Respironics ComfortLite 2

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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Titrator
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Post by Titrator » Mon Mar 27, 2006 6:21 am

Wader,

I use the elbow as it is. I just put it to the side. I string the hose through a hitching post above the headboard of my bed so my Aussie heated hose hangs straight down. Turning the hose to the left with the elbo makes sure it doesnt get hung up.

I also use a memory foam pillow, which makes it easy to use the CL2 elbow as is.

Ted

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Post by Guest » Mon Mar 27, 2006 8:04 pm

kewl topic guys :)

Yoga
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Post by Yoga » Tue Mar 28, 2006 4:19 am

Rested Gal,

What size pillows did you choose for the Comfort Lite 2? I notice that in some other masks I use the same size you do.

Thanks for your reply about the connector hose.


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wading thru the muck!
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Post by wading thru the muck! » Tue Mar 28, 2006 5:25 am

Titrator wrote:Wader,

I use the elbow as it is. I just put it to the side. I string the hose through a hitching post above the headboard of my bed so my Aussie heated hose hangs straight down. Turning the hose to the left with the elbo makes sure it doesnt get hung up.

I also use a memory foam pillow, which makes it easy to use the CL2 elbow as is.


Ted,

The weight of the heated hose is not a problem for me. The problem I am having is, as I roll from side to side, the 90 degree elbow needs to rotate from side to side. This means at some point in the process the elbow points straight toward my headboard. I need at least 8" from the top of my head to the headboard to allow the hose not to bind against the headboard. I start the night by pulling my pillow down to allow this clearance, but not long into the night I am up against the headboard with the hose binding and the headgear shifting. If the CL2 used a soft "pigtail" rather than the hard plastic elbow, this would not be a problem. This hard elbow is a poor design, that by it's nature, allows the hose to act as a lever against the headgear... this is not conducive to a successful interface. Seems to me, they could have just extended the narrow tube another few inches and used (a much cheaper) straight adapter rather than the elbow.
Sincerely,
wading thru the muck of the sleep study/DME/Insurance money pit!

Sleepless on LI
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Post by Sleepless on LI » Tue Mar 28, 2006 6:26 am

Wader,

Have you tried, as mentioned, the short connector tube from an Activa to fix that problem? I guess you're going to stick with the Aura, then? All in all, if that wasn't an issue, which mask do you feel is easier to sleep in and leaks less, etc.? Still waiting for your official ruling. Thanks.

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Post by Titrator » Tue Mar 28, 2006 6:45 am

Wader,

What I do is turn the elbow to my left side and leave it in that position. When I turn, the swivel turns. When I leave the hose pointing straight up, the elbow is less effective. You do need to give yourself a few inches from the headboard, but that hasn't been an issue for me.

Ted

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Post by wading thru the muck! » Tue Mar 28, 2006 7:43 am

Sleepless on LI wrote:Wader,

Have you tried, as mentioned, the short connector tube from an Activa to fix that problem? I guess you're going to stick with the Aura, then? All in all, if that wasn't an issue, which mask do you feel is easier to sleep in and leaks less, etc.? Still waiting for your official ruling. Thanks.

I'm not giving up on it yet... but that d**n elbow is not helping to convince me to keep the CL2.

Sincerely,
wading thru the muck of the sleep study/DME/Insurance money pit!

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Post by wading thru the muck! » Tue Mar 28, 2006 8:02 am

Titrator wrote:Wader,
What I do is turn the elbow to my left side and leave it in that position. When I turn, the swivel turns. When I leave the hose pointing straight up, the elbow is less effective. You do need to give yourself a few inches from the headboard, but that hasn't been an issue for me.
Ted,

This would work if the outlet pointed toward the ceiling, but it does not. As far as I'm concerned, the elbow is completely unecessary and should be eliminated.

Sincerely,
wading thru the muck of the sleep study/DME/Insurance money pit!

john5757
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Post by john5757 » Tue Mar 28, 2006 10:28 pm

Wading,

I would agree that the elbow is my main gripe on the Comfort Llite 2. With all the stories about Respironics redesigned the swivel elbow it looks and works the same as the old Comfort Lite. The only change I see is that the part is frostized. The Active hose extension helps. I justing finishing up testing the Direct Seal and the pillows and came up with a few surprises.
It taken me a long time just to write this part and I have much to say and not enough time to do it! Now I need to get to sleep and wake up at 4:30am for work!


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rested gal
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Post by rested gal » Wed Mar 29, 2006 8:23 am

I agree that Respironics should have omitted the clunky elbow on top of the ComfortLite 2 and just used a longer tube with a swivel connector to the main air hose. Like the Breeze and Aura do.

That said, adding the Activa (or Mirage Vista) connector tube to the ComfortLite 2 made it work fine for me.

It's a shame though, for people who don't have one of those masks to borrow from, and who want a freer, lighter swivel tube arrangement, to have to go to the expense of buying something extra that really should have been designed into the new ComfortLite 2 anyway.

With the add-on tubing, it's a very good nasal pillows interface, imho.

Tired In Texas

Comfort Lite 2

Post by Tired In Texas » Wed Mar 29, 2006 8:29 pm

Thanks to everyone for the info on the Comfort Lite 2. I am new to this CPAP world and am on my fourth mask. I have a very very thin bridge on my nose with very thin slanted nares so finding a mask that will seal has been a challenge. I started with the Swift but all three sizes just did not work - and I looked like Rudolph for two weeks. Then my DME switched it out for the original Comfort Lite. I spent three nights fighting with the headgear. She switched that out for the Comfort Curve. That is a very comfortable mask but I end up with so many leaks that my machine sends out alarms all night. It was so bad my Rottweiller kept barking at it! My DME was opposed to ordering the Comfort Lite 2 because she felt that the headgear would be too confining and that I wouldn't like it. But she finally gave in and supposedly it is on order. After reading this information, I'm ready to get my new mask and give it a try. Thanks again for all of the great info!


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Sizes

Post by sleepyred » Wed Mar 29, 2006 8:40 pm

Rested Gal - you probably answered this a billion times, but what did you order with your mask. When I called cpap.com tonight, I was told there were only two choices, pillows and simple cushion. One person said since I am female, I need the small/medium. My measurements show med/large. They seem confused and so am I!

I wear the large pillows with my breeze and standard with my activa. Glad to know I have the "blessed hose" if I do order my comfort lite II. I use it with my breeze and my heated hose as well! Handy little gadget!

Thanks.


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Post by Titrator » Wed Mar 29, 2006 8:50 pm

Hi SleepyRed,

I have the Med/Large pillows and simple cushion and I also use the large breeze pillows.

You will need Med/Large for your Comfortlite 2.

Ted

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Post by Sleepless on LI » Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:17 pm

Sleepyred,
Don't let the fact that you're a woman dictate what size pillows you'll need. I am the most comfortable in my Aura with the XL and my nose is not huge. It's just the shape of the nares that will tell you what you need, not the gender of the person using them.

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Post by rested gal » Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:46 pm

sleepyred, the two options I got for the ComfortLite 2 were the "Nasal Pillows" (Med. & Large) and the "Simple Cushion" (Med. & Large.) I didn't get the "Direct Seal."

It's my opinion that any time women have to choose two sizes in nasal pillows, "medium and large" usually are going to work better for most women...not "small and medium."