Nasal Pillow Use

[tbrown2]

One more question for all of the nasal pillow users out there. I really like using the nasal pillow mask but it is causing my nostrils to be very sore and I am worried that it will cause sores until I can get used to them. I have tried all of the sizes of the prongs and the medium seems to work best at feeling good, at least to start, with no leaks. The problem is that as I move around at night the straps seem to move also and puts pressure on the mask and my nostrils. I thought maybe a light coating of Vaseline or something like that would help. Any ideas on what I can do? I am running out of options.
R,
Tom

[Pugsy]

Vasoline is a petroleum based product and to be avoided for any long term use because petroleum based products can cause damage to the silicone.

For nice thick and quite pleasant ointment give Lansinoh a try. This is a lanolin based ointment used by nursing mom's to help with chapped nipples during breast feeding. You can use it as much as you want to and it provides superior protection and will not harm the silicone. You can also use it 24/7 for any residual tenderness as a preventative. Normally found in the baby section (where bottles and nipples are) in places like Walmart. Kinda expensive $10 or so for a small tube but a little goes a long way. It will last a long, long time.

With a bit of time the nostrils do "toughen" up a bit and the skin becomes more used to the nasal pillows and less likely to cause any tenderness. Also, use caution when tightening up that top strap. People tend to make it too tight and this will cause displacement of the tip of the nose and cause more discomfort.
So if the tip of your nose is moving at all...loosen that top strap just a bit. We don't want "piggy nose"

[BruinGuy]

I'm only a week into CPAP therapy myself, but had the same problem. I first used some lip balm with some analgesic, but was reluctant to actually put it inside my nose, so just put it on the bottom and outside. That helped with the pain, and healed the sores, but I wanted something a bit more. So I bought some Ayr Gel with Aloe based on the recommendation of some people on this board, and that helps, and now my nose isn't sore or tender. It says on the packaging that one of the recommended usages was for CPAPs, and is safe to put inside your nostrils.

I've also heard that lansinoh is good, but haven't gotten a chance to try it.

[cowlypso]

Some nasal pillows masks have the option of attaching the hose to the headgear so that it moves with you. I had problems with the Swift FX because every time I rolled over it would shift. I switched to the Opus 360 with the hose attached to the top of the headgear, and I love it. I believe the Swift LT also has this option, and you could certainly rig most of the masks yourself.

[NateS]

Some nasal pillows masks have the option of attaching the hose to the headgear so that it moves with you. I had problems with the Swift FX because every time I rolled over it would shift. I switched to the Opus 360 with the hose attached to the top of the headgear, and I love it. I believe the Swift LT also has this option, and you could certainly rig most of the masks yourself.

That's very interesting. I am getting frustrated with my Swift FX because the slightest displacement to the left or right, or the slightest tiny millimeter downward movement from my nose causes it to start whistling and blast the air pressure way up because of lack or resistance, giving me very sore nostrils too.

I took a look at the Opus 360 and was considering ordering it, when it occurred to me that the only significant design difference from the Swift FX is the attachment of the hose to the strap on the top of the head, thus presumably giving support to the nasal pillows to stay in place and not move down or sideways.

So tonight I decided to try bringing my hose up between my eyes and over my forehead and try to keep it there with some tape or a cloth loop as an experiment in slightly modifying the Swift FX.

I will see what happens.

Regards, Nate

[Lizistired]

I have been looking at the opus 360 too. It seems to have a different angle of the pillows. That is a problem I have with the fx. The swift lt does have a pivot for the pillow angle, but I still go back and forth between the fx and lt. They are both great for awhile, and then I switch and the other one is perfect.
I really need to get a full face for spring allergy season...

[thud]

So tonight I decided to try bringing my hose up between my eyes and over my forehead and try to keep it there with some tape or a cloth loop as an experiment in slightly modifying the Swift FX.

I will see what happens.

Regards, Nate

Let us know your results

[NateS]

So tonight I decided to try bringing my hose up between my eyes and over my forehead and try to keep it there with some tape or a cloth loop as an experiment in slightly modifying the Swift FX.

I will see what happens.

Regards, Nate

Let us know your results

It did not work well. Instead of keeping the nasal pillows in place better, attaching the hose to my head seemed to keep pulling the nasal pillows out of place. The hose did not seem to provide support for the pillows as it appears to do for the Opus 360. So after fiddling with it for awhile, I gave up and restored the hose to its normal arrangement.

I think I discovered something else useful later, however. All my efforts to try to keep the mask in place, with the stabilization strap etc. caused me to deal with slight displacements/leaks by trying to make slight adjustments in the pillows - a little up, a little to the left or right, etc. Most of the time, it was frustrating and relatively unsuccessful.

Last night, I tried a different approach. I left the right and left ends of the stabilization strap parallel with the rear blue band instead of down on my cheeks, and whenever I sensed a leak start by noise or air rushing, I just pulled the whole damn thing off my head, put the nasal pillows back in place and pulled the straps back over my head. The result seemed to be that I immediately got the nasal pillows right into place, killing the leak and hearing nothing but dead silence! This turned out to be much faster and much more successful than trying to make minor adjustments this way and that. And doing it this way, the pillows seemed to stay in place longer, even when I turned to lay on my side.

I'm going to try that method again tonight and see what happens.

Regards, Nate

[cowlypso]

The Opus 360 pillows are shaped differently from the Swift pillows, as well. The Swift pillows sort of look like mushroom caps, with rounded tops. The Opus pillows are more volcano shaped. A little bit more of the tip goes up into your nose, and for me this means a lot less leaks than I was getting with the Swift FX.

[ched03]

When I first got my CPAP and nasal pillows I would wake up in the morning with very sore and raw nostrils. After posting my problem on here, some very nice people told me to just loosen up my mask. I did that and haven't had a problem since. I thought that loosening it would create more leak but it never did. Best of luck to you!

[squid13]

Lansinoh is good stuff to use for a sore nose, my wife uses it and she's not on CPAP and it takes care of her nose when it gets sore from a cold.

[thud]

So tonight I decided to try bringing my hose up between my eyes and over my forehead and try to keep it there with some tape or a cloth loop as an experiment in slightly modifying the Swift FX.

I will see what happens.

Regards, Nate

Let us know your results

It did not work well. Instead of keeping the nasal pillows in place better, attaching the hose to my head seemed to keep pulling the nasal pillows out of place. The hose did not seem to provide support for the pillows as it appears to do for the Opus 360. So after fiddling with it for awhile, I gave up and restored the hose to its normal arrangement.

I think I discovered something else useful later, however. All my efforts to try to keep the mask in place, with the stabilization strap etc. caused me to deal with slight displacements/leaks by trying to make slight adjustments in the pillows - a little up, a little to the left or right, etc. Most of the time, it was frustrating and relatively unsuccessful.

Last night, I tried a different approach. I left the right and left ends of the stabilization strap parallel with the rear blue band instead of down on my cheeks, and whenever I sensed a leak start by noise or air rushing, I just pulled the whole damn thing off my head, put the nasal pillows back in place and pulled the straps back over my head. The result seemed to be that I immediately got the nasal pillows right into place, killing the leak and hearing nothing but dead silence! This turned out to be much faster and much more successful than trying to make minor adjustments this way and that. And doing it this way, the pillows seemed to stay in place longer, even when I turned to lay on my side.

I'm going to try that method again tonight and see what happens.

Regards, Nate

Thanks for the report NateS and your different approach method.