Is the Swift supposed to hurt my nares?

mikebomb · Post by **mikebomb** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 8:32 pm

My new Swift arrived yesterday and I wore it for the first time last night.

Am I doing something wrong, or is it supposed to hurt my nares?

I have a (fairly) small nose (especially for a guy) with nice round, equal size nares. When I woke up this morning they hurt, and they are still hurting some now. I tried both the Small and Medium pillows, started the night with the Mediums, and finished with the Smalls after waking up early this morning with my nose on fire.

I do not want to have wasted $114.00.

Help!!!

snork1 · Post by **snork1** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 9:20 pm

FINE tuning the tension on a Swift for MINIMAL pressure is CRITICAL.
An almost imperceptible loosening or tightening of straps can make all the difference.

Also fiddle with rotating the barrel one way or the other tiny bits until it feels most comfortable.

Use AYR GEL to lube the contact points.

This mask is deceptive with its simplicity. It is a bit finicky on the adjustment, but once its dialed in, it stays at least.

I also like to change off using another mask with different contact points like the Activa.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 10:58 pm

It's not supposed to, but don't wonder that it does.
A nasal pillows interface touches your nares where they've never beet touched before, and they have to get used to that.

As snork once said on another thread - you would'nt go on a full days bike trip before having gotten used to sitting on a bike seat. Is it supposed to hurt your butt? No. But will that happen? To almost anyone.

Don't force it. Don't continue till you've got sores. Make sure you follow all the fine tuning instructions by experienced and successful Swift users. If you have to, talk to your RT and take a break to let your nostrils heal.

If you do those things, you might find yourself in a couple of weeks as a very happy very satistfied Swift user.

O.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 11:33 pm

Don't force it. Don't continue till you've got sores. Make sure you follow all the fine tuning instructions by experienced and successful Swift users. If you have to, talk to your RT and take a break to let your nostrils heal.

Amen! Great advice by ozij and by snork. Ask your DME if they have an extra mask of some other type they could loan you to alternate with, until your nares get accustomed to the Swift's pillows, so that you can continue cpap treatment.

"Don't continue till you've got sores." Get someone at your DME to help you with that problem right away.

Also, here's a link that you can follow to read lots of topics about the Swift. Perhaps you'll find more hints to make it easier.

LINKS to MASKS - nasal mask, nasal pillows, nasal prongs

mikebomb · Post by **mikebomb** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 1:04 am

rested gal wrote:Ask your DME if they have an extra mask of some other type they could loan you to alternate with, until your nares get accustomed to the Swift's pillows, so that you can continue cpap treatment.

I didn't get the Swift from my DME, I bought it myself from cpap.com. I have another mask I bought myself (the Comfort Curve, which I cannot stop from leaking during the night) and I have the mask my DME issued me, the Fisher Paykel HC-405.

I haven't spoken to my DME since the day I got my machine and mask. They are merrily billing my insurance company $130.00 a month for the same RemStar Lite I can buy on cpap.com for $247.50. I asked my insurance company to let me buy the machine and pay me back for it -- they said that they would only pay 70% after I met my annual deductible, which I had not yet done. Why should I go out of pocket for $247.50? I am still renting the machine from my DME.

Now that I met my annual deductible, I am going to try to put in a claim for either the Comfort Curve or the Swift, and hopefully get 70% back for one of them. I may just buy a machine so that I can save my DME coverage (max $1500/year) for something else, just in case I fall and need crutches or something.

Margaret · Post by **Margaret** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 6:30 am

Hi Mikebomb

I agree with all the advice above. Judy is also having some initial trouble with Swift so as an "expert" of 6 days standing I offered ...............

I've only just purchased the Swift after getting some great advice from Yawn, Lori, WS and so many others and I think the Swift is fabulous (but could use some minor refining of the headgear). Although I was happy with my flexi-fit mask I like having the security of two good systems.

The first couple of nights I went to sleep with the Swift and changed back to mask during the night (my nose felt sore and sensitive to the flow aimed directly into my nostrils).

I have switched to the LARGE pillow and wear it VERY loosely with the hose upward to stop the weight pulling down on the headgear and causing leaks.

I also started using a saline nasal spray before bed as suggested, played around with the straps to get them away from my ears and the back clips away from the back of my head and by the 5th night I was sleeping like a (happy) baby.

Margaret from Oz

WillSucceed · Post by **WillSucceed** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 7:12 am

I really want to like my Swift, but it STILL bites the point where my ears attach to the sides of my head and, I still get sore nares from it. I think this is because I roll around alot and the Swift, while it is great if you are a back sleeper, is inclined to put some unpleasant pressure on the nares.

Ayr gel or Roezit is helpful.

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 8:19 am

WillSucceed,

I had the same trouble in the beginning with the straps hurting the tops of the ears, but fixed it finally. If you make the straps really loose, put it on and tighten the back strap first, then the top one, it repositioned it like I never had it before, where the straps don't even come close to the tops of my ears now. It's all a matter of getting the straps adjusted right. Once you do, they don't situate themselves near the ears, but between them and the eyes.

WAFlowers · Post by **WAFlowers** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 3:16 pm

My first night with the Swift, many weeks ago now (WOW ), left me with sore nares the next day. For the 2nd night I used KY jelly. From the 3rd night on I've used the Swift (without KY) without pain.

I discovered on the 2nd night that I had the straps too tight and the barrel rotated to the wrong angle. Correcting the angle and loosening the straps made all the difference. Over successive nights (and weeks) I learned that the Swift can tolerate a remarkably loose strap without leaking.

WS, Lori is correct about getting the straps adjusted to clear your ears. It can be done. When everything "drops in place" it is a remarkable fit. Last night I slept on my right side with my face practically buried in the pillow (almost on my stomach), on my back and on my left side. The Swift followed my every move.

Another suggestion to clear your ears is to have the back strap higher. You can accomplish this (if you think about it) by having the back strap looser and possibly the top strap tighter to rotate the junction of the two forward and up.

I'm convinced (now) that when properly adjusted the straps should be as loose on your head without the barrel or hose in place (i.e. just sitting on your head) as when everything is hooked up. You might want to remove the hose and barrel and try adjusting the straps to clear your ears that way. I did (weeks ago) and it worked for me.

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 3:28 pm

Good idea, WAF, to remove the barrel and adjust the straps first. Never thought of that...

yawn · Post by **yawn** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 3:46 pm

I agree with what everybody before me has said. I've been using the Swift for awhile and really loved it. Unfortunately, it's been giving me some problems lately...leaking and sore nose. The underside of the tip of my nose (if you can follow that) even started bleeding so I switched to the Activa mask for a few nights. No sense in torturing myself anymore than I have to.
I'm going to play around with the headgear too because I tend to wear it "snuggly" and I think that's what's making my nose hurt. Unfortunately, this entire process...every bit of it ...comes down to trial-and-error.
Good luck,
Amy

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 5:49 pm

Yawn writes:
Unfortunately, this entire process...every bit of it ...comes down to trial-and-error.

And unfortunately for me lately, it's ever-changing. For some weird reason, I don't know if I'm the only one, but everything seems to have just shifted and nothing is the same. I wonder about my mask, my pressure, my headgear and device adjustment, the new mouthpiece of Dr. Sue's I'm using...nothing feels like when everything was so stable and consistent. Maybe too much change and not enough continuity on my part.

WillSucceed · Post by **WillSucceed** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 7:46 pm

I guess I have an oddly shaped head (all those bitch-slaps that I've taken over the years for being so mouthy) but I cannot get the Swift to stay on if I have the straps too loose. The back strap works it's way up to the top of my head and the Swift pops off. If I have the back strap tight enough to keep the Swift on, it is too tight and bites me.

I keep wanting my Swift to work but... I still seem to have the best success with the Breeze and the Comfort-Lite.

Congrats to all you happy Swift users!

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 8:20 pm

I keep wanting my Swift to work but... I still seem to have the best success with the Breeze and the Comfort-Lite.

If you are having success with not only one but two masks, I say you're well ahead of the game. I would still try to fool around with the straps and see if you can eventually get it. Don't you have a bump in the back of your head that can keep that back strap down, like the rest of us thick skulled, bumpy headed people ???

Fatigue Fighter · Post by **Fatigue Fighter** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 9:36 pm

I've been using the Swift for a couple of months now with no problems to the nares. At first, my nostrils were sore but after taking advice from folks on this board (KY Jelly or Ayr gel, etc), and loosening the straps and adjusting the barrell,,.,,I did just fine after a couple of days. The Swift is my first mask and I consider myself lucky it is working for me. Now if I could just get the machine titrated to what I really need I'd be in business! (or on my way to feeling better)!!
FF

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