My new Opus arrived today!

svh · Post by **svh** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:57 pm

And it is *really* an Opus this time..... They sent it free (as promised)--the insurance billing info sheet is all zeros.

So, I played with it this afternoon, and I'm really optimistic. As compared to the Infinity I received before, it's a dramatic improvement! The nasal pillows are very comfortable. I found the small size fit great--no leaks when I rolled from side to side! I didn't even try any other size. (I use Swift Medium.) The headgear seems stable, but I think some pad-a-cheeks would help (hint, hint!)--it seems to dig in just ever so slightly near my mouth.

It is much quieter than my Swift, which is a relief! I added an extender bit of hose, since I think the one provided is slightly short. I have it run through my headboard.

The concerns I had with the ball joint on the Infinity are gone--this one moves very smoothly and freely.

All seems good so far. I'll report back tomorrow! (I'll be using the pur sleep tonight for the first time, too. I had a little trouble with it last night, so disconnected it. I think I'm super sensitive to scent, so I found even one drop overwhelming....I've experimented more with it today and will try tonight with a much smaller amount on the pad--using a toothpick, and see how it goes. Still a good product, well made, I think.)

Bones · Post by **Bones** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 6:22 pm

Hope it works well for you.

Brian

WillSucceed · Post by **WillSucceed** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:53 pm

svh:
For what it is worth, why have two new things in the same night? If you are really sensitive to scent, avoid the Pur-Sleep for a few nights and see how you like Opus. In this way, you will be able to judge the Opus based on Opus alone; you opinion (and your night's sleep) won't be impacted by Pur-Sleep.

After you get settled with Opus (or not) you add in another factor.

Never a good idea to change more than one variable at a time.

Just a thought.

RichCMH · Post by **RichCMH** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 11:51 am

My Opus is on the delivery truck now! I can't wait to get it and wear it around the office today!

UPDATE:
BOOO FedEx! They claim they came to my office and no one answered the door at 12:45pm! Funny thing is I was sitting at my desk next to the door enjoying my lunch and reading posts here!

svh · Post by **svh** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 12:00 pm

So, I hate to say it, but I had trouble with the Opus last night. I was SOOO determined to love it, too!

I took WillSucceed's advice and did not use the pursleep last night--no need to complicate matters, I agree.

I had trouble breathing--it felt more difficult than with my Swift. Today, playing around, I increased my CFLEX from 2 to 3, and it felt better. Perhaps having a smaller reservoir made it harder for me to exhale? Anyway, that seems OK now.

At 2am last night I had a problem I should have anticipated: rainout. With my swift, I route the hose under the covers to keep it warm. I like to sleep in a cold house (58 degrees F), and I know this pretty much signs me up for rainout. My machine is almost on the floor, and I have a ComfortSleeve hose cover, but I can't use an Aussie house because it's a 150 year old house and I'm already overloading the outlet....So, I put the hose under the covers, and with the swift, that has worked fine (w/ humidifier at 3). I tried to route the Opus hose through my headboard, since the ball joint makes that position so very good, and slept that way until 2, when the cold drips finally got to me. I then put the hose under my covers, which eliminated that problem.

I woke again at 5, generally uncomfortable, ans switched back to my swift. I think I may have had the Opus headgear too tight. I've loosened it today and will hope for better tonight. I think it tends to leak more with the hose in the bed, since it pulls sometimes, but I'm going to keep trying.

Anyway, it's not the news I'd hoped to give, but I'm not giving up yet!

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 12:47 pm

svh wrote: I can't use an Aussie house because it's a 150 year old house and I'm already overloading the outlet....

The amount of power used by the Aussie Heated hose or the HH on the XPAP is too small to overload any house wiring, A hot plate or room heater maybe but not the HH or heated hose.

The concern for power comes from using batteries to power them, as with batteries you have a limited storage reserve. Jim

svh · Post by **svh** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 2:21 pm

My power concern is more that I already have too many things plugged into the only outlet in my bedroom....I just thought it would be unwise to add more.

RichCMH · Post by **RichCMH** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:27 pm

I got my Opus today and I am really disappointed. I just spent over an hour trying to get a good fit with absolutely no luck at all.

I need the plastic side arms to swing back toward my ears to get the pillows situated for a decent seal. To get that seal, the straps are too tight and/or the plastic arms pinch my face.

The pillows are similar to the Opti but are skewed inward with less of a "plug" area where the pillow flare would sit inside the nostril above the upper lip. The pillows are angled sharply toward the face also. I get leaks there, above my lip and every pillow leaked.

For those with a more round face/head, skip the Opus and get an Opti.

If F&P would put a sturdy yet bendable wire in the plastic frame, I might be able to get a better custom fit.

PS. Anyone wanna trade a new Opti for Opus?

-RichCMH

blarg · Post by **blarg** » Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:58 pm

svh wrote:My power concern is more that I already have too many things plugged into the only outlet in my bedroom....I just thought it would be unwise to add more.

You'll be fine as long as they're all plugged in in an orderly fashion (like a power strip) and you're never using a combination of devices that draws more than the outlet can handle. Big power suckers are things like space heaters, microwaves, vacuum cleaners, etc. You should be fine with cpap, HH, and aussie hose all on the same outlet, even throw in a clock and a few other things if you want.

svh · Post by **svh** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 7:33 am

So, the final word for me: I am giving up on the Opus for now. I did get it to fit, but the rainout is too much for me--it wakes me up multiple times at night--and I can't afford an Aussi hose right now. I didn't need it with the Swift, so something about the Opus makes it worse for rainout....

As far as fit, what worked for me was to go with the Medium pillows (same size I wear in Swift), but tied slightly closer together with dental floss. I found I was getting leaks at the tip of my nose when I wore the Small size. Even with the Smalls, I needed the dental floss to get them just slightly closer together. My feeling is that the Opus' pillows are spaced slightly further apart than the Swift's, which may explain why people have found themselves using a smaller size.

Oh, well....I was really so hopeful on this, but three bad nights of sleep in a row is dragging me down! It really goes to show how much better I *had* been feeling! I'm sure I'll try it again sometime, but for now, I'm going back to my noisy, awkward for side-sleeping, but dependable Swift.

krousseau · Post by **krousseau** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 8:25 am

Third night with the Opus-very comfortable for me-have used a different size pillow each night. Last night with small worked well-numbers are where I want them. I use badger balm sparingly just around the rim of the nares. The pillows do seem to be just slightly too far apart. The fix for me was a 4 inch strip of 1/2 inch paper tape across my nose and down onto the grey plastic clip holding the hard plastic part of the "mask". Since I don't fasten the hose to anything (just goes under the covers) this serves to anchor the pillows in my nares. I have tiny area of skin that gets irritated from tape so I tear off a small/tiny piece of tissue paper to make a non sticky area on the tape just over that spot.

Rain out with a double insulated cover that includes the small Opus hose has been minimal. The sleeping cottage is about 50 F and the ambient humidity is in mid 60's. The heated humidifier set at 3. The humidifier is putting out about 1 & 1/4 cups of water a night. Best way to make a double cover is to sew it double-and make it a couple feet longer than the hoses so it bunches up.

Blarg's power strip idea is a good one-make sure it is one that has a built in fuse/circuit breaker. If you are still concerned about having enough electrical power-and depending on how many circuits you have in the whole house it isn't just the bedroom to worry about-it might be a good idea to have an electrician check it out. My sleeping cottage has one circuit-15 Amps-so we keep a running total of how many Amps each electrical device uses.

WillSucceed · Post by **WillSucceed** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 8:29 am

RichCMH:
Try using a smaller nasal pillow and relax the headgear so that it is very loose.
The plenum (the part holds the pillows) shoul be laying on the bit between your upper lip and nose. Don't crank down the headgear tight as this puts too much of an angle on the Opus, pulling off your lower lip and breaking the seal.

When I first started with Opus, I could not get it to seal at all. Now, it seals perfectly -just took some fiddling with.

For those with a more round face/head, skip the Opus and get an Opti.

I have a big, round, pie-face and Opus seals for me.

Good luck!

_________________

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RichCMH · Post by **RichCMH** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 2:15 pm

UPDATE:

Ok, so I spent a few more minutes with the Opus. I took the mask into the bathroom so I could see where the mask needs to be to seal and be comfy. With the straps loosened, one hand held the mask steady with the other hand adjusting the straps.

Back in bed, the fit seemed to be ok, no leaks with medium pillows. However the plastic brace pinches my cheeks. I will try it tonight and see how it goes. Definitely will need some Pad-A-Cheek pads, or try and use some heat to soften the plastic and reshape it.

I'll keep ya posted.

Will - I am using the medium - the small size will actually squeeze into my nostrils, the large is too big. F&P should redesign this mask. Adjustable/embedded wired frame and 4 sizes of pillows!

_________________

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svh · Post by **svh** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 3:09 pm

I agree the plastic seems to press a bit too tight--I think it's because of how small the opus is where the plastic part attaches--it means the rigidity begins from a point where the two sides are very close, unlike the Swift, which is wider, so the plastic arms are never as close together. I did make a sort of pad-a-cheek of my own, and it was great--totally solved the pinching problem. I had to do it twice, since the first one was too thick and adversely impacted the fit.

I broke down and ordered an Aussie hose yesterday. (I also bought a surge protector power strip!) Until it comes, I'll keep using my Swift. The difference in rainout, for me, is quite significant!

NS Guest · Post by **NS Guest** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 6:38 pm

My rep told be they were recently told to fit the Opus with the machine
running at normal pressure. I haven't tried that yet. Once the mask felt right, you would have to get someone to hold it while you tightened the headgear.

My mask is sealing better with some lubricant. Thanks, Bunker. I'm also trying a new lighter hose from Respironics. The rep wasn't sure how long it would last, but the cost is 1/3 that of the grey one.

Had a new problem last night. The phone rang while I was sleeping, and I tore out to the hall to answer it. I forgot all about my mask and machine until I came back in to find both on the floor with a puddle of water. My husband says it will be in my subconscious now and I won't forget it again. Why didn't he answer the phone? In his defense, he was sleeping on the couch with a bad cold/cough so he wouldn't wake me.
Coughing with a mask on, now that's a strange feeling.

My new Opus arrived today!

My new Opus arrived today!

My Opus is almost here!

Opus disappoints....

opus