Confused About Fitting Nasal Pillows

gasp wrote:

KimberlyM wrote:

gasp wrote:First and foremost for me it's essential to have an oil free nose. I am blessed with smooth non-wrinkled skin because it has a never-ending flow of oil. The oil keeps the nasal pillow from seating properly. A non-moisturizing cleanser on the end of the nose and blotting with a tissue just before putting on the nasal pillows will ensure a good seal.

My mask, the CL2, has many adjustments so that I can apply just the right pressure of the nasal pillows to the nares.

First, I breath into the pillows so that the machine starts airflow. Then I place the pillows on my nose. Lastly I make any adjustments to the mask needed so that there is a good seal. For me this means just the tip of the pillows are inside my nares and there is light enough pressure so the pillows puff out to create a seal outside the nares. Having the air on helps the pillows to puff out to ensure there are no leaks.

I envy the fact that the pillows fit you that way. I tried the medium and they go all the way in my nose to seal; the large are way too large. I have a thin nose with slotted nares, so they are hard to fit with pillows. Thank you though, I am going to retry this with all sizes.

I went to CPAP.com and looked at the Swift LT. I think it may be that the mask doesn't have (from what I can see) a way to adjust the angle of the pillows. The ComfortLite 2 (CL2) can adjust both closer and farther away from the face as well as up toward the nose and down away from the nose. My pillows also have a metal brace that allows me to slightly change the shape of the pillows. I'm uncertain if the Swift LT can do all that. It could be that you don't have enough options to achieve the correct pressure of the nasal pillows against your nares. Also, the flexibility of your pillows may differ.

Here is a link to my mask that has pictures of the pillows you can click on and get a close up picture to see if they are designed the same as yours. https://www.cpap.com/productpage/Comfor ... gwod-ySOng

I don't like a mask to touch my face and like the way the CL2 mask only touches my scalp/hair and of course the pillows.

I hope you find your perfect mask : ) I tried quite a few before finally trying what I thought was a very unattractive CL2. Now I totally love it.

Marvinvwinkle wrote:I've used pillows for several years and I don't believe that they have enlarged my nose. I also think that if you place the mask on your face and then gently pull it away from your nose and lightly set it back down, it will seal and you will be set for the night. Don't push them into the nose to get a seal. I think most people that have problems with pillows are pushing them onto the nose to get a tight seal and that is not necessary. Good Luck and good sleeping.

jbn3boys wrote:I'm pretty new to nasal pillows myself, but I think that if you are getting a good seal with no leaks, then you have the correct size.

When they say that the pillow should not be up your nose, I think they mean the entire pillow. If you think of each pillow as a mushroom shape, the top part will go into the nostril just a bit, but the biggest (widest) part will rest on the outside (bottom) of your nose. That widest part of the pillow should not be inside your nose, if that make sense.

I'm sure others here will offer more advice...this forum is great in that way!