Aloha Pillow Mask Review

[nanwilson]

Been using mine for a week now, tried the tape, tried chin strap, finally remembered I used the ace bandage fix when I had my Swift LT. Third night with the ace and.....I can keep my big yap shut and have no marks on my face in the morning ...yippie. I have the top straps on the forward slot and I use the velcro tube for my hose. The hose would not stay put in the velcro loop until I made a fleece hose cover for it....now it doesn't twist around. I am a happy camper, I have my aloha and 3 hybrids, so I am set for the long haul. Thanks guys and gals for all the chatter about the Aloha, I'm hooked (no pun intended) .
Nan

[JohnO]

[ I realize there are many, many threads regarding the Aloha, but I really enjoyed the details in the basenote so decided to follow up here so that others might get a chance to see the nicely detailed reviews. ]

I'm on day 36 of my Auto-CPAP therapy. During the sleep study, I used the relatively new Philips Respironics TrueBlue Nasal Mask.

http://www.healthcare.philips.com/main/ ... /trueblue/

I felt the mask was very comfortable during the sleep study, but was interested in the nasal pillow style mask after reading so much about them here on the forum. The sleep center/DME asked me to give the TrueBlue a few weeks, and, since it did work very well at the sleep study, I did. They said many folks did not like the pillow masks, at least to start with since they aggrevated the nostrils. I did not think that would be a problem for me, since I'd been using Nasivent cylinders in my nose for the 60 days prior to CPAP treatment (anything to try to fix the SA!). I used the TrueBlue mask until my 33rd night, which was the day after I had my 30 day evaluation with my sleep doc.

While the TrueBlue mask was comfortable when sleeping, it was a hassle to put on evenly, and it was really annoying while awake, since it sits in front of my eyes. . It also was very hard to wear the Zeo headband while wearing the TrueBlue. Also, over the four weeks of using it, some nights were very low on leaks, and others seemed to be a leak-fest around my eyes. Mostly, it was pretty good, so I decided to keep it, and use separate funds to order an Aloha from our hosts at CPAP.COM.

I've now been used the Aloha for 3 nights. I much prefer it to the nasal mask for the following reasons:

1) Fewer Leaks! And, those leaks are just around my nares, not blowing air into my eyes. My leaks with the True Blue ranged from 3.5-6.7, and so far, with the Aloha pillows, have been between 0.4 and 1.5!

2) Much easier to get in and out of!

3) Much less "stuff" around my face! I can now put the mask on and read before falling asleep.

4) Fewer marks on my face (and none on my forehead) and no numbness in my upper lip in the morning!

5) My wife says it looks much less "medical"

I've looked at my Encore numbers, and they are the same, other than the leaks, which I mentioned were fewer. I spent a night with the pulse oximeter, and that is looking good as well. I think I would like to get a little hose cover for the little hose piece it has. I wonder why they don't go the full 22 mm diameter up to the pillow?

Nothing is perfect. Here are a few observations in that regard:

a) The straps and velcro are not as soft as the headgear straps on the TrueBlue. I wish they were. I miss the rounded corners and softer strap material.

b) The side pieces along the edge of the face is still a bit stiff. I have a Tempur-Pedic memory foam Neck Pillow, and when I switch from side to side it feels like my face is lying on a fabric covered popsicle stick. If I hold my head up for a few seconds as I switch sides and then let it gently sink in, it seems to lessen the popsicle stick feeling.



But that's it for negatives!

I'm using the large size pillows. As I was originally setting it up and adjusting it, I used the medium pillows, and, at least with the mask not attached to the CPAP machine, felt that the air coming into my nose was being restricted. I looked at the openings on the pillows and decided the large size openings better matched my nostrils.For me, for now, this should work very well. Thanks to all for the detailed reviews on this forum!

John

[Xney]

You can often get fleece covers for the straps so they don't "cut" as much.

Example for the swift FX (and I use them on the swift LT):

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... -wrap.html

or some people even make their own

[JohnO]

You can often get fleece covers for the straps so they don't "cut" as much.

The side straps on the Aloha do come with lovely, soft covers. I guess it is like the princess and the pea. I can still tell the insides are stiff. I'm sure I'll get used to it.

[RogerSC]

Asked my DME about this mask, they don't carry it and will not, so it goes. I went ahead and bought one from cpap.com, with return insurance, and we'll see how it goes. Been using the Swift FX, but I'm tired of it resting on my upper lip, especially when I sleep on my side...I haven't spent a night with the Aloha yet, but initially fitting it, it feels just fine, and it's not resting on my upper lip. Hoping for a good experience.

Got to say that I'm not too excited about my DME's reaction to something a little different, that they didn't offer to order it for me. They've already made quite a bit off of my insurance company, and are always urging me to re-order everything as often as possible, but when it comes to making me a happy customer, don't seem too interested in that.

[Starlette]

@RogerSC

Welcome to the wonderful world of dealing with DMEs *sarcastically said*

Starlette

[SleepyToo2]

I have been using the Aloha for several months - don't recall exactly how many, and I am away from home at the moment. I also use a Ruby chin strap. I discovered that a piece of velcro over the short hose attached to the chin strap holds the hose in place so that it doesn't move around as much. The first night away from home I had a brain wave regarding the pillows - instead of pushing the arms all the way into the slot, pull them out so that they are resting against the back edge of the 'channel' that they sit in. I can no longer hear any leaking, and i can't hear the air at all. I can still breathe, and if I put my hand over the vents, there is definitely a breeze, so I know it is working. I will be leaving for home tomorrow morning, and one of the first things I will do there is check out what SleepyHead has to say about the leaks! I woke up feeling real good this morning, and the LCD on my machine showed a 0.8 7-day average this morning, but it now shows 1.0 for both 7 and 30 days.

I have found the mask to be very comfortable, but the leaks were a bit of a concern. Now I have to check if I have fixed them, or if I need to tweak the position a little more. Tightness of the straps is not a problem.

[RogerSC]

Interesting...my adjusting ended up with those arms pulled out to the fourth notch (last one). I'll be working on leaks as well, so thanks for the tips.

[SleepyToo2]

Just checked in SleepyHead - leaks were way down the last 3 nights. AHI would have been too, if I hadn't had a beer last night! Definitely worth adjusting the position of the side-arms until the leaks are at a minimum. I'll leave them where they are for a few nights at home before I make any further changes.

[znurtdog]

I have had exactly one night with my first CPAP experience and was pleasantly surprised at the quiet of my machine and comfort of my Aloha mask. Still got some tweaking to do (chin strap) but so far, so good.

[JohnO]

I have had exactly one night with my first CPAP experience and was pleasantly surprised at the quiet of my machine and comfort of my Aloha mask. Still got some tweaking to do (chin strap) but so far, so good.

Glad to hear the first night went well. For most, the first two nights are the trickiest. Good Luck!

John

[RogerSC]

I sleep with earplugs for various reasons, so I don't hear the machine. Mostly I hear my own breathing *smile*. But my wife is fine with the low machine sound, especially since I'm not snoring anymore, which lets her sleep, too *smile*.

Tonight is going to be my first night with the Aloha, I'm real curious how it will go. The trial run this morning seemed fine, and seemed better for sleeping on my side. We'll see.

[znurtdog]

Well, 3rd night with Aloha (or anything) and found it laying next to me when I woke up. Machine said it was in use for 3 hours. I seem to remember my lips blowing out during the night. Will try with chinstrap, but not optomistic that will stop 'blow out'. Otherwise, it's fine, comfortable etc.