Aloha mask and Swift Lite? Apria?

[Edgeguy]

I have decided to return my full face mask back to Apria and exchange for a nasal pillow. The full face was used because of nasal congestion, but the fit and severe dry mouth makes it have to go. I have overcome the congestion by just keeping the nasal pillow on and evently I fall asleep. If it does not work I have a Comfort gel nasal that works on bad nights. Now my question what is the difference between the Aloha and Swift Lite? I don't wear the tube over my head so they look very similar or does the Aloha have better pillow adjustments than the Swift Lite? Also can you have Apria order a mask they don't carry on site? The Aloha like I said seems interesting and I would love to try the Tap Pap, but I think Apria does carry either. They seem to only carry Resmed or Repironics mask.

[Pugsy]

Do you mean Swift LT? There is no Swift Lite.

I used the Swift LT until the Swift FX release. The Swift LT...those plastic side things can dig into the face and for me were too close to my eyes but I used it until the FX was released. It's a good mask.
You don't have to wear the hose routed over you head with the LT if you don't want to.
In fact with any nasal pillow mask that offers routing over the head you don't have to do it that way if you don't want to.

I have also used the Aloha...between the Aloha and the Swift LT I would recommend the Aloha. It's a lot like the Swift LT but improved IMHO.

The Aloha is easier to make minor adjustments to..side check things are less intrusive...overall in general more comfortable than the Swift LT.
For a newbie I would recommend the Aloha BUT you might do very well with the Swift LT...it's a good mask but I think the Aloha which looks a lot like the LT is an improvement.

I have zero experience with Apria so can't comment on what they might or might not do. Generally we call them Crapria for a reason.. and it isn't a compliment.

You have been watching my Tap Pap Review thread? It's going to be a while before it's available in a lot of places.
Mask Guy mentioned they now have it set up with Lincare...go check out his last posting on the last page of the thread.
You would need to check with your insurance to see if Lincare was in their network though.
If not you would be better off to just buy from cpap.com.

[Edgeguy]

Yes it is the Swift LT. I thought the LT was newer than the Swift FX will have to look at the FX then if they don't have the Aloha or Tap Pap. Since the Full Face was from Apria I have to use them. They are a bit of a problem, but since I deal with them so seldom I just live with the frustration of lots of phone calls and wrong equipment.

[Pugsy]

The Swift FX is newer...released in 2010 I think it was.
For me and my needs far superior to the LT but you know the drill...one man's treasure is another man's trash when it comes to masks. But the only way to know is to try.
The Aloha is probably a little more stable than the Swift FX and that's why I suggest it for newbies but there are a lot of newbies who get the FX from the start and never look back.

For a long time the Swift LT was likely one of the most popular masks but the Swift FX came along and then the Aloha last year.
I still preferred the Swift FX over the Aloha but it was a real close preference. Mainly because my own personal preferences is for less "stuff" on my face...so that's why I am using the Tap Pap now. Just my own personal preferences.
I can actually probably successfully use any number of the nasal pillow masks if I had to but I like the least amount of stuff on my face as possible so I am willing to give up a little of something else to have that freedom.

[Bobby269]

You can get the Aloha from Apria. But my branch doesn't offer the 30 day free trail after you receive you cpap unit and first mask. They will order from Innomed which makes the Hybrid and the Aloha.
You do better if you call the 800 number to find out what can they can do for you.

[khauser]

I have decided to return my full face mask back to Apria and exchange for a nasal pillow. The full face was used because of nasal congestion, but the fit and severe dry mouth makes it have to go. I have overcome the congestion by just keeping the nasal pillow on and evently I fall asleep. If it does not work I have a Comfort gel nasal that works on bad nights. Now my question what is the difference between the Aloha and Swift Lite? I don't wear the tube over my head so they look very similar or does the Aloha have better pillow adjustments than the Swift Lite? Also can you have Apria order a mask they don't carry on site? The Aloha like I said seems interesting and I would love to try the Tap Pap, but I think Apria does carry either. They seem to only carry Resmed or Repironics mask.

Whenever I see someone complain about congestion that "goes away" if they force themselves to use it, I think of two things:
1) Wrong mask. In my case, when I used a nasal mask (not pillows) it made me feel congested and like I couldn't breathe. I would actually have to occasionally take a regular breath through my mouth, mostly to release pent up air in my lungs, because the "congestion" made it feel like I couldn't exhale enough. Pillows don't have this problem (for me), but I also now realize that various forms of exhaust relief (AFlex, CFlex, CFlex+, EPR, etc) might have helped.
2) Wrong prescription! If the pressure is too low, I think people feel that as variously: "congestion", "inability to breathe", and "mouth breathing".

Also, with regards to Swift LT, I have this mask as well. I am not currently using it. It was my preferred mask before I found the Aloha. I would say that in terms of leakage and therefore effectiveness the two are on a par for me. But, like pugsy, I find that the LT gets too close to my eyes. In fact I have suffered three (!!) minor corneal abrasions because of this. The straps don't have to be ON the eyes to cause this ... if they are close enough they distort the skin and that can lead to a problem. The straps were very close to the corners of my eyes.

Unfortunately I never thought to try the Swift FX, which it seems solves that problem. Most people say the FX and Aloha are similar, so I'm probably going to skip the FX. The next mask for me to try is going to be the Tap Pap. I may also try the Sleepweaver Elan, just to satisfy my curiosity about a mask made with cloth!