Nasal Pillow Question

I'm getting ready to switch from a normal mask (ComfortGel) to a Nasal Pillow. I've been looking and getting reviews on both the Breeze and the Resmed Mirage Swift. Is one any better over the other? I want to make sure I get the right one. I've been on a CPAP for about 2 months and haven't really noticed much of a difference but I've had excessive leaks on my current mask due to excessive oil in my skin.

Any suggestions/thoughts/ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Lanthom-
Different facial shapes and facial structures will affect if a mask will work for you but not someone else. THe other important factor is sleeping position. Some of us have difficulty side sleeping with the Swift. For me, I mostly sleep on my back, so the Swift is great. I also like that it's lightweight and does not make me feel claustrophobic. In our quest to find the "perfect" mask, many of us have purchased several different masks. Sometimes we change off between several masks. It is basically trial and error. Some people on this forum have done their own "surgery" on their masks to make their own home improvements. Many of us will agree that we keep a full face mask on hand for the dreaded head cold when we cannot breathe through our noses.
Good Luck,
Barb

I have a ComfortGel, Breeze and Swift, all I can say is hang on to your ComfortGel and buy a tube of Ayr gel for the pillows.

The latter interfaces will be more noisy than what you are used to and change the way the cpap air is delivered, it will blow directly into your nares feeling much colder than you are used to. The ComfortGel diffuses that feeling now with dead space.

I didn't like all the headgear contraption with the Breeze, the Swift was way too noisy for me, in fact I found the NasalAire a much better interface than both the Breeze and Swift but it too is very noisy (and cold air delivery).

If you don't have a heated hose I would invest in one before getting the pillow interfaces it takes that direct cold air feeling away without flooding you out with humidity to compensate.

Your nares will be sore in a few days, the Ayr saline gel helps, but most toughen up to it, so you may be switching back and forth from your ComfortGel until your nares get used to it.

Hi,

If you do a search you'll find loads of information and posts on the various nasal pillow systems. The most talked about seem to be the Breeze, Aura, Swift and Comfort Lite 2. Also, the NasalAire, which is slightly different (the prongs go a bit further into the nose, if I understand it correctly). And the Adam's Circuit.

Each head/face/nose needs its own decision process. Personally, I loved the Breeze but found it harder on my nostrils, and now I use the CL2 which has some leak issues but my nose has never been happier.

Arm yourself with some sort of lubricant for your nostrils (also lots of discussions on this in the past), and tend toward the larger sizes of the nose pieces.

And let us know how it goes!

AII

Lanthom, you're getting good advice from the others in this thread. If you have the time and inclination to dig into some more discussions about pros/cons and fixes for the two nasal pillows interfaces you mentioned, plus several more good ones like the Twilight NP (used to be called Aeiomed's "Headrest"/"Aura") and the ComfortLite 2, here's a clickable link to a ton of interesting mask topics:

LINKS to MASKS - nasal mask, nasal pillows, nasal prongs

Just to give everyone a follow-up. My DME gave me a Mirage Swift since that is the only nasal pillow they carry. The told me the reason that is the only one is because from their customer base its the best.

I wasn't able to keep my current mask. Since its only been 2 months since I started therapy my insurance company wouldn't pay for a new mask yet so they actually just swapped my old mask out with this one so I wouldn't have to pay out of pocket for it.

I'm liking the nasal pillow. I've gotten a better nights sleep the last 2 nights. I was having problems with regular masks due to excessive oil in my skin. The only problem I'm having right now is sore nares but am working on correcting the problem after reading up here how to make them feel better! Thanks everyone for your help!

Lanthom,

My only advice: See if you can find a DME that is willing to let you try the interfaces on at home and sleep in them for a couple of weeks and still exchange them for a different one. Even if it is more expensive, it may save you some money in the long run. Of course, you would need to know if the insurance would cover different DMEs. Find out if different DMEs would sell you a mask even if you did not get the machine from them.

My nares were only sensitive for a couple of days. Now I don't even know the swift pillows are there.

I will try to give you my two-cents on my experience with masks. I am now in the fourth.

I started with a Comfort Gel. It was comfortable but it left red marks on the bridge of my nose. It took me a while to convince my DME that the marks were sort of permanent and wouldn't fade away in a reasonable time. My criterion is that it's OK to have marks but they must be gone by the time you leave home.
Finally after a month the DME changed it for a F&P 405. That was the only one they let me try. The 405 was worse than the Comfort Gel because the marks were now not only on the bridge of the nose but also around the nose plus lines on the cheeks left by the straps.
At this point I was frustrated by the lack of help and ended up switching to another DME. At the time I bought a Comfort Lite 2 with pillows interface. The CL2 is a good mask but I had to "customize" it by adding a strap and using the garbage bag tie "solution." It still gave me only a few hours of sleep before getting out of place and start leaking. I used the CL2 for 2 months.
Finally this week the DME exchanged the CL2 for a Mirage Swift. It seems to be working for me much better than any of the previous interfaces. It is so simple and light and best of all it stays in place giving me a whole night sleet. I keep my fingers crossed that it goes on performing as until now.
Again, as many have said, the selection of a mask is a very personal thing and the best is to try as many as you can.

Good luck!!!

Lanthom,

I am not sure how you are working to make the sore nares better.

I found putting neosporin on the sores, on the outside skin, really helped. Wipe/wash off in the evening, so it does not damage the interface.

The other thing I found that made a big difference with the Swift was putting Blistik on the my nose where the interface made contact. It made a better seal, then not using it. Which is opposite of what you hear about nasal masks and washing your skin before bed. (I got the tip from someone else, can't remember sorry.)

The better night sleep is your best judge of how you are doing with an interface.

Lanthom wrote:Just to give everyone a follow-up. My DME gave me a Mirage Swift since that is the only nasal pillow they carry. The told me the reason that is the only one is because from their customer base its the best.

I wasn't able to keep my current mask. Since its only been 2 months since I started therapy my insurance company wouldn't pay for a new mask yet so they actually just swapped my old mask out with this one so I wouldn't have to pay out of pocket for it.

I'm liking the nasal pillow. I've gotten a better nights sleep the last 2 nights. I was having problems with regular masks due to excessive oil in my skin. The only problem I'm having right now is sore nares but am working on correcting the problem after reading up here how to make them feel better! Thanks everyone for your help!