Very Sore, Very Red Nose Bridge

[rockncountry101]

And also the boomerang gel things are kind of pricy and don't have the best reviews. I tried a Band-Aid but it broke the seal.

[BlackSpinner]

And also the boomerang gel things are kind of pricy and don't have the best reviews. I tried a Band-Aid but it broke the seal.

Go to the women's & babies section of your pharmacy and look for nipple cream for nursing mothers - something called Lanisoh(? sp). It also is expensive but "a little dab will do ya" as the commercials used to say.

[Gasper62]

And also the boomerang gel things are kind of pricy and don't have the best reviews. I tried a Band-Aid but it broke the seal.

Use a mask liner, RemZZZZ has ones to fit many mask brands and types. I can't see how a bandaid would interfere with a mask sealing well ? Link to liners: ~~ https://www.cpap.com/productpage/remzzz ... iners.html


Then again....maybe a totally different mask will be best for you. The only Respironics nasal mask I've used is the Profile Lite. It is a "custom fit" gel model that I've heard has been reintroduced. It might help w/your nose sensitivity. Good luck. Link: https://www.cpap.com/productpage/profil ... onics.html

[rockncountry101]

So my nose is healed and there is no marks or redness. Since last posting I went to a local DME and tried the Mirage Quattro which I couldn't keep from blowing off my face and also a Swift FX which I couldn't breathe with. I am going to keep this mask and try to work with it the best that I know how. Does anyone have any experience with these? https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-liq ... -pack.html I hope my situation is similar to madalot. I hope my nose toughens up.

[BleepingBeauty]

So my nose is healed and there is no marks or redness. Since last posting I went to a local DME and tried the Mirage Quattro which I couldn't keep from blowing off my face and also a Swift FX which I couldn't breathe with. I am going to keep this mask and try to work with it the best that I know how. Does anyone have any experience with these? https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-liq ... -pack.html I hope my situation is similar to madalot. I hope my nose toughens up.

Glad to hear your nose has healed.

Hmm. As to that product (apparently new), there's only one review so far at cpap.com. From what I've read here about other similar products, they didn't help and caused more leaking in that area. This product might be an improvement, though, over previous versions of the same thing. Most of us *do* find that our noses toughen up a bit on their own eventually, though.

As to the Quattro "blowing off your face," that's unusual. What pressure(s) are you running your xPAP at (and were you "fitted" at the DME with the same settings)? Could be that the mask just wasn't fitted properly or was the wrong size for you. Re: the Swift FX, why couldn't you breathe with it? Were you just congested that day? Most seem to find that nasal pillows make it *easier* to breathe since the air is so direct.

[rockncountry101]

So my nose is healed and there is no marks or redness. Since last posting I went to a local DME and tried the Mirage Quattro which I couldn't keep from blowing off my face and also a Swift FX which I couldn't breathe with. I am going to keep this mask and try to work with it the best that I know how. Does anyone have any experience with these? https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-liq ... -pack.html I hope my situation is similar to madalot. I hope my nose toughens up.

Glad to hear your nose has healed.

Hmm. As to that product (apparently new), there's only one review so far at cpap.com. From what I've read here about other similar products, they didn't help and caused more leaking in that area. This product might be an improvement, though, over previous versions of the same thing. Most of us *do* find that our noses toughen up a bit on their own eventually, though.

As to the Quattro "blowing off your face," that's unusual. What pressure(s) are you running your xPAP at (and were you "fitted" at the DME with the same settings)? Could be that the mask just wasn't fitted properly or was the wrong size for you. Re: the Swift FX, why couldn't you breathe with it? Were you just congested that day? Most seem to find that nasal pillows make it *easier* to breathe since the air is so direct.

First I think your avatar is crazy cool! Back to business though. There are actually more reviews when they sold them in 15 count instead of 30. Here's the link. https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-liq ... ad-15.html It has a 4.4 out of 5 review. It looks like they were manufactured by PR which is who manufactured my mask (the Pico.) When I tried the Swift FX I felt like it was breathing against me. I was having a hard time breathing out. I had my EPR set to 3. My pressure is 9 and I didn't use a ramp feature. Considering I have facial hair it would be a blessing if I could get used to them. Regarding the Quattro FF mask; I tightened it every which way I could. I never could stop all of the leaks going into my eyes and I swallowed more air in the couple minutes that I had it on than I ever have. Do you have any advice on the nasal pillows? I have heard they cause problems in the nose at higher pressures.

[Pugsy]

Do you have any advice on the nasal pillows? I have heard they cause problems in the nose at higher pressures.

I have heard that too but it's just an old wives tale told by people who don't use them or they have been told that old wives and the keep telling it but no one actually every used or tried them.

I see pressures up to near 20 cm and sometimes above almost every single night. I never know it until I see the reports. There are people using nasal pillow masks on bilevel machines at pressures of 25 inhale and 20 exhale...and they are successful.

Now as to why you had difficulty with the nasal pillows...I don't know what happened unless they were too tight and maybe compressed so not much air was moving because they couldn't inflate like they were supposed to. Or the maybe wrong size was tried.

I have been using nasal pillow masks for over 6 years now.
What kind of problems were you told they would cause at higher pressures?
I sure haven't seen any. They don't go flying across the room like a deflating balloon despite what some DMEs tell people about them staying in place.

[BleepingBeauty]

[
First I think your avatar is crazy cool! Back to business though. There are actually more reviews when they sold them in 15 count instead of 30. Here's the link. https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-liq ... ad-15.html It has a 4.4 out of 5 review. It looks like they were manufactured by PR which is who manufactured my mask (the Pico.) When I tried the Swift FX I felt like it was breathing against me. I was having a hard time breathing out. I had my EPR set to 3. My pressure is 9 and I didn't use a ramp feature. Considering I have facial hair it would be a blessing if I could get used to them. Regarding the Quattro FF mask; I tightened it every which way I could. I never could stop all of the leaks going into my eyes and I swallowed more air in the couple minutes that I had it on than I ever have. Do you have any advice on the nasal pillows? I have heard they cause problems in the nose at higher pressures.

Thanks re: the avatar pic. I love it, too.

Well, this link does have more reviews, but still only 12 in total. (They're expensive, though, at nearly $1 apiece; I would hope you could get more than one night out of each. Still, if they work and make your therapy successful, how much is that worth? )

They might work for you, and the only way to know is to try them. Most of us feel that way about all things xPAP - we're all different, and what works for me won't necessarily be right for you. That goes for masks, humidity settings, pressures, hose hanging, bed pillows, room temperature, noise factors, etc. Almost everything related to therapy. We have to think of ourselves as pioneers, trying different things to find out what is best for us.

It's not unusual to feel that nasal pillows are pushing more air at you, since it's such a direct application. Re: not being able to use pillows at higher pressures (and 9 is *not* a higher pressure, btw), that's an old wives' tale. Nearly everyone can use nasal pillows (if they can breathe nasally); pillows might be a problem for someone with *very* high pressure needs (some high-end machines can go up to 30cm). With facial hair, pillows are the easiest masks to deal with. Perhaps down the road a ways, after you're more used to your pressure of 9, you can try a pillows mask again. My pressure is much higher than yours (usually between 14-18, sometimes as high as 22), and I breathe through my nose with no difficulty. In fact, I don't even notice the pressure when I'm awake. Keep hope alive! (I use what's considered a FFM, but it's nasal pillows and a mouth-covering cushion, so not your "typical" FFM as nothing touches the bridge of my nose and there's no forehead support. I would say I breathe through my nose 99% of the time with it. I don't use nasal pillows alone because I prefer not to tape my mouth shut, and this mask I use features a "chin flap" that helps me keep from mouth-breathing, but I can if I want or need to.)

As to your fitting with the Quattro, it seems counterintuitive, but over-tightening any mask to stop leaks is usually the wrong thing to do. The mask seal (the silicone part) needs to be able to inflate against your face when the pressure from the machine hits it. Tightening the headgear often causes more leaks, not less. It can be a fine line between too tight and too loose; again, it's all about trying different things to find out what works best.

Keep at it.