Aloha Update

[jimnsc]

On my third Aloha and still loving it except for one thing - the facial straps are leaving permanent marks just below my jawbone. For the last two nights I used my LT and the former marks have faded somewhat. I use medium pillows with the Aloha but had to go up to large with the LT. I guess my old skin just doesn't restore from the facial marks very quickly any more. I was wondering if any other Aloha users have anything to report since starting to use the Aloha. Going to use the LT until the marks have all but gone away. I might mention the marks are dark - not indentions in my skin.

[kaiasgram]

Hi Jim, I have the same thing with my Aloha, and in the same spot on my face. But the Aloha works so well for me (comfort-wise and leak-wise) that I've just decided to live with the mark. I'm pretty sure it's more conspicuous to us than it is to others. Honestly my adjustment to cpap has been so slow and fraught with complications that I'm just not willing to start trying new masks -- it's the one part of my therapy that is working well! (Plus being female I can put some "rosy" on my cheeks with makeup and hope people notice that instead of the dark marks. ) One thing we could try is getting a Padacheek wrap to put over the pads that come on the Aloha, see if that gives enough padding to decrease the marks on the face.

[Starlette]

Good afternoon Jim.

Yes, my Aloha leaves indentations on my face also. I don't recall the dark marks though.
Other masks, not just the Aloha, leave marks on my face also. I never worry about it. After after a couple of hours it will soon disappear.
I also don't worry if others see it even when it comes to the workplace. I'd rather have marks on my face then deal with the consequences of not masking up.

Just my humble opinion.

Starlette

[jimnsc]

Thanks for your reply, "K" and I'm glad I'm not the only one. I wear that thing much looser than any other appliance I've used and just don't understand the marks unless I get 'em more when I side-sleep. I used the LT before Aloha and liked it a lot so I didn't have to go through a learning curve with it. Take care.... We posted the same time, Starlette, and thank you for your input.

[NateS]

When my Aloha straps started leaving marks on my face, I loosened the straps.

End of marks for me.

I've noticed that I can make the pillows fit better by just slipping the black straps up a little at the back instead of tightening them. What I mean is that when I change the angle of the straps from horizontal to a little slope from the back downward as they come across my cheeks, it improves the angle of fit of the pillows against my nostrils.

Nate

[Starlette]

Thanks for sharing that Nate, I'll have to try that.

Starlette

[JohnO]

I wear that thing much looser than any other appliance I've used and just don't understand the marks unless I get 'em more when I side-sleep

What type of pillow do you have? I use the Aloha, and my headgear lines are much fainter now that I use a "regular" Serta extra-firm pillow than when I used my Tempur-pedic memory foam pillow.

John

[Uncle_Bob]

just to check did you notice that the top headband has two slots to thread through?
I had mine on the front one which caused the problems you are having. I tried the back ones and found them to be much better.

[ozze_dollar]

I also use the back connection. My only problem is the back strap,it always rides up to the top of my head requiring many adjustments.
I am still trying to decide if I like the medium or the large pillow size,isnt that stupid.

[tattooyu]

After the disaster with the Pilairo, I can't wait to try my new Aloha tonight. I've been very satisfied with my Swift FX, but I had some money to use on my flexible spending account at work and thought "Why not?" It reminds me a LOT of my old Swift LT. Seems pretty solid.

[jimnsc]

I have the top strap in the slot you all don't use, so I'll try that. The pillow I use is named "My Pillow" and was very expensive. It has done well for me. I must have tried a half dozen different ones including a CPAP pillow. Thanks for the suggestions.

[tattooyu]

ARGH!

Last night I had zero leaks but horrible numbers. My AHI was 7.0! AI was 1.0. Unheard for me. My AHI is normally 2.

I feel like ass this morning.

[tattooyu]

Okay, it turned out that I needed the large nasal pillows -- I was using medium for the Swift FX and followed suit -- for the Aloha. The larger pillows sealed better but also provided more air flow, which I felt was lacking with the medium pillows.

Turns out that the bad numbers might have been wrong pillow size, plus I'd been having digestive issues for a week and a half, which culminated in an IBS attack the next day. I'm still not sure why all that makes my AHI go up.

At any rate, I really like the Aloha so far!

[JohnO]

The larger pillows sealed better but also provided more air flow, which I felt was lacking with the medium pillows.

I had the same experience. I really appreciate the increase of airflow and better sealing with the Aloha large pillows. And most would not consider my nose or nostrils large at all.

[tattooyu]

The larger pillows sealed better but also provided more air flow, which I felt was lacking with the medium pillows.

I had the same experience. I really appreciate the increase of airflow and better sealing with the Aloha large pillows. And most would not consider my nose or nostrils large at all.

My nose, specifically my nares, isn't very large at all either. It's going to take some getting used to since the Swift FX was SO soft, and even with new pillows and an entirely new mask, I was getting leaks I never had before, hence the switch to the Aloha.

More importantly, I feel better today despite coming down with a cold.