed it hitting my face. I can probably work that out if it does turn out to be a problem.

The big question for me is whether or not I'm going to keep my mouth shut the whole night or not. I normally breathe through my nose when I am awake, but who knows when I am asleep. Wish me luck!

I may also try a combination mouth and nasal pillow mask sometime. The full face masks are comfortable enough but they mess with my eyes. I sleep on my side and they make that a bit more difficult, too. Anyway, one $100 mask at a time.

Oh, and I believe my pressure is a lightweight 9, with whatever the setting is that knocks it back to 6 when I breathe out.

[khauser]

It must be try out SleepWeaver elan week.

After finally getting a permission slip on Friday from my doctor so I didn't hurt myself by ordering a CPAP mask (what would I do without the FDA?), my order with cpap.com went through and my new SleepWeaver elan arrived today (Monday). I tried it out a little bit before dinner to see how it worked. It seemed like the headgear was a little small for my head; the mask seemed to want to push up into my eyes. I think I'll be able to work that out.

Like khauser, I wasn't able to use the nasal masks that they tried at the sleep lab because my nose immediately became congested and closed off. I have no idea why, although I also kind of feel like it had something to do with the way the masks squeezed my nose. I only used this for a few minutes but I didn't notice that. There's absolutely nothing squeezing on your nose like the plastic nasal masks.

It seems like the plastic tube on this mask will probably wind up hitting my face. With my other masks, the tube stuck out far enough I never really noticed it hitting my face. I can probably work that out if it does turn out to be a problem.

The big question for me is whether or not I'm going to keep my mouth shut the whole night or not. I normally breathe through my nose when I am awake, but who knows when I am asleep. Wish me luck!

I may also try a combination mouth and nasal pillow mask sometime. The full face masks are comfortable enough but they mess with my eyes. I sleep on my side and they make that a bit more difficult, too. Anyway, one $100 mask at a time.

Oh, and I believe my pressure is a lightweight 9, with whatever the setting is that knocks it back to 6 when I breathe out.

Do keep us posted! I have my fingers crossed!!

[jencat824]

I love the SleepWeaver Elan, my only problem with it is that I can't see over the cushion when reading in bed. The small size helped with that, but by accident my DME sent another mask for my 'refill' & I fell in love with it, the Swift LT.

When using the Elan, you will feel puffs of air under the cushion (at least I did), and once you get the seal properly, that is all you should feel, the air exhale underneath the cushion. I think you may fall in love with this mask. I would use it as my primary mask had I not found another mask that works better for reading in bed.

Good luck & let us know how it works for you.
Jen

[Pugsy]

I wasn't able to use the nasal masks that they tried at the sleep lab because my nose immediately became congested and closed off. I have no idea why, although I also kind of feel like it had something to do with the way the masks squeezed my nose

What you are describing is fairly common. For some people the least little pressure across the bridge of the nose and onto the area where the turbinates are will cause immediate congestion. I had the same problem during my titration study. Within 5 minutes of the nasal pillow going on I was totally 100% having a plugged up nose.
Even my sunglasses or reading glasses will cause a little congestion from the minor weight of the glasses.
This was one reason why early on I decided that I simply couldn't wear any mask that rested on the bridge of my nose..
Pretty much limited my mask choices. I made the tech give me a nasal pillow mask for the titration (he was reluctant because "no one has ever used one" and didn't want to try) and had great success and never looked back.

[chunkyfrog]

This may not be an issue just yet, but I just noticed that all my replacement cushions have been coded A7034 instead of A7032
by our hosts. As long as I'm buying out of pocket, it doesn't matter, but I've been hoping to get Medicare to provide them
later this year. If the coding is a clerical error, fine, but if Medicare is considering the replacement part codable as an entire mask,
some of us might have a problem. I have contacted our hosts and SleepWeaverMarketing in an effort to clarify the matter.
EDIT: Apparently it was just a typo on my invoices. Like I said, it doesn't really matter.
As long as Medicare doesn't have it messed up! (knock on wood)